The Midlife Rebel Podcast

Host - Nadine Shaw - Midlife Rebel, Astrologer, Gene Keys Guide, Human Design Enthusiast

How do you know if you're a Midlife Rebel? Maybe it starts with a feeling. A growing sense of discomfort that something isn't quite right. The life you've been living might look perfectly fine from the outside, but something inside you is asking for change. Maybe some of the rules and expectations you've lived by simply don't fit anymore. That's where rebellion begins. Being a Midlife Rebel isn't about breaking rules for the sake of it. It's about questioning the rules, stories and expectations that have shaped the life you've been living — and deciding for yourself what stays, what goes and what comes next. Because rebellion can lead to personal revolution. And personal revolution creates freedom: the freedom to change your mind, rewrite your story, experiment, begin again and create a life that fits who you are now. I'm Nadine, and each week I sit down with experts, teachers, authors, coaches, researchers, wisdom keepers and ordinary people with extraordinary stories to explore the many ways our lives can change in midlife. We talk about identity, health and ageing, menopause, relationships, purpose, spirituality, psychology, courage, reinvention and the experiences that make us question the status quo. These conversations bring together different perspectives, lived experiences, ideas and practical wisdom so that you feel supported as you navigate your own midlife journey — and a little less alone as you figure out what comes next. Because there's a little bit of rebel in all of us. Contact Nadine: https://midliferebelpodcast.com/contact

  1. 4d ago

    How to Set Boundaries Without Feeling Guilty

    Send us Fan Mail Do you ever find yourself asking, "Is this really how I want to keep living?" I think it's a question many women eventually ask themselves in midlife. Not because life has necessarily fallen apart, but because somewhere along the way we've become so busy looking after everyone else, meeting expectations and keeping all the plates spinning, that we've stopped asking what we actually want. That was one of the things I loved most about my conversation with Sandra Wood. Sandra's own wake-up call came with a breast cancer diagnosis at just 40 years old. Like so many life-changing moments, it forced her to stop and ask some difficult questions about the roles she'd been playing, the expectations she'd been carrying, and the life she actually wanted to create moving forward. Our conversation explores what happens after that moment. How do you begin trusting yourself again? How do you set boundaries when you've spent a lifetime keeping the peace? How do you stop feeling responsible for everyone else's emotions? These are questions so many women wrestle with, particularly in midlife, when the old ways of coping simply stop working. One of the things I appreciated most was how practical Sandra's advice is. We talked about conflict, people-pleasing, over-functioning and why so many capable women end up exhausted from carrying more than was ever theirs to hold. One of my favourite moments was when Sandra shared a simple reframe for perfectionists: sometimes it's okay to do a "C-grade job." It sounds almost ridiculous at first, until you realise how much energy many of us spend trying to excel at absolutely everything. We also explored Human Design and how understanding your own energetic blueprint can help explain why burnout looks different for different people. Rather than another personality label, Sandra sees it as a tool for making decisions that feel more aligned with who you really are. There was another phrase she shared that has stayed with me ever since: "I have no business with that." Such a simple sentence, yet so powerful. It's a reminder that not everything is ours to fix, solve or carry. If you've been feeling burnt out, questioning your career, navigating changes in your relationship, or simply sensing that the life you've been living no longer quite fits, I think you'll find something valuable in this conversation. Because midlife isn't asking us to become someone new. It's asking us to come home to the person we've always been, underneath everyone else's expectations. Visit our website to find out more about this week's guest. All of our guests, including this one, are included in our Guest Directory so that you can find out more about them and the work that they do. https://midliferebelpodcast.com/guest-directory If you'd like to support the show you can buy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/midliferebelpodcast

