375. Midlife: From Crisis to Curiosity with Meg McKelvie and Debbie Sorensen

Are you in the midst of a midlife transition, grappling with big questions about purpose, change, and self-discovery? For this week’s episode, cohost Debbie Sorensen celebrates her 50th birthday with a discussion on the transformative period of midlife with her friend, Dr. Meg McKelvie.  A period rich with psychological shifts, existential questions, and challenges in finding deeper meaning, they get into acceptance and commitment therapy, emotional, psychical and cognitive changes, ways to overcome people-pleasing habits, and much much more.  With practical exercises and writing practices, this episode is a gift to anyone navigating midlife transitions and relationships, offering insight, reflection, and a path toward deeper understanding and fulfilling connections. We hope you enjoy this heartfelt and poignant conversation!  Listen and Learn: Opportunities that midlife brings for deeper understanding and transformation Confronting body changes and the aging process  How your relationships can become deeper in midlife; letting go of surface-level bonds and embracing genuine honesty and shared experiences The myth of the midlife crisis and how, contrary to what stereotypes lead us to believe, it frequently involves a sharp internal existential shift rather than a dramatic upheaval Living with unanswered questions and learning to sit with the discomfort of uncertainty Ways you can cultivate a personal space that nurtures self-reflection and self-sufficiency The lessons that regret can teach us The value of sitting with challenging emotions such as anger and grief, and how these feelings can provide critical insights into your life  The difference between body neutrality and body positivity and how stepping back from the internal debate about your body can lead to a more peaceful relationship with yourself Resources: Meg’s website: https://www.drmegmckelvie.com/ LInk to the “Soul-Searching Questions” handout on Meg’s website and Debbie’s website.  More writing resources from Meg and Debbie:  Meg’s writing workshops: https://www.drmegmckelvie.com/workshopsgroups Debbie’s Instagram for journaling prompts: https://www.instagram.com/drdebbiesorensen/ Debbie’s Guided Journaling substack: https://guidedjournaling.substack.com/  345. Writing for Personal Growth with Maureen Murdock A Substack essay Debbie wrote on her 50th birthday A commentary on the Surgeon General’s recent advisory on parental stress, by co-hosts Debbie and Emily, and former co-host Yael Schonburn!  Books mentioned in the episode:  Finding Meaning In the Second Half of Life: https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9781592402076  The Heroine's Journey: https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9781611808308 Related episodes:  199. Belonging From the Inside Out with Meg McKelvie 345. Writing for Personal Growth with Maureen Murdock 315. Hot & Bothered: Menopause with Jancee Dunn  291. Finding Freedom From Regret with Robert Leahy  257. The Gift of Being Ordinary with Ron Siegel 242. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management with Oliver Burkeman 351. You Only Die Once with Jodi Wellman 274. Quarterlife: The Search for Self in Early Adulthood with Satya Doyle Byock 138. Exploring Existence and Purpose: Existentialism with Robyn Walser  116. Building a Meaningful, Values-based Life with Jenna LeJeune 285. What Do You Want Out of Life? Values Fulfillment Theory with Valerie Tiberius  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices