Midlife Advice | Perimenopause, Hormones and Midlife Women’s Health

Reinventing Yourself in Midlife: A Novelist on How to Write the Next Chapter of Your Life

Feeling stuck in midlife even when life looks successful from the outside? Novelist and coach Ellen Baker says we can reinvent ourselves the same way an author writes a character into existence: by choosing who we need to be before we have proof we're there. Ellen Baker spent a decade navigating divorce, rejection, and reinvention before her novel The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson became HarperCollins' Lead Read for Winter 2024 and was featured in People and Woman's World. Her new novel, Summerland Cove, is out June 2026. She is also the founder of The Next Chapter Studio, where she helps women rewrite the internal beliefs that shape how they show up. She says we can write the next chapter of our own lives the same way an author writes a character into existence: by deciding who that character needs to be before writing a word. You choose the identity first. The outcomes follow. I can’t wait for you to hear this! We talk about: * Why the identity that got you here isn't the one that will carry you forward * The author's approach to identity change: deciding who your character needs to be before the story starts * How to look at yourself from the outside, the way an author looks at a character she's writing * The "I choose to" shift that gives you your agency back right now * Why we've been conditioned to think achievement has to come before identity (and why that's backwards) * How to tell the difference between an identity that's truly yours versus one you're just performing * The "What if?" question that lets you try on a new identity without pressure * What actually changes first when a woman steps into a new identity * How an identity shift ripples into relationships, and how to navigate that * The first thing to do if you suspect you've been living from an outdated identity Connect with Ellen Baker: ellenbakernovels.com [http://ellenbakernovels.com] | The Next Chapter Studio: ellenbakernovels.com/studio [https://www.ellenbakernovels.com/studio] I want to hear from you. Send me a text or voicemail! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411094/fan_mail/new] 😴 Sleep better tonight with my free 10-minute audio breathwork session [https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep]! (https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep) ⚡️Join the waitlist [https://your.belongwellness.com/next-level-you-waitlist] for Hello, Next-Level You, my upcoming 3-month group breathwork experience for midlife women who are ready to feel f*cking GREAT. Program launches in September. (https://www.belongwellness.com/work-with-me) ✨For more midlife advice on perimenopause, hormone health, nervous system regulation, and living with purpose in your 40s and 50s follow me: @midlifeadvicepodcast [https://www.instagram.com/midlifeadvicepodcast] | @heyjessicalong [https://www.instagram.com/heyjessicalong]

What Creatine Does for Your Muscle, Brain and Mood After 40

Creatine isn't just for bodybuilders. Functional medicine doctor Miranda Naylor explains why women over 40 actually need creatine for muscle, brain, mood, and sleep. Thank you, Dr. Naylor, for clearing up all the confusion around creatine and whether it is helpful and safe for midlife women.  What you'll hear: * Why women naturally have lower creatine stores than men * How estrogen affects creatine metabolism and why midlife women may need more * What creatine actually does for muscle, brain function, mood, and sleep * Dosing guidance: loading vs. maintenance, and what to look for in a product Dr. Miranda Naylor is a functional medicine doctor in San Diego, CA and the host of the podcast Modern Women's Wellness.  Connect with Dr. Miranda: drmirandanaylor.com [https://drmirandanaylor.com/] | @drmirandanaylor [https://www.instagram.com/drmirandanaylor/] | Modern Women’s Wellness podcast [https://drmirandanaylor.com/podcast/] ➡️ My favorite creatine: Be Well By Kelly [https://go.shopmy.us/p-50264235] (https://go.shopmy.us/p-50264235) I want to hear from you. Send me a text or voicemail! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411094/fan_mail/new] 😴 Sleep better tonight with my free 10-minute audio breathwork session [https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep]! (https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep) ⚡️Join the waitlist [https://your.belongwellness.com/next-level-you-waitlist] for Hello, Next-Level You, my upcoming 3-month group breathwork experience for midlife women who are ready to feel f*cking GREAT. Program launches in September. (https://www.belongwellness.com/work-with-me) ✨For more midlife advice on perimenopause, hormone health, nervous system regulation, and living with purpose in your 40s and 50s follow me: @midlifeadvicepodcast [https://www.instagram.com/midlifeadvicepodcast] | @heyjessicalong [https://www.instagram.com/heyjessicalong]

AI for Midlife Women: Why Chat and Claude Fall Short (and the Tool Being Built for Us)

The AI tools you're using weren't built for midlife women. But now there’s one that is customized for women over 40 and you’ll learn all about it (including how you can start using it) in this episode. If you've ever asked ChatGPT something deeply personal and gotten back an answer that was technically fine but somehow missed the point, you need to hear about this new AI tool for midlife women. Today I'm talking with Stephanie Georges, a former top-ranked Wall Street analyst, C-suite executive, and Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Senior Fellow who is now building The Meraki Dignity Project: an AI platform trained specifically on women-informed, evidence-based research, with a community layer built in. What you'll hear: - Why the biggest AI tools are under-serving midlife women (the pay gap example will stop you cold) - What "human-centered AI" actually means and why it changes the quality of support we can get - How Sophie, the platform's AI guide, walks you through a conversational onboarding and gets to know you holistically - Why community is the missing layer in almost every AI tool right now - How the platform builds a visual roadmap of your life, not a task list - How to get into the free beta right now More about Meraki Dignity: Website: merakidignity.com [https://www.merakidignity.com/] Instagram: @merakidignity [https://www.instagram.com/merakidignity] 😴 Sleep better tonight with my free 10-minute audio breathwork session! [https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep] https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep I want to hear from you. Send me a text or voicemail! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411094/fan_mail/new] 😴 Sleep better tonight with my free 10-minute audio breathwork session [https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep]! (https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep) ⚡️Join the waitlist [https://your.belongwellness.com/next-level-you-waitlist] for Hello, Next-Level You, my upcoming 3-month group breathwork experience for midlife women who are ready to feel f*cking GREAT. Program launches in September. (https://www.belongwellness.com/work-with-me) ✨For more midlife advice on perimenopause, hormone health, nervous system regulation, and living with purpose in your 40s and 50s follow me: @midlifeadvicepodcast [https://www.instagram.com/midlifeadvicepodcast] | @heyjessicalong [https://www.instagram.com/heyjessicalong]

🥳 It’s My Birthday! Let’s Reflect on Who We’re Becoming

In this personal birthday episode, I’m sharing what’s been guiding me this year and the practices helping me step into my next-level self now, instead of waiting for someday or some arbitrary accomplishment. And I invite you to reflect alongside me, not on tasks you’ve completed, but on who you are becoming. Every year around my birthday, I find myself asking a few questions: How am I really doing? Am I spending my time on what matters most? Am I becoming the person I want to be? My birthday falls right in the middle of the year, so it feels like the perfect time for all of us to pause, reflect, and intentionally choose how we want the second half of the year to feel. In this episode, I’m sharing a few of the intentions I set at the beginning of the year, what’s been working well, where I’ve faltered, and the practices that are helping me feel more connected to myself, my family, and the future I’m creating. In this episode, I share: * The intention that has guided nearly every decision I’ve made this year * What it really means to make choices from your future self * The behind-the-scenes work of building my new program, Hello, Next-Level You * Why supporting other women in business feels so important to me right now * My preferred practice for grounding and sourcing what I need * How I’m bringing more presence, play, and joy into parenting * An invitation for you to reflect on where you are and how you want the rest of your year to feel  ⭐️ If this podcast has ever made you think, dream, wonder or laugh, inspired you to try something new, or enriched your life in any way, please make my birthday wish come true and leave a 5-star rating and written review on Apple Podcasts or 5-star rating and comment on Spotify!  I want to hear from you. Send me a text or voicemail! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411094/fan_mail/new] 😴 Sleep better tonight with my free 10-minute audio breathwork session [https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep]! (https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep) ⚡️Join the waitlist [https://your.belongwellness.com/next-level-you-waitlist] for Hello, Next-Level You, my upcoming 3-month group breathwork experience for midlife women who are ready to feel f*cking GREAT. Program launches in September. (https://www.belongwellness.com/work-with-me) ✨For more midlife advice on perimenopause, hormone health, nervous system regulation, and living with purpose in your 40s and 50s follow me: @midlifeadvicepodcast [https://www.instagram.com/midlifeadvicepodcast] | @heyjessicalong [https://www.instagram.com/heyjessicalong]

Summer Reading List 2026: 3 Books You Won't Be Able to Put Down

Get your summer reading recommendations for women over 40, curated by someone who reads more in a month than most people read in a year. This episode is your 2026 summer reading list, plus the permission to quit every book that is not worth your precious time. Today I’m joined by my friend (since preschool!) and repeat guest Alexis Lynch for our annual summer reading conversation. Alexis shares three picks for 2026, including a novel about midlife identity and reflections on aging, a prison book club story that restores your faith in humanity, and a guilty pleasure page-turner she finished in 24 hours.  We also discuss Heart the Lover by Lily King, including the passionate-love-versus-stable-partnership theme and the concept of how our identity evolves over the decades. Oh, and Alexis admits this book inspired her to secretly sleuth her college boyfriend… What you'll hear: * Alexis's three summer reading picks for midlife women, with honest reviews on each * Updated tips for actually reading more when life is completely full * A discussion of Heart the Lover: the big themes, what the hidden name means, and why this book grabs hold of your heart * The one book to start with if you haven't read anything in a long time Alexis Lynch is a practicing attorney, a lifelong reader, and a self-described quitter of bad books. Alexis’ summer 2026 reading list for women over 40: So Old, So Young by Grant Grinder [https://amzn.to/4fIXUSQ] How to Read a Book by Monica Wood [https://amzn.to/4otwp1R] These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean [https://amzn.to/3S7gBWn] The book Alexis and Jessica discuss that is SO good: Heart the Lover by Lily King [https://amzn.to/4xqxbAE] I want to hear from you. Send me a text or voicemail! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2411094/fan_mail/new] 😴 Sleep better tonight with my free 10-minute audio breathwork session [https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep]! (https://your.belongwellness.com/sleep) ⚡️Join the waitlist [https://your.belongwellness.com/next-level-you-waitlist] for Hello, Next-Level You, my upcoming 3-month group breathwork experience for midlife women who are ready to feel f*cking GREAT. Program launches in September. (https://www.belongwellness.com/work-with-me) ✨For more midlife advice on perimenopause, hormone health, nervous system regulation, and living with purpose in your 40s and 50s follow me: @midlifeadvicepodcast [https://www.instagram.com/midlifeadvicepodcast] | @heyjessicalong [https://www.instagram.com/heyjessicalong]