The Identity Hangover When Who You Were No Longer Fits — And Who You're Becoming Hasn't Arrived Yet

I Wasn't Buried...I Was Planted

I Wasn't Buried...I Was Planted What happens when life knocks you down — not once, but twice, twenty years apart? In this episode, Gen sits down with Irene Vaksberg, a Soviet-born immigrant, hairdresser, mother, grandmother, and soul inspirer whose story will stop you in your tracks. At 23, Irene was pulled from a crushed car by the Jaws of Life — and had a full near-death experience where she met God, watched her life like a movie, and was sent back with an assignment. Then at 43, a second car accident shattered everything she'd built and forced her to finally answer that original call. She walked through years of chronic pain, depression, financial loss, and isolation — and came out the other side with her soul dancing. Gen and Irene discover just how much they share: car accidents, chronic pain recoveries, the word surrender as a turning point, sobriety, and the strange grace of losing everything only to find something better. The episode weaves in live tarot and oracle card pulls and closes with Irene's message to her 20-year-old self: "You're a rock star. Keep shining. You're going to survive all of it — and it's going to become your superpower." Episode Timestamps: * [00:00] Welcome & Introduction to Irene Vaksberg * [00:51] Irene's Background: Soviet Immigrant, Hairdresser, Grandmother * [02:27] Tarot Pull: Seven of Pentacles & Knight of Swords * [04:55] Irene's First Car Accident at 23 & Her Near-Death Experience * [06:20] The Assignment: Sent Back to Teach, Guide & Share * [08:44] The Second Car Accident at 43 — 20 Years Later * [10:39] Rock Bottom: Praying to Leave & the Miracle She Almost Said No To * [12:54] Getting What You Need, Not What You Expected * [15:47] The Word That Changed Everything: Surrender * [17:15] Gen Opens Up About Recovery & AA * [19:42] Women, Voice & Why We Were Ever Quiet * [23:49] "Your Accent Is Your Golden Card" * [29:50] Gen's Car Accident & Her Own Healing Journey * [34:30] "I Wasn't Buried — I Was Planted" * [39:49] Letting Go of What No Longer Serves You * [43:20] Stop Stressing, Start Blessing * [47:36] Healing Through Food & the Yuka App * [51:09] Goddess Oracle: Mary Magdalene — Unconditional Love * [53:00] Wild Offering: Solitude — The Right People Arrive * [54:10] What Would You Tell Your 20-Year-Old Self? If you love warm, real midlife conversations with humor and heart, you'll feel right at home here. Follow the show & connect with Gen: Gen's Website: http://www.soulfulexistence.com [http://www.soulfulexistence.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence [https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence [https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence] Podcast homepage: http://www.fatefortyandbeyond.com [http://www.fatefortyandbeyond.com] Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond [https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond] Podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond [https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond]

The Identity Hangover When Who You Were No Longer Fits — And Who You're Becoming Hasn't Arrived Yet

