Midlife Rising

EP 41: Unhinged: What Your Aching Hips Are Really Trying to Tell You

Unhinged: What Your Aching Hips Are Really Trying to Tell You If your aching hips are keeping you up at night (or from walking normally during the day) this episode is for you.  We go three layers deep into midlife hip pain: the physiology most doctors skip, the emotions stored in the pelvic area, and the energetic truth your hips are trying to speak. Hip pain in midlife is one of the most common - and most misunderstood - symptoms women experience. Most of the conversation stops at bursitis. But your body is not that simple, and neither are you. In this episode, we go three layers deep into: * the science of what's actually happening in your joints: including the estrogen connection most doctors don't explain, the psoas muscle nobody talks about, and the vicious sleep-pain-inflammation loop * the emotional anatomy of the hips: what the identity shake-ups, suppressed anger, and nervous system dysregulation have to do with your pain * the energetic truth: how both the sacral and root chakras map directly onto your hips, and what a blocked or imbalanced energy center in this area is really asking you to look at This isn't about managing your symptoms. It's about listening to what they're trying to tell you. You are going to discover:  * Why estrogen loss accelerates cartilage breakdown in all the joints * What the psoas muscle is, and how chronic stress keeps it permanently locked * The sleep-pain-inflammation loop and how to start breaking it * Why the hips are the body's emotional storage unit for the key stressors that hit right in the middle of life * The role of suppressed anger in hip tension and why midlife women carry so much of it * The connection to the sacral chakra and what happens when it's blocked Stay until the end because I'm going to give you one simple practice (no, it's not a stretch or mobility movement) that you can do in 10 minutes to alleviate hip pain. The Midlife Red Tent If you can't seem to shake your hip pain - or any other joint pain - the missing piece is almost always the emotional and spiritual layers. Inside the Midlife Red Tent, we go deep on exactly this: not just the physical solution but the stories behind the symptoms, and the practices that create real change.  We're accepting new members now, so join us here: Midlife Red Tent details [https://sherijohnson.thrivecart.com/red-tent-membership/] Find us on instagram:  @midlifewomenrising [https://www.instagram.com/midlifewomenrising/]

40: Stop Trying to Get Back to Who You Were. Do This Instead.

Stop Trying to Get Back to Who You Were. Do This Instead. If you've ever looked in the mirror and thought "I don't recognize myself anymore",  this episode is for you. In midlife, everything shifts. Your body changes. Your energy isn't what it was. Your kids leave. Your roles evolve. And suddenly the identity you've spent decades building - the strong one, the capable one, the one who holds it all together - starts to feel like it's slipping away. But here's what we discovered through working with women in the Midlife Red Tent: what most women are experiencing isn't an identity crisis at all. It's a worthiness crisis. And that distinction changes everything. If you're feeling like you just want to go back to being your 35-year-old self who could handle it all, this episode is going to blow your mind.  You're going to find out: * Why midlife women feel like they've "lost themselves", and the real reason it's happening * The sneaky way patriarchal conditioning, productivity culture, and the glorification of self-sacrifice set us up to fall apart in midlife * The Downward Spiral of Unworthiness: how a change in capacity leads to self-worth collapse (and why pushing harder makes it worse) * The 5 most common mistakes women make when trying to reclaim their former identity * The powerful reframe that separates identity from worth and why this is the key to everything * What it really means to be "strong" in midlife (hint: it's not about doing more) * Why your worth is not - and has never been - tied to your productivity, your role, or how much you can carry "Most women aren't actually trying to reclaim their identity. They're trying to reclaim the version of themselves that once made them feel worthy." We've been conditioned to believe that being needed, productive, capable, and composed is what makes us valuable as women. So when midlife changes the terms — when the body slows down, the kids leave, the emotional bandwidth shifts — we interpret it as failure. We don't lose ourselves in midlife. We lose our grip on the identity we mistakenly believed made us worthy. And that is very good news — because your worth was never up for debate. If you are ready to reclaim your worth instead of chasing an identity that never served you in the first place, it's time to sign up for From Autopilot to Soul-Aligned [https://www.midlifewomenrising.com/peru], our epic retreat in Peru! The deadline to get in is coming up so act fast!  Can't retreat with us?  You can still get reclaim your worth inside the Midlife Red Tent [https://sherijohnson.thrivecart.com/red-tent-membership/] by joining us TODAY.  Find us on instagram:  @midlifewomenrising [https://www.instagram.com/midlifewomenrising/]

