Join the community for growth-minded midlife women:

https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

The equinox is coming in two weeks. As a part of my seasonal living practice, I set aside time around each equinox and solstice to slow downward and listen inward.

(Slowing downward was the topic of last week's episode, in case you want to listen!)

My seasonal breaks and check-ins help me stay connected to my True Self. To what is most important to me in this season of my life and what I need for wholeness and joy.

But they also make space for me to sit with grief, or be with and process whatever is present for me.

I'm a feeling human, like many of you. And regular times of listening inward help me feel most at home in my body and life and this practice helps me thrive forward. Below, I've provided a resource you can use for your own seasonal check-in as you transition into autumn.

In this episode, I share about some themes and invitations of autumn, focusing on self-care for women in midlife season of life.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why for many people, grief and melancholy arise in autumn (sometimes this begins in August), even when they haven't experienced an obvious loss.
• How you can listen to your difficult emotions as wise messengers rather than problems you need to fix or push away.
• Why autumn invites you to strip away, let go, and engage in truth-telling about what no longer serves you.
• The reason holding onto old identities and patterns keeps you stuck and how you can recognize when it's time to release them.
• How you can navigate the vulnerable "in-between space" when you've let go of what was but haven't fully stepped into what's next.
• If you love rhythm and routine but also have a rebel streak, I share one way you can honor both by building intentional breaks into your life.
• How you can use this seasonal transition as an opportunity for meaningful self-care and inner exploration.

In this episode I also talk a tiny bit about paying attention to how you respond to the inner and outer noise that is common to women in the midlife season.

This includes paying attention to how you respond to inner and outer expectations. And I share a quiz below that can help you learn more about your own patterns (the Four Tendencies quiz).

Resources

Free Autumn Self-Care Guide: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/autumn-guide/

Quiet the Noise Challenge (Sep 22-25). We begin on the equinox: join free

Buy a seasonal mindfulness journal for Autumn. It can help you slow downward and listen inward: take a look

Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies quiz: https://gretchenrubin.com/quiz/the-four-tendencies-quiz/

Podcast episode about grief/Samhain: listen on apple podcasts

Connect with Krista:

• Instagram: @a_life_in_progress
• Facebook: @alifeinprogressca and @rebrandingmiddleage
• YouTube: @ALifeinProgress
• Website: alifeinprogress.ca

Subscribe and Review

If you loved this episode, hit subscribe and leave a review. Reviews help more growth-minded midlife women like you discover this show.

Join the community for growth-minded midlife women:

https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

Slowing Downwards is a term I encountered years ago in Michael Mead's Why the World Doesn't End: Tales of Renewal in Times of Loss. His writing in general and this idea spoke to me deeply.

Slowing downwards refers to more than simply moving slowly.

As Mead writes, "it means growing down towards the roots of one’s being. Instead of outward growth and upward climb, life at times must turn inward and downward in order to grow in other ways."

In this episode we explore:

• What it means to slow downward and how this is different from regular rest.
• When we need to slow downward to listen inward and why it's so important to recognize when we need this.
• Why, if we're in a season of expansion, we need to first (or also) slow downward.
• The truth that life turning upside down, upheaval, or disruption is often the catalyst for you growing into or being your True Self and telling the truth about what you want and need.

Resources

Quiet the Noise Challenge (Sep 22-25): join free

Buy a seasonal mindfulness journal for Autumn. It can help you slow downward and listen inward: take a look

Free Autumn Self-Care Guide: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/autumn-guide/

Connect with Krista:

• Instagram: @a_life_in_progress
• Facebook: @alifeinprogressca and @rebrandingmiddleage
• YouTube: @ALifeinProgress
• Website: alifeinprogress.ca

Subscribe and Review

If you loved this episode, hit subscribe and leave a review. Reviews help more growth-minded midlife women like you discover this show.

Join the community for growth-minded midlife women:

https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

We all need deep soul rest at times.

Soul rest is the relief, restoration, and recalibration that we experience when we slow downward, listen inward (next episode), and trust our inner wisdom as it calls us back into alignment with the truth of who we are and what we need for freedom and joy.

Soul rest is not typically found in doing more.

On the contrary, it is often found in doing less. In quieting the noise, stripping away, shedding, rewilding, or returning to the core essentials.

