Growing Up Late

Jeannie McIntire
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Updated Weekly

Growing Up Late explores the gap between the impressive lives we build on the outside and who we actually are on the inside. Through honest conversations about betrayal, comebacks, and personal transformation, host Jeannie McIntire shows how the real growth happens when we finally own our role in our own story. A podcast for anyone ready to stop playing small and start living authentically.

  1. 4d ago

    Reclaiming Your Choices: Self-Worth, Trust & Love with Jennifer Benson

    What happens when the story you tell about yourself changes, and the world starts responding differently? In this episode of Growing Up Late, transformational life coach and author Jennifer Benson (host of The Impossible Shift) shares how she moved from self-silencing and survival mode to a more open, grounded way of seeing herself, relationships, and love. Jennifer talks candidly about the period in her life when shame took over her self-image, and the small, deliberate choice, as simple as choosing to smile, that started to shift how people treated her. We also dig into how childhood trauma shaped her early beliefs about trust and men, how that showed up in her relationships, and what changed when she met her husband. The heart of this conversation is Jennifer's framework for change: that lasting transformation starts with reclaiming your agency through small, consistent choices, and that many of us, especially women, are conditioned to give our choices away without realizing we still carry the consequences. In this episode: How changing how you show up can change how the world treats youThe link between invisibility, childhood conditioning, and self-protectionHow early trauma shapes trust, safety, and relationship patternsJennifer's "Impossible Shift" framework: why small choices compound into big changeThe difference between intuition and an old wound talkingWhy "you choose" is often us giving our power away, and how to take it backOne simple daily practice to start rebuilding self-trust and confidence About the guest: Jennifer Benson is a transformational life coach, author, and storyteller, and the host of The Impossible Shift podcast. Her work focuses on helping people examine the beliefs and stories that shape their self-image, and what becomes possible when those stories change. Connect with Jennifer: Jennifer's Website Connect with Growing Up Late: Jeannie's Website. Subscribe to Jeannie's YouTube Channel

  2. Sep 10

    Why Aren't You Living Your Dream Life Yet? A Birthday, a DNA Test, and What I Found

    Almost exactly a year ago, a DNA test I almost didn't take turned up a brother I never knew I had. On the eve of my birthday, I'm telling the story and the harder truth I found on the other side of it. This is a birthday episode, but it's not really about turning a year older. It's about what happened when a chance DNA test (thank you, ex-boyfriend convinced I was a Viking princess) turned into an email from a full biological brother, then a sister, then an entire family I'd spent my life wondering about. I went to Massachusetts and Maine to meet them. I'm sharing what I found, the reunion, the small uncanny things we had in common, a glass bottle that undid me, and the one sentence my brother said that changed how I think about my whole life. This isn't an adoption exposé. It's about the fantasy of the "what if" life, and what happens when you finally get close enough to it to find out you were never missing from the one you actually have. In this episode: Taking a DNA test years after wondering, and why I waited until my adoptive mother had passedThe awkward, honest emails that finally got a response from my biological brotherMeeting my biological family in Massachusetts, and the moment that could have become a story about rejection, but didn'tA small glass bottle that made my biological mother real to me for the first timeMeeting my other brother in Maine, and the one sentence that broke a lifelong "what if"What actually changed and what didn't after meeting the family I spent my life wondering aboutWhy I put off recording this episode, and what finally got me to do it anyway If you've got something in your life you keep waiting to feel ready for — this one's for you. #GrowingUpLate #DreamLifePodcast #IntentionalLiving #PersonalGrowth #midlifereinvention #happybirthday

  3. Sep 3

    It's Never Too Late to Heal: Denise Willis on Boundaries, Self-Worth & Starting Over

