The Midlife Awakening with Odilia – Details, episodes & analysis

What if the chronic pain, exhaustion, and stuckness you're feeling isn't just physical — and the solution isn't another diet, supplement, or protocol?

In this episode, Odilia sits down with author, speaker, and transformational coach Kristen Renee to explore the radical idea that lasting healing — physical, emotional, and financial — requires us to address the whole person. After a decade of autoimmune disease and a financial crisis in her forties, Kristen developed a 12-principle framework that bridges the spiritual with the practical, helping busy midlife women create real, lasting change without overhauling their entire lives overnight.

This conversation is for you if you've tried everything and still feel like something is missing.

IN THIS EPISODE WE COVER:

•       Why you can't manifest or find your purpose when you're living in survival mode

•       The overnight healing events that proved the mind-body connection is real

•       How suppressed emotions and trauma show up as physical symptoms in the body

•       The masculine/feminine energy imbalance driving burnout in midlife women

•       How to start a body scan practice even when you've never felt connected to your body

•       Why healing your environment — including your home and your food — matters

•       The 12-week framework that gently folds healing into your real, busy life

•       Finding your purpose in midlife and the 'pre-purpose steps' that make it possible

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

•       Kristen's book: The Elements of Healing — available on Amazon (author name: Kristen Renee)

•       Upcoming book: Healing the Money Wound

•       Louise Hay — You Can Heal Your Life

•       Gabor Maté — on trauma and autoimmune disease in women

CONNECT WITH KRISTEN:

•       Website: www.kristenreneehealing.com

•       Instagram : @kristenreneehealing

•       Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/KRISTENRENEEREBUILDING?locale=en_GB

•       TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@kristenreneerebuilding

•       YouTube: @kristenreneerebuilds

•       LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristen-appleby

•       Amazon Author Page: Search 'Kristen Renee' on Amazon

midlife healing, autoimmune healing, mind-body connection, trauma healing, women's health midlife, burnout recovery, healing framework, Kristen Renee, The Elements of Healing, midlife awakening, feminine energy, purpose in midlife, somatic healing, nervous system regulation, emotional healing

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Have you ever felt like you were working twice as hard as everyone else — just to cope? If you've ever been told you're "too sensitive," struggled with overwhelm, burnout, or that nagging sense of being different without knowing why — this episode is for you.

In this episode of The Midlife Awakening, Odilia sits down with Isobel Lepist — ADHD coach, neuro-inclusion consultant, and founder of At the Millpond — who built an extraordinary international career across the UK, Angola, Berlin, and The Hague, while privately exhausted and masked.

At 52, Isobel received a dual diagnosis of ADHD and Autism — a moment she describes as equal parts relief and grief. Relief, because her life finally made sense. Grief, for the decades spent blaming herself for neurological differences.

In this episode:

•        Why high-achieving women are so frequently missed in ADHD and autism diagnosis

•        What masking really is — and what it costs you over decades

•        How burnout is an access issue, not a character flaw

•        The link between ADHD, dopamine, impulsivity, and relationship vulnerability

•        Why "functioning" does not mean thriving

•        Practical strategies for nervous system regulation, executive function, and building a life that works with your brain

Whether you suspect you may be neurodivergent, are in burnout recovery, or simply feel like you've never quite been able to keep up the way others seem to — this conversation will leave you feeling deeply seen.

🌐 Connect with Isobel Lepist:

Website: www.atthemillpond.co.uk

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/isobel-lepist-a0b72a43

Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61583383604976

Novel (The Event by I.G. Lepist): Available on Amazon

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How do you rebuild your life after unimaginable loss?

In this episode of The Midlife Awakening Podcast, I sit down with Betsy Ronel, real estate broker, podcast host of Heavens to Betsy, and an inspiring example of resilience.

At just 40 years old, Betsy lost her husband while pregnant and suddenly found herself raising her children alone while navigating overwhelming grief. Over the next decade, she slowly rebuilt her life, faced the realities of grief head-on, and eventually started a brand-new career at 48.

But Betsy’s story isn’t just about loss. It’s about reinvention, humour, courage, and the unexpected freedom that comes with midlife.

In this deeply honest and often hilarious conversation, Betsy shares how she learned to move forward while carrying grief, why midlife is actually an awakening, and what women need to know about rebuilding their lives after trauma.

In this episode we discuss:

• Navigating grief after losing a spouse
• The truth about living with long-term grief
• Raising children as a single parent after loss
• Starting a new career in your late 40s
• Dating and relationships in midlife
• Why midlife is not a crisis but an awakening
• Healing trauma through breathwork and somatic work
• Manifestation, energy and rebuilding confidence
• The surprising freedom of your 50s

Key Takeaway

Grief doesn’t disappear. But with time, courage, and support, it can become part of your story rather than the end of it.

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/5PMXIxecFO3oH7yFQvmyWV

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/betsyronellifeandrealestate/?hl=en

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In this powerful episode of The Midlife Awakening Podcast, Odilia sits down with Leslie to explore what it really takes to rebuild your health, self-esteem, and relationship with your body in midlife.

