Highly Flammable

Gillian Christie Ninan
  • 5.0 (9)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Weekly

Highly Flammable is a podcast for women in midlife who feel the heat rising and know something is ready to change. Hosted by Gillian Christie Ninan, each episode features honest, funny, deeply human conversations about reinvention, identity, ambition, friendship, perimenopause, joy, and the question so many women are asking: What’s next? This is about choosing yourself, trusting what makes you feel alive, and stepping into your next chapter with more courage, clarity, and fire. New episodes every Tuesday. This isn’t a transition. It’s a takeover. Join the fire on IG: @gillianchristie

  1. 6d ago

    I'm 49, and I'm Having a Damn Good Time

    Well, the tables have turned! 🔥 This week on Highly Flammable, my good friend Marie—who also happens to be my very first podcast guest—is taking over the microphone and putting ME in the hot seat. And let me tell you, answering the questions is a whole different experience than asking them. Ha! 🔥 Come hang out with us! Love these conversations? Join the Highly Flammable VIP list! Every week, I share a personal note, a little behind-the-scenes scoop, and the thoughts, laughs, and occasional overshares that don't always make it onto the podcast. Think of it as a little midlife girlfriend energy delivered straight to your inbox. No pressure to have it all figured out. Just good conversations, fresh perspectives, and a reminder that there's still so much life to live. Join the Highly Flammable VIP List Marie and I go all the way back to our single-girl days, so she knows a version of me that you haven't met yet. We talk about why I started Highly Flammable, how a podcast inspired by perimenopause turned into something so much bigger, and what I've learned from the incredible women who've shared their stories with me. We also get into the woman I was in my twenties, the unconventional choices I've made along the way, and how I spent some time believing that the spontaneous, spicy, glittery parts of myself needed to be put away. Spoiler alert: I'm bringing her back. In this episode, we talk about: Why I started Highly Flammable (and the story behind the name) What interviewing women in midlife has taught me about identity, confidence, and change How this podcast has unexpectedly lit a fire in my own life What I'd tell my 29-year-old self Motherhood, getting older, and what I'm dreaming about next Why I'm done believing that growing older means growing out of the parts of myself I love If there's one thing I know at 49, it's that we're only here once. And I plan on having a damn good time. Let's stay connected! Follow Highly Flammable on Spotify so you never miss a Tuesday episode. Find me on Instagram: @gillianchristie And if this episode made you laugh, think, or remember a little piece of yourself you'd forgotten, share it with a girlfriend. Because women in midlife don't get a roadmap. We get each other. ❤️

  2. Oct 28

    Money in Midlife: Starting Over, Retirement & Financial Independence with Jean Chatzky

    What do you want your money to make possible in midlife? A career change? More freedom? Knowing you can take care of yourself? Or enjoying the life you’ve worked so hard to build? Jean Chatzky, founder of HerMoney and author of The Forever Paycheck, joins me for an honest conversation about money, financial independence, retirement, and starting over. Jean shares what happened the year she turned 40: her father passed away, she got divorced, and she got fired. We talk about rebuilding, why owning her own home mattered so deeply, and what she’d say to a woman who feels financially behind in her 40s or 50s. We also explore the other side of saving: why spending can feel uncomfortable even when you have enough and how to make room for joy along the way. Join the Highly Flammable VIP list: Personal notes from me, behind-the-scenes moments, and first access to what’s coming next. Join Here! In this episode: What money makes possible in Jean’s life today The money beliefs we bring with us from childhood Her dad’s private bucket list—and Jean’s marathon at 60 Divorce, starting over, and building financial independence What to consider before keeping the house in a divorce Feeling financially behind in midlife Why catching up involves more than giving up coffee Money avoidance, shame, and getting clear about your numbers Spending on things that bring you joy The Forever Paycheck and planning for retirement income Becoming more confident in your choices as you get older Connect with Jean: HerMoney and the HerMoney podcast:https://hermoney.com/ The Forever Paycheck: Grab a copy on Amazon and keep the conversation going! Find Jean’s book on Amazon⁠ This is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Discover your MoneyType:https://moneytype.hermoney.com/ Financial counseling resources mentioned in the episode:https://www.afcpe.org/ Connect with Gillian: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gillianchristie/Highly Flammable VIP list: https://gillianchristiegroup.myflodesk.com/highlyflammable If this conversation made you think of a friend, send it her way. We don’t have to figure all of this out alone. This conversation is for general education and shares personal experiences. It is not individualized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice.