    Denise Willis was married six times before she learned how to set a boundary. In this episode of Growing Up Late, the life coach, author, and breast cancer survivor joins host Jeannie McIntire to unpack how growing up with conditional love shaped decades of people-pleasing, how she healed after surviving narcissistic and physically abusive relationships, and why she believes it's never too late to rebuild your self-worth. She remarried at 60 and launched her coaching business at 72. About Denise WillisDenise Willis is a life coach, author, and the founder of Life By Design, where she helps women rebuild confidence, self-worth, and emotional freedom after painful relationships and major adversity. She's the author of The Book On Loving Yourself, a breast cancer survivor, and a passionate advocate for boundaries, self-care, and gratitude practice as tools for lasting transformation. In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why people-pleasing often starts as a childhood survival strategy — and how it quietly shapes who we let into our livesThe difference between having no boundaries and having healthy ones ("boundaries don't keep people out — they're a safety net, not a wall")Why self-care isn't selfish, explained through Denise's "bank account" analogyHow a simple gratitude journal practice (just 3 lines a day) can shift your mindset during hard seasonsWhy Denise believes it's never too late to start over. She remarried at 60 and launched her coaching practice at 72How working with a coach can compress years of healing into weeks Timestamps00:00 — Welcome to Growing Up Late with guest Denise Willis01:20 — How people-pleasing was "installed" in childhood02:00 — Surviving physically abusive relationships04:00 — The coach who changed Denise's life07:00 — "When you fill your own cup, you can serve from the overflow"08:00 — Identifying and releasing limiting beliefs09:40 — Learning values and boundaries for the first time11:00 — "No is a complete sentence"12:30 — The self-worth quiz and why women underestimate their own boundary gaps13:40 — Self-care isn't selfish — the "bank account" analogy14:30 — What "growing up late" means to Denise15:20 — A simple gratitude journal practice17:00 — Married six times, then finding her soulmate at 6018:00 — Message to the woman who feels broken and thinks she's waited too long19:30 — Denise's special offer for listeners20:40 — Inside The Book On Loving Yourself23:00 — Free resources on Denise's website Memorable Quotes"Boundaries do not keep people out, they protect you. It's a safety net, not a big wall going up." — Denise Willis"When you fill your own cup, you can serve from the overflow." — Denise Willis"No is a complete sentence. You do not have to explain." — Denise Willis"It's never too late to start over. It's never too late to start your journey on healing." — Denise WillisSpecial OfferDenise is offering free coaching to the first three listeners who take her self-worth quiz using the link from this podcast. Take the quiz at her website (link below) to see where your own boundaries might need work. Resources & LinksDenise Willis's website & self-worth quizThe Book On Loving Yourself by Denise WillisMore episodes of Growing Up LateFollow the show Frequently Asked QuestionsWho is Denise Willis? Denise Willis is a life coach, author of The Book On Loving Yourself, founder of Life By Design, and a breast cancer survivor who helps women rebuild self-worth and set healthy boundaries after painful relationships. What does Denise Willis say about boundaries? She teaches that boundaries aren't about controlling others or keeping people out — they're a safety net that protects your time, energy, and emotional space, and that "no is a complete sentence." How old was Denise Willis when she started her coaching business? Denise Willis started her coaching business at age 72, after remarrying at age 60, illustrating her message that it's never too late to pursue a new calling. What is Denise Willis's self-worth quiz? It's a free quiz on Denise Willis's website that helps women identify gaps in their boundaries and self-worth; the first three listeners of this episode to take it receive free coaching from Denise.

  4. Aug 27

    Take Me Off the Mortgage! The Audacity of One More Ask

    My marriage was over. My finances were devastated. My ex was building a new life with someone else. Then he left me a voicemail: "Can you take me off the mortgage?" The nerve of it was one thing. What surprised me more was my own reaction. I immediately started thinking about how I could fix it. That was what I did. At work, I was actually nicknamed "The Ambulance" because I was sent into failing divisions and categories to revive them financially and put them back in order. I solved problems. I found answers. I knew a guy who knew a guy. I could fix anything. Or at least I thought I could. Maybe that was also part of why it took me so long to stop trying to fix my marriage. In this episode of Growing Up Late, I go back to the mortgage call that finally forced me to look at the role I had been playing for years: someone creates the mess, and I clean it up. I also talk about something a woman helping me through my divorce said that changed the way I looked at leaving: some people get divorced on paper and stay married for the rest of their lives. They keep arguing, negotiating, rescuing, fixing, and communicating long after the legal relationship is over. That left me with a much harder question: Was I going to be legally divorced, or actually divorced? In this episode: Why being "The Ambulance" worked brilliantly in business and not so well in marriageThe difference between recklessness and behavior that begins to look calculatedWhy my first instinct was still to solve his mortgage problemThe bottomless pit, and why I finally started shoveling dirt into the graveThe moment I stopped being responsible for fixing one more thingWhy I'm no longer attached to other people's outcomesHow that experience changed the way I support people in crisis todayThe story of the monks, the water and the river, and why it stayed with me I didn't stop helping people. I stopped believing I had to solve their problems. Today I can share what worked for me, offer tools, ask good questions and point out possibilities. But I don't need to have the answer to someone else's life. Sometimes we have to come up against an unfixable problem to stop believing we can fix everything. And sometimes a relationship doesn't really end when the papers are signed. It ends when you stop doing your old job in it. What problem are you still trying to solve that was never yours to solve? Growing Up Late with Jeannie McIntire explores what happens when life forces you to reconsider who you are, how you got here, and what comes next.

