Love From the Inside Out: Real Life Conversations for Women Going Through Midlife, Menopause Body Changes and Identity Shifts

Susan Kricun, Susan Kricun, Host | Midlife, Menopause, Body Changes & Identity Shifts

Love From the Inside Out is an honest, empowering podcast for women in midlife navigating menopause, body changes, burnout, boundaries, relationships, self-trust, anxiety, and identity shifts. Hosted by Susan Kricun, storyteller, PR strategist, speaker, and midlife woman navigating many of these same questions herself, this show offers grounded reflections, real conversations, and relatable stories to help you feel seen, less alone, and more connected to yourself again. If you’ve been wondering, “Why don’t I feel like myself anymore?” or “Who am I now?” this podcast meets you in that in-between place with honesty, warmth, humor, and perspective you can use in real life. The conversations are emotionally honest without being heavy, reflective without feeling overly therapeutic, and real without leaving you stuck in what feels hard. Whether you’re navigating menopause, midlife anxiety, body image, people-pleasing, burnout, grief, marriage, friendship, boundaries, reinvention, self-doubt, or the feeling that your old roles no longer fit, each episode is designed to help you slow down, name what you’re feeling, reconnect with your own voice, and begin trusting yourself in this next chapter. With decades of experience in storytelling, communications, and connecting people through honest conversation, Susan explores the emotional side of midlife, the parts we don’t always say out loud, but so many women are quietly carrying. At its heart, Love From the Inside Out is about telling the truth about this season of life without making midlife feel like something to survive. It is about noticing what you’ve been carrying, questioning what no longer belongs to you, and remembering that this part of life can still hold beauty, joy, movement, confidence, friendship, laughter, style, pleasure, freedom, and a deeper connection to yourself. You’ll hear honest solo episodes and real conversations about midlife, menopause, body changes, self-trust, people-pleasing, burnout, boundaries, identity, grief, anxiety, relationships, and what it means to stop living on autopilot. If you’re asking, “Is this menopause, midlife, burnout, anxiety, or something else?” “How do I stop people-pleasing and trust myself again?” or “What do I want for this next part of my life?” you’re in the right place. New episodes every Thursday. Follow along for honest conversations about midlife, menopause, self-trust, and coming back to yourself.

  1. 6d ago

    How to Stop Overthinking What You Can’t Control

    If you've been overthinking a situation you can't control, replaying conversations in your head, worrying about what might happen next, or feeling stuck in uncertainty, this episode is for you. In this episode of Love From the Inside Out, Susan shares a personal story about catching herself in a spiral of overthinking and anxiety during a workout, and how an unexpected song brought her back to a deeper truth about self-trust, identity, and the life that's happening right now. What started as a familiar cycle of fear and future-casting turned into a powerful reminder: your life is not waiting on the other side of the answer. Together, we'll explore why overthinking feels so convincing, how our minds often create stories that aren't true, and what it means to stay connected to yourself when life feels uncertain. Susan also reflects on how some of life's most difficult experiences become our greatest teachers, helping us grow into stronger, more grounded versions of ourselves. If you're navigating anxiety, relationship challenges, identity shifts, emotional exhaustion, burnout, menopause-related stress, or simply feeling stuck in a situation you can't solve, this conversation offers a compassionate reminder that you don't need all the answers before you can keep living your life. In this episode, you'll hear: • Why overthinking what you can't control is so exhausting • How fear and uncertainty can convince us that the worst-case scenario is inevitable • The difference between overthinking and self-trust • How to reclaim your energy when your mind is stuck in a loop • Why your life doesn't have to be put on hold while you wait for clarity • The surprising lesson one song taught Susan about personal growth and emotional resilience • How difficult experiences can become powerful teachers over time Whether you're dealing with relationship uncertainty, people-pleasing patterns, midlife transitions, anxiety, or simply trying to stop overthinking every possible outcome, this episode will remind you that you are stronger, wiser, and more capable than your fear wants you to believe. Your life is happening now. And so are you. Support the show 🎧 Connect & Get More: • Instagram: @susan.kricun • Drop in my DMs and share your story or ask a question. • Sign up for my newsletter for free resources and updates. 🎶 Music Credit: “Seize the Day” by Andrey Rossi, via #Uppbeat (uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day) ✨ Support the Show: • Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen • Share this episode with a friend who could use a little more love—right where it matters most. 📚 Susan’s Favorite Books + Tools • This link leads you to a curated list of books and tools I genuinely love and use. • Some links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 🎙️ Be a Guest on the Show. Fill out this form. © 2025–present Susan Kricun. Love From the Inside Out™ is a trademark of Susan Kricun. All rights reserved. All opinions are my own. This podcast is educational, not medical or legal advice.

    17 min
  2. Jun 18

    How to Stop Pushing Through Midlife Burnout

    Why trying harder isn’t helping and backing off isn’t giving up. In this episode of Love From the Inside Out, Susan explores midlife burnout, the addiction to effort, and why pushing through, doing more, and overriding your body can stop working at a certain point in life. For many women in midlife, effort has been the thing that worked. It helped us build careers, care for others, move through hard seasons, stay responsible, and become the people others could count on. But sometimes effort turns into force. And when that happens, trying harder may not bring more clarity, energy, peace, or self-trust. It may just make our bodies and minds louder. Susan shares a recent Peloton moment that helped her understand this pattern in a new way. Instead of forcing a harder workout, she stayed in Zone 2, backed off, and gave her body what it actually needed. The surprising part wasn’t just that she felt better afterward. It was how hard it was to let the gentler ride be enough. This conversation is about learning to listen to your body, notice when effort has become force, take smaller steps, and reconnect with the inner wisdom that often gets buried under pressure, striving, overthinking, and burnout. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, burned out, or like your body is asking for something different than it used to, this episode is a reminder that doing less by even ten percent may be one of the most powerful ways to come back to yourself. In this episode: Why trying harder can stop helping in midlifeThe difference between effort and forceHow burnout can be connected to proving, striving, and over-functioningWhy your body may get louder when you keep overriding itThe difference between listening to your body and monitoring itWhy backing off by ten percent can feel harder than pushing throughHow small steps can help you keep moving without shutting downWhat daily meditation has taught Susan about self-trust and inner wisdomWhy slowing down can create more creativity, clarity, energy, and alivenessMentioned in this episode: Zone 2 Peloton ridesThe “less is more” lesson from journalism schoolThe mantra “let go and let it flow”The one-step-at-a-time / elephant analogySupport the show 🎧 Connect & Get More: • Instagram: @susan.kricun • Drop in my DMs and share your story or ask a question. • Sign up for my newsletter for free resources and updates. 🎶 Music Credit: “Seize the Day” by Andrey Rossi, via #Uppbeat (uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day) ✨ Support the Show: • Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen • Share this episode with a friend who could use a little more love—right where it matters most. 📚 Susan’s Favorite Books + Tools • This link leads you to a curated list of books and tools I genuinely love and use. • Some links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 🎙️ Be a Guest on the Show. Fill out this form. © 2025–present Susan Kricun. Love From the Inside Out™ is a trademark of Susan Kricun. All rights reserved. All opinions are my own. This podcast is educational, not medical or legal advice.

