Midlife Unfiltered with Margit Cruice

Margit Cruice
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Midlife Unfiltered is a podcast for honest conversations about the second half of life. Hosted by Margit Cruice, it explores the realities of midlife — the questions, the changes, the quiet wisdom and the unexpected opportunities that come with age. These conversations are reflective, human and deeply grounded, touching on surrender, strength, purpose, relationships and what it really means to live well as we grow older. No fixing. No filters. Just real conversations that meet you where you are.

  1. Is Procrastination Quietly Running Your Life?

    May 25

    Is Procrastination Quietly Running Your Life?

    You know the thing. The one that keeps quietly sitting there, waiting. You haven't forgotten it - you just haven't done it yet. This episode is for that.   In the final episode of season one of Midlife Unfiltered, Margit and Clarkie unpack one of the most human habits of all — procrastination. Not because we're lazy. Not because we don't care. But for reasons that are often more interesting, and more human, than we give ourselves credit for. Together, they explore the emotional undercurrent beneath putting things off: fear, overwhelm, self-talk, perfectionism, and the strange comfort of staying exactly where we are. It’s a conversation that moves between humour and honesty, touching on relationships, work, identity and the quiet mental load many people carry every day. This episode doesn’t try to “fix” procrastination with productivity hacks. Instead, it invites listeners to look at what happens when we delay the things that matter most — and why beginning is often the hardest part of all. And somewhere inside the conversation is a simple reminder: sometimes momentum starts with one small step. In this episode, we explore: Why knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different thingsThe way our brains and our gender might shape how we hold (or avoid) the things on our listWhat fear has to do with the steps we keep skippingWhy the hardest part is almost never the task itselfA surprisingly simple technique for breaking the stall and building momentumWhat it means when we start to identify as someone who procrastinates and why that matters 2:10 – Gunna, procrastination, and the difference between the two 3:45 – Do men and women experience procrastination differently? An honest look at how we're wired 6:30 – Fear, business, and the step that keeps getting skipped 8:00 – What's actually happening in the brain when we stall and why starting changes everything 9:15 – The five-second technique that cuts through avoidance (it's simpler than you think) 11:00 – When procrastination becomes an identity and what to do about it Margit Cruice is a midlife and leadership coach who believes this chapter of life can be one of the most expansive and liberating we’ll ever live. Drawing on decades of experience, sport, travel and deep personal inquiry, she creates spaces for honest conversations about identity, ageing and becoming.   Connect with Margit: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margitcruice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margitcruice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margitcruice/ Website: https://www.margitcruice.com/   For all enquiries: Email: info@margitcruice.com   Join The Joy Rebellion: https://ecc3-margit.systeme.io/joyrebel

    13 min
  2. You Don't Need Permission to Want More: Trish Mallabar on Choosing a Different Kind of Life

    May 18

    You Don't Need Permission to Want More: Trish Mallabar on Choosing a Different Kind of Life