  5. Aug 20

    When Being Needed Becomes Self-Abandonment | Alyssa Utecht

    There’s a difference between being generous and abandoning yourself. But when you’ve spent years being the helpful one, the dependable one, the woman everyone needs, that line can get surprisingly hard to see. In this episode of Growing Up Late, I talk with holistic boundaries coach Alyssa Utecht about the energy leaks we create when our yes doesn’t really mean yes — and why sensitive women can become especially good at managing everyone else while slowly losing touch with themselves. One idea really stopped me during our conversation: being needed can be intoxicating. If being helpful makes us feel valued, safe, or like we have a place, we may volunteer, accommodate, and over-give before anyone ever asks us to. No one has to cross our boundaries because sometimes we’re crossing our own. Alyssa and I talk about: The difference between generosity and self-abandonmentWhy sensitive women can become chronic over-giversHow people-pleasing can begin as an attempt to feel safeWhy being needed can become part of our identityThe connection between boundaries and the nervous systemWhy saying no can trigger a very real physical responseHow fear of the unknown can keep us in relationships, jobs and situations that no longer fitWhat happens to relationships when we begin changing internallyWhy boundaries can be felt before they’re ever heardHow to recognize when your yes is actually a hidden noWhat to do with the panic that can come after setting a boundaryWhy small moments of joy can help bring us back to ourselvesWhat it means to keep growing up long after we’re supposedly grown Alyssa also shares a simple practice for slowing down before automatically saying yes, and another for calming yourself after setting a boundary when your nervous system is telling you that saying no wasn’t safe. And for the woman who feels exhausted, resentful, numb, or wonders where she went while taking care of everyone else, Alyssa offers a beautifully simple place to begin: find one tiny thing that brings you joy and start there. ABOUT ALYSSA UTECHT Alyssa Utecht is a holistic boundaries coach who helps sensitive women heal what’s been draining them, move beyond people-pleasing, and reclaim their time, energy and sense of self. She is also working on a book with the working title Boundaries Are an Inside Job. CONNECT WITH ALYSSA Free Gift: Seven Simple Ways to Soothe Your System and Shift Your Mood https://bit.ly/SootheYourSystem Website: https://www.alyssautecht.com Substack: https://alyssautecht.substack.com/ ABOUT GROWING UP LATE Growing Up Late is about what happens when the life you thought you were building changes and you have to figure out who you are now. Host Jeannie McIntire explores reinvention, identity, resilience, money, relationships, and what it means to keep growing long after we're supposedly grown.