    How to Set Boundaries Without Feeling Guilty
  2. 6d ago

    Ageing Without Apology - Jo Blackwell

    Send us Fan Mail Ageing isn't the problem. The stories we've been told about ageing are. In this episode of The Midlife Rebel Podcast, I'm joined by Jo Blackwell, host of the Midlife & Beyond podcast and a passionate advocate for positive ageing. I loved this conversation with Jo because we explore something that affects every one of us, yet so rarely gets spoken about honestly: what it really means to grow older in a culture that's obsessed with youth. From retirement home brochures arriving on your 50th birthday to comments reminding women they're no longer considered "relevant", we unpack the subtle (and not so subtle) ways ageism shows up in everyday life. Jo shares how listening to thousands of women's stories revealed just how deeply many of us have internalised these messages, often without even realising it. We also talk about the real-world impact of ageism, from medical gaslighting and being dismissed by healthcare professionals, to the importance of advocating for yourself and staying informed about your own health. As someone with a background in the fitness industry, I especially loved our conversation around strength training, movement, muscle, bone health, and why ageing well isn't about trying to look younger, but about maintaining the freedom and independence to keep living life on your own terms. And, of course, we couldn't talk about midlife without talking about identity. When children leave home, careers change, hormones fluctuate, and long-held roles begin to fall away, many women find themselves asking, Who am I now? Jo offers a refreshing perspective, suggesting that midlife isn't about reinventing yourself so much as reclaiming the parts of yourself that have been waiting patiently beneath the expectations of everyone else. If you've ever worried about getting older, questioned your place in the world, or felt like society has already decided your best years are behind you, I think you'll really enjoy this conversation. Visit our website to find out more about this week's guest. All of our guests, including this one, are included in our Guest Directory so that you can find out more about them and the work that they do. https://midliferebelpodcast.com/guest-directory If you'd like to support the show you can buy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/midliferebelpodcast

    Ageing Without Apology - Jo Blackwell
  3. Aug 27

    The Story of Amelia Earhart - A Woman With The Courage To Follow Her Dreams

    Send us Fan Mail Who was Amelia Earhart before she became one of history's greatest mysteries? In this episode of The Midlife Rebel Podcast, I'm joined by journalist and author Rachel Hartigan to explore the remarkable life of Amelia Earhart, the enduring mystery surrounding her disappearance, and why her story continues to inspire women nearly 90 years later. Rachel's new book, Lost, follows Amelia's life, her final flight, and the decades-long search to uncover what really happened. Rachel also shares her own extraordinary experience joining two National Geographic expeditions in the Pacific Ocean, searching for answers in one of the most remote places on Earth. Together we explore: • Who Amelia Earhart really was beyond the headlines • The three leading theories surrounding her disappearance • Why the mystery continues to capture the world's imagination • The challenges women faced in aviation and still face today • Rachel's own journey from journalist to author • What it was like joining a real search expedition • Following your curiosity, even when there's no guarantee of answers • Why adventure and purpose don't have an age limit This conversation is about far more than solving a mystery. It's about courage, curiosity, resilience and having the confidence to pursue the things that call to you, whether that's writing a book, changing direction in midlife, or following a dream that refuses to let go. Visit our website to find out more about this week's guest. All of our guests, including this one, are included in our Guest Directory so that you can find out more about them and the work that they do. https://midliferebelpodcast.com/guest-directory If you'd like to support the show you can buy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/midliferebelpodcast

    The Story of Amelia Earhart - A Woman With The Courage To Follow Her Dreams
  4. Aug 20

    Learn To Listen To Your Body | Melanie Smithson

    Send us Fan Mail Your body has been speaking to you your whole life. The question is, have you been taught to listen? In this episode of The Midlife Rebel Podcast, I’m joined by somatic psychotherapist, spiritual integration hypnotherapist and author Melanie Smithson to explore the incredible wisdom of the body. Melanie has spent her life helping people understand the connection between movement, emotions and healing, and her new book, Shake Yourself Free: 81 Somatic Practices to Use Your Body's Wisdom to Support You in Letting Go, is full of simple ways to reconnect with yourself. We talk about why so many women, particularly in midlife, have become disconnected from what they're feeling, and how stress, anxiety, grief and trauma can become held in the body when emotions don't have the chance to move. Melanie explains why your body isn't something to control or fix, but one of your greatest sources of guidance and self-trust. This conversation is both deeply practical and deeply spiritual. We explore the relationship between intuition and the nervous system, and how conscious movement can become a powerful doorway into healing. Melanie also shares simple practices you can begin today; shaking, swaying, breathing, sounding and even gentle movement while sitting at your desk, to help regulate your nervous system and release stored tension. We also talk about parenting emotionally aware children, the stories we carry in our bodies, and why healing doesn't always require years of talking. Sometimes it begins by allowing the body to finish what it has been trying to do all along. If you've been feeling stuck in your head, overwhelmed by stress, or curious about somatic healing, nervous system regulation, emotional wellbeing or reconnecting with your intuition, I think you're going to love this conversation. If you enjoy this episode, please follow The Midlife Rebel Podcast, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs the reminder that their body isn't working against them; it's trying to guide them. Visit our website to find out more about this week's guest. All of our guests, including this one, are included in our Guest Directory so that you can find out more about them and the work that they do. https://midliferebelpodcast.com/guest-directory If you'd like to support the show you can buy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/midliferebelpodcast

