Who Am I?

This is a question we all ask ourselves, right? However, if you are a middle-aged woman going through what the world calls an “empty nest,” you are also asking yourself these questions. “Who am I?” “Who was I?” “How did I get here?” and most importantly, “Who do I want to become?” “What am I going to do with the rest of this ‘One precious life?’”

I was just your middle-aged, average housewife, living in a small town, and doing the daily grind when everything blew up in the blink of an eye. While I was very happy with our life, it turns out that my spouse of 22 years, was not. I had no choice but to face my biggest fear, and come to terms with the fact that life as I knew it was gone. I did not see it coming and I did everything I could do to prevent it. However, this was my new reality. It has been five years since that moment took place. There has been a lot of healing and perspective. I will discuss the process of it as well as many other things: the reckoning, the rumble, and the revolution. (Thank you again Dr. Brown) You will hear about my favorite people and how they helped me heal. However, that moment in time is just that, a moment in time, just a pin drop on the map of my life journey and I will not be going into private details. I really have created a beautiful life and that is where my focus is.

Topics that will be discussed are overcoming complex childhood trauma, eating disorders, mental health, empty nesting, navigating change in the global pandemic, children, divorce, forgiveness, going back to college in midlife, finances, and finding a new career. And, of course, all the fun stuff! There are grand-babies, dating, discovering new love when you have blended families, dreaming, traveling, hiking, and more goodness than you can imagine.

My journey continues; it does for us all, and life is the BEST adventure. I am so glad you are joining me! You will hear me quote several of my favorite people quite a bit. One of my absolute favorites is Dr. Brene Brown. If you are not familiar with her work, you will be. Here is what she says about midlife; I have found it to be true.

“I think midlife is when the universe gently places her hand upon your shoulders, pulls you close, and whispers in your ear: I’m not screwing around. It’s time. All of this pretending and performing these coping mechanisms that you’ve developed to protect yourself from feeling inadequate and getting hurt -has to go. Your armor is preventing you from growing into your gifts. I understand that you needed these protections when you were small. I understand that you believed your armor could secure all of the things you needed to feel worthy of love and belonging, but you’re still searching, and you’re lost more than ever.

Time is growing short. There are unexplored adventures ahead of you. You can’t live the rest of your life worried about what other people think. You were born worthy of love and belonging. Courage and daring are coursing through you. You were made to live and love with your whole heart. It’s time to show up and be seen.” BB