How the Patterns We Carry Shape Our Next Chapter

We know our parents as Mom and Dad. We know the stories they’ve told us, the family history, the traditions, the big moments. But how well do we really know the people they were before they became our parents? In this episode of Message in the Middle, I’m talking with Neil Taylor, founder of Me and My Old Man, about the conversations we so often put off with our aging parents and the stories we may never get to hear if we wait too long. Neil’s own journey into this work began in 2021, when he...

What if your child’s success has quietly become your success, and their struggles feel like your failures? For many mothers, that connection can be hard to see, especially after our children become adults. We know we can't control their choices, yet we still worry, advise, fix, compare, and sometimes lie awake at 2 a.m. wondering if we somehow got it wrong. That is exactly where today’s conversation with Gigi Baxter begins. Gigi spent thirty years quietly grading herself as a mother. When one...

There are some life changes we choose. And then there are the ones that choose us. In January 2024, Jennifer White woke from a coma following brain tumor surgery and found herself facing a life she barely recognized. A retired registered nurse, Jennifer knew the healthcare system from one side of the bed. Suddenly, she was experiencing it from the other. She had to relearn how to walk, think and talk. Some memories returned slowly through writing. Others may never return. And while many of th...

Sometimes life isn’t falling apart because of one big thing. It’s just… a lot. The news feels relentless. The world feels increasingly complicated. Family dynamics can be difficult. Aging parents bring a whole new set of responsibilities. Health concerns, work, relationships, and the everyday stuff of life keep piling on. And somehow, we’re still supposed to keep going. In this solo episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne talks about what it feels like when life is really, truly “lifing.” ...

What if your marriage doesn't need a new person? What if it needs two people willing to become new versions of themselves, intentionally choosing each other, over and over? That's the question at the heart of my conversation with Kameran Alareqi, a Gottman Certified marriage coach, host of the Married and Connected podcast, and founder of the Recognizing Potential Coaching Program. Kameran doesn't talk about marriage from a textbook. She's lived through infidelity, infertility, divorce...