    What if the life you've been quietly craving has been waiting for you to simply say yes? This episode is for anyone who's ever stood at the edge of something unfamiliar and wondered whether it was too late to step through.   Trish Mallabar spent more than three decades as a teacher — and like so many women who pour themselves into a vocation, she arrived at midlife not quite sure who she was without it. This conversation begins there, in that tender and disorienting space between a life well-lived and one still unfolding. What follows is a rich, unhurried conversation about burnout, the slow erosion of identity, and what it actually feels like to walk away from something that defined you. Trish speaks with honesty about perimenopause, the weight of a system that asked too much, and the moment she realised she needed to choose herself. But this episode isn't about loss. It's about what opens up when you create enough space to let life surprise you — strangers who appear at just the right moment, the pull of ancestry, the unexpected comfort of aged care work, and the quiet joy of birdwatching at Lake Weyba on Mother's Day. Trish and Margit share a warmth and history that makes this conversation feel less like an interview and more like two women sitting together with a cup of tea, being honest about the things that matter most.   In this episode, we explore: What it costs to build your identity around a vocation and what it takes to let it goThe relationship between burnout, perimenopause and finally saying enoughHow slowing down on the road opened something up that rushing never couldThe strangers who appeared at exactly the right momentWhat ancestral connection feels like in your body, even across a language barrierWhy midlife might actually be the best time to discover something completely new 9:40 – When your identity is 95% your job  and then the job changes 11:42 – Perimenopause, teaching and the slow unravelling of something that once felt solid 16:21 – Why they said yes to six months in North America and what came home with them 24:22 – What travel teaches you that no classroom ever could 27:02 – The boy in Sarajevo, the waiter in Amsterdam and the gentleman in Slovenia when the universe shows up in human form 39:19 – Standing in Denmark, feeling the pull of ancestry and the people who came before Trish Malabar is a former teacher of 32 years who now works in aged care, bringing the same curiosity and warmth to both chapters of her working life. She has lived and worked across Australia, from the Northern Territory to the Sunshine Coast, and has spent extended periods travelling through North America and Europe with her husband Dave. Trish belongs in this conversation because she knows what it means to rebuild a sense of self in midlife — thoughtfully, honestly and without rushing toward easy answers.

    54 min
  3. The Small Promises: How Keeping Your Word to Yourself Changes Everything

    May 11

    The Small Promises: How Keeping Your Word to Yourself Changes Everything

    How many times today have you said you'd do something — and quietly let yourself off the hook? This episode is for anyone who finds it easier to keep promises to others than to keep them to themselves.   In this episode of Midlife Unfiltered, Margit and Clarkie turn their attention inward — to the small, often invisible agreements we make with ourselves every single day. The ones we break before breakfast. The ones we dress up in excuses.   The conversation begins with a deceptively simple idea from the book The Four Agreements — be impeccable with your word — and quickly moves somewhere more personal. Because it's one thing to show up reliably for others. It's quite another to show up reliably for yourself.   What unfolds is an honest, warm and at times uncomfortably relatable conversation about the difference between big dreams and small actions. About how the gap between what we say and what we do quietly chips away at our confidence — and how closing that gap, even slightly, changes the way we feel about ourselves in midlife.   This isn't about perfection or productivity. It's about learning to trust yourself again, one small commitment at a time.     In this episode, we explore: Why breaking promises to yourself might cost more than you realiseThe quiet relationship between self-trust and confidence in midlifeWhat being a "gunna" is really doing to your sense of selfWhy smaller, honest commitments can carry more power than grand resolutionsThe difference between starting something and finishing it — and why both matterHow the way we speak to ourselves shapes what we believe we're capable of 3:29 – When you let yourself down vs. letting someone else down are they really that different? 5:04 – What happens when we distrust ourselves 8:40 – What smokers, lawn mowing and television have in common the power of the small step 10:30 – From self-sabotage to self-respect: how trust in yourself is actually built 11:40 – The invitation: start noticing where you're not being impeccable with yourself       Margit Cruice is a midlife and leadership coach who believes this chapter of life can be one of the most expansive and liberating we’ll ever live. Drawing on decades of experience, sport, travel and deep personal inquiry, she creates spaces for honest conversations about identity, ageing and becoming.   Connect with Margit: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margitcruice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margitcruice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margitcruice/ Website: https://www.margitcruice.com/   For all enquiries: Email: margit@margitcruice.com   Join The Joy Rebellion: https://ecc3-margit.systeme.io/joyrebel

    14 min
  4. Midlife Reinvention: The Art of Letting Go and Beginning Again with Tony Crossin