    26 min
  3. Jun 11

    Why I Didn't Change My Last Name After Marriage

    What happens when the thing you imagined your whole life finally arrives... and it doesn't feel the way you expected? For most of my life, I assumed I would change my last name when I got married. I actually looked forward to it. Growing up with a difficult-to-pronounce last name, I dreamed of the day I would take a simpler name and step into what I thought would be an easier identity. But when I got married for the first time at 52, something unexpected happened. The name I had spent years wanting to leave behind had become part of who I was. In this episode of Love From the Inside Out, I’m sharing the story behind why I didn’t change my last name after marriage and why that decision became about much more than paperwork. I talk about family expectations, growing up with the belief that marriage was the ultimate goal, what it means to get married later in life, and how keeping my maiden name became connected to identity, independence, family history, and belonging. Whether you changed your name, kept your name, reclaimed your maiden name after divorce, never married, or are still figuring out what parts of your identity truly belong to you, this episode is really about one question: How do we love deeply without losing ourselves in the process? In this episode, I talk about: • Why I chose not to change my last name after marriage • What came up for me around keeping my maiden name • Getting married for the first time at 52 • Family expectations around marriage, motherhood, and identity • Why names can feel so emotional for women • What it means to belong to someone without losing yourself Referenced in this episode: • Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden • Related episode: “I Tried Every Dating App - What Actually Worked: Self-Love, Boundaries & Message Scripts”  Support the show 🎧 Connect & Get More: • Instagram: @susan.kricun • Drop in my DMs and share your story or ask a question. • Sign up for my newsletter for free resources and updates. 🎶 Music Credit: “Seize the Day” by Andrey Rossi, via #Uppbeat (uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day) ✨ Support the Show: • Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen • Share this episode with a friend who could use a little more love—right where it matters most. 📚 Susan’s Favorite Books + Tools • This link leads you to a curated list of books and tools I genuinely love and use. • Some links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 🎙️ Be a Guest on the Show. Fill out this form. © 2025–present Susan Kricun. Love From the Inside Out™ is a trademark of Susan Kricun. All rights reserved. All opinions are my own. This podcast is educational, not medical or legal advice.

    14 min
  4. Jun 4

    Midlife Body Changes: Caring for Your Body Without Trying to Control It

    If your body feels different in midlife and you’ve found yourself wondering what you missed, what you did wrong, or why all the “right” things aren’t working the way they used to, this episode is for you. In this episode of Love From the Inside Out, Susan explores the difference between caring for your body and trying to control it, especially during menopause and midlife, when body changes, aging, health information, and unexpected test results can bring up fear, frustration, and self-blame. After receiving a DEXA scan result she expected would reassure her, Susan reflects on the deeper emotional layer beneath her longtime commitment to movement, prevention, and wellness. What happens when you’ve been exercising, paying attention, doing your best to stay healthy and your body still changes in ways you didn’t expect? This conversation is not about giving up, ignoring your body, or pretending midlife changes don’t matter. It’s about learning to listen without spiraling, staying proactive without panicking, and caring for your body without turning every change into proof that you failed. Susan also shares how watching her parents age shaped her relationship with health, movement, prevention, and control, and how she is learning to shift from fear-based vigilance to a more grounded kind of self-trust. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by menopause, midlife body changes, wellness advice, body image, aging, or the pressure to “get it right,” this episode offers a more compassionate way to relate to your changing body. In this episode, you’ll hear: • Why caring for your body is not the same as trying to control it • How midlife body changes can trigger fear, frustration, and self-blame • Why menopause can make your body feel unfamiliar, even when you’re doing your best • How health and wellness information can be helpful or quietly overwhelming • What it means to listen to your body without letting fear run the show • How to stay proactive about your health without turning your body into a problem to solve • Why self-trust matters when your body is changing in ways you didn’t expect Love From the Inside Out is a podcast about healing, mindset, self-trust, confidence, and coming home to yourself in midlife. If this episode speaks to you, please follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and share it with a woman in your life who is trying to care for her changing body with more compassion and less self-blame. Support the show 🎧 Connect & Get More: • Instagram: @susan.kricun • Drop in my DMs and share your story or ask a question. • Sign up for my newsletter for free resources and updates. 🎶 Music Credit: “Seize the Day” by Andrey Rossi, via #Uppbeat (uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day) ✨ Support the Show: • Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen • Share this episode with a friend who could use a little more love—right where it matters most. 📚 Susan’s Favorite Books + Tools • This link leads you to a curated list of books and tools I genuinely love and use. • Some links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 🎙️ Be a Guest on the Show. Fill out this form. © 2025–present Susan Kricun. Love From the Inside Out™ is a trademark of Susan Kricun. All rights reserved. All opinions are my own. This podcast is educational, not medical or legal advice.

    24 min
  5. May 28

    Why You Feel Responsible for Other People’s Moods: Emotional Hypervigilance, Boundaries, and Self-Abandonment

    In this episode of Love From the Inside Out®, Susan explores why some of us feel responsible for other people’s moods and how that pattern can quietly lead to emotional exhaustion, overthinking, people-pleasing, and self-abandonment. If you’ve ever walked into a room and immediately wondered what you did wrong, replayed a conversation to figure out why someone seemed “off,” or felt like it was your job to fix the energy around you, this conversation may feel familiar. Susan shares a personal reflection on emotional hypervigilance, boundaries, nervous system regulation, and the midlife realization that caring about people does not mean carrying their emotions in your body. This episode is about learning to notice the old pattern sooner, pause before taking responsibility for what may not belong to you, and choose self-loyalty instead of slipping into the same familiar loop. It’s a conversation for anyone learning how to stop walking on eggshells, trust themselves more deeply, and create healthier emotional boundaries in relationships. Support the show 🎧 Connect & Get More: • Instagram: @susan.kricun • Drop in my DMs and share your story or ask a question. • Sign up for my newsletter for free resources and updates. 🎶 Music Credit: “Seize the Day” by Andrey Rossi, via #Uppbeat (uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day) ✨ Support the Show: • Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen • Share this episode with a friend who could use a little more love—right where it matters most. 📚 Susan’s Favorite Books + Tools • This link leads you to a curated list of books and tools I genuinely love and use. • Some links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 🎙️ Be a Guest on the Show. Fill out this form. © 2025–present Susan Kricun. Love From the Inside Out™ is a trademark of Susan Kricun. All rights reserved. All opinions are my own. This podcast is educational, not medical or legal advice.

    13 min
  6. May 21

    Perfectionism in Midlife: Why We Keep Trying to Get Life Right

    Why do we keep trying to be perfect at life, even when we know life is a practice? In this episode of Love From the Inside Out, I’m exploring the pressure so many of us feel to get life right — to make the right decision, respond the right way, grow faster, heal faster, know better, and somehow skip the messy middle of living what we’re learning. This conversation started over lunch with one of my closest friends, when we were laughing about how self-aware we can be and still fall into the trap of wanting to perfect our lives. She mentioned that a law office is called a practice and a doctor opens a practice, and that stayed with me. If law and medicine — two serious, high-stakes professions — are practices, why wouldn’t life be one too? I also talk about yoga as a practice, why insight does not always create instant change, and how perfection can feel like protection when life feels uncertain. But the practice of life is often where we learn the most: what feels true, what no longer fits, what we love, what we tolerate, and what makes us feel more like ourselves. This episode is for anyone who is self-aware, reflective, growth-oriented, and still frustrated that they don’t have everything figured out yet. Especially in midlife, it can feel like we should already know how to handle the hard conversation, the changing body, the uncertain season, the friendship shift, the career question, or the next version of ourselves. Maybe the point is not to master life before we live it. Maybe the point is to stop treating growth like a performance and let life be the practice that teaches us. In this episode, I talk about: Why self-aware women still feel pressure to get life rightLife as a practice, not a performancePerfectionism, personal growth, and the illusion of controlWhy insight does not always mean instant changeHow real life teaches us through experience, discomfort, and contrastMidlife growth, changing priorities, and becoming more honest with ourselvesWhy the polished moments are not always the ones that change usHow to stop using self-awareness as another way to judge yourselfListen if you’ve ever thought: “I should know better by now.” “Why am I still figuring this out?” “I’m self-aware, so why do I still repeat old patterns?” “I want to grow, but I don’t want my growth to become another performance.” “I’m tired of trying to be perfect at being human.” Support the show 🎧 Connect & Get More: • Instagram: @susan.kricun • Drop in my DMs and share your story or ask a question. • Sign up for my newsletter for free resources and updates. 🎶 Music Credit: “Seize the Day” by Andrey Rossi, via #Uppbeat (uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day) ✨ Support the Show: • Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen • Share this episode with a friend who could use a little more love—right where it matters most. 📚 Susan’s Favorite Books + Tools • This link leads you to a curated list of books and tools I genuinely love and use. • Some links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 🎙️ Be a Guest on the Show. Fill out this form. © 2025–present Susan Kricun. Love From the Inside Out™ is a trademark of Susan Kricun. All rights reserved. All opinions are my own. This podcast is educational, not medical or legal advice.