The Identity Hangover | Ep. 24 When Who You Were No Longer Fits — And Who You're Becoming Hasn't Arrived Yet Have you ever looked in the mirror and felt like a stranger was staring back? In this mini episode, Gen dives into the "identity hangover" — that disorienting in-between space that so many women hit in midlife, when the roles that defined them no longer fit, but the next version of themselves hasn't arrived yet. Gen reframes this not as a crisis to fix, but as a sacred spiritual transition. Drawing on concepts like the Dark Night of the Soul, liminal space, soul contracts, and the Tower card in tarot, she makes the case that this unraveling isn't a sign something went wrong — it's a sign you're awake enough to ask the questions most people never ask. She also shares her own story of navigating an empty nest and a breakup at the same time, and what rediscovering herself actually looked like. She closes with powerful journal prompts to help you stop performing and start listening — to the quieter, truer version of yourself that's been waiting underneath all those roles. ---------------------------------------- TIMESTAMPS * [00:18] Welcome & Gen Introduces Herself and Her Work * [01:45] Introducing The Cosmic Brief App * [02:45] The Question That Started It All: "Who Are You?" * [04:00] What Is an Identity Hangover? * [05:30] The Spiritual Meaning Behind the Unraveling * [07:00] Ego Identity vs. Soul Identity * [08:45] Outgrowing Your Skin — Roles We Chose vs. Roles Assigned * [10:30] The Grief of Losing an Identity * [12:00] Midlife as a Calling, Not a Crisis * [13:30] What "Coming Home to Yourself" Feels Like * [15:30] Gen's Personal Story: Empty Nest & Rediscovery * [17:30] Dating Yourself & Listening to Your Intuition * [19:00] Spiritual Tools to Support the Process * [20:15] The Butterfly in the Chrysalis: A Reframe * [21:30] Journal Prompts for the In-Between * [23:00] Closing Words & How to Work with Gen ---------------------------------------- RESOURCES MENTIONED * The Cosmic Brief App — Gen's astrology app (link below) * Soulful Existence — One-on-one tarot, mediumship & past life regression * The Tower Card — Tarot symbol of transformation through disruption * Dark Night of the Soul — Spiritual framework for identity dissolution * Soul Contracts — The idea that our souls plan lessons before incarnating * Book a reading with Gen — Link in show notes ---------------------------------------- If you love warm, real midlife conversations with humor and heart, you'll feel right at home here. Follow the show & connect with Gen: Gen's Website: http://www.soulfulexistence.com [http://www.soulfulexistence.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence [https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence [https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence] The Cosmic Brief: www.thecosmicbrief.app [www.thecosmicbrief.app] Podcast homepage: http://www.fatefortyandbeyond.com [http://www.fatefortyandbeyond.com] Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond [https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond] Podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond [https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond]

Aliens, Atlantis & Astrology Apps: A Midlife Spiritual Deep Dive

What happens when two women who found each other in an online woo community finally sit down to talk — really talk? Pure magic. In this episode of Fate Forty and Beyond, Gen sits down with writer Michelle Angone for one of the most honest, wide-ranging conversations you'll hear all year. From coming out of the broom closet in your 30s to tracking the Mother Goddess all the way back through history (spoiler: Michelle ended up at aliens), this episode covers what it feels like to finally stop pretending you don't believe what you believe — and what happens when you give yourself permission to just go there. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introductions 01:07 Meet Michelle Angone 02:14 Mystic South memories 04:58 Live tarot reading begins 07:55 Grief and becoming the elder generation 09:27 Aging and authenticity 10:46 Cacao ceremony and showing up 11:40 Gen's spiritual origin story 13:26 Michelle's origin story 15:01 Leaving religion and reclaiming power 20:00 Tarot traditions compared 25:00 Mediumship and the afterlife 30:58 Defending Your Life and Journey of Souls 32:13 Soul chains and choosing our parents 33:50 Soul contracts and divorce 35:08 Gnosticism and Mary Magdalene 38:22 Tracing the Mother Goddess… to aliens 40:26 Conspiracy theories and open minds 43:12 The Sedona Jeep tour 45:12 Atlantis and ancient civilizations 53:00 Women's meetups and community ideas 56:39 Mental health and creative projects 58:08 The Cosmic Brief app 1:03:41 Stop making yourself small 1:10:13 Can a past life be a future life? 1:11:03 Wrap-up and goodbyes MENTIONED Journey of Souls by Michael Newton: https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Souls-Studies-Between-Lives/dp/1567184855 [https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Souls-Studies-Between-Lives/dp/1567184855] Defending Your Life (1991 film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101698/ [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101698/] The Magdalene Manuscripts ; https://www.amazon.com/Magdalen-Manuscript-Alchemies-Horus-Magic/dp/193103205X [https://www.amazon.com/Magdalen-Manuscript-Alchemies-Horus-Magic/dp/193103205X] Mystic South 2025: https://mystic-south.com [https://mystic-south.com] Pagans In Recovery: https://www.pagansinrecovery.org/ [https://www.pagansinrecovery.org/] CONNECT WITH MICHELLE ANGONE Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.angone [https://www.facebook.com/michelle.angone] Email: michelleangone@gmail.com [michelleangone@gmail.com] CONNECT WITH GEN Soulful Existence: www.soulfulexistence.com [http://www.soulfulexistence.com] The Cosmic Brief App: www.thecosmicbrief.app [http://www.thecosmicbrief.app] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence [https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Gen-Rodriguez/672143258/ [https://www.facebook.com/people/Gen-Rodriguez/672143258/] ✨ If this episode made you feel seen, leave a review and share it with one friend who's been quietly witchy this whole time.