    Learn To Listen To Your Body | Melanie Smithson
  5. Aug 13

    What To Do When Nothing Else Has Worked

    Send us Fan Mail A common thread that keeps showing up, time and time again, is this point in midlife when things start to change. The life you've been living still matters, but it can no longer hold what's trying to come next. There's often a quiet knowing that something is calling you forward, yet it's difficult to put into words. In this episode of The Midlife Rebel Podcast, I'm joined by women's rite of passage guide Niels Vantzuriel. A Dutch archaeologist, hypnotist and gifted storyteller now living on a remote peninsula in Ireland, Niels offers a perspective on midlife that felt unlike anything I'd heard before. The way he speaks is almost poetic, weaving together ancient wisdom, mythology and practical guidance in a way that invites you to slow down and listen. We explore why some women reach a point where therapy, self-help books, meditation and personal development no longer feel like enough. They're not looking for more information; they're looking for an experience that marks the changes already happening within them. That's where Niels' work is so different. He guides women through immersive rites of passage, drawing on ancient landscapes, trance work and ceremony to help them consciously step into the next chapter of their lives. We also explore one of the most fascinating ideas from our conversation: growth through pleasure. Rather than relying on struggle or pushing harder, Niels explains how pleasure can help rewire behaviour, expand our thinking and create lasting change. We talk about preparation, ceremony and, just as importantly, the integration that follows when you return home to the same family, work and everyday life. If you've reached a point where the life you've been living no longer feels quite enough, and you're sensing that something deeper is asking for your attention, I think you'll really enjoy this conversation. It offers another way of looking at midlife, not as a crisis to solve, but as a doorway into the next chapter of your life. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you'd subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who might need to hear this conversation. Visit our website to find out more about this week's guest. All of our guests, including this one, are included in our Guest Directory so that you can find out more about them and the work that they do. https://midliferebelpodcast.com/guest-directory If you'd like to support the show you can buy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/midliferebelpodcast

    What To Do When Nothing Else Has Worked
  6. Aug 6

    The Midlife Wake-Up Call Leaders Face

    Send us Fan Mail Something happens in midlife. The strategies that got you this far stop working. The career path that once made sense starts draining your energy. The people-pleasing, over-functioning, and pushing through begin to take their toll. In this episode, I'm joined by leadership coach Kurt Bush for a conversation about what happens when life asks you to stop performing and start paying attention. Kurt shares his own story of leaving pastoral leadership around the age of 40 and building a coaching practice centred on joy, self-awareness, and sustainable leadership. We explore why so many people hit a wall in their late 30s and 40s, especially when they're carrying responsibility for teams, families, communities, and everyone else's expectations. A big part of our conversation focuses on Internal Family Systems (IFS), a powerful framework that helps us understand the different "parts" within us. The people-pleaser. The perfectionist. The protector. The part that wants to stay safe. And the part that's longing for something more. We talk about how these inner parts can drive anxiety, conflict avoidance, burnout, defensiveness, and self-doubt, often without us even realising it. We also explore authentic leadership, healthy boundaries, navigating difficult conversations, and why the most effective leaders are moving away from control and hierarchy towards trust, curiosity, and genuine human connection. If you've been feeling exhausted, stuck, or like the old version of you no longer fits, this conversation offers a thoughtful and practical place to begin. In this episode we discuss: • The difference between success and alignment • What Internal Family Systems (IFS) actually is • How protective parts shape our behaviour • Leadership, vulnerability, and emotional intelligence • Setting boundaries without guilt • Why authentic leadership starts with self-awareness • Finding more joy, calm, and sustainability in work and life Visit our website to find out more about this week's guest. All of our guests, including this one, are included in our Guest Directory so that you can find out more about them and the work that they do. https://midliferebelpodcast.com/guest-directory If you'd like to support the show you can buy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/midliferebelpodcast

    The Midlife Wake-Up Call Leaders Face
  7. Jul 30

    What If Midlife Is Exactly What You Needed?

