Messy Middlescence

Tara (Conti) Bansal and Christina (Conti) Donovan
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Biweekly

Like adolescence – "Middlescence" is a time of tremendous change touching most aspects of our lives. There are the physical and hormonal changes but also many of the rhythms, relationships and frameworks that have dominated our lives for decades all start to shift in ways that are unbalancing at best – seismic at worst. Our podcast will explore the challenges and opportunities of these unique “middle” years. However – ours will be different because it is one of sharing, exploring and figuring things out together. It is "messy" because we do not have answers but we hope to discover some. We hope to motivate and / or guide listeners to actively change both their perspective and day-to-day reality of this unique time. We also aim to create a supportive connected community of listeners with similar struggles and questions. We truly hope you will join us!

  1. Episode 1

    Season 4 Premiere: What Does It Mean to Transform?

    It is hard to believe, but today we launch Season 4 of Messy Middlescence with our 63rd episode! As we have done for the past few seasons, we begin by looking back at our respective summers. We describe the highlights and moments that will stay with us as we move into cooler weather and the more structured/scheduled days of fall. We also introduce our new theme of “Transformation” for the upcoming season. We discuss how we landed on this theme, along with some of our reservations and concerns about taking on such a big topic. Much of our conversation revolves around what transformation actually means and the different ways we might explore it in future episodes. Some of the questions we consider include: What is the difference between transition and transformation?Can a transition become a transformation?What are the many ways transformation can occur?Can transformation be negative — and what might that entail?Does our “essential self” change when we transform, or can transformation actually bring us closer to who we truly are?Can we experience an internal transformation that isn't visible to others?Can we transform without “blowing up” our lives?How does self-improvement differ from transformation?Does midlife make transformation easier or more difficult? We also share examples of transformation - or what we think might qualify as transformation - from our own lives and the lives of people we know. Transformation is a big topic to take on as a theme, and we admit we are more than a little intimidated by it. BUT we are also excited and curious to see where it takes us. We hope you will join us on our journey this season as we explore transformation in all its forms. And for this season, at the end of each episode, one of us, or our guest, will share something that is bringing us joy right now. We hope it will encourage all of us to notice a little more of the joy present in our everyday lives.

  2. Episode 2

    Joy: Are we Trying Too Hard?

    We are all familiar with the word “joy”. It is hard not to be these days. The word seems to be everywhere, from advertisements and cleaning philosophies to countless books, articles, and podcasts. When did joy become so prominent in our culture? We do not remember hearing much about it in our youth or early adulthood, apart from the occasional Christmas carol or religious hymn. Yet phrases such as “Does it spark joy?” are now part of our cultural vocabulary. What exactly is joy? Is it different from happiness? Is it a fleeting feeling that comes from a particular experience, or something deeper and more enduring? And why are we talking about it so much these days? Ironically, the pursuit—or even obsession—with joy can become self-defeating. In our busy lives, where we are often striving to accomplish more, is joy becoming just another thing we are working toward? Despite being fashionable, we believe joy plays an important role in our mental well-being and can deepen our sense of life’s goodness and sacredness. In today’s episode, we explore joy in our personal lives and in the broader culture. We talk about the things that bring us joy and the obstacles that can get in the way. We don't come away with any definitive answers, but we enjoyed exploring these questions together. Topics discussed include: How should we define joy, and how does it differ from happiness?What gives us joy?How do other people help us experience joy?Why is joy so prominent in our culture today?What gets in the way of experiencing joy?How can we cultivate more joy in our lives without trying too hard?How are play and joy connected? We hope the conversation inspires you to reflect on the role of joy in your own life.

See All Season 4 (2)

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About

Like adolescence – "Middlescence" is a time of tremendous change touching most aspects of our lives. There are the physical and hormonal changes but also many of the rhythms, relationships and frameworks that have dominated our lives for decades all start to shift in ways that are unbalancing at best – seismic at worst. Our podcast will explore the challenges and opportunities of these unique “middle” years. However – ours will be different because it is one of sharing, exploring and figuring things out together. It is "messy" because we do not have answers but we hope to discover some. We hope to motivate and / or guide listeners to actively change both their perspective and day-to-day reality of this unique time. We also aim to create a supportive connected community of listeners with similar struggles and questions. We truly hope you will join us!

Information

  • Creator
    Tara (Conti) Bansal and Christina (Conti) Donovan
  • Episodes
    64
  • Seasons
    4
  • Rating
    Clean