Midlife Reclaimed cover art

Midlife Reclaimed

Midlife Reclaimed

By: Shannon A Swales
Listen for free

About this listen

 Midlife Reclaimed


Welcome to Midlife Reclaimed—a podcast that has grown alongside my own story of burnout, recovery, and rediscovery in early midlife. I’m Shannon A. Swales, psychologist, writer, and midlife woman walking the path with you.


This podcast began as Burnout: A Different Kind of GAP Year, where I shared my lived experience of midlife burnout in real time—alongside the stories of guests who bravely opened up about their own burnout journeys. As I returned to my work as a psychologist supporting others through burnout, the podcast evolved into When Burnout Becomes Reality—a space to explore the truth of how burnout unfolds and how healing begins. I began interviewing fellow professionals (and reflecting on my own clinical insights) to help listeners access the knowledge and know-how to recover and grow from burnout.


Now, as Midlife Reclaimed, the podcast centres on the unique experiences of women in midlife—those feeling overwhelmed, stressed, disconnected, or simply stretched too thin. Here, we share life stories and professional wisdom to help you navigate this era of life in a way that feels more grounded, compassionate, and real.


It’s about helping you come home to yourself—so you can feel more present, more alive, and more connected to what truly matters.


Each month, you’ll hear rich conversations about burnout, identity shifts, self-worth, mental health, boundaries, and relationships—exploring what it truly means to reclaim your energy, your voice, and your life in midlife. These episodes are here to support you in this season of life—because this chapter is yours to reclaim.


Together, we’re rewriting the narrative—not as a midlife crisis, but as a midlife reclamation.


Want to Share Your Midlife Wisdom?

If you have a story, insight, or professional perspective that can help other midlife women feel less alone and more whole, I’d love to hear from you. Contact me here.



Connect & Grow

If you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, you may like:

  • Subscribe to receive a FREE Journaling as a Way Back to Yourself ebook and more goodies
  • Online Community: Midlife Reclaimed—this is your place to breathe again - Learn more and join here - https://midlife-reclaimed.mn.co/
  • Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn
  • 1:1 Therapy: Ready to tackle midlife burnout? Visit www.shannonaswales.com/therapy
  • My Midlife Burnout Story: Nothing Left to Give: A Psychologist’s Path Back From Burnout


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All rights reserved Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health
Episodes
  • How do you Return to Work After Burnout?

    How do you Return to Work After Burnout?
    Aug 6 2025
    In this episode, I sit down with Karina Schneider — a certified coach (ACC), Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and seasoned Global People & Culture Leader.Karina has spent over 20 years working across consulting, healthcare, engineering, and non-profit sectors. Today, she combines her HR expertise with coaching and lived experience to help people return to work in a way that’s paced, meaningful, and mentally sustainable.Together, they explore:Why burnout recovery and job reintegration are deeply personal journeysHow traditional return-to-work systems often miss the markWhat a more compassionate, human-centred approach can look likeHow values, identity and agency can guide our next steps — especially in midlife🎧 A must-listen for anyone navigating their way back into work — or rethinking what “work” even looks like.Guest: Karina Schneider is a seasoned Global People & Culture Leader with over two decades of experience spanning consulting, healthcare, engineering and non-profit sectors. Her work is motivated by the commitment to foster positive and healthy workplaces experiences so that employees feel motivated to show up and perform at work. Karina also uses part of her time advocating for mental health awareness and support in the workplace; specifically creating compassionate practices on returning to work after a mental health absence. Karina Schneider HR Business Partnering, Organizational Development & Workplace Wellbeing Mental Health First Aid certified Instructor Visit my website | Connect with me on LinkedInHost: Shannon Swales: Psychologist, writer, and midlife woman who’s walked through burnout and come out the other side. Shannon combines clinical wisdom with lived experience to support others navigating chronic stress, burnout, and big life transitions. Through gentle conversations and evidence-based insights, she helps women reconnect with themselves, reclaim their energy, and grow through what once felt like breaking points.If you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:• Midlife Reclaimed Online Community - a place to come back home to self• Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn• 1:1 Therapy hereSubscribe to my Mailing List and receive a free eJournal to assist in coming back to yourself.Disclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship with Shannon Swales. The views expressed are general & not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help. Remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.DisclaimerEngaging with this podcast does not intend to create, nor does it create, a therapist-client relationship between you and Shannon A Swales. All views, opinions, and tips expressed by me or my guests are general in nature and not a replacement for personalised therapy. As I have done for myself, I encourage anyone experiencing distress to seek professional support. In Australia, if you are in a life-threatening emergency, please dial 000. For immediate counselling, contact Lifeline (13 11 14) or 13YARN (13 92 76) for First Nation Australians. Stay safe, and remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 32 mins
  • It’s Not Burnout—it’s Betrayal: Unpacking the Hidden Wound

    It’s Not Burnout—it’s Betrayal: Unpacking the Hidden Wound
    Jul 2 2025

    This episode was groundbreaking for me—both personally and professionally. In my own journey through burnout, and in the stories I witness daily as a psychologist supporting midlife women, I’ve often sensed that there was something deeper—something unspoken—beneath the exhaustion, the disconnection, the collapse. Meeting Lora Cheadle and learning about betrayal as a root cause of burnout felt like discovering a missing link. Lora—an attorney turned coach, author, and speaker—generously shares her story and her powerful F.U.E.L UP framework for moving through betrayal and reclaiming your inner self. Whether it’s betrayal from a workplace, a partner, a friend, or even from within ourselves, Lora guides us toward recognition, healing, and reconnection. I’ll be forever thankful for this conversation, and I truly believe it’s a must-watch/listen for anyone navigating burnout, broken trust, or a longing to return to themselves.