    May 4

    Midlife Reinvention: The Art of Letting Go and Beginning Again with Tony Crossin

    What do you do when the life you've spent decades building quietly stops feeling like yours? This conversation might be exactly what you didn't know you needed to hear.   Tony Crossin has lived an extraordinary life; executive chef, world traveller, business owner, and now leadership and growth coach. But behind the impressive career arc is a far more personal story: a man who reached a point where everything on the outside looked fine, and everything on the inside was quietly falling apart. This episode is about what happened next. Margit and Tony explore the messy, courageous, deeply human experience of reinvention. The kind that asks you to look honestly at what you're holding onto, what no longer fits, and what it actually takes to choose yourself. There's warmth here, and humour, and a jar of pickles that will stay with you long after the episode ends. But underneath it all is something quietly profound, a conversation about identity, inner peace, loyalty to self, and what it means to finally stop chasing and start arriving. In this episode, we explore: Why reinvention starts on the inside and why the outside stuff never sticks without itThe quiet tension between staying loyal and telling yourself the truthWhat it actually takes to let go of an identity that no longer fitsThe difference between chasing a life and finally arriving in oneWhat inner peace looks like when you stop letting the noise in 9:06 – Why reinvention has to start from within 12:19 – The jar of pickles: a coaching moment that will stay with you 16:08 – The relationship that was slowly pulling him under and the decision he kept putting off 19:25 – Loyalty versus truth: the question that finally broke the deadlock 27:31 – Learning to hear the alarm bell and why intuition isn't just a women's conversation 37:57 – When inner peace became his most important value and what that actually changed     Tony Crossin is a leadership and growth coach who helps people turn life’s toughest moments into powerful reinvention. Drawing from real experience, he supports individuals and leaders to think differently, face hard truths, and create meaningful change, because lasting performance begins with understanding yourself first and leading from a place of honesty. He is an active community member who connects people and creates opportunities for himself and others to thrive. A chef, drummer and leadership scientist.   Connect with Tony: tony@uberteams.com.au  FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/tonycrossin Website: www.uberteams.com.au

    1h 2m
  5. Are You Too Serious? Why Playfulness Is the Midlife Skill You've Been Missing

    Apr 27

    Are You Too Serious? Why Playfulness Is the Midlife Skill You've Been Missing

    When did life get so heavy? If you can't remember the last time you did something just for the fun of it, this one's for you. In this episode, Margit and Clarkie get into something that doesn't get nearly enough airtime in the wellbeing conversation — playfulness. Not the kind that requires a holiday or a special occasion, but the everyday kind that shifts how you show up in your own life. They explore what it actually means to bring a playful attitude to ordinary moments — at work, at home, even in the hard seasons — and why it's often the first thing we abandon when life gets serious. With 4.1 million Australians treated for stress, anxiety, and depression in 2025 alone, the question of how we lighten our inner load feels more pressing than ever. This conversation is grounded, warm, and genuinely fun. It touches on everything from competitive sport to corporate culture to Ash Barty's unexpected trick for making press interviews bearable. It's the kind of conversation that makes you want to go outside and bounce a ball — or at the very least, skip to the kitchen. In This Episode, We Explore: Why playfulness is about how you do things, not just what you doWhat happens to our energy — and our performance — when we stop taking everything so seriouslyThe unexpected link between play, creativity, and genuine wellbeingHow one elite athlete reimagined her most dreaded professional ritual through the lens of playWhy humour in the workplace can be a generous act — and when it isn'tThe small, everyday invitations to be more playful that are hiding in plain sight 1:46 – Now is the time to find more playfulness 3:29 – Competitive sport, lawn bowls, and learning to dial it down 5:26 –  Using playfulness as a way of being 7:54 – Ash Barty, Disney lines, and making the unbearable bearable 8:30 – Play at home, play at work — and why it keeps dropping off 11:28 – Pets are the ultimate reminder to play Margit Cruice is a midlife and leadership coach who believes this chapter of life can be one of the most expansive and liberating we’ll ever live. Drawing on decades of experience, sport, travel and deep personal inquiry, she creates spaces for honest conversations about identity, ageing and becoming.   Connect with Margit: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margitcruice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margitcruice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margitcruice/ Website: https://www.margitcruice.com/   For all enquiries: Email: info@margitcruice.com   Join The Joy Rebellion: https://ecc3-margit.systeme.io/joyrebel