    Send us Fan Mail It seems that, for many women, something starts to change in midlife. The life you've diligently built no longer feels quite right, and there's a growing sense that there's more to life than simply doing what you've always done. In this episode, I'm joined by Laura Hoorweg, a spiritual counsellor, psychic and medium, for a conversation that went in all sorts of unexpected directions. Laura shares her idea of the "two books of life": the first written through expectations, responsibility and conditioning, and the second beginning when we finally start asking ourselves what we actually want. We go wide and deep, from the very real pressure women carry to "have it all" — career, parenting, relationships, body, beauty and emotional labour — to the consequences of living out of alignment for years. Laura shares her own midlife career disruption, the sting of workplace ageism, and how sudden loss led her on a healing journey that completely reshaped her work and sense of purpose. Along the way, we also explore bigger cultural and health questions, including early puberty, fertility concerns, what these changes might mean for menopause, and how the second half of life could look very different to the first. Most of all, this conversation is an invitation to reconnect with yourself before you go searching for your purpose. We talk about meditation, intuition, self-trust, and why living your purpose doesn't have to look "spiritual" to be deeply meaningful. Subscribe for more conversations for midlife women, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more Rebels can find the show.  What would you put on the first page of your second book? Visit our website to find out more about this week's guest. All of our guests, including this one, are included in our Guest Directory so that you can find out more about them and the work that they do. https://midliferebelpodcast.com/guest-directory If you'd like to support the show you can buy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/midliferebelpodcast

    What If Midlife Is Exactly What You Needed?
  8. Jul 23

    How to Find Your Purpose After 40

    Send us Fan Mail After working with thousands of people as a chiropractor, Dr Kyle Hulsebus began noticing something fascinating. The people who built healthier, happier lives rarely did it through dramatic transformations. They made small, conscious choices every day. In this episode of The Midlife Rebel Podcast, we explore what it really means to live intentionally. We talk about why so many of us drift through life on autopilot, distracted by endless information, social media and the pressure to keep up, yet feeling increasingly disconnected from ourselves. Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do isn't add something new—it's put the phone down, step outside and pay attention to the life that's already happening around you. From there, we dive into purpose, habits and what creates a meaningful life after 40. Kyle shares why success and failure often travel the same road, why the journey matters more than the destination, and how our bodies constantly give us feedback when we're living out of alignment. Drawing on years of clinical experience, we discuss chronic stress, the nervous system and why symptoms are often messages rather than something to simply silence or ignore. We also explore Kyle's 40 Over 40 project, a collection of 40 simple, practical habits designed to help people create a healthier, more intentional life. They're not complicated or prescriptive. They're small, repeatable actions—like stepping outside, reading a book, moving your body or investing in your relationships—that quietly compound over time. This conversation is a reminder that purpose isn't something you stumble across one day. It's built through the choices you make every day. If you've been feeling disconnected, overwhelmed or simply wondering whether there's more to life than getting through the week, I think you'll find plenty to reflect on here. If this episode resonated with you, I'd love it if you'd subscribe, leave a review, or share it with someone who might need the reminder that small changes really do add up. Visit our website to find out more about this week's guest. All of our guests, including this one, are included in our Guest Directory so that you can find out more about them and the work that they do. https://midliferebelpodcast.com/guest-directory If you'd like to support the show you can buy me a coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/midliferebelpodcast

    How to Find Your Purpose After 40
5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

How do you know if you're a Midlife Rebel? Maybe it starts with a feeling. A growing sense of discomfort that something isn't quite right. The life you've been living might look perfectly fine from the outside, but something inside you is asking for change. Maybe some of the rules and expectations you've lived by simply don't fit anymore. That's where rebellion begins. Being a Midlife Rebel isn't about breaking rules for the sake of it. It's about questioning the rules, stories and expectations that have shaped the life you've been living — and deciding for yourself what stays, what goes and what comes next. Because rebellion can lead to personal revolution. And personal revolution creates freedom: the freedom to change your mind, rewrite your story, experiment, begin again and create a life that fits who you are now. I'm Nadine, and each week I sit down with experts, teachers, authors, coaches, researchers, wisdom keepers and ordinary people with extraordinary stories to explore the many ways our lives can change in midlife. We talk about identity, health and ageing, menopause, relationships, purpose, spirituality, psychology, courage, reinvention and the experiences that make us question the status quo. These conversations bring together different perspectives, lived experiences, ideas and practical wisdom so that you feel supported as you navigate your own midlife journey — and a little less alone as you figure out what comes next. Because there's a little bit of rebel in all of us. Contact Nadine: https://midliferebelpodcast.com/contact