Consistency as a Sacred Practice: Showing Up for Yourself in Midlife

Gen opens up about a personal struggle — a project that brought her to tears — and uses it to explore why showing up for ourselves consistently is one of the most spiritual, scientific, and emotionally profound things we can do in midlife. She weaves together neuroscience, psychology, and wisdom from spiritual traditions worldwide to reframe consistency not as a productivity hack, but as a devotional act — a form of self-love that rebuilds trust from the inside out. She addresses why so many women in midlife struggle to follow through (hint: it's not laziness — it's conditioning, hormonal shifts, and a brain in active transition) and offers compassionate, practical tools for starting smaller and staying longer. The breakthrough isn't the practice. The faithfulness before the breakthrough is. 📚 RESOURCES Books: Composing a Further Life (Bateson) · Good Habits, Bad Habits (Wood) · Tiny Habits (Fogg) · An Altar in the World (Brown Taylor) Researchers: Carl Jung · Dr. Lisa Mosconi · Donald Hebb · Kristin Neff · Roy Baumeister · John Bowlby · Adam Grant · Albert Bandura · Brené Brown Institutions: University College London · American Psychological Association · Harvard Medical School & National Institute on Aging Also referenced: Rumi 🔗 FIND US 🌐 www.fatefortyandbeyond.com [http://www.fatefortyandbeyond.com] ✨ Soulful Existence (readings & sessions): www.soulfulexistence.com [http://www.soulfulexistence.com] 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond [http://instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond] 🎵 TikTok: tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond [http://tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond]

When Life Forces the Pivot

In this warm and wide-ranging conversation, Gen sits down with Caren Paskel, self-evolution coach, author, and yoga teacher who transformed profound loss into a blueprint for radical reinvention. After losing her husband to brain cancer, her yoga studios during the pandemic, and eventually her home in Detroit, Caren didn't just rebuild — she completely reimagined what her life could look like. Now 48 and living in Colorado, she's the author of two books: The Power of Self-Belief and Midlife Crisis to Midlife Creation: The Five Steps to Recreate Your Life and Reclaim Your Power. What unfolds is less an interview and more a conversation between two women who clearly speak the same language. They cover the tarot reading Gen pulls for Caren, the connection between nervous system regulation and abundance, and why staying open to multiple possibilities — in dating, housing, career, and life — is actually a spiritual practice. It's the kind of conversation that makes you feel like you've been sitting at the table with them the whole time. [00:00] Welcome & Caren's intro [01:20] Losing her husband & writing The Power of Self-Belief [02:50] Midlife Crisis to Midlife Creation — the five steps [04:00] Midlife awakening vs. midlife crisis [05:00] Nervous system regulation & yoga [05:50] Gen's wellness journey [08:10] Tarot reading begins [14:30] Midlife Olympic Dating — the viral post [16:25] Influencing vs. inspiring [18:15] Sacred pauses & social media breaks [20:25] Staying open to multiple possibilities [25:10] Grief, gratitude & not getting stuck [29:10] What called Caren to Colorado [34:05] When the universe forced the move [42:10] Space is where the magic happens [46:25] The Empress & the Hierophant [53:15] Toxic positivity vs. genuine optimism [59:25] Money as renewable energy [1:05:30] Inspirational income [1:19:20] Advice to your 20-year-old self RESOURCES & LINKS * Caren Paskel — Self-evolution coach, author, and yoga teacher * The Power of Self-Belief by Caren Paskel * Midlife Crisis to Midlife Creation: The Five Steps to Recreate Your Life and Reclaim Your Power by Caren Paskel (workbook) * Caren on TikTok: @Caren.Paskel * Caren on Instagram: @CarenPaskel * Caren's website: CarenPaskel.com [http://CarenPaskel.com] * Brené Brown — referenced in discussion of shame and storytelling * The Universal Laws (also covered in Gen's mini episode) * Afformations (vs. affirmations) — referenced as a mindset tool If you love warm, real midlife conversations with humor and heart, you'll feel right at home here. Follow the show & connect with Gen: Gen's Website: http://www.soulfulexistence.com [http://www.soulfulexistence.com] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence [https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence [https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence] Podcast homepage: http://www.fatefortyandbeyond.com [http://www.fatefortyandbeyond.com] Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond [https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond] Podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond [https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond]