Welcome to Your B-Side | Midlife Metamorphosis

24. Following Breadcrumbs: A Midlife Pivot to Fine Art Photography with Deb Achak

Deb Achak did not set out to be a fine art photographer. She set out to survive. After leaving a career in social work, caring for her mother through lung cancer, losing her mother, and then twenty-five days later giving birth to her second son, and navigating years of grief while raising two young boys, Deb picked up a camera. Not because she had a plan. Because something in her needed it. In this episode of Welcome to Your B-Side, Dr. Amy Lindsey sits down with her friend Deb to talk about what it actually looks like to follow breadcrumbs without knowing where they lead. Deb's story is not about a dramatic pivot or a bold leap. It is about slowly, quietly, patiently following one thing to the next - a self-portraiture group, a filmmaking workshop, a fine art printing lab, an underwater camera housing - until one day she rounded a corner in her house and heard three words: art on walls. This episode is also about grief, identity, imposter syndrome, keeping your creative work quiet while it develops, and why art is not frivolous. It is what makes life worth living. Dr. Amy notes at the top of this episode that this is her last episode of Welcome to Your B-Side for a while as she follows her own next breadcrumb. In this episode, you will learn: * Why following breadcrumbs without a plan is sometimes the most direct path to where you are supposed to be * Why keeping your creative work quiet in the early stages is not secretive, it is protective * How grief can crack you open in a way that points you toward something you never planned for * Why imposter syndrome gets quieter the longer you stay in your work, and how to turn the volume down on it before it does * Why art is not a hobby or a luxury, it is medicine, and what it actually does for your nervous system Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Always consult your own doctor. KEY MOMENTS: * 6:52 — Why you don't need a plan to start * 16:12 — The flash of insight that said art on walls, and the inner critic that followed * 23:07 — The match and bonfire: why sharing your creative work too early can put the fire out * 26:38 — Identity shift, imposter syndrome, and turning the volume down * 32:46 — Art as medicine and what collecting beauty does for your nervous system * 36:48 — If it doesn't make sense, that kind of means you need to do it ABOUT DEB ACHAK: Deb Achak is a Seattle-based fine art photographer working in large-scale color photography. Her work explores interior landscapes and the emotional and metaphysical connections between human experience and the natural world. Her photographs have been exhibited widely across the United States and internationally. Before photography, she spent nearly a decade in social work at Harborview Medical Center and later earned her graduate degree in social work from the University of Washington. She came to photography in her forties and built her career from there. CONNECT WITH DEB ACHAK: Stay in touch with Deb Achak and explore more of her work: * Website: https://www.djjohnrichards.comdebachakphotography.com [https://www.debachakphotography.com/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnkexp@debachak [https://www.instagram.com/debachak/] RESOURCES: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free B-Side Community on Skool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://dramylindsey.com/b-side-community/] STAY CONNECTED: * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dramylindsey/] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@dramylindsey⁠] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-amy-lindsey-nd-00a1236/] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://dramylindsey.com] SUPPORT WELCOME TO YOUR B-SIDE: Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts + Spotify to help more listeners flip the record to their B-Side. Share this episode with a friend and follow along on Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@dramylindsey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dramylindsey/]) for more no B.S. insights, midlife gems, and soul-level mic drops.

23. Talking Sh*t About People Limits YOU

Integrity is not just about showing up on time or doing what you said you would do. It goes deeper than that. In this episode of Welcome to Your B-Side, Dr. Amy Lindsey breaks down why integrity - real integrity, through and through to the bone - is directly connected to your health. When you are out of integrity, there is a current of stress running beneath the surface of your life that your body, mind, and spirit are absorbing. And most people never connect the two. Dr. Amy starts with a conversation at a French nail salon, moves through a discussion about judgment, gossip, and what it actually costs you to limit other people, and lands on something bigger: you do not get to go after your wildest dreams and the life you want while simultaneously boxing other people in and taking advantage of them. That is not integrity. And it will cost you. In this episode, you will learn: * Why integrity goes far deeper than being on time or keeping your word, and what it actually means for your health * How being out of integrity creates a hidden current of stress that impacts your physical, mental, and spiritual health * Why limiting and judging other people is the same as limiting yourself, and how that connects to your confidence and your dreams * What it looks like to love a culture while betraying the people who created it, and why that does not have integrity * Practical things you can do right now to live with more integrity toward other people and yourself Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Always consult your own doctor. KEY MOMENTS: * 2:01 — How being out of integrity creates a hidden current of stress in your body * 10:24 — When you limit other people, you limit yourself * 11:28 — You build confidence the less you talk shit about other people * 12:17 — Integrity at a geopolitical level: what goes wrong when we oppress other people * 15:38 — The restaurant example: loving a culture and betraying its people RESOURCES: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free B-Side Community on Skool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://dramylindsey.com/b-side-community/] STAY CONNECTED: * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dramylindsey/] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@dramylindsey⁠] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-amy-lindsey-nd-00a1236/] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://dramylindsey.com] SUPPORT WELCOME TO YOUR B-SIDE: Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts + Spotify to help more listeners flip the record to their B-Side. Share this episode with a friend and follow along on Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@dramylindsey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dramylindsey/]) for more no B.S. insights, midlife gems, and soul-level mic drops.

22. Bucking the Status Quo, Sabbaticals, and Living Your B-Side with Dr. Megan Walker

What does it actually look like to stop keeping one foot out the door and jump in with both feet? In this episode, Dr. Amy Lindsey sits down with Dr. Megan Walker - naturopathic doctor, healthcare entrepreneur, co-founder of Health Hives, speaker, author, and one of Dr. Amy's closest colleagues - for a conversation about what happens when you start reverse engineering the life you actually want. Dr. Megan walked away from her clinical practice, moved her family to Barcelona, launched a software startup, and is building something she says will have a legacy bigger than herself. This episode covers how she got there, including the lottery question that cracked everything open, the six-month sabbatical that decided for her, and why she believes the power is in the contemplation (not just the leap). Dr. Amy and Dr. Megan also get into raising resilient kids without trauma, what purpose does to your health, and why asking who you are without your titles is one of the most important questions you can sit with in midlife. In this episode, you will learn: * The lottery question Dr. Megan asks herself before every big decision, and why it is one of the most clarifying things you can do in midlife * What a sabbatical actually is, why it is not about rest, and why trying on a different identity before committing to it is more powerful than you think * Why resilience does not have to come from trauma, and how doing hard things builds it just as effectively * What purpose does to your body, including how it blunts cortisol, reduces cancer risk, and helps people heal faster * Why the power is in the contemplation, and why you do not have to know if you are the kind of person who would make a bold move before you are allowed to ask the question Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Always consult your own doctor. KEY MOMENTS: * 17:46 — The unaccompanied minor: how Dr. Megan learned to reclaim her independence at age seven * 11:08 — The lottery question that made her realize she was done seeing patients * 22:53 — The six-month sabbatical and selling her practice while walking around Epcot Center * 26:27 — Who are you without your titles? The question most people never stop to ask * 26:28 — What purpose does to your physiology: cortisol, cancer risk, and healing faster * 40:56 — Dr. Megan's B-side: done keeping one foot out the door, going all in ABOUT DR. MEGAN WALKER: Dr. Megan Walker is a naturopathic doctor, healthcare entrepreneur, co-founder of Health Hives, speaker, author, and podcast host. She spent years building a thriving clinical practice before walking away to focus on transforming the way doctors and healthcare professionals build their businesses and show up in the world. CONNECT WITH DR. MEGAN WALKER: Stay in touch with Dr. Megan Walker and explore more of her work: * Website: https://www.djjohnrichards.commeghanwalker.com [https://meghanwalker.com/] * Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnkexp@drmeghanwalker [https://www.instagram.com/drmeghanwalker/] RESOURCES: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free B-Side Community on Skool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://dramylindsey.com/b-side-community/] STAY CONNECTED: * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dramylindsey/] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@dramylindsey⁠] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-amy-lindsey-nd-00a1236/] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://dramylindsey.com] SUPPORT WELCOME TO YOUR B-SIDE: Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts + Spotify to help more listeners flip the record to their B-Side. Share this episode with a friend and follow along on Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@dramylindsey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dramylindsey/]) for more no B.S. insights, midlife gems, and soul-level mic drops.

