Shifting Our Shit (S.O.S)

Megan B. Bartley, LMFT, Founding Director of The Mindfulness Center
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Mental Health
  • Updated Weekly

Shifting Our Shit (S.O.S.) is a podcast focusing on how we can incorporate mindfulness-based, and related, practices into everyday life. Megan Bayles Bartley, LMFT is a licensed mental health therapist who focuses not on giving listeners "more to do" but to "think of things in new ways". She shares personal and professional stories, humor, and tips that will help enhance aspects of one's life. Skilled at balancing heavy topics with humor and lightness, Megan offers mental health and mindfulness "tools for your toolbox to handle all of life's stressors".

  1. 1d ago

    S6E6: Where to Start With Perimenopause

    Where Do I Even Start? A Real Plan for the Overwhelm of Perimenopause You forgot your own PIN. Cried at a dog food commercial. Sweated through your bra at the grocery store checkout. You are not losing your mind — your hormones are. If you've landed here mid-scroll, phone hot in your hand, wondering "is this normal or is something actually wrong with me," we want you to exhale. This is Episode 6 of Shifting Our Shit, and this week Elizabeth McCormack and I (Megan Bayles Bartley) slowed all the way down to talk about the thing nobody warns you about: the sheer overwhelm of midlife. Not just the hot flashes — the relationship strain, the brain fog, the sense that you're suddenly managing five fires at once with none of your old tools. Here's the truth: you don't have to fix everything today. You just have to find your chief complaint. Start With the Loudest Fire Ask yourself: if one thing got better in the next six months, what would it be? Sleep? Your marriage? Your energy? Pick the fire burning hottest and start there. You don't need a hundred-point plan — you need one honest answer. Walk Into the Doctor's Office Prepared Perimenopause brain fog is real, and it will absolutely make you forget everything the second the white coat walks in. Go in with your symptom list already written: what, how intense, how often, how long. Get specific. And if your provider brushes you off? Get a second opinion. Not all doctors — or therapists — are created equal, and finding the right fit is worth the extra effort. Resign as Cruise Director So much of the overwhelm isn't hormonal — it's structural. You've been running the show: gifts, groceries, laundry, the mental load of an entire household. It's time to hand some of it back. Show your people the path, then step off it. Let the wrapping look messy. Let someone else load the dishwasher wrong. Offloading only works if you fully let go. Trust Yourself First Your gynecologist shouldn't be giving marriage advice, and your favorite influencer isn't a substitute for a licensed provider. Get reliable information from trusted, credentialed sources — then check it against your own body. If something feels confusing or off, that's a signal worth listening to, not something to explain away. You are allowed to lower the bar and still hold high standards. You are allowed to stop apologizing for taking up less space in everyone else's needs. Pick your fire. Start there. Want the Full Conversation? Elizabeth and I go so much deeper on this in Episode 6 of Shifting Our Shit — including how to talk to a partner whose hormones aren't swinging the way yours are, and why your algorithm might be lying to you about how "normal" this all is. Listen now, and grab our free download of the products, providers, and resources we swear by on the podcast page.

  2. Aug 24

    SOS S6E5(2): Perimenopause Earthquake on Relationships

    Continued conversation from S6 E5(1)

  3. Aug 17

    SOS S6E5(1): Perimenopause and Relationships

    There's a specific 90-minute window in my house — 3:30 to 5:30pm — where I am not okay to hug, not up for small talk, and definitely not equipped to calmly explain why the frozen-pizza dinner plan fell apart again. I call it my witching hour. If you're in perimenopause or menopause and your partner is standing there confused, hurt, or bracing for impact, this one's for you. Here's the analogy I keep coming back to: men have a baseline of testosterone humming along fairly consistently. Our hormones? More like an EKG machine — spiking, dropping, doing something different every single day. That constant shift is exactly why the same conversation that felt totally fine on Monday can feel unbearable by Thursday at 4pm. It's not inconsistency. It's biology. The men in our lives often go through their own version of this — the classic midlife crisis, the sports car, the sudden need for adventure. Ours looks different: reassessing identity, body image, libido, and what we can and can't control, all while our emotional "scale" gets turned up. Sounds like you? So what actually helps? Give this episode a listen to find out things that help!

  4. Aug 3

    SOS S6 E4: Sex and Desire in Perimenopause

    lol

  5. Jul 20

    SOS S6E3(2):

    TBD

  6. Jul 13

    SOS S6E3(1): Help! I Don't Feel Like Myself! The Identity Earthquake in Perimenopause

    Will do

  7. Jun 29

    SOS S6E2(2): Who's Running Your Household? The Mental Load Conversation Nobody Wants to Have (But Everybody Needs To)