39: The 3 Hidden Patterns Keeping You From a Life That Feels Fulfilling

The 3 Hidden Patterns Keeping You From a Life That Feels Fulfilling We've heard many midlife women talk about their second chapter in three key ways: *  “I should be happy… my life is pretty good.  But something’s missing”  *  “I just need to get through this next phase ____ ” (fill in the blank - kids through college, next project, next 5 years etc)  *  “I know I’m meant for more, but I can't start over at this point in my life”  This episode will help you understand why. In the last episode (Part 1), we unpacked what the industry is getting wrong when it comes to midlife, health, and fulfillment.  In this episode, we go deeper. There are a few different reasons why you might be feeling like you're not living your absolute best life and we're going to help you identify your specific block. You are going to discover:  * Why some women stay comfortable but unfulfilled  *  Why others keep postponing what they really want to do… and end up burned out  *  Why clarity alone doesn’t lead to change  *  What actually keeps women circling what really lights them up instead of diving in An extraordinary life doesn't just show up one day.  Nor does it happen by thinking more, learning more or waiting for the “right time”.   It happens when you:  👉 step out of your current environment  👉 interrupt your patterns  👉 and experience yourself differently Because that’s what creates a true shift - alignment plus action. You can keep living a ho-hum life, pushing through until you retire, or circling what you know you really want...but over time, that gap between the life you’re living and the life you feel called to only gets wider. Your environment reinforces who you’ve been. Your roles, responsibilities, and relationships all pull you back into the same patterns.  Which is why so many women know they want something different… but don’t move. This is exactly why we created our retreat in Peru: From Autopilot to Soul-Aligned [https://www.midlifewomenrising.com/peru].  It's not about escaping your life. It’s about stepping out of it just long enough to: *  reconnect to what’s actually true for you  *  shift the version of you that’s been holding everything together  *  and go home with a clear, aligned and inspired plan to step into your most lit-up life  Check out the details for Peru here [https://www.midlifewomenrising.com/peru]. (8 spots left at the time of this recording) If you're a woman in your 40s to 60s, who’s ready to trade “going through the motions” for a life that actually lights you up...this is your invitation to step beyond the quiet sense that there’s more for you and into a deeper, more vibrant way of living.   Check out all the details of From Autopilot to Soul-Aligned - a 9 Day Sacred Journey in Peru [https://www.midlifewomenrising.com/peru].  Find us on instagram:  @midlifewomenrising [https://www.instagram.com/midlifewomenrising/]