    13 min
  6. Matrescence: The Identity Shift That Follows You From Motherhood to Midlife With Linda Anderson

    Apr 20

    Matrescence: The Identity Shift That Follows You From Motherhood to Midlife With Linda Anderson

    There's a word for what happens to a woman when she becomes a mother. Most of us have never heard it. And in midlife, when the shifting starts all over again, that silence still costs us. In this episode, Margit sits down with Linda Anderson, a coach of over 20 years whose work centres on identity, transition, and the experience of becoming, in motherhood, and beyond. Linda lives on Waiheke Island in New Zealand, a place she chose with intention and with her whole body, and that same quality of attentiveness runs through everything she shares. The conversation centres on matrescence, a word coined 50 years ago that still isn't in the dictionary, and still isn't part of the conversation we have with women before, during, or after they become mothers. Linda unpacks why that matters, and what becomes possible when women finally have language for what they're actually experiencing. But this episode quickly moves beyond early motherhood. The identity shifts that matrescence describes don't stop at the baby stage; they keep unfolding through every season of a woman's life, including right here in midlife. Linda is also living what she teaches: finding her way back to herself not through a grand plan, but one small, honest step at a time. In this episode we explore: The word most women have never heard and why it changes everythingWhy the gap between who you were and who you're becoming feels so disorienting and so necessaryHow matrescence doesn't end with babies it keeps unfolding into midlife and beyondThe quiet cost of clinging to who you were supposed to beWhat surrender actually looks like when life doesn't go to planSmall, powerful practices for finding your way back to yourself 04:30 – How Linda made a deeply intentional move to Waiheke Island 15:44 – What matrescence is and why the silence around it matters 26:56 – The identity shift nobody warns you about 29:43 – When the picture of life asks more than expected and how to navigate that 40:35 – Living in flow: what allowing looks like in practice 51:04 – Two small practices for returning to yourself Linda Anderson is a coach of over 20 years specialising in the transition into motherhood, with a particular focus on matrescence — the profound identity shift that unfolds when a woman becomes a mother. Based on Waiheke Island in New Zealand, she works with women one-on-one and in groups, creating honest, held spaces for them to make sense of who they are becoming. She brings both deep professional expertise and lived experience to this work, and has spent the last 15 years championing a conversation that is long overdue. Links www.lindaonthego.com www.instagram.com/lindaonthego1 www.facebook.com/lindaonthego More about matrescence: https://lindaonthego.com/a-beginners-guide-to-matrescence

    59 min
  7. Awe Walks: The Simple Positive Psychology Practice You Need To Try

    Apr 13

    Awe Walks: The Simple Positive Psychology Practice You Need To Try

    Awe walks are one of the most underrated positive psychology practices available to us — and chances are you've never heard of them. If you've been feeling stuck in your head, disconnected or just a little flat lately, this episode of Midlife Unfiltered is exactly what you need.   In this Hacks, Habits and Happiness episode, Margit and Brett explore one of the most quietly powerful conversations the show has had — and it starts with a morning walk, a lemon-scented eucalyptus tree and a deliberate decision to leave the headphones at home.   Margit introduces the awe walk, a positive psychology practice that most of us have never heard named — even though many of us have accidentally stumbled into it without knowing what to call it. There is something that shifts when you give this practice a name and choose it deliberately.   The conversation moves through presence, mental load, self-compassion and what it actually feels like to notice the world around you again. It is honest, warm and surprisingly moving for an episode that also features a galah doing…well quite frankly – pooping! This episode is for anyone who has been a little too stuck in their own thoughts lately. In this episode we explore: What an awe walk is and why positive psychology backs itHow one deliberate morning walk can reset your entire mental stateWhy intention is the difference between a walk and a practiceThe surprising ways presence changes how you connect with the world around youHow to experience an awe walk anywhere, no special destination required 01:09 – What Margit noticed on her awe walk 02:17 – Does an awe walk have to be intentional to count? 06:51 – How to do an awe walk anywhere, including the middle of a city 07:26 – Sensing the bigness of life 09:24 – Brett's photography parallel and why it lands perfectly Margit Cruice is a midlife and leadership coach who believes this chapter of life can be one of the most expansive and liberating we’ll ever live. Drawing on decades of experience, sport, travel and deep personal inquiry, she creates spaces for honest conversations about identity, ageing and becoming.   Connect with Margit: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/margitcruice/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/margitcruice LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/margitcruice/ Website: https://www.margitcruice.com/   For all enquiries: Email: info@margitcruice.com   Join The Joy Rebellion: https://ecc3-margit.systeme.io/joyrebel