Shaking off the old inner and outer expectations that keep us pushing past capacity or keep us in judgment. And rest that comes from simply meeting and befriending our True Selves and building a loving, respectful relationship with ourselves.

In this episode you'll learn:

• What soul rest is
• How it is different from other forms of rest
• 7 types of rest everyone needs and the missing piece
• What soul rest can look and feel like
• How to respond when you feel the need for deep soul rest

Resources

True Rest blog post and free resource (the types of rest you most need in your 40s, 50s, 60s, or 70s): go here

Quiet the Noise Challenge (Sep 22-25): join free

Buy a seasonal mindfulness journal for Autumn. It can help you slow downward and listen inward: take a look

Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith: drdaltonsmith.com

Connect with Krista:

• Instagram: @a_life_in_progress
• Facebook: @alifeinprogressca and @rebrandingmiddleage
• YouTube: @ALifeinProgress
• Website: alifeinprogress.ca

Subscribe and Review

If you loved this episode, hit subscribe and leave a review. Reviews help more growth-minded midlife women like you discover this show.

Join our community: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

There are seasons in life when you can feel that something is changing, but you can’t yet see what’s taking shape. You know you’re no longer where you were, but you don’t yet know where you’re going.

This is a liminal space—the space between what was and what is coming.

It’s the no longer, but not yet—the murky, uncomfortable season where an old way of being is ending and something new is beginning to take shape.

And if you’re a growth-minded woman in midlife, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself here more than once.

In this episode, I’m talking about what happens when life is changing, whether you chose the change or it was thrust upon you, and how to navigate those seasons without rushing, resisting, or abandoning yourself.

Because the work of a liminal season isn’t first and foremost to figure everything out or take massive action.

The primary work is to slow down. To listen. To rest. To let go. To put down deeper roots. To take really good care of yourself.

And to trust that something essential is happening beneath the surface, even when life feels barren and you can’t fully see what’s coming next.

In this episode, we’ll explore:

• What a liminal space is and why so many midlife women find themselves in one
• Why significant change can bring up anxiety, self-doubt, overwhelm, and old patterns, even when you’ve already done a lot of inner work
• Why you don’t need to rush to make big decisions when you’re in the thick of transition
• How to loosen your grip on what was and make room for what’s becoming
• Why the “barren” seasons of life can actually be seasons of putting down deep roots and preparation for transformation
• How to care for yourself when your usual rhythms and routines no longer work
• Why rest, connection, health, and small doses of joy matter so much in seasons of upheaval
• How your past can remind you that you have moved through uncertainty before—and found more freedom and joy on the other side

Most of all, I want you to walk away knowing this:

You are not broken. You are not doing anything wrong.

You may simply be in the uncomfortable space between who you were and who you are becoming.

And the only way through is through.

Resources

How to Love Yourself Well While Navigating a Liminal Space: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/liminal-space/

Seasons of Transition Are Important and Require Ample Rest: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/seasons-of-transition/

Quiet the Noise 4-Day Challenge: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/quiet-the-noise/

Connect with Krista:

• Instagram: @a_life_in_progress
• Facebook: @alifeinprogressca and @rebrandingmiddleage
• YouTube: @ALifeinProgress
• Website: alifeinprogress.ca

Subscribe and Review

If you loved this episode, hit subscribe and leave a review. Reviews help more growth-minded midlife women like you discover this show.

This is the start of year 4 of the Rebranding Middle Age Podcast. I'm celebrating this milestone today.

In this episode, I reintroduce myself by sharing 7 things about me. If you want to share 7 things about yourself with me, send me an email: [email protected]. I'd love to "meet" you.

And I tell you why it's so important to pause regularly, witness your progress and be proud of yourself. I consider this a must-have practice for anyone who wants to walk in freedom, wholeness, and joy.

Thanks for being here with me. I appreciate you. xo

Resources

Join the free Quiet the Noise Challenge, Sep 22-25. This is a 4-day reset for midlife women ready to stop over-functioning and start listening to their inner wisdom. https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/quiet-the-noise/

If you want to create a soul-honouring life, one that is an expression of your True Self and helps you thrive forward in every season, you need to check out the Life Visioning Course: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/life-visioning-course/

Join the waitlist for the Brave and Beautiful Community for growth-minded midlife women: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

Connect with Krista:

• Instagram: @a_life_in_progress
• Facebook: @alifeinprogressca and @rebrandingmiddleage
• YouTube: @ALifeinProgress
• Website: alifeinprogress.ca

Join Our Community:

https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

This is part three of a mini series about living on purpose or living with purpose.

