Midlife Mayhem

Kim Branum, RN-BSN
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  • HEALTH & FITNESS

Midlife Mayhem is the unfiltered podcast that dives headfirst into the beautiful chaos of midlife. Hosted by Kim Branum—RN-BSN, Wellness Coach, midlife mama of three, and founder of Thin Space Wellness—this show is your go-to space for real talk about wellness, family life, travel, and everything in between. From hormone shifts and family drama to travel hacks and midlife glow-ups, we’re bringing you honest stories, expert advice, and a whole lot of humor. No filters, no fluff—just the real-life mayhem (and magic) that comes with this wild ride called midlife. If you're navigating hot flashes, teenagers, career pivots, or just trying to feel like yourself again—you’re in the right place. New episodes weekly. Tune in, laugh loud, and let’s thrive through the mess—together.

  1. Holiday Fractures, Midlife Strength

    12/12/2025

    Holiday Fractures, Midlife Strength

    Send a text We explore holiday fractures—grief, family rifts, and the pressure of the “shoulds”—and how midlife wisdom helps us set boundaries, loosen control, and rediscover joy. Faith, flexibility, and simple wellness steps create space for peace in a blended-family season. • naming internal fractures and honoring grief • setting calm, clear boundaries around plans • flexibility with blended-family schedules • redefining Christmas beyond the calendar date • stepping back from one-sided relationships • choosing fewer, better gatherings to protect energy • making room for quiet and processing loss • small, sustainable wellness shifts before January • hope for a drama-free, faith-centered holiday If you have topics for the podcast, if you’d like to be a guest on the podcast, please let me know. Please send me a message. It’s Kim at thinspacewellness.com The key to thriving through midlife transitions isn’t perfection — it’s support. Whether you’re navigating hormonal shifts, parenting changes, or rediscovering your sense of purpose, you don’t have to do it alone. Learn more at www.ThinSpaceWellness.com or connect with me directly at Kim@ThinSpaceWellness.com

    15 min
  2. Heartbeats, Boundaries, And Midlife Clarity

    03/12/2025

    Heartbeats, Boundaries, And Midlife Clarity

    Send a text We explore how to protect energy, set boundaries, and choose relationships in midlife using a simple measure: heartbeats. From blended family stress to bucket-filling habits and clearer communication, we share stories and tools to invest where it truly counts. • the heartbeat lens for time and relationships • cutting leeches and honoring healthy boundaries • choosing communities that value you • people-pleasing pitfalls and acceptance • bucket fillers, self-care, and keystone habits • blended family realities and co-parenting stress • respect, grace, and when to disengage • communication misses with texts and repair • accountability with friends and partners • faith, sunrise rituals, and daily priorities If you have questions or topic ideas, please reach out and let me know. It’s Kim at thinspacewellness.com The key to thriving through midlife transitions isn’t perfection — it’s support. Whether you’re navigating hormonal shifts, parenting changes, or rediscovering your sense of purpose, you don’t have to do it alone. Learn more at www.ThinSpaceWellness.com or connect with me directly at Kim@ThinSpaceWellness.com

    40 min
  3. From Grief To Grace: How Thin Spaces Shaped A Wellness Practice

    28/11/2025

    From Grief To Grace: How Thin Spaces Shaped A Wellness Practice

    Send a text What if the most meaningful parts of life show up in the in‑between—airport curbs, hospital breezeways, snow-blown roads at 2 a.m.? We explore “thin spaces,” those moments when heaven feels close and the world goes quiet enough to hear what matters. From caring for Nana through pancreatic cancer to a last-minute flight that arrived just in time, we open up about the decisions, neighbors, and small miracles that held us together. We talk about how a single image—a dad gripping a breezeway handrail between the ICU and NICU—gave us language for our own journey and the name for our wellness practice. You’ll hear how community became medicine when home health wasn’t available, why dignity beats convenience, and how a $150 wedding at the Stanley Hotel became an unlikely anchor of joy during a season of grief. Kim shares the tender peace she found while sitting with her dad in the ICU and later, praying under Spanish moss at the cemetery—a calm that didn’t erase the pain, but steadied it. If you’re in the sandwich years, juggling kids, aging parents, and a career, this conversation offers a humane blueprint: pause on purpose, invite help, and listen for the quiet nudge that says stay. Along the way, we reflect on building Thin Space Wellness to treat both bloodwork and heartbreak, and why presence is a clinical skill as much as a spiritual one. Press play for a story-driven, unguarded look at love, loss, and the everyday places where the sacred slips in. If this resonated, share it with someone who needs a breath of calm today. Subscribe, leave a review, and email your own thin space story to Kim at thinspacewellness.com—we’d love to feature it in a future episode. The key to thriving through midlife transitions isn’t perfection — it’s support. Whether you’re navigating hormonal shifts, parenting changes, or rediscovering your sense of purpose, you don’t have to do it alone. Learn more at www.ThinSpaceWellness.com or connect with me directly at Kim@ThinSpaceWellness.com

    43 min
  4. How A PA, A Nurse, And A 3:30 A.M. Idea Grew Into A Patient-First Wellness Practice