  6. Aug 13

    Your Life Has Drafts | Reinvention, Identity & Starting Over

    A lot can change in a year. A lot can change in a life. Jeannie McIntire lost her father at five years old. A year later, she watched a man walk on the moon. Decades later, she would discover just how many different lives can fit inside one lifetime. In this episode of Growing Up Late, Jeannie explores what happens when we stop treating our current identity as the final version of who we are. A career can end. A marriage can end. A plan can fall apart. But that does not mean the life you built was a mistake, or that the skills, wisdom, and experience you gained belong only to the chapter where you learned them. Why This MattersWhen a major chapter ends, it can feel as if we have lost the person we were supposed to be. But what if the earlier version of your life was not wrong? What if it was simply a draft? Growing up may have less to do with finally becoming the finished version of yourself and more to do with becoming an increasingly conscious author of what comes next. Key TakeawayYour past does not have to be discarded when your life changes. The abilities, relationships, lessons and hard-earned knowledge from one chapter can become the raw material for the next. Sometimes the skill you dismiss as something you just do may be one of your greatest gifts. And sometimes the only way to discover the next version is to stop revising, put down the paintbrush and actually begin. In This EpisodeWhy we can mistake one chapter of life for the whole bookThe moment Jeannie realized leaving her Fortune 500 career meant leaving an identity behindWhy loving an earlier version of your life does not mean you have to keep living itThe difference between understanding how you landed in the ditch and staying thereHow career skills can transfer into completely unexpected workWhy where you learned a skill is not necessarily what that skill is forThe surprisingly dismissive power of the word justHow a hobby or natural ability can contain the beginnings of a new chapterWhy endless preparation can keep an idea trapped in draft formWhat launching Growing Up Late taught Jeannie that planning never could Dive DeeperJeannie spent years believing her professional path would follow a straight line: choose a field, become excellent at it, rise through the ranks and eventually retire. Instead, leaving that career opened a much more expansive life. The leadership, financial judgment, marketing, public relations, attention to detail and ability to connect people that she developed professionally did not disappear when she turned in her badge. Her career was simply where she happened to learn them. That raises a different question: What do you already know how to do that you have dismissed as just part of your job, just a hobby or just something that comes naturally to you? Those skills may belong somewhere you have not imagined yet. A Question to ConsiderWhat are you calling just something you do? Organizing people. Making something beautiful. Solving problems. Running a household. Bringing the right people together. Creating order out of chaos. The fact that something feels natural to you does not make it insignificant. FAQHow do you reinvent yourself after a major life change?Start by recognizing that you are not beginning with nothing. Your previous chapters gave you skills, perspective, relationships and information that can be applied in new ways. Reinvention is often less about becoming someone completely different and more about discovering new uses for what you already know. How do you know when it is time to move on from an old identity?Sometimes something that once fit begins to feel uncomfortable. That does not mean the earlier version was false or a failure. It may simply mean that growth is asking for another iteration. What if I don't know what comes next?You may not be able to think your way into the answer. Taking a small action gives you new information. Jeannie discovered this while launching Growing Up Late: publishing something imperfect gave her more clarity than another round of planning could. Is starting over really starting from scratch?No. The setting may change, but the experience comes with you. The skills you developed in one career, relationship, community or season of life may become unexpectedly valuable in another. About Growing Up LateGrowing Up Late is a podcast about rebuilding, reinvention and becoming more fully yourself at any age. Jeannie McIntire explores what happens when the life you expected changes — and how we can use everything we have learned to create what comes next. If this episode resonated with you, follow Growing Up Late, share it with someone who may need it, and come back next week. Because we're just getting started.

  7. Aug 6

    Life After the Unthinkable: When the Life You Planned Is No Longer Possible

    What happens when the life you planned disappears, and grief leaves you responsible for decisions you never expected to make alone? Catherine “Cathy” Bass had more than 25 years of tax and financial experience when her husband died unexpectedly in a drowning accident. Professionally, she knew how to handle paperwork, deadlines, and financial obligations. Personally, nothing could have prepared her for the brain fog, identity loss, loneliness, and delayed grief that followed. In this episode of Growing Up Late, Cathy shares how she continued raising her children and running her business while postponing her own grief for nearly five years. She explains how grief can affect memory and decision-making, why widows are especially vulnerable to financial pressure and scams, and what she learned about rebuilding a life that no longer included the future she and her husband had planned together. This is not simply a conversation about taxes after the death of a spouse. It is an honest and ultimately hopeful discussion about grief, identity, financial confidence, and learning to live again after an unimaginable loss. In This EpisodeWhy Cathy postponed her grief while caring for her children and running her businessHow childhood messages about loss influenced the way she responded to her husband’s deathWhat grief-related brain fog can look like months or even years laterThe administrative burden widows face alongside emotional lossWhy every woman should understand how her household finances and bills are managedHow widows can become vulnerable to financial pressure, scams, and rushed decisionsWhy grief does not follow a fixed timelineThe loss of identity that can come with moving from “we” to “me”How Cathy rediscovered music, writing, and possibilities she had stopped imaginingWhy remembering someone is not the same as refusing to move forwardHow isolation and the loss of a social network can deepen widowhoodCathy’s growing mission to advocate for widows and help them feel supportedThe importance of pausing before making major financial decisions after a loss A Practical First StepWhen grief makes paperwork and financial decisions feel impossible, Cathy recommends slowing down, taking a breath, and handling only what truly must be addressed immediately. Not every decision has to be made on someone else’s timeline. Reliable guidance, a clear checklist, and one trustworthy person in your corner can help restore a sense of control. About Catherine BassCatherine “Cathy” Bass is a tax professional with more than 25 years of experience helping individuals and small businesses navigate taxes and financial obligations. After becoming a widow herself, she began using both her professional knowledge and lived experience to support grieving women facing taxes, paperwork, deadlines, and difficult financial decisions. Her work is rooted in a simple goal: helping widows feel less overwhelmed, less isolated, and more confident as they begin rebuilding their lives. ResourcesConnect With Catherine "Cathy" Bass Essential document checklist for widows: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeaZ8gGSST1JElSdSNWMlx-V3xWEvb0mMOiUOrM_DxPYf0zJw/viewform LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-bass-ea-ctrs/ Bass Tax Relief and Bass Tax Service: https://www.basstaxservice.com/index.htm About Growing Up LateGrowing Up Late explores reinvention, resilience, identity, and the lifelong process of becoming. Host Jeannie McIntire speaks with people who have faced the unexpected, questioned their lives, and discovered that growth can happen at any age. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts and follow Growing Up Late for more conversations about starting over, moving forward, and becoming who you are now.