    You're not imagining it. You are carrying more than your share. And it's not just exhausting — during perimenopause and menopause, it's actively affecting your health. In Episode 2, Part 2 of Shifting Our Sh!t, Megan Bayles Bartley and Elizabeth McCormack tackle the mental load — the invisible, relentless cognitive labor of tracking every appointment, every grocery list, every permission slip, every empty Kleenex box — that women disproportionately carry. And they're not just naming it. They're giving you real, practical ways to start putting some of it down. Here's what we get into in this episode: What the mental load actually is — and why it's not just your to-do list. Why your stress levels (including your mental load) directly affect your hormonal health in perimenopause and menopause. The over-functioner's trap: how doing everything "your way" can actually make it impossible for anyone else to help. Why natural consequences are one of the most powerful parenting tools you have — and why tracking every grade, every speed bump, and every missing assignment is working against you. How to divide household responsibilities by skill and capacity instead of defaulting to whoever notices the problem first. The "F*** It 40s" — and why that clarity is actually a gift, not a crisis. How to have the conversation with a partner who doesn't want to have the conversation. The identity shift that happens when you realize being a "good mom" doesn't mean doing everything for everyone forever. Megan shares how she handed her kids laundry duty when they were in elementary school (her 16-year-old recently had no clean clothes on a Monday — and handled it himself). She talks about her household's shared grocery list, why she doesn't have Life360, and how she and her husband divided school responsibilities so neither one is drowning. This episode is honest, practical, and a little spicy in all the right ways. Because the mental load conversation isn't just about chores. It's about your health, your identity, your relationships, and the second half of your life. You've been running a five-star resort. It might be time to hire some staff — starting with the people already living in your house. Join us for Episode 3, where we're diving into relationships and boundaries — because this conversation goes even deeper. 🎙️ Shifting Our Sh!t (S.O.S.) Podcast is hosted by Megan Bayles Bartley, licensed therapist and founder of The Mindfulness Center in Louisville, KY, alongside co-host Elizabeth McCormack. 🌐 mindfulness-center.com | meganbaylesbartley.com 📲 Follow The Mindfulness Center on Facebook and Instagram @rainbowofoptions 🎧 Listen to all SOS episodes — link in bio

  8. Jun 22

    SOS S6E2(1) The Emotional Rollercoaster of Perimenopause & Menopause

    You're not broken. You're not "too sensitive." And you're definitely not losing your mind. But if you're somewhere in the perimenopause or menopause transition, you are experiencing a level of emotional intensity that can feel completely out of proportion — and there's a real, physiological reason for all of it. In Episode 2, Part 1 of Shifting Our Sh!t, Megan Bayles Bartley and Elizabeth McCormack get honest about the emotional side of perimenopause — the part nobody prepares you for. Because yes, the hot flashes are real. But so is the rage. So is the grief. So is standing in your kitchen genuinely unable to remember why you walked in there, even though you can recite every detail of your best friend's family history. Here's what we cover in this episode: Why your emotional intensity and anxiety spike during perimenopause — and why it's not your fault. The nervous system and hormonal science behind going from 0 to 10 in four seconds flat. Why naming your feelings (yes, like the Inside Out characters) is actually one of the most powerful regulation tools you have. The river barge metaphor for not letting every anxious thought capsize you. Why acting as the emotional "thermostat" for your whole household is burning you out — and how to put it down. What emotional co-regulation with your kids looks like as they get older, and when it's time to transition that responsibility back to them. Practical, real-life tools: earplugs, hydration, protein, owning your hot flash out loud, and giving yourself permission to take an hour. Why making friends with discomfort is the most important skill for the second half of your life. This episode is real, raw, a little sweaty (literally — Megan feels a hot flash mid-recording and just keeps going), and full of the kind of honest conversation that most women are starving for. Perimenopause isn't just a physical transition. It's an emotional reckoning. It asks you to slow down, feel your feelings instead of running from them, and stop managing everyone else's emotional temperature long enough to manage your own. That's not easy. But it is possible. And you don't have to do it alone. Join us for Part 2 of Episode 2, where we're diving into the mental load — the invisible labor that women carry every single day, and what to actually do about it. 🎙️ Shifting Our Sh!t (S.O.S.) Podcast is hosted by Megan Bayles Bartley, licensed therapist and founder of The Mindfulness Center in Louisville, KY, alongside co-host Elizabeth McCormack. 🌐 Learn more: mindfulness-center.com | meganbailesbartley.com 📲 Follow The Mindfulness Center on Facebook and Instagram 🎧 Listen to all episodes of the S.O.S. Podcast — link in bio

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Shifting Our Shit (S.O.S.) is a podcast focusing on how we can incorporate mindfulness-based, and related, practices into everyday life. Megan Bayles Bartley, LMFT is a licensed mental health therapist who focuses not on giving listeners "more to do" but to "think of things in new ways". She shares personal and professional stories, humor, and tips that will help enhance aspects of one's life. Skilled at balancing heavy topics with humor and lightness, Megan offers mental health and mindfulness "tools for your toolbox to handle all of life's stressors".

Information

  • Creator
    Megan B. Bartley, LMFT, Founding Director of The Mindfulness Center
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    91
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Megan B. Bartley, LMFT, Founding Director of The Mindfulness Center
  • Show Website
    Shifting Our Shit (S.O.S)