38: What the Wellness Industry is Missing About Midlife

What the Wellness Industry is Missing About Midlife If you feel like you've been doing everything “right” in midlife - following all the biohacking and longevity advice, doing the vision boards and manifesting techniques and doing the personal work or therapy to uncover your blocks - but something still feels off… it probably is.  But here's the thing, you're not doing anything wrong. It’s just that what you’ve been told to focus on might be missing the point. In this episode, we break down what the midlife wellness and personal growth industry is really teaching - and why so many women still feel unfulfilled, disconnected, or what they're next chapter will look like, despite following all the advice. You are going to find out:  * Why optimizing your health doesn’t automatically create a life that feels good  *  The hidden message behind “just get through this phase” (and why it keeps you stuck)  *  Why vision boards and manifestation don’t work the way you’ve been told  *  The self-awareness trap… learning without actually changing anything  *  The real reason midlife can feel like something is missing, even when everything looks good on paper  In this episode, we're going to show you why you can: *  Take all the supplements  *  Do all the mindset work  *  Understand your patterns  …but if the life you’re living isn’t aligned with who you are, your body will feel it and resist it. It’s not one big thing. It’s the accumulation of everyday misalignments: *  Saying yes when you mean no  *  Staying in roles that no longer fit  *  Ignoring what you actually want  Over time, that disconnect shows up in your energy, your health, and your overall sense of fulfillment.  And here’s what we believe: 👉 A better life doesn’t come from optimizing everything around you. 👉 It comes from living in alignment with what’s actually true for you. That's what makes us different.   We're looking for 5 adventurous midlife ladies who are ready to really lean into their most lit-up, extraordinary life to join us at From Autopilot to Soul-Aligned Retreat in Peru!  Check out the details here. [https://www.midlifewomenrising.com/peru] If you're a woman in your 40s to 60s, who’s ready to trade “going through the motions” for a life that actually lights you up...this is your invitation to step beyond the quiet sense that there’s more for you and into a deeper, more vibrant way of living.   Check out all the details of From Autopilot to Soul-Aligned - a 9 Day Sacred Journey in Peru [https://www.midlifewomenrising.com/peru].  Find us on instagram:  @midlifewomenrising [https://www.instagram.com/midlifewomenrising/]

37: You're More Stressed Than You Think (Even if Nothing is "Wrong")

You're More Stressed Than You Think, Even if Nothing is "Wrong". If you’ve been telling yourself “I’m fine… nothing is really wrong,” but you have menopause symptoms, your energy is low, and life feels a little flat, this episode is for you. In this solo episode, Jen breaks down one of the biggest misconceptions midlife women carry: that stress only counts when something big or dramatic is happening. But the truth is, you could be sitting at your desk in a stress response without even realizing it, simply because it’s become your normal. Jen explores how stress is not just caused by major life events like divorce or an ill parent who requires extra care, but by the daily patterns, thoughts, and coping strategies your nervous system has learned over time. You’ll learn how the 4 core stress responses - fight, flight, freeze, and fawn -show up in everyday life in ways that look productive, responsible, and even successful… but are slowly draining your energy, disconnecting you from your body, and keeping you stuck. If you’ve ever wondered why: *  You feel tired even when life seems “fine”  *  You can’t fully relax or switch off, especially in the middle of the night *  You feel like you’re going through the motions instead of truly living  …this episode will help you finally see what’s really going on beneath the surface. In this episode, we cover: *  Why you don’t need a crisis to be in a stress response  *  How stress becomes “invisible” in midlife  *  The connection between stress, cortisol, and hormonal symptoms  *  Why your coping strategies might be keeping you stuck  *  How your nervous system patterns shape how you experience your life  This episode is for you if: *  You feel off, exhausted, or disconnected, but can’t explain why  *  You’re experiencing midlife symptoms that don’t seem to improve  *  You feel like you’re on autopilot instead of fully present in your life  Key Takeaway: Stress isn’t just a matter of what’s happening in your life, it’s a matter of your nervous system has learned to respond to it.  And until those patterns change, the stress will keep coming back…no matter how many breaks you take. Coming Next Week: We’re taking this deeper and putting it into a clear framework so you can understand why your life might feel “blah,” why you feel like you’re on autopilot, and what’s actually keeping you from feeling fully present and alive. Come to Peru with us if you want all the secrets to creating a life that truly lights you up! Details here. [https://www.midlifewomenrising.com/peru] If you're a woman in your 40s to 60s, who’s ready to trade “going through the motions” for a life that actually lights you up...this is your invitation to step beyond the quiet sense that there’s more for you and into a deeper, more vibrant way of living.   Check out all the details of From Autopilot to Soul-Aligned - a 9 Day Sacred Journey in Peru [https://www.midlifewomenrising.com/peru].  Find us on instagram:  @midlifewomenrising [https://www.instagram.com/midlifewomenrising/]