  8. Jul 30

    Divorce Is an Opportunity: Trust, Growth, and Co-Parenting with Marisa Belger

    Episode SummaryWhat if divorce wasn’t just something to survive, but an opportunity to grow? Divorce is often described as one of life’s most painful experiences. But what if it could also become one of its greatest teachers? In this episode of Growing Up Late, I sit down with divorce and co-parenting coach Marisa Belger for a thoughtful conversation about navigating one of life’s hardest transitions with intention rather than fear. Instead of focusing on blame, conflict, or simply getting through it, Marisa shares a perspective centered on trust, personal growth, emotional healing, and creating healthier futures for both parents and children. Whether you’re navigating divorce yourself, supporting someone who is, or simply facing a season when life no longer looks the way you expected, this conversation offers wisdom about moving forward with courage and compassion. Why It MattersDivorce changes far more than legal status. It challenges identity, trust, family dynamics, and our vision for the future. Marisa believes that while we don’t choose every difficult circumstance, we do have a choice in how we respond. Growth begins when we stop asking, Why is this happening to me? and begin asking, What is this experience inviting me to become? In This EpisodeWhy Marisa believes divorce can become an opportunity for growthLearning to trust yourself when life doesn’t go according to planHow divorce affects identity and the stories we tell ourselvesWhy healing yourself benefits both you and your childrenRethinking co-parenting through the lens of trust and compassionFinding hope and possibility in life’s most difficult transitions A Favorite MomentOne of the most powerful ideas from this conversation is that healing isn’t about controlling every outcome. It’s about learning to trust yourself enough to keep taking the next right step. About Marisa BelgerMarisa Belger is a coach and mentor who helps mothers navigate the emotional terrain of divorce and co-parenting. Drawing from both her own experience and years of guiding women through family transitions, she helps mothers find steadiness, self-trust, and a path forward. Alongside her coaching work, Marisa spent 25 years writing about motherhood, including co-authoring the bestselling The First Forty Days. In this episode, Marisa shares the framework she uses with clients moving from divorce into co-parenting, including why friendship with an ex is never guaranteed and how fear, more than circumstance, is often what keeps women stuck in versions of themselves they’ve outgrown. Connect with Marisa Belger About Growing Up LateGrowing Up Late is a podcast about reinvention, resilience, identity, and the lifelong process of becoming. Hosted by Jeannie McIntire, each episode explores what happens after life doesn’t go according to plan and how our greatest setbacks often become the beginning of our greatest growth. Whether you’re rebuilding after divorce, career loss, financial hardship, grief, or simply realizing your life no longer fits, this show is a reminder that it is never too late to become the author of what comes next. ConnectIf this episode resonated with you, please: Follow Growing Up LateLeave a reviewShare this episode with someone navigating a major life transition Jeannie McIntire Your support helps more people discover conversations that encourage hope, courage, and reinvention.

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About

Growing Up Late explores the gap between the impressive lives we build on the outside and who we actually are on the inside. Through honest conversations about betrayal, comebacks, and personal transformation, host Jeannie McIntire shows how the real growth happens when we finally own our role in our own story. A podcast for anyone ready to stop playing small and start living authentically.

Information

  • Creator
    Jeannie McIntire
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    25
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Jeannie McIntire
  • Show Website
    Growing Up Late