Do you know what your purpose is? Many people do, and that can lead to an incredibly fulfilling life. But so many of us don’t. Business journalist-turned-NYU-professor Suzy Welch says midlife is a terrific time to figure this out for yourself, since you bring to it the wisdom of your years. She’s developed a methodology aimed at crafting an authentic life called Becoming You, and she tells Reshma all about how to identify your values, prioritize them, and live a life in accordance with them.

Follow Suzy @suzywelch on Instagram.

You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.

Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.

Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Dr. Sharon Malone talking about what drives healthcare disparities in the US. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Abby Phillip joins Reshma for a conversation about what it really takes to stay grounded in a world that is loud, fast, and full of opinions. She shares the freedom she has found in not caring what other people think, why kindness has been her most effective rule for navigating institutions that were not built for her, and how she handles the people who try to torpedo her along the way. They also dig into Abby’s book A Dream Deferred and what Jesse Jackson’s legacy can teach us about connection, trust, and the future of American democracy.

Follow Abby Phillip on Instagram at @abbydphillip, and check out her new book A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power.

You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.

Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.

Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

Get an exclusive 5% discount on NordProtect plans. Go to: https://nordprotect.com/midlife and use the code midlife at checkout.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reshma sits down with world-renowned psychotherapist Esther Perel to talk about why midlife can feel so lonely — and how to rebuild community from the inside out. They unpack why independence has replaced interdependence, how motherhood turned into a performance review, and why asking for help is one of the bravest things we can do. Esther leaves us with a path back, showing how connection can be rebuilt one honest conversation at a time.

Follow Esther Perel's podcast Where Should We Begin? on YouTube, Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and subscribe to Entre Nous with Esther Perel on Substack for exclusive bonus content.

You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.

Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.

Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

Check out the What Should I Do With My Money? podcast.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tembi Locke has lived many lives, but midlife has pushed her to introduce herself in a whole new way. She tells Reshma how supporting her husband through illness and losing him reshaped everything she thought she knew about identity, ambition, and love. They talk about grief as a turning point, pulling yourself forward, and the idea of renesting (Tembi’s practice of rebuilding an inner home after life has blown the old one apart). They explore why so many women find themselves doing that work in midlife, and what it means to rebuild from the inside out. They also talk about her new memoir, Someday Now, which traces that evolution with honesty and heart.

Follow Tembi Locke @tembilocke on Instagram. Her new memoir Someday Now is out now.

You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.

Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.

Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

Check out the What Should I Do With My Money? podcast.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Kelly Casperson — a urologist, sex educator, and host of a hit podcast — wants you to have great sex. And she knows you probably aren’t. A lot of that, she says, is because most of what we think we know about sex — especially in midlife — is flat-out wrong! She and Reshma get to the bottom of some fundamentals around libido, desire, and hormones, and also give you some tips on how to improve your sex life.

Follow Kelly at @kellycaspersonmd on Instagram. Check out her book and podcast You Are Not Broken.

You can follow our host Reshma Saujani @reshmasaujani on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/?hl=en

Let us know how you’re doing in midlife! You can submit your story to be included in this show at speakpipe.com/midlife

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dating coach and author Damona Hoffman joins Reshma to break down the real rules of modern love in midlife. They talk about why dating feels so draining today, how to rewrite the old stories that keep women stuck, and why clarity is more powerful than chemistry. Damona shares her most practical strategies for getting offline quickly, protecting the early magic, and designing a relationship that fits the life you actually want. They also dig into the efficiency trap inside long-term partnerships and why love in this season is less about finding “the one” and more about finding yourself.

Follow Damona Hoffman @damonahoffman on Instagram.

You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.

Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.

Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

Check out the What Should I Do With My Money? podcast.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We can’t fix what’s broken for women without fixing what’s broken for men.
Gary Barker, founder and CEO of Equimundo, has spent decades studying masculinity, fatherhood, and care. He joins Reshma to talk about the crisis of connection facing young men, why nearly half say no one cares if they’re okay, and how patriarchy hurts everyone: women, men, and families alike. Together they unpack how to build a new model of manhood rooted in empathy, not ego. Because, as Gary reminds us, it’s okay to care about men. And when we do, everyone wins.

Follow Gary’s organization Equimundo @equimundo_org on Instagram.

You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.

Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.

Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

Check out the What Should I Do With My Money? podcast.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most monuments celebrate power — generals cast in bronze, heroes carved in stone. Artist and sculptor Molly Gochman builds monuments to something else entirely: the invisible labor, and invisible women, holding the world together. When her father got sick, Molly became his caregiver, and that experience changed how she saw everything — art, time, and what we call valuable. She joins Reshma to talk about what midlife has taught her about letting go of perfection, turning care into creation, and why she’s done waiting for women’s stories to be seen.

Follow Molly Gochman @mollygochman on Instagram, and listen to her podcasts Monuments to Motherhood wherever you get yours.

You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.

Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.

Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

Check out the What Should I Do With My Money? podcast.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.