21. Status Quo is Your Biggest Risk

The biggest risk for your health and your life is not the thing you are afraid to try. It is the decision to stay safe, stay comfortable, and keep doing what everyone expects you to do. In this episode of Welcome to Your B-Side, Dr. Amy Lindsey breaks down the hidden cost of status quo thinking. The version of risk nobody talks about because it doesn't feel like risk at all. It feels like being responsible. It feels like being realistic. It feels like common sense. And the price of it is your health, your purpose, and your life. Dr. Amy talks about leaving the music industry, going to medical school, scaling back her clinical practice, and what it actually took to keep giving herself a chance at every transition. She also talks about the trap that catches most entrepreneurs: recreating the same status quo cage inside what they thought was going to be freedom. This episode is grounded in David Bowie, self-trust, and one reframe that matters: you are not taking a chance. You are giving yourself one. You will learn: * Why staying safe and comfortable in midlife is actually the biggest risk you can take for your health and your life * The difference between taking a chance and giving yourself a chance, and why that reframe matters * Why entrepreneurs are just as vulnerable to status quo thinking as anyone still in a corporate job * How to recognize when your ego is trying to sabotage the very thing your soul is pursuing * Why self-trust is the only thing that will carry you through when everyone around you is seeding doubt Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Always consult your own doctor. KEY MOMENTS: * 0:57 — Why status quo feels safe but isn't * 2:40 — Giving yourself a chance vs. taking a chance and why that reframe matters * 6:56 — Dr. Amy's personal transitions: from music to medicine to scaling back clinical practice * 9:05 — The entrepreneur trap: recreating status quo inside your own business * 17:39 — When your soul starts to speak, your ego comes raging forward to stop it * 18:48 — David Bowie on going further into the water than you feel capable of RESOURCES: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free B-Side Community on Skool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://dramylindsey.com/b-side-community/] STAY CONNECTED: * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dramylindsey/] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@dramylindsey⁠] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-amy-lindsey-nd-00a1236/] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://dramylindsey.com] SUPPORT WELCOME TO YOUR B-SIDE: Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts + Spotify to help more listeners flip the record to their B-Side. Share this episode with a friend and follow along on Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@dramylindsey⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dramylindsey/]) for more no B.S. insights, midlife gems, and soul-level mic drops.

20. Soccer Drills, Arpeggios, and How to Prepare for Luck in Midlife

What do soccer drills and piano arpeggios have to do with your midlife reinvention? More than you think. In this episode of Welcome to Your B-Side, Dr. Amy Lindsey shares two conversations, one with a teenager in her carpool and one with her own son, that stopped her in her tracks and forced her to turn the mirror on herself. The lesson that came out of both: the boring, unglamorous, repetitive work, is exactly what prepares you for the moment that changes everything. Dr. Amy gets personal in this one. She talks about the years she let imposter syndrome and stage fright pull her away from her own piano practice, the moment she caught herself giving advice she wasn't following, and what happened when she finally sat back down and did her drills. She also talks about what it means to be a bench player and why being prepared, showing up, and doing the work means you are ready when your five minutes come. This episode is for anyone in midlife who has settled, stopped, or talked themselves out of the thing they always wanted to do. You still have time, and it starts with the drills. In this episode, you will learn: * Why the boring, repetitive drills are the thing that actually builds confidence (not the performances) * How imposter syndrome and fear can quietly pull you away from the very practice that would fix both * What it means to be a bench player in midlife, and why being prepared is more important than being in the spotlight * Why five minutes of the right opportunity can change everything, and what it takes to be ready for it * What your soccer drills and arpeggios are in midlife, and why it is never too late to start Reminder: Nothing in this podcast is a substitute for medical or professional advice. Always consult your own doctor. KEY MOMENTS: * 2:41 — The piano piece on the radio, and the moment Dr. Amy realized she was giving advice she wasn't following * 4:00 — How imposter syndrome quietly pulls you away from the very practice that builds confidence * 9:08 — The bench player: what Dr. Amy's son taught her over a yogurt in the kitchen * 11:05 — Five minutes can change your whole life, but only if you do the work to be ready for it * 14:53 — What are your soccer drills and arpeggios? Why is it never too late to start? RESOURCES: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Free B-Side Community on Skool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://dramylindsey.com/b-side-community/] STAY CONNECTED: * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dramylindsey/] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.youtube.com/@dramylindsey⁠] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-amy-lindsey-nd-00a1236/] * ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://dramylindsey.com] SUPPORT WELCOME TO YOUR B-SIDE: Subscribe, rate, and review on Apple Podcasts + Spotify to help more listeners flip the record to their B-Side. Share this episode with a friend and follow along on Instagram (⁠⁠⁠⁠@dramylindsey⁠⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/dramylindsey/]) for more no B.S. insights, midlife gems, and soul-level mic drops.