    19/11/2025

    How A PA, A Nurse, And A 3:30 A.M. Idea Grew Into A Patient-First Wellness Practice

    Send a text We trace Stephen’s path from emergency medicine to orthopedics and entrepreneurship, and we share how those experiences shaped Thin Space Wellness. We dig into food as medicine, aesthetics done thoughtfully, and the practical support that helps people change for good. • gratitude for listeners and how sharing has been therapeutic • Stephen’s training, ER stories, and the decision to pursue the PA path • Wake Forest’s hands-on learning and trauma rotations • pivot from ER to orthopedics after injury • entrepreneurial chapter with buses and a yacht • origin story of aesthetics training and patient-centered injections • food as medicine, elimination diets, and functional testing • Kim’s ischemic colitis story and endurance fueling lessons • support, access, and coaching as the core of behavior change • teaser for part two and Nana’s influence We will be back next Wednesday … we’ll do the second part of this episode to continue talking about Thin Space Wellness and how that came about and what it means, what it means to us and what it means to other people The key to thriving through midlife transitions isn’t perfection — it’s support. Whether you’re navigating hormonal shifts, parenting changes, or rediscovering your sense of purpose, you don’t have to do it alone. Learn more at www.ThinSpaceWellness.com or connect with me directly at Kim@ThinSpaceWellness.com

    25 min
  5. How Compassionate Care, Tirzepatide, And Tiny Habit Shifts Helped Me Lose 60 Pounds And Feel Young Again

    13/11/2025

    How Compassionate Care, Tirzepatide, And Tiny Habit Shifts Helped Me Lose 60 Pounds And Feel Young Again

    Send a text Ever felt like your body changed overnight and the scale stopped listening? We get real about midlife weight gain, stress, and hormones—and what it actually takes to feel strong and confident again. Carrie opens up about gaining 60 pounds in her 40s, trying every diet, and finding traction only when medical support, mindset work, and daily habits lined up. Together, we walk through her plan using turzepatide, how GLP‑1s quiet food noise and delay gastric emptying, and why patience matters when the body rebalances before the weight comes off. We dive into the coaching side most people never get at quick clinics: identifying emotional eating triggers, taming sugar cravings, and building sustainable routines—20,000 steps, smarter snacks, and better sleep. When cravings crept back late in the week, low‑dose naltrexone (LDN) helped smooth out appetite and improved sleep through endorphin release, which made workouts and clean eating easier to sustain. We also cover root‑cause thinking with hormone panels and food sensitivity testing, so you’re not fighting hidden issues that keep progress stuck. Confidence counts too, especially after major weight loss. Carrie chose a natural aesthetic route with Sculptra to stimulate collagen gradually instead of instant‑volume fillers, aiming for lift and balance without looking “done.” We talk through timelines, expectations, and why a slow approach can feel more authentic. If you’re navigating midlife changes, this conversation offers a roadmap that blends science, compassion, and consistency—less hype, more results. Want support on your journey? Email Kim at kim@thinspacewellness.com. We coach clients nationwide, offer telehealth with medication delivery in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Colorado, and help connect you to trusted providers if you’re out of state looking for help with GPL-1s. If this resonated, follow, share with a friend, and leave a review to help others find it. The key to thriving through midlife transitions isn’t perfection — it’s support. Whether you’re navigating hormonal shifts, parenting changes, or rediscovering your sense of purpose, you don’t have to do it alone. Learn more at www.ThinSpaceWellness.com or connect with me directly at Kim@ThinSpaceWellness.com

    27 min
  6. Midlife, Narcissism, And Taking Back You

    06/11/2025

    Midlife, Narcissism, And Taking Back You

    Send a text Ever left a conversation feeling smaller, confused, or like you might be the problem? That uneasy signal matters. We open up about the hidden mechanics of narcissistic abuse—how love bombing morphs into devaluation, why hoovering is so persuasive, and the neuroscience behind trauma bonding that keeps smart, capable people stuck. This is a grounded, stigma-free guide to recognizing patterns, reclaiming clarity, and making choices that protect your peace. With Kerry Rasenberger, a life coach who supports women navigating toxic relationships worldwide, we map out tools you can use today. You’ll hear how to gray rock without sounding hostile, set boundaries that endure the pushback, and create response pauses that break urgency conditioning. We get candid about co-parenting with a narcissistic ex—sticking to facts with kids, using neutral channels, and practicing radical awareness instead of bargaining with who you wish they’d be. We also tackle workplace dynamics, from demanding bosses to late-night texts, and how minimal engagement preserves your energy. Healing takes time, especially when old patterns began in childhood. We talk about coming back to yourself through rest, nutrition, movement, journaling, and friendships that reflect your worth. Self-love isn’t a slogan here—it’s a daily practice of choosing your well-being so you can show up steady for the people you love. If your gut says something is off, trust it. Knowledge is empowerment, and small, consistent steps add up to big change. If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs language for what they’re living, and leave a review to help others find it. Your story can be the start of someone else’s clarity. The key to thriving through midlife transitions isn’t perfection — it’s support. Whether you’re navigating hormonal shifts, parenting changes, or rediscovering your sense of purpose, you don’t have to do it alone. Learn more at www.ThinSpaceWellness.com or connect with me directly at Kim@ThinSpaceWellness.com

