I’m back! The podcast has been on hiatus since August, which has given me the time to plan the way forward.

In this episode, I talk about rocks versus pebbles (you know that story, right?) and how that analogy has helped me define the future of this podcast. I also discuss how the podcast complements We’re All Getting Older (the main publication) and what you can expect from January onward.

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Subscribe to We're All Getting Older, a newsletter about how to live now so we can die happy later: https://loublaser.substack.com

Connect with Lou Blaser on Substack: https://substack.com/@loublaser

Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loublaser/

Some things are changing around here, and I wanted to share the thought process, where I'm coming from and what's next for the podcast.
 
Please be sure to subscribe to We're All Getting Older, to hear about future releases. We're All Getting Older is a weekly publication that explores living a fulfilling and meaningful second half of our lives.

FOOTNOTES

• Slowing Down Time

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Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loublaser/

Subscribe to We're All Getting Older: https://loublaser.substack.com/

Work With Lou Blaser: https://www.loublaser.com/bookacall

Support the Show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/secondbreaks

Thank you!

This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older, a publication and a community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older.

I am joined by writing coach and bestselling author Jen Louden. In this episode, we chat about the aspirations many midlife individuals have to write a book. Jen emphasizes the importance of recognizing the desire to write, distinguishing it from the desire to master the craft. We discuss the benefits and challenges of writing groups, finding the right mentors, and the emotional vulnerability of sharing one's work. We also talked about how to find and work with book coaches. Jen offers practical advice for aspiring writers, encouraging them to embrace their creative journey and find joy in the process.

GUEST LINKS

• Jen Louden's webpage: https://jenniferlouden.com/
• Why Bother: Discover The Desire For What's Next
• Jen Louden on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenlouden/
• Jen Louden on Substack: https://jenniferlouden.substack.com/

FOOTNOTES

• Author Accelerator: https://www.authoraccelerator.com/matchme
• Caroline Knapp memoirs: https://amzn.to/4fqtt0P and https://amzn.to/4frxmCY
• Tara Westover memoir: https://amzn.to/3WoBStb

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Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loublaser/

Subscribe to We're All Getting Older: https://loublaser.substack.com/

Work With Lou Blaser: https://www.loublaser.com/bookacall

Support the Show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/secondbreaks

Thank you!

This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older, a publication and community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older.

Grief is a universal experience, yet it is deeply personal and unique to each individual. In this episode, I continue the conversation about grief and explore the relationship and connection between grieving and liminal spaces, how our behavior about liminality applies to grieving, and the "tasks to be done" during this particular — often painful — liminal period. 

Find the essay version of this episode on We're All Getting Older: https://loublaser.substack.com/

FOOTNOTES

• Ep 229: Can we talk about grief? With Charlene Lam
• Ep 226: The Purpose of Liminal Spaces

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Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loublaser/

Subscribe to We're All Getting Older: https://loublaser.substack.com/

Work With Lou Blaser: https://www.loublaser.com/bookacall

Support the Show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/secondbreaks

Thank you.

This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older, a publication and a community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older.

I am joined by Charlene Lam, grief coach, speaker, and founder of the Grief Gallery.

This is a wide-ranging conversation about "processing" our grief after the death of a loved one. We talked about the common feelings that show up during the grieving process, like guilt and regret. We discussed the topic of "moving on," what that even means, and how to differentiate between "normal grieving",  situations when you may need help, and the spectrum of care. Charlene also shared her unique approach to dealing with the belongings of our loved ones and how to reclaim the narrative and the stories we would like to remember and tell about them.

GUEST LINKS

• Charlene Lam's website: https://www.charlenelam.com/
• Charlene Lam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curating_grief/

FOOTNOTES

• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

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Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loublaser/

Subscribe to We're All Getting Older: https://loublaser.substack.com/

Work With Lou Blaser: https://www.loublaser.com/bookacall

Support the Show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/secondbreaks

Thank you!

This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older, a publication and a community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older.

As a follow-up to the previous episode with Yvonne Marchese (Ep 228: Can we slow down time?), I'm sharing further thoughts about time — why it feels like it's moving too fast, where this sense of time urgency comes from, and the three areas that I'm going to address in an attempt to "slow down time".

FOOTNOTES

• Ep 228: Can we slow down time? A conversation with Yvonne Marchese

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Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loublaser/

Subscribe to We're All Getting Older: https://loublaser.substack.com/

Work With Lou Blaser: https://www.loublaser.com/bookacall

Support the Show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/secondbreaks

Thank you.

This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older, a publication and a community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older.

Do you feel like time's rushing by so fast? Do you wish you could slow it down, just a bit, so you can enjoy the days or even just catch your breath?

In this episode, my good friend and author of In Full Bloom, Yvonne Marchese, joins me to explore how we can slow down time — if that's even possible, given our busy lives. Both Yvonne and I have done a great job culling out our activities, carefully and deliberately choosing what we put on our plates. So, we're exploring how we can pause more and enjoy these things that we've chosen to put on our plates! Neither Yvonne nor I have THE answers, but we definitely came up with a handful to try and incorporate into our day-to-day.

GUEST LINKS:

• In Full Bloom: A Guide To Aging Playfuly
• Yvonne Marchese's Late Bloomer Living Podcast
• Follow Yvonne Marchese on Instagram

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Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loublaser/

Subscribe to We're All Getting Older: https://loublaser.substack.com/

Work With Lou Blaser: https://www.loublaser.com/bookacall

Support the Show: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/secondbreaks

Thank you!

This episode is brought to you by We're All Getting Older, a publication and a community for midlifers who want to get better as they get older.

In this episode, we discuss the concept of midlife portals and the importance of liminal spaces during life transitions. Inspired by Jen Berlingo's book "Midlife Emergence," I explore the metaphor of doorways marking the passage into new life phases, particularly focusing on significant transitional periods. I share reflections from my personal journey when I left my corporate life and the lessons I learned about the value of liminal spaces.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Midlife portals and the significance of the liminal space in life transitions
• Intentionality and purpose behind approaching life transitions
• Challenges and opportunities of liminal spaces
• My lessons learned about the value of liminal spaces
• The "jobs-to-be-done" in the liminal space

FOOTNOTES

• Midlife Emergence, by Jen Berlingo
• Ep 225: Finding Our Way Through Major Life Transitions with Jen Berlingo

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Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn

Subscribe to We're All Getting Older, a weekly newsletter about growth in the second half of our lives.

Work with Lou Blaser

I'm joined by Jen Berlingo, author of Midlife Emergence, to discuss the transformative journey of midlife.

We explore the concept of emergence as a positive reframe of the midlife crisis, emphasizing the opportunity to unveil one's authentic self. Jen discusses the second individuation process, the challenges of embracing change while managing life's responsibilities, and the importance of authenticity. Our conversation reveals the complexities of midlife changes, the struggle with societal expectations, and the courage to pursue personal truth and growth.

Jen Berlingo, MA, LPC, ATR (she/her) is a coach, a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Nationally Registered Art Therapist, and a master-level Reiki practitioner. After two decades of "midwifing" hundreds of women through life’s major transitions and experiencing her own passage through a fiery midlife portal where she more fully stepped into her queer identity, she was inspired to write Midlife Emergence to accompany other women in traversing their midlife journeys. Upon its publication, Midlife Emergence reached #1 in several Amazon categories, including midlife management, divorce, LGBTQ+ memoirs, LGBTQ+ parenting and families, adulthood and aging, and self-help. 

GUEST LINKS:

• Jen Berlingo's website
• Jen's Substack: Prism
• Jen's book: Midlife Emergence

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Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn

Subscribe to We're All Getting Older, a weekly newsletter about growth in the second half of our lives.

Work with Lou Blaser

"A lot of people get old because they think they're supposed to."

Former award-winning television journalist and Emmy-Award-winning producer/writer/director Paul Long shares his midlife career transitions and his "new way forward" — one that is ideal for him, that takes advantage of the new realities of longevity and the new phase of life he calls "olderhood."

In this episode, Paul and I have a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to get older today, what "olderhood" means (and why he considers this a better moniker for this phase in life), retirement, and the stories we tell ourselves as we get older.   

GUEST LINKS:
Paul Long's Newsletter: Launch Yourself
Paul Long on YouTube
Follow Paul Long on LinkedIn

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Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn

Subscribe to We're All Getting Older, a weekly newsletter about growth in the second half of our lives.

Work with Lou Blaser

Support the Show. Thank you.