    14 min
  7. May 14

    Being Seen, Body Image, and Self-Doubt in Midlife

    What is it about having your picture taken that can bring up so much? In this episode of Love From the Inside Out, I’m talking about a recent headshot experience that brought up more than I expected around being seen, body image, self-doubt, visibility, and the very human desire to feel like ourselves in the way we are seen by others. At first, it seemed simple. I needed new photos. I had a beautiful opportunity through a women’s group I belong to. I signed up before I could overthink it. And then, as the photo shoot got closer, everything started to feel more complicated. The clothes. The makeup. The camera. The body image thoughts. The pressure to look good, but still look like myself. The strange feeling of being comfortable representing other people and other brands professionally, but feeling much more exposed when the visibility was personal. This episode is about what happens when something small — like a headshot — touches something deeper. I’m sharing the story of how the experience brought up old insecurities, the part of me that wanted to explain myself, and the way self-doubt can still show up even when we’ve done years of inner work. Because being seen in midlife can feel different. We may have more wisdom, more clarity, and less patience for pretending, but that doesn’t mean the younger, more careful parts of us disappear. Sometimes they show up right when we are trying to step into something bigger. This is also an episode about body image in midlife, self-acceptance, vulnerability, and the practice of not abandoning ourselves when we feel uncomfortable. Not because we have mastered it. Because we are practicing it. And sometimes the thing we feel embarrassed by becomes the very thing that lets a more honest conversation begin. In this episode, I talk about: Why being seen can feel more vulnerable when the work is personalHow a simple headshot brought up body image and self-doubtThe difference between professional visibility and personal visibilityWhy midlife can make photos, visibility, and body changes feel more layeredThe instinct to explain ourselves before anyone has askedWhat it means to practice self-love when old insecurities still show upHow vulnerability can create more honest conversations between womenSupport the show 🎧 Connect & Get More: • Instagram: @susan.kricun • Drop in my DMs and share your story or ask a question. • Sign up for my newsletter for free resources and updates. 🎶 Music Credit: “Seize the Day” by Andrey Rossi, via #Uppbeat (uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day) ✨ Support the Show: • Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen • Share this episode with a friend who could use a little more love—right where it matters most. 📚 Susan’s Favorite Books + Tools • This link leads you to a curated list of books and tools I genuinely love and use. • Some links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 🎙️ Be a Guest on the Show. Fill out this form. © 2025–present Susan Kricun. Love From the Inside Out™ is a trademark of Susan Kricun. All rights reserved. All opinions are my own. This podcast is educational, not medical or legal advice.