For decades, Leslie struggled with low self-worth, emotional eating, trauma, and the endless cycle of dieting. Like many women, she tried every approach imaginable—from popular diet programs to quick-fix solutions—only to find herself back in the same patterns. 

But everything changed in her late 40s.

During the quiet reflection of the pandemic, Leslie began looking inward instead of trying to “fix” her body. Through journaling, forgiveness, mindset work, and small daily habits, she gradually transformed her relationship with food, wellness, and herself.

Today, Leslie is in her 50s, stronger than ever, managing Crohn’s disease through lifestyle choices and helping other midlife women create sustainable health habits that actually work.

This episode is an honest conversation about healing, resilience, and the reality of starting again in midlife.

In This Episode We Discuss

• The connection between trauma and emotional eating
• Why so many women struggle with body image in midlife
• The mindset shift that changed everything for Leslie at 47
• The role of forgiveness in healing your relationship with yourself
• Managing chronic illness and wellness through lifestyle choices
• Why small daily habits can create lasting transformation
• Breaking generational patterns around food and self-worth
• Learning to listen to your body instead of fighting it

Key Takeaways

✨ Healing often begins with self-forgiveness
 ✨ Midlife is not too late to transform your health
 ✨ Wellness is about sustainability, not perfection
 ✨ Listening to your body is one of the most powerful tools you have

Connect with Leslie

Instagram: Leslie_A_Wilson
Facebook: Leslie A Wilson

If This Episode Resonated

If this conversation spoke to you, please consider:

⭐ Subscribing to the podcast
 ⭐ Leaving a review
 ⭐ Sharing this episode with a friend navigating midlife

Your support helps more women discover these conversations.

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If you’ve reached midlife and found yourself feeling stuck, disconnected, or unsure of your next step — this episode is for you.

In this powerful conversation on The Midlife Awakening, I’m joined by embodiment mentor Shauna Hawkes to explore:

• Why so many women struggle with self-trust in midlife
• What somatic embodiment actually means (and how to practise it daily)
• How EFT tapping helps release stuck emotional energy
• The Gene Keys and how they support self-awareness and personal growth
• The biggest myth about healing (and why you are not broken)

We talk honestly about the “go, go, go” culture women live in — motherhood, careers, responsibilities — and how that often disconnects us from our bodies and intuition.

Shauna shares simple, practical tools you can start using immediately, including:

• A 1-minute daily nervous system reset
• A powerful self-trust decision practice
• How to shift from “fixing yourself” to returning to who you truly are

If you’re navigating a midlife crossroads and wondering:
 Who am I now?
 What do I want?
 Can I trust myself?

This conversation will feel like a deep exhale.

Connect with Shauna:
Website: shanahawkes.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shaunahawkes/?hl=en
Archetype Quiz: https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/689674830de1d9aa3f90b9fb

If this episode resonated, please share it with a friend and leave a review — it helps more women find this space.

And as always, take care of your heart.

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Pisces Season is here — and it’s time to reconnect with your intuition.

From February 19th to March 20th, we are in the final sign of the zodiac — a season of spirituality, healing, creativity and deep inner reflection.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why midlife women struggle with intuition
• The difference between ego and inner knowing
• Hyper-vigilance and trauma responses
• Rebalancing masculine and feminine energy
• Strengthening your spiritual practice
• Preparing for the astrological New Year

If you’ve been:

• Living in survival mode
• Carrying too much responsibility
• Feeling disconnected from yourself
• Craving more calm and clarity

This episode is for you.

Plus, I share a personal story about the moment I realised I had ignored my intuition — and what it taught me.

✨ Pisces season is your invitation to slow down, soften, and trust yourself again.

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Why does childhood trauma resurface during perimenopause?
 Can EMDR therapy really help you heal without reliving the past?
 And is it possible that being an imperfect parent is actually good for your children?

In this episode of The Midlife Awakening, OdIlia speaks with trauma specialist and child therapist Mia Von Scha about healing unresolved childhood trauma in midlife and how attachment patterns formed in early childhood affect adult relationships and parenting.

As hormonal changes during perimenopause shrink our “window of tolerance,” many women find old emotional wounds resurfacing. This conversation explores why that happens — and what you can do about it.

We dive into:

• What childhood trauma really is (including developmental trauma and emotional neglect)
• How attachment styles shape adult relationships
• The long-term health impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
• Why perimenopause can trigger unresolved trauma
• How EMDR therapy works to process trauma without rehashing painful memories
• The power of rupture and repair in parenting
• Why perfection isn’t required — and may even be harmful

If you’ve ever wondered whether your childhood experiences are still affecting your health, relationships, or parenting today, this episode offers both clarity and hope.

Healing is possible — at any age.

🔗 Learn more about Mia’s work: www.transformationalparenting.guru

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/transformationalparenting/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TransformationalParenting/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/TransformationalParenting

Tiktok : @transformparents

 📌 Follow The Midlife Awakening for more conversations on midlife healing, trauma recovery, and personal growth.

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Midlife is often the moment when old patterns, beliefs, and coping mechanisms stop working — not because something is wrong with you, but because your subconscious is ready for change.