In this third episode, I briefly share about nine different viewpoints on living with purpose.

And I'm wrapping up the mini series here to highlight a couple key things.

1. There are many paths to purpose. Living with purpose is something worth exploring because it offers so many benefits to health and happiness. However, it's a lot easier and more accessible than most people believe.
2. We practice living on purpose, not to prove anything, not to earn our keep. But simply as an honest expression of who we really are and the kind of world we want to live in.

In this episode you'll learn about:

✨ 9 different viewpoints about what it means or looks like to live with purpose.

Resources

9 Truths You Need to Know About Living with Purpose: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/living-on-purpose/

If you're curious about how you could live with a clearer and stronger sense of purpose (or feel on purpose every day of your life), take a look at the Life Visioning Course: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/life-visioning-course/

Circle of Impact blog post: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/the-circle-of-impact-exercise/

3 Core Dreams blog post: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/three-core-dreams-for-my-life/

Connect with Krista:

• Instagram: @a_life_in_progress
• Facebook: @alifeinprogressca and @rebrandingmiddleage
• YouTube: @ALifeinProgress
• Website: alifeinprogress.ca

Join Our Community:

https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

Living on purpose is less about what you do and more about who you're being.

In Part 1 of this series, we explored what purpose really is and why it's not something you have to chase or discover outside yourself.

In this episode, we're taking the next step.

We're exploring how living on purpose is about consciously, intentionally creating a life that reflects who you truly are.

The beautiful thing is that living on purpose is available to you today, regardless of your circumstances.

When you learn to know, love, and trust yourself, your decisions become clearer. Your values become your compass. You stop reacting to life and begin intentionally creating a life that feels deeply aligned, joyful, and soul-honouring.

In this episode, you'll discover:

✨ The important difference between living with purpose and living on purpose—and why both matter.

✨ Why purpose isn't primarily about what you do, but about who you're becoming.

✨ How to use purpose as a practical tool to guide your choices through both ordinary seasons and difficult transitions.

✨ Six simple ways to begin living more intentionally by befriending yourself and honouring your True Self.

✨ The subtle signs that you've drifted away from yourself—including chronic stress, urgency, comparison, and the inability to truly rest.

✨ Why your deepest gifts energize you instead of depleting you—and how that's different from simply being good at something.

Living on purpose doesn't require a dramatic life overhaul.

It begins with small, intentional choices that honour your values, your gifts, and the person you're becoming.

Because purpose isn't something you eventually arrive at. It's something you practice, one choice at a time.

Resources

9 Truths You Need to Know About Living with Purpose: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/living-on-purpose/

Core Values Workshop: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/core-values-workshop/

The Life Visioning Course: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/life-visioning-course/

Connect with Krista:

• Instagram: @a_life_in_progress
• Facebook: @alifeinprogressca and @rebrandingmiddleage
• YouTube: @ALifeinProgress
• Website: alifeinprogress.ca

Join Our Community:

https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

What if you've been looking for purpose in all the wrong places?

So many people spend years believing they need to discover their one purpose. As though it's hiding somewhere outside of them, waiting to be found. They may, for a season, find purpose in a role they play or in career or another goal or achievement.

But when life changes through midlife transitions, retirement, empty nest, grief, or a career shift, many people feel like they've lost their purpose. They feel destabilized, unmoored, and sometimes scared.

In this first episode of a new series, I'm exploring what purpose really is, why it matters so deeply to our health and well-being, and how our experience of purpose naturally changes throughout our lives.

I'll share why believing there's only one purpose for your life robs you of joy and wellbeing, and how learning to reconnect with your True Self allows purpose to become less about striving or doing and more about being.

You'll also hear why purpose isn't reserved for extraordinary achievements. There are two distinct ways to look at and experience purpose. Both are important.

Purpose is 1) an innate seed within the true self, discovered, developed, and practiced or lived over time.

Purpose is 2) a practical tool that can be deliberately leveraged in any season, including in crisis, struggle, or vulnerable life transitions.

In this episode, you'll discover:

✨ How purpose can be a practical tool that brings hope, resilience, and meaning during life's hardest seasons. And examples of this.