    41 min
  7. How Strategic Aesthetics And Small Wellness Shifts Can Resolve Midlife Tension

    29/10/2025

    How Strategic Aesthetics And Small Wellness Shifts Can Resolve Midlife Tension

    Send a text Ever feel like the person in the mirror isn’t the one you are inside? That unresolved tension is what musicians call dissonance, and it shows up in midlife as fatigue, heaviness, and a face that reads tired or stern no matter how hard you try. I just returned from Allergan’s MD Codes training with Dr. DeMaio, and I’m breaking down how a strategic, artistry-meets-anatomy approach can restore structure, lift the midface, and deliver natural results people notice without guessing why. We walk through the difference between “plumping” and true rejuvenation, why precise midface support can sharpen the jawline and soften under-eye hollows, and how good injectors use less product to do more. I clear up the biggest Botox myths, share realistic timelines for holiday-ready results, and explain how fillers integrate with your tissues for a refreshed look that lasts. Along the way, we talk about the deeper side of aesthetics: aligning your outer signals with your inner state so you feel grounded, confident, and ready to be seen in photos again. This conversation also gets practical about wellness. Waiting for January often backfires, so we outline simple ways to start now: checking hormones, considering GLP-1 options including new oral forms when appropriate, and building support that makes change feel easier. If you’ve felt stuck, avoided the camera, or told yourself it’s vain to care, consider this your permission to resolve the tension and choose what helps you feel like you. If you want resources, before-and-afters, or referrals in your state, reach out anytime. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a boost, and leave a quick review so more midlife women can find it. Your support helps this message reach someone who’s ready to feel aligned again. The key to thriving through midlife transitions isn’t perfection — it’s support. Whether you’re navigating hormonal shifts, parenting changes, or rediscovering your sense of purpose, you don’t have to do it alone. Learn more at www.ThinSpaceWellness.com or connect with me directly at Kim@ThinSpaceWellness.com

    28 min
  8. Divorce’s Ripple: Midlife Healing, Blended Families, and Finding Your Tribe

    15/10/2025

    Divorce’s Ripple: Midlife Healing, Blended Families, and Finding Your Tribe

    Send a text A confession, a catharsis, and a roadmap for anyone who’s ever felt the ground disappear beneath their feet. Kim opens up about growing up around divorce, losing her mother, and how those early stories planted a vision of love she chased into adulthood—through a too-fast first marriage, a second marriage defined by control and narcissism, and finally a partnership that feels like home. Along the way, she tells the unvarnished truth about shame, smear campaigns, and the exhausting work of proving your character to people who never asked you directly. We dig into the ripple effects: how divorce reshapes friendships, splits extended families, and complicates school events and celebrations. Kim shares the quiet moments that changed everything—the porch conversation that broke the first marriage wide open, the rain-soaked camping trip that clarified her exit, and the trembling question from her dad that, when answered, stitched trust back together. There’s practical wisdom here, too: building a support team, setting boundaries without burning bridges, protecting kids from adult conflict, and using structure—yes, including Ironman training—to pull anxiety into motion and rebuild resilience. There’s also hope. A funny, human re-meet on Match.com leads to Steven, two four-year-olds, and a blended family that proves joy can grow after rupture. Midlife becomes a turning point: less people-pleasing, more self-respect; fewer apologies for wearing the warm coat or posting the happy photo; more courage to live the life that fits, not the fantasy that hurts. If you’re stuck, grieving, or afraid of the next step, consider this your invitation to breathe, ask for help, and borrow our belief until yours returns. If this conversation helps you or someone you love, share it. Subscribe, leave a review, and email Kim at Kim@thinspacewellness.com with your story or interest in our upcoming Estes Park retreat for divorced and blended families. Your voice might be the mirror someone else needs. The key to thriving through midlife transitions isn’t perfection — it’s support. Whether you’re navigating hormonal shifts, parenting changes, or rediscovering your sense of purpose, you don’t have to do it alone. Learn more at www.ThinSpaceWellness.com or connect with me directly at Kim@ThinSpaceWellness.com

    45 min
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About

Midlife Mayhem is the unfiltered podcast that dives headfirst into the beautiful chaos of midlife. Hosted by Kim Branum—RN-BSN, Wellness Coach, midlife mama of three, and founder of Thin Space Wellness—this show is your go-to space for real talk about wellness, family life, travel, and everything in between. From hormone shifts and family drama to travel hacks and midlife glow-ups, we’re bringing you honest stories, expert advice, and a whole lot of humor. No filters, no fluff—just the real-life mayhem (and magic) that comes with this wild ride called midlife. If you're navigating hot flashes, teenagers, career pivots, or just trying to feel like yourself again—you’re in the right place. New episodes weekly. Tune in, laugh loud, and let’s thrive through the mess—together.

Information

  • Creator
    Kim Branum, RN-BSN
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Midlife Mayhem
  • Show Website
    Midlife Mayhem