    Guest: LORA CHEADLE, JD CHt is an author, TEDx speaker, and leadership wellness coach who specializes in burnout and betrayal recovery. She shows burned-out professionals, teams, and organizations how to reframe burnout as betrayal so they can get to the root cause of their symptoms and stay engaged, productive, and happy for the long haul. She is the creator of the FUEL UP Burnout-Recovery Method and enjoys speaking and coaching on how to move beyond soothing the symptoms of burnout and resolve its root cause. Lora is the author of It’s Not Burnout; It’s Betrayal: 5 Tools to FUEL UP & Thrive, and the award-winning book FLAUNT!


    Connect with Lora

    Website: https://loracheadle.com/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/loracheadlelifechoreographer

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

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

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lora-cheadle-lifechoreographer/


    Host, Shannon Swales: Psychologist, writer, and midlife woman who’s walked through burnout and come out the other side. Shannon combines clinical wisdom with lived experience to support others navigating chronic stress, burnout, and big life transitions. Through gentle conversations and evidence-based insights, she helps women reconnect with themselves, reclaim their energy, and grow through what once felt like breaking points.


    If you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:

    • Midlife Reclaimed Online Community - a place to come back home to self

    • Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn

    • 1:1 Therapy here

    Subscribe to my Mailing List and receive a free eJournal to assist in coming back to yourself.


    Disclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship with Shannon Swales. The views expressed are general & not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help. Remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.

    Disclaimer

    Engaging with this podcast does not intend to create, nor does it create, a therapist-client relationship between you and Shannon A Swales. All views, opinions, and tips expressed by me or my guests are general in nature and not a replacement for personalised therapy. As I have done for myself, I encourage anyone experiencing distress to seek professional support. In Australia, if you are in a life-threatening emergency, please dial 000. For immediate counselling, contact Lifeline (13 11 14) or 13YARN (13 92 76) for First Nation Australians. Stay safe, and remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Love, Sex, and Self in Midlife: Real Talk for Burnt-Out Women

    Love, Sex, and Self in Midlife: Real Talk for Burnt-Out Women
    Jun 4 2025

    In episode 54 of Midlife Reclaimed, we dive into one of the most quietly complex areas of midlife burnout recovery—relationships and intimacy.


    Whether you’re partnered or not, midlife often brings emotional and relational shifts that can leave us questioning what connection, desire, and closeness mean now. This conversation is an open, compassionate look at how burnout impacts intimacy—and how we can gently reconnect with ourselves and each other.


    Together with a special guest expert, we explore:

    - Why desire can feel like it disappears during midlife or burnout

    - The most common relational challenges women face in this season

    - What healthy intimacy actually looks like (and how to rebuild it)

    - Practical steps for nurturing communication and closeness


    This episode is a must-listen if you’ve ever wondered, “Is it supposed to feel this hard?” or “Can we get back to what we had—or something better?”


    Guest: Isiah McKimmie is one of Australia’s most highly qualified Sex and Relationship Experts. She’s a Couples Therapist, Sex Therapist, Sexologist, and Coach who has spent over a decade helping women and couples build deeper intimacy and connection.


    With two Master’s degrees (Relational Psychotherapy and Sexual Counselling), a Postgraduate Diploma in Sexology, and a certificate from the Institute for the Advanced Studies of Human Sexuality, Isiah combines clinical depth with practical tools.


    Website: https://isiah-mckimmie.com/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isiahmckimmie.sexologist/

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

    Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isiah-mckimmie-52320153


    She’s worked with thousands of people, writes a widely-read weekly advice column, lectures in Couples Therapy, and is known for her warm, relatable approach to topics many find difficult to talk about.

    Host - Shannon Swales: a psychologist dedicated to empowering individuals with essential mental health skills to prevent, navigate & grow from midlife burnout. Having overcome burnout in her early midlife, Shannon guides others from chronic stress to wellness with balance & empathy. Join her as she shares transformative experiences & insights on growth through adversity.



    If you enjoy the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast, join our community:


    • Midlife Reclaimed Online Community: A space to come home to yourself - Find Out More & Join here


    • Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn @shannon.a.swales


    • 1:1 Therapy: www.burnoutpsychologysupport.com/burnout-therapy


    Stay in Touch: Subscribe to my Mailing List here and receive your very own eJournal to help you towards coming back to yourself.



    Disclaimer: This podcast does not create a therapist-client relationship with Shannon Swales. The views expressed are general & not a substitute for personalised therapy. If in distress, seek professional help. Remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.

    Disclaimer

    Engaging with this podcast does not intend to create, nor does it create, a therapist-client relationship between you and Shannon A Swales. All views, opinions, and tips expressed by me or my guests are general in nature and not a replacement for personalised therapy. As I have done for myself, I encourage anyone experiencing distress to seek professional support. In Australia, if you are in a life-threatening emergency, please dial 000. For immediate counselling, contact Lifeline (13 11 14) or 13YARN (13 92 76) for First Nation Australians. Stay safe, and remember—you don’t have to face your struggles alone.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 5 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.