The Midlife Edit

In today’s episode of The Midlife Edit, we’re stepping into Week 4 of the Pre-Holiday Reset — and this week is all about reflection: the grounding, self-honoring kind… not the childhood “go think about what you did” version.

Before the holidays sweep in, this week invites you to pause, breathe, and ask:
What’s working? What’s not? What am I ready to release — and what do I want to carry with me into the next chapter?
Jen shares powerful journaling prompts, explores her own patterns and wins over the past few weeks, and talks openly about showing up for ourselves before we show up for everyone else.
And then…
You’re getting a two-for-one today.
Because after we reflect, we dive straight into a short but incredible interview with Pittsburgh-based band Neostem — a fusion of grunge, punk, and metal who prove exactly why music and community matter so much in midlife.
✨ In This Episode:

We explore:

• What reflection actually means
• Why it’s not about shame, guilt, or tallying your failures
• How to check in with your energy and behavior
• What you need more of — and what to release
• How self-awareness prepares you for a calmer holiday season

Jen also shares her own reset takeaways: juggling work, volunteering, family roles, and her podcast — and learning to give herself actual credit for the way she shows up for others.

🎸 Interview with Neostem: Music, Mental Health & Community

We talk about:

• How Ryan, Matt, and Rob met
• How their unique blend of punk/grunge/metal came to life
• Their songwriting process and how their influences collide
• Music as self-expression, self-discovery, and emotional processing
• Why Punk Rock Saves Lives matters — especially for men’s mental health
• Their favorite Pittsburgh venues
• What’s next for the band in 2026

This conversation blends music, community, nostalgia, and real talk about mental health — a perfect companion to this week’s theme of reflection.

📝 Download the Midlife Edit Reflection Workbook, your personal “backstage pass” to deeper self-awareness, clarity, and midlife reinvention. 

🖤Visit Punk Rock Saves Lives

🎧 Listen to Neostem on all platforms and check out their socials:

Instagram: @neostemband

Facebook: Neostem

🛍️ The Feed the People Tour — Support Feeding America

We’re just under $150 raised and aiming for $300 by Thanksgiving!
Grab your tee or crewneck here! 100% of profits go directly to Feeding America, now and forever.

✨ Join the Pre-Holiday Reset

If you haven’t joined yet, it’s not too late.
This reset is evergreen — not just for the Christmas season — and will help you slow down, breathe deeper, and reconnect with yourself. Sign up now: Pre-Holiday Reset

In Week 3 of the Pre-Holiday Reset, the theme is breathe—but not the shallow, rushed kind we fall into during stress or multitasking. This week, Jen explores the kind of deep, expansive breath that creates space, clarity, and reinvention.

Fresh off a trip to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Jen reflects on the moment everything clicked: music has always been the quiet throughline of her life and her reinvention journey. And now it’s time to let it take up the space it deserves inside The Midlife Edit.

From childhood concerts with her dad, to the nostalgia of Discman-era friendships, to the women artists who model unapologetic evolution, this episode dives into the emotional and creative heartbeat behind Jen’s next chapter.

This isn’t a rebrand. It’s a reveal.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• The power of breathing space
How intentional breath slows the noise long enough for truth to surface—and why clarity is always the starting point for midlife reinvention.

• A pivotal moment at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
What Jen realized while standing among decades of music history, lyrics, and creative eras.

• Why music has always been the backbone of Jen’s story
From her dad introducing her to concerts at age 11, to the songs that shaped her teens, to the lyrics that helped her survive and evolve.

• The childhood dream that never quite died
Jen opens up about wanting to be Jem and the Holograms, realizing she couldn’t sing, and discovering that storytelling became her own musical language.

• Women, reinvention, and owning your next era
Why female reinvention is often questioned—and why women like Pink, Kate Hudson, and everyday midlife creators deserve to be celebrated.

• The future of The Midlife Edit
More music. More midlife stories. More creativity. More conversations with women rewriting their lives through sound, art, and courage.

• A call to listeners
Jen wants your help finding women in music—famous, indie, local, or quietly brilliant—who embody midlife creativity and reinvention.

Resources & Links

• Pre-Holiday Reset: Week 3 – Breathe
  Free email support + breathing exercises
  Click HERE To Sign Up
• Feed the People Tour Tee & Sweatshirt
  100% of profits donated to Feeding America
  Get yours HERE 
• Submit a Woman in Music Guest Suggestion
  Email Jen: [email protected]

Connect with Jen

Website: www.themidlifeeditco.com

 Instagram: @thejenweinstein
 TikTok: @thejenweinstein
 Pinterest: The Midlife Edit Co.

This week, Jen dives deep into the meaning of movement — not just in the gym, but in life. From shifting workouts to listening to her body through gut health challenges, she opens up about how movement can be a reset for your body, mind, and purpose.

She also announces The Feed the People Tour — a special merch drop from The Midlife Edit Co., where 100% of the profits will be donated to Feeding America to help families affected by the current food insecurity crisis.

Because movement isn’t just physical — it’s compassion, courage, and action.

💿 In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why midlife isn’t a crisis — it’s your remix.
• How to move through seasons of change with intention and grace.
• What “movement” really means — from walking away from what no longer fits, to stepping into your power.
• How Jen pivoted her workouts and eating habits after facing stomach issues — and what it taught her about self-trust.
• Why she pressed pause on The Remix Era Collection to launch something bigger — The Feed the People Tour.

✨ Mentioned in this episode:

• Shop The Feed the People Tour Drop (100% to Feeding America)
  
  
• Listen to The Midlife Edit Podcast Archive
  
  
• Join the Pre-Holiday Reset Series (Free)
  
  

📝 Quote to Remember:

💬 Journal Prompt:

In this empowering solo episode, Jen dives deep into the misunderstood art of indecision. Often labeled as flaky or unfocused, changing our minds is actually a form of evolution—a sign that we’re growing, learning, and honoring who we are becoming in midlife.

From rebranding her business (again!) to redefining what it means to nourish herself, Jen shares how embracing change has allowed her to live with more alignment, creativity, and joy. She opens up about her ADHD diagnosis, how perimenopause feels like a thousand browser tabs open at once, and why she now sees her “indecisiveness” as imagination in disguise.

Jen reminds listeners that midlife is one big, beautiful edit—a remix of everything we’ve learned, survived, and felt so far. You don’t owe the world the same version of you forever; you owe yourself the chance to evolve.

In This Episode

• Why indecision might actually be your hidden superpower
• How ADHD and perimenopause play into creative chaos
• The pressure women face to “pick a lane” and stay there
• How to nourish not just your body—but your evolution
• What Jen has learned through countless pivots, rebrands, and restarts
• The one thing she’s stayed consistent with (and why it changed everything)

Favorite Quotes

Mentioned in This Episode

• The Pre-Holiday Reset (week one: Nourish)
• The Backstage Pass: Sign Up Here
• YouTube version of this episode (watch and subscribe!)

Listen & Subscribe

🎧 Spotify | 🍎 Apple Podcasts | ▶️ YouTube
 ✨ Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe to help more women discover their midlife power move.

This week on The Midlife Edit, Jen gets real about what it feels like to lose yourself in perimenopause — physically, mentally, and emotionally — especially as the holidays approach. From walking into a store full of Christmas decorations in mid-October to realizing how much women take on this time of year, Jen opens up about exhaustion, stress, and the pressure to “make the magic happen” for everyone else.

If you’ve been feeling off — tired, unmotivated, disconnected, or just not like yourself — this episode is your reminder that you are not alone. Jen talks about how stress hits differently in midlife, why your hormones are not the enemy, and how small shifts in movement, nutrition, and music can help you find your rhythm again.

She also announces The Midlife Comeback Challenge: Holiday Edition — a 4-week reset to help women protect their peace and prioritize themselves before the chaos of the season hits.

Because before you take care of everyone else this year… it’s time to take care of the woman behind the magic.

🧠 In This Episode, Jen Talks About:

• That Target run moment when Christmas shows up way too soon 🎄
• How midlife women end up carrying the emotional and mental load of the holidays
• Losing strength, appetite, and energy — and why it’s not “just stress”
• How perimenopause messes with hormones, moods, and recovery
• Why stress feels heavier now (hint: it’s chemical, not character)
• How music can help you reconnect when you feel “off”
• The four-week Midlife Comeback Challenge: Holiday Edition and how to join

🪩 Challenge Breakdown:

Week 1: Nourish — Eat enough, fuel your energy, and support your hormones
Week 2: Move — Focus on strength and movement that feels good
Week 3: Breathe — Manage stress with intention (and a little grace)
Week 4: Reflect — Practice gratitude, compassion, and calm before the new year

Join Jen inside The Backstage Pass to get weekly playlists, nutrition tips, and challenge updates:
👉 Join the Challenge Here

🎶 Mentioned in This Episode:

• Grey Street – Dave Matthews Band
• You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette
• Rage Against the Machine – for those “scream in the car” moments
• Bowling for Soup – for when you just need to dance it out

Follow Jen’s playlists on Spotify:
 🎧 The Midlife Edit Co. on Spotify

💌 Stay Connected

Subscribe to The Backstage Pass for exclusive updates, playlists, and behind-the-scenes content:
👉 Join Here

✨ Quote from the Episode

In this deeply honest and moving episode, Jen sits down with Jaret Reddick, frontman of Bowling for Soup, for a conversation that hits on everything from mental health and midlife to fatherhood, therapy, and finding purpose through music.

Jaret opens up about his personal experience with depression, anxiety, divorce, and the pressure to always be “the funny guy”, and how sharing his story helped others find the courage to get help too. Together, Jen and Jaret talk about the stigma around men’s mental health, how partners can offer support, and why healing starts with talking about it.

From punk rock to personal growth, this conversation proves that vulnerability is strength — and that even rockstars are rewriting what it means to be okay.

🔑 Key Takeaways

• How Jaret Reddick learned to speak openly about mental health
• Why asking for help is an act of strength, not weakness
• What men wish women understood about emotional struggles
• How music can connect, comfort, and heal
• The importance of therapy, communication, and self-care in midlife
• The story behind Turbulence, There Is You, and Holdin’ On to That Hate

🧠 Favorite Quote

🌎 Resources & Mentions

• Punk Rock Saves Lives
  
  
• Amplified Minds (Formally Foundation 45)
  
  
• Tough Enough to Care (UK)
  
  
• BetterHelp
  
  
• Songs Mentioned:
  • Turbulence – Bowling for Soup
  • There Is You – Jaret Reddick
  • Holdin’ On to That Hate – Bowling for Soup

🎧 Listen & Subscribe

Find The Midlife Edit Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Follow, rate, and review to help more listeners join the midlife comeback movement.

Sign up for The Midlife Edit Co Weekly Newsletter here!

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Jen sits down with Shelly Sharon—certified Hakomi therapist, complex-trauma practitioner, and author—to explore a topic that quietly shapes so many women’s midlife journeys: the mother wound. 

Together they unpack what it really means to carry emotional wounds from a complex mother-daughter relationship, how those patterns show up in adulthood, and what it takes to finally begin healing. 

Shelly shares her own story of growing up with a mother who struggled with mental illness, how she learned to re-parent herself, and why so many women in midlife begin to feel old pain rising to the surface. The two dive into guilt, grief, boundaries, ambiguous loss, and the difference between closure and completion. 

This episode isn’t about blaming your mother—it’s about reclaiming your wholeness and realizing it’s not your fault.  

💬 Key Takeaways 

• What the “mother wound” really is and how it can shape your relationships, self-worth, and even your career.
• Why midlife often becomes the time these buried wounds demand attention.
• The emotional difference between closure and completion—and why completion is more achievable.
• How to grieve the relationship you wish you’d had, even if your mother is still alive.
• The power of acknowledging unmet needs without shame or blame.
• The “apology ache” and learning to live without the words you may never hear.
• Shelly’s gentle mindset shift for daily awareness: “Am I making an excessive effort to be loved, seen, or appreciated?”
• Why healing starts close in—one doable, compassionate step at a time.

 
🧠 Midlife Edit Moment
 

 
🔗 Connect with Shelly Sharon
 

• Website & Blog: shellysharon.com
  
  
• Private Podcast: Birth Rite Series
   — three short episodes offering insight and practical guidance on healing the mother wound
• Substack: Women of Ash and Honey – Shelly’s reflections and essays
• Instagram: @unmothered_women
   

 
🪞 Mentioned in This Episode
 

• Mother Hunger by Kelly McDaniel — explores the “apology ache” and unmet maternal needs
• Start Close In by David Whyte — the poem Shelly quotes as inspiration for beginning where you are

 
💌 Join the Midlife Edit Community
 
If today’s conversation resonated, make sure you’re subscribed to The Midlife Edit on your favorite podcast platform—and share this episode with a friend who might need it.

✨ Let’s make midlife our comeback tour, not a crisis.
 

Some weeks feel heavier than others. This was one of those weeks for me. I wasn’t sure I was even going to hit record-but the truth is, this podcast is part of my own mental health toolkit. And today, I want to talk about why it’s okay to not be okay, how the past has a way of showing up when we least expect it, and why midlife is the perfect time to start building your mental fitness toolkit.

In this episode, we’ll get real about:

• Why midlife often shines a spotlight on old wounds and new stressors
• How to shift from “I should be stronger than this” to “I’m allowed to feel this”
• Why vulnerability is actually strength, not weakness
• A sneak peek at an exciting guest joining the podcast soon (trust me, you’ll want to tune in 👀)

And most importantly, I’ll share 5 tools for your Midlife Mental Fitness Toolkit that you can start using today:

1. Rest Without Guilt – Give yourself permission to pause, nap, or say no without shame.
2. Processing the Past – Use therapy, journaling, or honest conversations to release old pain.
3. Honest Self-Talk – Replace “I should be stronger than this” with “I’m allowed to feel this.”
4. Outlets & Expression – Lean into music, movement, writing, or creative practices as survival tools.
5. Asking for Help – Reaching out is not weakness; it’s proof you’re ready to grow.

🎧 Whether you’re in a season of burnout, facing old wounds, or just trying to keep your head above water, this episode is your reminder that you’re not alone—and that you’re always one step away from your own comeback.

✨ This isn’t a crisis. It’s a comeback.

Life feels heavy right now. Negativity is loud-on the news, on social media, even in our own thoughts. It’s easy to get pulled into what I call the “cults of negativity”: comparison, self-doubt, and the story that we’re too old to change. 

But here’s the thing-we don’t have to stay there. 

Just like pop culture is constantly remixing itself (90s and 2000s bands back on tour, documentaries retelling old stories, fashion comebacks), we get to hit edit too. Midlife is not a crisis-it’s the encore, the plot twist, the moment where we get to rewrite the script. 

In this episode, I share:
 ✨ Why culture’s constant edits are proof you can reinvent yourself anytime.
 ✨ My confession about being the queen of being easily influenced (and why I’m shocked I haven’t joined a cult yet).
✨ How to recognize the “cults of negativity” you may have unknowingly joined.
✨ Practical ways to protect your mental health, unsubscribe from the noise, and add in positive outlets that help you thrive.  

What You’ll Learn in This Episode 

• How to spot the subtle ways negativity shows up in your daily life.
• Why reframing brain fog, aging, and slower metabolism can protect your mindset.
• How nostalgia and pop culture can inspire us to embrace edits instead of fearing change.
• Simple mental health outlets—like journaling, movement, and connection—that help lighten the load.

 
Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Professional Support (U.S.)

• Psychology Today - →  Search for therapists by location, insurance, and specialty.
• TherapyDen
  → Inclusive therapist directory.
• Online Therapy: BetterHelp, Talkspace
  
  
  
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline → Call or text 988 for free, confidential support 24/7.
• Crisis Text Line → Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor.
• NAMI Helpline → 1-800-950-6264 (Mon–Fri, 10am–10pm ET).

Other Outlets & Tools
 

• Journaling prompts: “What’s one thing I need to edit out of my life right now?” / “What’s one positive outlet I can add this week?”
• Apps: Calm, Headspace, Insight Timer for meditation; Daylio for mood tracking.
• Movement: walking, yoga, kettlebells, or just dancing to your favorite 90s playlist.
• Connection: weekly check-ins with a friend, support groups, or volunteering.

 
Call to Action

What cult of negativity are you ready to unsubscribe from this week? DM me on Instagram or share your edit-I’d love to hear it.
 
And if you loved today’s episode, it would mean the world if you left a review on Apple Podcasts or shared it with a friend who could use a little reminder that midlife is all about edits, not endings.
 

Ever feel like you’ve lost your momentum—and you’re not sure how to get it back? You’re not alone. 

In this episode of The Midlife Edit, I’m sharing my simple but powerful 4R Method for making a comeback anytime life pulls you sideways: Reconnect, Reset, Reframe, Restart. 

I’ll walk you through: 

• How a weekend at the Four Chords Festival reminded me to Reconnect with joy and my high school self.
• Why gut health struggles pushed me to Reset one small thing instead of trying to overhaul everything.
• The mindset shift I used to Reframe stalling out—not as failure, but as fuel for my comeback.
• How recording this episode became my way to Restart with imperfect action.

✨ The Midlife Comeback Tour isn’t about perfection. It’s about persistence.


What You’ll Learn in This Episode
 

• The exact 4-step framework to use when you’re stuck or starting over.
• Quick, realistic takeaways you can put into action this week.
• How to stop seeing “falling off” as failure—and start seeing it as part of your comeback.

 
Free Resource

Grab your free guide: The 4R Midlife Comeback Guide
It’s a 2-page PDF with quick summaries, journal space, and a weekly check-in tracker—your pocket plan for when life goes off-script.
👉 Get Yours Here!


Let’s Connect
 

• Share your 4Rs on social media and tag me so I can cheer you on!
• Subscribe to The Midlife Edit wherever you listen to podcasts.
• Want more midlife edits, playlists, and resources? Visit www.themidlifeeditco.com
  .