  3. Oct 20

    The Courage to Stop Playing Small with Autumn Ceniza

    What does playing small actually look like when, from the outside, your life already looks successful? Autumn Ceniza spent ten years as a stay-at-home mom before getting into real estate, building an incredibly successful business, and eventually creating Coterie, a private community for women entrepreneurs built around real connection, bigger conversations, and women helping one another step into what’s next. But one of the most interesting parts of her story is realizing that even as her life expanded, there were still places where she was downplaying herself, questioning whether her success was luck, and worrying about being “too much.” In this conversation, we talk about going back to work after years at home with kids, the courage it takes to stop shrinking, women and money, outgrowing old versions of ourselves, and what can happen when you finally trust that you’re allowed to keep evolving. We also talk about the difference between 31-year-old Autumn and 41-year-old Autumn, and the younger version of herself who used to dream big before life taught her to be more practical. In this episode: Going back to work after ten years as a stay-at-home momThe fear of being “too much”Why women sometimes downplay their own successTaking more ownership of moneyOutgrowing friendships, roles, and old identitiesWhat midlife can reveal about who we were before the world got louder Connect with Autumn Instagram: @autumncenizaCoterie: @meetcoterie Connect with Gillian and Highly Flammable Instagram: @gillianchristieListen to more episodes of Highly Flammable wherever you get your podcasts. Permission, Out Loud Permission, Out Loud is this Thursday at 12 PM Pacific. It’s a live one-hour Zoom for women who know there’s something they want, but keep talking themselves out of it. We’re going to say some of those things out loud, quiet the committee in our heads a little, and be in a room of women who get it. Tickets are $19. Save your spot here!

  4. Oct 13

    How Do You Want Your Life to Feel? Self-Trust, Freedom & Midlife with Claire Risoli

    What if confidence isn’t knowing exactly how everything is going to work out? What if it’s trusting that you’ll be okay even when you don’t know what happens next? This week, Gillian sits down with entrepreneur Claire Risoli for a conversation about self-trust, doing things scared, and the kind of clarity that can come in midlife when you start caring a lot less about how your life looks and a lot more about how it actually feels to live it. Claire’s path has been anything but linear. She’s moved through music, marketing, entrepreneurship, network marketing, motherhood, and restaurant ownership, often saying yes before she felt completely ready and figuring things out along the way. But what happens when something you worked incredibly hard to build no longer fits? Claire and Gillian talk about the confidence that comes from doing, the difference between pushing through fear and knowing when it’s time to change direction, ambition, freedom, motherhood, and giving yourself permission to want something different. And stay until the end. Claire shares a story about her family that brings the whole conversation full circle in a way neither of them expected. In this episode: Doing things scared instead of waiting to feel readyWhy confidence is built through actionTrusting yourself when you don’t know the outcomeKnowing when perseverance becomes something elseChanging your mind about something you worked hard to createWhy midlife can change the way we define successAmbition, motherhood, freedom and self-trustThe small choices that can change a family’s trajectory Connect with Claire Website: clairerisoli.comInstagram: @claire_risoli Connect with Gillian and Highly Flammable Instagram: @gillianchristie Want the behind-the-scenes notes, what didn’t make the edit, and first access to what’s coming next? Join the Highly Flammable VIP list Permission, Out Loud 🔥 October 22 at 12 PM Pacific · Live on Zoom · $19 If there’s something you keep wanting but keep talking yourself out of, come spend an hour with me. My hope is that you leave feeling clearer, lighter, more excited, and a little more brave—with more trust in yourself and a clearer sense of what your next yes might be. Join Permission, Out Loud This isn't a transition. It’s a takeover.

  5. Oct 6

    Courage Is a Choice: Reinvention, Discernment & Choosing Yourself with Wendy Battles

    What happens when you’ve spent years talking about reinvention — and suddenly you’re right in the middle of your own? Wendy Battles, host of Reinvention Rebels, joins me for a candid conversation about what it looks like to choose yourself in midlife, trust what you already know, and stop editing parts of who you are just to keep things comfortable. Wendy talks about how her understanding of reinvention has changed, why some realizations happen slowly, and what she’s learning about self-trust in this chapter of her life. We get into the difference between knowing something needs to change and being ready to act on it, why discernment doesn’t always require immediate action, and Wendy’s idea that courage can be a choice — not just something we summon when life forces our hand, but something we practice when we decide to move toward the life we want. We also talk about: the subtle ways we can start making ourselves smaller without realizing itchoosing yourself without needing everyone else to understandrebuilding self-worth through surprisingly ordinary decisionswhy small acts of courage matterrelationships, discernment, and becoming more honest about what fitswhat Wendy is officially done being sensible aboutfinding delight even when the world feels noisy and uncertain This week’s question:Where could you choose courage on purpose — not because life is forcing you to, but because there’s something you want to move toward? 🔥 Permission, Out Loud — October 22I’m hosting a one-hour live experience for women in midlife who are ready to stop talking themselves out of what they want. Spots are intentionally limited. Find the details and reserve your spot in the links below. Listen to Wendy:Reinvention Rebels — wherever you listen to podcasts. Want first dibs on things like Permission, Out Loud?Join the Highly Flammable VIP list for behind-the-scenes notes, what didn’t make the edit, and first access to events and workshops. 🔥 Permission, Out Loud: Grab your spot for Permission, Out Loud💌 Highly Flammable VIP: Join the VIP list🎧 Reinvention Rebels: Listen to Wendy’s podcast 📸 Reinvention Rebels on Instagram: Follow Reinvention Rebels📱 Instagram: Follow Gillian @gillianchristie This isn’t a transition. It’s a takeover.

  6. Sep 29

    Tell on Yourself with Marhnelle Hibbard

    What happens when you stop trying to prove you belong and start trusting that who you are is enough? At 78, Marhnelle Hibbard has the kind of perspective that only comes from living through a lot of chapters: marriage, motherhood, business, reinvention, mistakes, success, and starting over more than once. In this episode, we talk about self-trust, long-term partnership, the stories we carry about success, what changes when you stop hiding parts of yourself, and why midlife can be such a powerful moment to ask what still fits and what doesn’t. There’s also a lot here about play, friendship, faith, courage, and the freedom that can come from finally being more fully yourself. ✨ Want a little more Highly Flammable between episodes? Join the VIP list for behind-the-scenes thoughts, things that didn’t make the edit, and first access to what we’re building next. In this episode: How growing up in survival mode shaped Marhnelle’s independenceWhat she learned about being strong without disappearing inside a relationshipThe beliefs she carried for years about being “qualified enough”Why self-acceptance changed the way she showed up in work and lifeHow her definition of success has changed over timeWhat she is discovering about friendship and play in this season of lifeThe midlife questions she thinks more women should be asking themselvesWhat courage looks like when you stop waiting to feel completely readyHow faith has softened the way she sees herself and other peopleWhy she keeps coming back to one simple question: why not? Follow Gillian and Highly Flammable:Instagram: @gillianchristie ✨ Join the Highly Flammable VIP list: Behind-the-scenes, off-cut conversations, and first access to events and whatever we light on fire next. If this episode made you think of a woman who needs to hear it, send it to her. And remember: it’s not a transition. It’s a takeover.

  7. Sep 22

    Great Orgasms, Good Friends & an Early Bedtime

    What’s gotten unexpectedly better with age? At 49, Gillian is noticing that getting older isn’t making her less interested in life, it’s making her more selective about what actually feels good, matters, and lights her up. In this short solo episode, she talks about deep female friendships, early bedtimes, disco in the kitchen, heirloom beans, thrift-store art, and yes… some very good orgasms. It’s a funny, personal reflection on the little things that get better, the things that matter more, and the stuff you finally stop caring so much about. If your priorities have quietly changed, and you're liking the new version of yourself, this one’s for you. Join the Highly Flammable VIP list for behind-the-scenes thoughts, off-cut topics, and first access to what Gillian is building next. Follow Gillian on Instagram: @gillianchristie

  8. Sep 15

    What’s Worth My Time Now?

    At 49, I’m still ambitious. I still want big things. But lately I’ve been thinking a lot more about what actually deserves my time. Inspired by Four Thousand Weeks and a few uncomfortable realizations about my own relationship with success, I’m looking at the difference between ambition and proving, the things we think we’re supposed to want, and what happens when you finally start asking: Do I actually want this? This is a solo episode about ambition, motherhood, success, time and why I think midlife is making me much more selective about what gets the best of me. 🔥 Want more behind the scenes of Highly Flammable? Join the VIP list for extra thoughts, what’s happening behind the mic, and first access to what I’m building next. We get into what it means to want big things without wanting everything, why “not now” doesn’t always mean “no,” and a few of the very random ways I’m realizing I may still be following rules I don’t even believe in. And yes, somehow a Porsche makes its way into this conversation. 🎧 Listen now, and send this one to a friend who might also be asking herself: What’s actually worth my time now? 🔥 Join the Highly Flammable VIP list for behind-the-scenes notes, new episodes, and first access to what’s coming next. Follow Highly Flammable:Instagram: @gillianchristie Mentioned in this episode:Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman Disclaimer: Personal stories and opinions shared on Highly Flammable are not medical advice. Talk to your own provider about your individual health and medical needs.

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5
out of 5
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About

Highly Flammable is a podcast for women in midlife who feel the heat rising and know something is ready to change. Hosted by Gillian Christie Ninan, each episode features honest, funny, deeply human conversations about reinvention, identity, ambition, friendship, perimenopause, joy, and the question so many women are asking: What’s next? This is about choosing yourself, trusting what makes you feel alive, and stepping into your next chapter with more courage, clarity, and fire. New episodes every Tuesday. This isn’t a transition. It’s a takeover. Join the fire on IG: @gillianchristie

Information

  • Creator
    Gillian Christie Ninan
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    17
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Gillian Christie Ninan
  • Show Website
    Highly Flammable