Episode 7: Shanna Nakamura: Healing, Boundaries & Finding Yourself Again

Episode 7: Shanna Nakamura: Healing, Boundaries & Finding Yourself Again

What happens when the life you built no longer feels aligned with who you’re becoming? In this deeply honest episode, Sara sits down with her longtime friend Shanna Nakamura for a conversation about divorce, healing, people-pleasing, motherhood, boundaries, and the messy, transformative process of finding yourself again in midlife. Shanna opens up about leaving a long-term relationship, navigating co-parenting, rediscovering who she is outside of being a wife and mother, and the emotional work of finally learning to say no after a lifetime of putting everyone else first. Together, they talk about the invisible mental load women carry, the loneliness many women experience in motherhood and midlife, and why sisterhood and honest conversations matter so much during this season of life. The conversation also dives into therapy, healing old wounds, spirituality, perimenopause, and the importance of creating spaces where women can feel seen, supported, and less alone—without judgment. Topics include: * Divorce and starting over * Motherhood and identity loss * Boundaries and people-pleasing * Therapy and emotional healing * Perimenopause and midlife transitions * Female friendship and support * Co-parenting and relationships * Learning to choose yourself This episode feels like the kind of late-night conversation women have when they finally stop pretending they’re okay and start telling the truth. It’s one of the most vulnerable conversations yet.

Episode 6: Joyce Dudley: Reinvention, Resilience & Taking the Leap

What happens when women stop waiting until they feel “ready” and start trusting themselves enough to take the leap anyway? In this episode, Sara sits down with former Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley for a conversation about reinvention, resilience, leadership, motherhood, and the courage it takes to continue growing through every season of life. Joyce reflects on the lessons she’s learned throughout her career and personal life, the importance of surrounding yourself with people who encourage you to dream bigger, and why women so often underestimate what they’re capable of. Together, they talk about identity shifts, confidence, fear, ambition, and the pressure many women feel to stay small or play it safe—even when there’s a part of them craving something more. But this conversation is also about setting an example for the next generation: showing our daughters what it looks like to trust themselves, take risks, and go after the life they truly want. Topics include: * Reinvention and personal growth * Leadership and resilience * Midlife identity shifts * Confidence and self-trust * Motherhood and role modeling * Taking risks and chasing dreams * Female ambition and empowerment * Building a supportive community If you’ve been feeling the pull toward something bigger—but fear or self-doubt has been holding you back—this episode might be the reminder you needed.

Episode 5: Arielle Curry: Female Friendships, Midlife & What We’d Tell Our Younger Selves

What happens when women stop pretending they have it all together and start having honest conversations about friendship, motherhood, burnout, and midlife? In this episode, Sara sits down with Arielle Curry—elementary school principal, mother, and close friend—for a conversation that feels more like coffee with a friend than a formal interview. Together, they talk about the importance of female friendships in your 40s, the invisible emotional load so many women are carrying, and how differently we begin showing up for ourselves in this phase of life. They also reflect on motherhood, people-pleasing, boundaries, burnout, and what they wish they could tell their younger selves now. With kids running around in the background and plenty of real-life interruptions along the way, this episode perfectly captures the beauty and chaos of this season of life—and the importance of having women beside you through it. Topics include: * Female friendship in midlife * Motherhood and emotional overwhelm * Boundaries and people-pleasing * Burnout and identity shifts * Parenting and partnership * What we wish we knew sooner * Finding support and community in your 40s If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, lonely, or like you’re carrying too much on your own… this conversation will probably feel like a deep exhale.

Episode 4: Jenny Schatzle Part 2: Perimenopause, HRT & Changing the Conversation

What happens when two women in the middle of perimenopause start having the conversations they wish someone had with them sooner? In part two of this conversation, Sara and Jenny Schatzle get deeply personal about hormones, HRT, relationships, and what it actually feels like when your body—and identity—start changing in midlife. They open up about their own perimenopause journeys, navigating symptoms that left them feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, disconnected from themselves, and searching for answers. They also talk honestly about the role HRT has played in their lives, the emotional complexity surrounding body image and aging, and the pressure women feel to keep holding everything together while silently struggling. But this episode also dives into something so many women quietly experience: how perimenopause can impact our relationships, communication, and ability to ask for help. Sara and Jenny talk about partnership, emotional support, resentment, overwhelm, and learning how to stop carrying everything alone. This episode feels like sitting down with women who are finally saying the quiet parts out loud. Topics include: * Perimenopause and hormonal changes * HRT and women’s health * Relationships and communication in midlife * Emotional labor and asking for help * Body image and aging * Partnership and support * Friendship, honesty, and feeling less alone * Learning to redefine health and self-worth If you’ve ever looked around at your life and thought, “Why does this suddenly feel so much harder?”—this conversation will probably feel very familiar.

Episode 2: Andrea Strand: You’re Not Crazy—It’s Hormones

What if you’re not “just stressed”… and your hormones are actually trying to tell you something? In this episode, Sara sits down with women’s health nurse practitioner Andrea Strand for an honest conversation about perimenopause, hormones, and why so many women feel dismissed when they know something in their body feels off. They talk about the symptoms no one prepares women for—brain fog, anxiety, sleep issues, mood changes, weight gain, exhaustion—and why so many women are told everything is “normal” when they don’t feel normal at all. Andrea breaks down what’s actually happening hormonally during perimenopause, the role of HRT, and why prevention and education matter so much for women’s long-term health. Together, they also unpack the shame, confusion, and frustration many women experience while trying to navigate this phase of life. This episode is informative, validating, and the kind of conversation every woman wishes she had sooner. Topics include: * Perimenopause symptoms * Hormones and HRT * Anxiety, sleep, and brain fog * Weight changes in midlife * Women’s health advocacy * Feeling dismissed by doctors * Prevention and longevity If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t feel like myself lately,” this episode is for you.