I Go By Life Karen - It's Never Too Late

I Go By Karen
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Self-Improvement

I Go By Karen Life is a podcast for women 50+ who know there’s more ahead — and aren’t done reinventing themselves yet. Hosted by Karen, each episode covers real-life conversations about wellness, confidence, reinvention, beauty, skincare, style, friendships, and navigating this next season with clarity and confidence. This is an honest, encouraging space for women who want to feel better, live better, and believe — truly — that it’s never too late.

  1. 6d ago

    What I Do When I Don't Feel Motivated Anymore

    What happens when the motivation that got you started disappears? After losing more than 120 pounds, I've learned that long-term success isn't about feeling motivated every day. In fact, some of the most important days are the ones when you don't feel motivated at all. In this episode, I'm sharing five things I personally do when I feel myself slipping off track—from revisiting my WHYs and reminding myself how far I've come, to planning my food ahead of time, changing the channel in my brain, and giving myself permission to have what I call a “minimum day.” We're also talking about all-or-nothing thinking, why motivation is unreliable, and why one imperfect day doesn't have to become an imperfect week—or month. If you've been struggling to get yourself “motivated again,” this episode may help you think about motivation in a completely different way.

    What I Do When I Don't Feel Motivated Anymore

  2. Oct 18

    Fitness After 50: What Should Women Actually Focus On? | Meredith Q&A, Part 2

    My daughter Meredith is back for Part 2 of our fitness conversation, and this time I'm asking the question so many women over 50 have: What should we actually be doing? For most of my life, I thought cardio was king. Give me a treadmill and I knew exactly what to do. Strength training? Not so much. So I asked Meredith — who is certified in personal training and yoga — what she thinks women our age should really focus on. We talk about why the “best” workout may be the one you'll actually continue doing, where strength training fits in as we get older, why I started with weight machines, and why cardio doesn't have to disappear just because you've picked up some weights. We also get into yoga and Pilates, mobility, classes versus working out on your own, and how exercise can support the everyday things we want to keep doing as we age. Then things get slightly less serious. 😂 We're talking workout clothes, affordable places to shop, what makes you feel confident at the gym, machines versus free weights, home workout equipment and our supposedly “rapid-fire” questions. Spoiler: we are not particularly good at rapid fire. And Meredith answers one question I especially wanted to hear: What's something she wishes I would stop doing at the gym? Her answer had very little to do with an actual exercise — and a lot to do with believing we're capable of more than we think. If you're trying to build a fitness routine after 50 without turning your entire life into one giant workout plan, I think you'll enjoy this conversation. This episode provides general fitness information and shares our personal experiences. It is not individualized medical or exercise advice. Talk with your healthcare provider or an appropriately qualified fitness professional about your individual needs.

    Fitness After 50: What Should Women Actually Focus On? | Meredith Q&A, Part 2

  3. Oct 11

    My Daughter Got Me Into the Gym | Fitness, Confidence & Starting Anyway — Part 1

    You've heard me talk about my daughter Meredith countless times, and today she's finally joining me for a conversation I've wanted to have for a long time. Meredith is certified in personal training and yoga, but one of the things I love about her fitness story is that she did not begin as someone who automatically knew what she was doing. We talk about an early fitness experience that damaged her confidence, the comment from high school that she still remembers, how she discovered yoga, and how she eventually went from working out at home to feeling comfortable in a weight room. Then we get into MY gym story. Meredith was the person who encouraged me to walk into a gym when I was almost 60, still losing weight and completely convinced everyone would know I didn't belong there. So I asked her the questions so many of you have asked me: What if you've never been to a gym? How do you stop worrying about everyone watching you? Should you hire a personal trainer? How do you know whether a trainer or class is actually right for you? Can you start at home instead? Do you need expensive equipment? And what if you're still waiting until you finally feel “ready”? This is not a conversation about becoming a fitness expert. It's about figuring out how to begin — even when you feel uncomfortable, inexperienced or completely out of your element. Because sometimes the hardest part of the workout really is just getting yourself through the door. This episode shares our personal experiences and general fitness information and is not individualized medical or exercise advice. Talk with your healthcare provider or an appropriately qualified fitness professional about what is right for you.

    My Daughter Got Me Into the Gym | Fitness, Confidence & Starting Anyway — Part 1

  4. Oct 4

    The Scale Can’t Measure This: My Biggest Non-Scale Victories After Losing 120 Pounds

    What if the biggest rewards of weight loss have nothing to do with the number on the scale? After losing more than 120 pounds, I expected the scale to be the thing that made me feel successful. But some of the moments that have meant the most to me are the ones a scale could never measure. In this episode, I’m talking about my favorite non-scale victories—from no longer needing a seatbelt extender on an airplane, to fitting comfortably into stadium seats, shopping in stores I once couldn’t, getting rid of clothes I had saved because they eventually became too big, and actually enjoying fitness because of how strong and capable it makes me feel. But the biggest change may be the mental one: waking up and realizing that weight loss is no longer consuming my thoughts. We’ll talk about the physical, emotional, and everyday victories that can be easy to overlook when we’re too focused on a number—and why they may be the best reminder of how far we’ve really come. If you’re on your own weight-loss journey, I’d love for you to think about this question while you listen: What is a non-scale victory that has meant more to you than you ever expected?

    The Scale Can’t Measure This: My Biggest Non-Scale Victories After Losing 120 Pounds

  5. Sep 27

    I Started a YouTube Channel at 60… Here’s What Happened

    One year ago, at 60 years old, I decided to start a YouTube channel. Part of the decision came from my frustration with TikTok and its constantly changing restrictions, but there was something bigger behind it. After losing more than 100 pounds, I wanted to pay forward some of what I had learned and hopefully help other women who were navigating their own health and weight-loss journeys. But something else started happening. After years of living in a 55+ community and hearing from women in this stage of life, I became increasingly interested in a much bigger conversation: Why do so many women begin to believe their best years are behind them? Why do we decide we're too old to learn something new? And why do we sometimes avoid decisions about our health, finances, homes and future until circumstances force us to make them? In this episode, I'm looking back at my first year as a YouTube creator — why I started, what I expected, what was harder than I imagined, what completely surprised me, and where I think this journey may be taking me next. Because if this year has taught me anything, it's that starting something new at 60 isn't ridiculous. Sometimes it might be exactly what we need.

    I Started a YouTube Channel at 60… Here’s What Happened

  6. Sep 20

    Why We Knew It Was Time to Leave Our 55+ Community

    After 8.5 years in a 55+ community, we’re moving. I’m sharing what we loved, what became difficult, how our lives changed, and why we decided not to wait another decade to create a lifestyle with less driving, less maintenance and more freedom.

    Why We Knew It Was Time to Leave Our 55+ Community

  7. Sep 13

    22 Questions About My Plastic Surgery: Recovery, Cost, GLP-1s & More

    You asked the questions — I'm answering 22 of them! After losing more than 120 pounds and having a lower body lift with fleur-de-lis (FDL) and a breast lift without implants, I've received SO many questions about the surgery and recovery. In this episode, I'm starting with an update from my four-week post-op appointment and then getting into the questions you've been asking throughout this journey. We're talking about what “drainless” surgery means, how painful recovery really was, how I chose my plastic surgeon, why I stayed in the U.S. for surgery, what happened with my GLP-1 medication, how much skin was removed, the cost of surgery, whether I could have handled recovery alone, and much more. I also answer some of the more personal questions: Why didn't I tell people before surgery? Why am I sharing all of this publicly now? How did my husband feel about the decision? Would I ever have more plastic surgery? And, of course, the big question: Was it worth it? This is my personal experience with plastic surgery after major weight loss. Every body, procedure and recovery is different, and nothing in this episode should be considered medical advice. Please talk with your own qualified medical provider about what's appropriate for you. If you're navigating major weight loss, loose skin, body changes after weight loss, or simply wondering what this kind of surgery and recovery actually looks like, I hope sharing my experience helps you make informed decisions and know what questions to ask. If you enjoy the podcast, follow or subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And if you know someone who might find this conversation helpful, I'd love for you to share it with them.

    22 Questions About My Plastic Surgery: Recovery, Cost, GLP-1s & More

  8. Sep 6

    Before Surgery: Pre-Op Nerves, Trusting My Decision & When Everything Happened at Once

    After losing 120 pounds, I made the decision to have plastic surgery to address the loose skin left behind. But making the decision was one thing — getting close enough to surgery that it suddenly felt very real was something else entirely. In this episode, I’m taking you into the weeks leading up to surgery, starting with the nerves I was feeling on the way to my pre-op appointment. I’ll walk you through that two-hour appointment, what happened, what I learned, what made me nervous, and the point where I realized I had to stop second-guessing myself and trust the decision I had made — and the surgeon I had carefully chosen. And then life got very busy, very quickly. We came home from vacation, our house unexpectedly went under contract, and suddenly we were looking at communities, considering a condo, and dealing with a completely different kind of whirlwind. For a moment, I wondered whether all of that happening at once was somehow a sign that I shouldn’t go through with surgery. Eventually, I decided to see it differently. Maybe everything wasn’t happening to stop me. Maybe everything was finally coming together. This is another very real chapter in my plastic surgery journey after major weight loss — the nerves, the trust, the uncertainty, and everything life decided to throw into the mix right before surgery. Next episode: what I bought, gathered, and prepared at home for recovery — because there was far too much to squeeze into this one. 😂

    Before Surgery: Pre-Op Nerves, Trusting My Decision & When Everything Happened at Once
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

I Go By Karen Life is a podcast for women 50+ who know there’s more ahead — and aren’t done reinventing themselves yet. Hosted by Karen, each episode covers real-life conversations about wellness, confidence, reinvention, beauty, skincare, style, friendships, and navigating this next season with clarity and confidence. This is an honest, encouraging space for women who want to feel better, live better, and believe — truly — that it’s never too late.

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