    13 min
  8. What If the Problem in Your Relationships is You? (And That's Actually Good News) with Alfina Lofaro

    Apr 6

    What If the Problem in Your Relationships is You? (And That's Actually Good News) with Alfina Lofaro

    Most of us spend years trying to figure out why our relationships keep feeling the same — same frustrations, same patterns, same quiet dissatisfaction. What if the answer isn't out there, but in the mirror?   Alfina Lofaro has spent more than two decades in the deeply human space of how we relate to others, and perhaps more importantly, to ourselves. As a kinesiologist, transformational coach and debut author, she brings a rare combination of body-based wisdom and hard-won personal insight to a conversation that so many women in midlife are quietly having with themselves.   This episode covers a lot of ground, but the thread running through all of it is this: we are rarely taught how to do relationships well. We pick it up from our environment, from experiments that sometimes backfire, and from crisis and then we wonder why we keep arriving at the same place. Alfina's work, and her book Love Deliberately, is her answer to that gap.   What makes this conversation feel different is that Alfina isn't speaking from a polished distance. She shares from inside the work, family dynamics, the red carpet moment that nearly undid her, and the five days in New Zealand that taught her something she didn't know she needed to learn. It's honest, warm and quietly profound.   If you're ready to improve your relationships, this episode is a must. In this episode we explore: Giving and receiving in relationshipsThe unconscious patterns we carry from childhood and how they shape our relationshipsWhy wanting everyone else to change is usually where the real work beginsWhat the body knows about your next goalThe quiet renegotiation so many women in midlife are navigatingHow small moments in conversation can reveal who we've becomeWhat does love actually mean to you?How curiosity can improve all relationships 09:03 – "Maybe it's not everyone else who needs to change" - where the real work begins 10:23 – What it actually looks like to explore who you are in relationship 13:46 – When the body knows your goal before you do 19:23 – The universe doesn't give you what you want, it reflects back who you are and why this changes everything 27:47 – Coming in looking for better relationships, leaving knowing yourself better 35:38 – What one client's definition of love revealed and the shift that followed 38:25 – Why Alfina wrote a book that isn't just about romantic relationships 45:13 – The one practice from the book you can start today 52:29 – A red carpet, a bad photo and a pep talk she had to give herself Alfina Lofaro is a Queensland-based kinesiologist, transformational coach and author whose work sits at the intersection of body intelligence and relational wisdom. With over 25 years of experience, she helps people untangle the unconscious patterns that shape the way they love, communicate and connect. Her debut book, Love Deliberately: How to Be Less Sh*t at Relationships, recently received an award at the International Impact Book Awards in the United States.   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alfinalofaro   Website: https://www.alfinalofaro.com/   Buy the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com.au/Love-Deliberately-How-Less-Relationships-ebook/dp/B0FJ4Q5WQS

    1h 2m
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Midlife Unfiltered is a podcast for honest conversations about the second half of life. Hosted by Margit Cruice, it explores the realities of midlife — the questions, the changes, the quiet wisdom and the unexpected opportunities that come with age. These conversations are reflective, human and deeply grounded, touching on surrender, strength, purpose, relationships and what it really means to live well as we grow older. No fixing. No filters. Just real conversations that meet you where you are.

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