    34 min
  8. May 7

    Grief Anniversaries: When Certain Dates Bring Memories Back

    Some dates stay with us. Grief anniversaries, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, and the moments our bodies seem to remember before we do. In this episode of Love From the Inside Out, I’m reflecting on the emotional memory certain dates can hold, especially as I move through the month of May, which marks the anniversaries of both of my parents’ passing. My father passed away seven years ago on May 9th, and my mother passed away ten years ago on May 30th. With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day also falling around this season, May has become one of those times of year that feels layered before I even fully realize why. This is not a heavy episode about grief. It’s more of a quiet reflection on how love, loss, memory, and the body can all meet on the calendar. Sometimes a date is just a date. And sometimes, inside of us, it carries a whole history. I talk about how grief has softened over time, why I don’t always feel called to visit my parents at the cemetery, and how I still feel them most in ordinary moments — in the way I think, tell stories, make decisions, host people, choose words, and continue becoming myself. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt a certain date, holiday, season, or anniversary bring something back to the surface. Not because you’re stuck in the past, but because something in you remembers. In this episode, I explore: How the body can remember certain dates before the mind catches up Why grief doesn’t always get easier, but can soften over time The complicated emotions around Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and grief anniversaries How loved ones can continue to feel present in ordinary, everyday moments Why remembrance doesn’t have to look a certain way How to move through meaningful dates with less pressure and more honesty If this episode brings someone to mind, or if you know someone moving through a date or season that carries a lot for them, feel free to share it with them. Sometimes it helps to hear someone else put words to something you’ve felt but maybe haven’t said out loud yet. Support the show 🎧 Connect & Get More: • Instagram: @susan.kricun • Drop in my DMs and share your story or ask a question. • Sign up for my newsletter for free resources and updates. 🎶 Music Credit: “Seize the Day” by Andrey Rossi, via #Uppbeat (uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day) ✨ Support the Show: • Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen • Share this episode with a friend who could use a little more love—right where it matters most. 📚 Susan’s Favorite Books + Tools • This link leads you to a curated list of books and tools I genuinely love and use. • Some links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. 🎙️ Be a Guest on the Show. Fill out this form. © 2025–present Susan Kricun. Love From the Inside Out™ is a trademark of Susan Kricun. All rights reserved. All opinions are my own. This podcast is educational, not medical or legal advice.

    26 min

Trailer

5
out of 5
29 Ratings

About

Love From the Inside Out is an honest, empowering podcast for women in midlife navigating menopause, body changes, burnout, boundaries, relationships, self-trust, anxiety, and identity shifts. Hosted by Susan Kricun, storyteller, PR strategist, speaker, and midlife woman navigating many of these same questions herself, this show offers grounded reflections, real conversations, and relatable stories to help you feel seen, less alone, and more connected to yourself again. If you’ve been wondering, “Why don’t I feel like myself anymore?” or “Who am I now?” this podcast meets you in that in-between place with honesty, warmth, humor, and perspective you can use in real life. The conversations are emotionally honest without being heavy, reflective without feeling overly therapeutic, and real without leaving you stuck in what feels hard. Whether you’re navigating menopause, midlife anxiety, body image, people-pleasing, burnout, grief, marriage, friendship, boundaries, reinvention, self-doubt, or the feeling that your old roles no longer fit, each episode is designed to help you slow down, name what you’re feeling, reconnect with your own voice, and begin trusting yourself in this next chapter. With decades of experience in storytelling, communications, and connecting people through honest conversation, Susan explores the emotional side of midlife, the parts we don’t always say out loud, but so many women are quietly carrying. At its heart, Love From the Inside Out is about telling the truth about this season of life without making midlife feel like something to survive. It is about noticing what you’ve been carrying, questioning what no longer belongs to you, and remembering that this part of life can still hold beauty, joy, movement, confidence, friendship, laughter, style, pleasure, freedom, and a deeper connection to yourself. You’ll hear honest solo episodes and real conversations about midlife, menopause, body changes, self-trust, people-pleasing, burnout, boundaries, identity, grief, anxiety, relationships, and what it means to stop living on autopilot. If you’re asking, “Is this menopause, midlife, burnout, anxiety, or something else?” “How do I stop people-pleasing and trust myself again?” or “What do I want for this next part of my life?” you’re in the right place. New episodes every Thursday. Follow along for honest conversations about midlife, menopause, self-trust, and coming back to yourself.