✨ Why purpose is far more than a career, calling, or accomplishment.

✨ The research showing how living with purpose supports your physical, mental, and emotional health.

✨ Why the belief that you have one single life purpose can leave you feeling discouraged or even in distress.

✨ How purpose evolves through every season of life. Even if you have a strong vision for your life or for how to use your gifts in the world.

You don't need to have your entire life figured out to live with purpose.

You don't have to accomplish something extraordinary to matter.

Purpose is easier than most people think and available to all.

But I also want you to understand how to experience deeply rooted, long-lasting sense of purpose that is reciprocal (it fills you up and benefits others) and that comes from walking in freedom, wholeness, and joy.

Resources

9 Truths You Need to Know About Living with Purpose: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/living-on-purpose/

If you want to create a soul-honouring life, one that is an expression of your True Self and helps you thrive forward in every season, you need to check out the Life Visioning Course: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/life-visioning-course/

Join the waitlist for the Brave and Beautiful Community for growth-minded midlife women: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

Connect with Krista:

• Instagram: @a_life_in_progress
• Facebook: @alifeinprogressca and @rebrandingmiddleage
• YouTube: @ALifeinProgress
• Website: alifeinprogress.ca

Join Our Community:

https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

When was the last time you gave yourself permission to let go of urgency and stop trying to fix yourself?

So many women move through midlife carrying the exhausting belief that they should already have it all figured out. That they should be more healed, more disciplined, more confident, or further along than they are.

That constant pressure steals our freedom, joy, and peace.

In this episode, I'm sharing one of the most important messages at the heart of my work: there is no finish line. You are not behind, and you don't need to become someone else before you can fully live your life.

I'll share honestly about my own journey with anxiety, depression, perfectionism, grief, and fear, and why learning to question my thoughts, let go of shame, and practice self-compassion has changed my life.

You'll also learn the simple framework I return to again and again:

Look Back. Look Forward. Live Present.

When we learn to mine our past for wisdom, hold a hopeful vision for the future, and come back to the choices available today, we build deep self-trust and create lives rooted in freedom instead of fear.

✨ Why the belief that you need to fix yourself keeps you trapped in shame and urgency

✨ The difference between managing your struggles and believing they define you

✨ How to question the thoughts that quietly shape your life

✨ Why self-trust is built through thousands of small, everyday choices

✨ How looking back helps you uncover your wisdom, strengths, and resilience

✨ Why looking forward creates hope without comparing yourself to an imaginary future version of you

✨ A simple daily practice that helps you live with more freedom, health, joy, and self-compassion

You don't have to wait until you're more healed, more confident, or more certain to begin living fully.

There is no race.

There is no finish line.

There is only today's commitment to the messy practice of becoming... and you don't have to walk it alone.

Resources

Join me inside the Brave + Beautiful Community (for growth-minded midlife women): https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

Watch the replay of the Get to Know Yourself Workshop: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/get-to-know-yourself/

Join Our Community:

https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/

You get to keep writing your story. You have the privilege and the responsibility to take ownership for who you are being and what you truly want for your life.

I want to keep growing in freedom and I want to help you do the same.

This includes making the conscious choice to "live forward" and "thrive forward" in each new season.

In this episode I'm sharing a short clip from my Get to Know Yourself Workshop.

A few key takeaways from this clip:

1. Your past does not define you. You're still becoming. Your life is still unfolding. You get to keep choosing for yourself.
2. You can't grow forward while living one foot in the past, or while holding tightly to a past season of your life or to who you used to be.
3. You have blind spots and defense mechanisms that make it hard for you to see through the story you're living. This is why having support is so important. An outside observer, someone to witness, gently challenge, and reflect truth back to you.
4. Just because a thought/judgment/expectation is offered to you, or someone hands you something, doesn't mean you to have receive it, believe it, or reinforce it. And I share a recent personal example that was very interesting to experience.

If you are a growth-minded woman who wants to live fully in every season, who wants to grow into your True Self and not live limited by an old story, who wants to live with joy amid the messiness of life - I invite you to join me inside the Brave + Beautiful Community.

Resources

You can listen and learn from the full workshop replay: https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/get-to-know-yourself/

Join the Brave + Beautiful Community (today is the final day to save an extra $200 off your registration): https://www.alifeinprogress.ca/community/