In this episode of The Midlife Awakening, host Odilia Judith speaks with Vanessa Mearns, a Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) practitioner and holistic therapist, about how subconscious beliefs shape our confidence, sense of safety, relationships, and how we experience our bodies in midlife.

Vanessa explains how RTT works by accessing the subconscious mind — where long-held patterns are formed — allowing real, embodied change rather than surface-level insight. This conversation explores why midlife can be such a powerful gateway for transformation and how rewiring the subconscious creates shifts that feel natural, not forced.

Odilia also shares her personal experience of RTT and the unexpected changes she noticed afterward, including increased confidence, feeling safer in her body, greater peace in family relationships, and physical shifts that came without trying to “fix” anything.

Episode Content

• What Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) is and how it works
• How subconscious beliefs are formed and why they matter in midlife
• Why changing the subconscious creates lasting change
• The role of nervous system regulation in personal transformation
• Why midlife is a powerful time for subconscious rewiring
• How emotional shifts can create physical and relational changes

ABOUT THE GUEST

Vanessa Mearns is a Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) practitioner and holistic therapist with over 20 years’ experience in the wellness and therapeutic space. Her work integrates subconscious healing, nervous system regulation, somatic awareness, hypnotherapy, CBT, and NLP to support deep, lasting transformation.

Vanessa works with clients internationally, offering one-to-one sessions, corporate wellbeing solutions, and immersive retreats.

🌐 Website: https://www.mindful-ness.uk
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mindful.ness.438155

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindful_ness.uk?igsh=eWl4eXU0aTVta3l1

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What if what we’ve been calling a midlife crisis is actually something very different?

In this episode, I slow things down and talk about what a midlife awakening really is — especially for those of us who are early in the journey and wondering what on earth is happening to our bodies, emotions, and lives.

Many women enter midlife feeling confused, exhausted, emotional, or disconnected from the life they once built — often without any understanding of how perimenopause, hormones, trauma, and identity shifts are all happening at the same time. Because we were never taught about this phase of life, it can feel isolating and even frightening.

In this episode, I share:

• What a midlife awakening actually is (and why it’s not a crisis)
• Why confusion is often the first stage of this transition
• How perimenopause can amplify emotional and identity shifts
• The grief many women feel for who they used to be
• Why boundaries become non-negotiable in midlife
• How healing, somatics, and self-awareness play a role in this phase
• Why no woman should be navigating this journey alone

I also share parts of my own awakening journey — including how self-love, boundaries, and no longer caring what others think became unexpected gifts of midlife.

This episode is an invitation to stop judging yourself and start understanding what your body, nervous system, and soul may be asking of you.

You’re not broken. You’re not failing.
 You may simply be waking up.

✨ If this episode resonates, you’re warmly invited to join The Midlife Awakening community — a safe, supportive space where women can connect, share, and navigate this journey together.
You’ll find the link in the show notes.

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Aquarius Season & the Midlife Awakening: Letting the Masks Fall

As we move into Aquarius season (20 January – 18/19 February), the collective energy begins to shift — away from duty, expectation, and conformity, and toward authenticity, truth, and freedom.

In this episode, I explore how Aquarius season mirrors what a midlife awakening really is:
not a crisis, not a breakdown, but a deep and honest questioning of who we are beneath the roles, masks, and identities we’ve spent years perfecting.

We talk about why midlife often feels uncomfortable before it feels empowering, how our need for belonging can lead us to abandon parts of ourselves, and why this season invites us to gently loosen the masks we’ve been wearing — especially as women, mothers, partners, and professionals.

Drawing on reflections around authenticity, courage, and vulnerability — including insights inspired by Brené Brown — this episode is an invitation to get curious rather than judgemental about who you’re becoming.

If you’ve been feeling restless, disconnected, or quietly questioning your life, this conversation will remind you that you’re not broken — you’re waking up.

🌬 In This Episode, We Explore:

• What Aquarius season is really about (beyond the stereotypes)
• Why midlife awakens questions around identity, purpose, and belonging
• The masks we wear — and why they often start slipping in midlife
• Motherhood, authenticity, and the pressure to be “good at everything”
• Why judgement keeps us stuck — and community helps us heal
• How Aquarius energy supports collective growth, compassion, and connection

🧠 Journal Prompts to Reflect On:

• Who am I pretending to be — and why?
• What part of me is asking to be seen more fully right now?
• Where am I choosing belonging over authenticity?
• What would feel more truthful for me in this season of my life?

🤍 Join the Community

If healing, reflection, and shared growth speak to you, I’d love to welcome you into my Substack community.

This month, we’re reading Marie Kondo’s book, starting Friday 22 January, with:

• Weekly chapter reflections
• Open discussion threads
• And the possibility of a live Zoom conversation at the end of the month

You’ll find the link to join in the show notes.

🌟 Final Thought

Midlife isn’t the beginning of the end.
 It’s the moment you stop abandoning yourself — and start choosing yourself, consciously.

Thank you for listening. If this episode resonated, please share it with someone who might need to hear it.

✨ Midlife isn’t a crisis. It’s an awakening.

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