Reinventing Midlife

It's the New Year! Jen, Tara and Lana catch up on all the big life changes that have been going on in their lives. Tune in as the ladies discuss the hot topic of New Year's Resolutions. Do you believe in New Year's Resolutions? Do you make them? Or is there a different New Year's tradition you lean towards? Make sure to subscribe and leave review! E-mail us: reinventingmidlife@outlook.com Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com

Major life changes happening this Fall! In this episode Jen, Tara, and Lana discuss upcoming weddings, travel, returning to college and the joys of composting. The ladies kick off the episode with celebrity sightings and who has seen the most celebrities. You’ll never guess what celebrity made Jen the most nervous. This episode’s topic centers around Mommy Wine Culture, what it is, and why was it created. Join the ladies as they discuss why Mommy Wine Culture came to their attention and if they feel it is covering up something bigger. Are you part of Mommy Wine Culture? Let us know what you think! Send us an e-mail reinventingmidlife@outlook.com

Summer is kicking off with a bang! Catch up with Jen, Tara, and Lana as they discuss their travels, grand baby, weird dragon vegetable varieties, Tara’s enabling behavior, saving baby goats, and more. This week’s icebreaker is about sharing a summer vacation from our childhood. Oh how vacation times have changed since our childhoods. Seat belts weren’t as much of a thing, 24hr fast food was rare, and the drive centered around gas stations and not comfort! Join Jen, Tara, and Lana discuss how their summers are different now than when their kids were small and what they believe their summers will look like in the future. Have your vacations changed as your kids have gotten older? If you have older teens do you take them on vacation with you or do you and your spouse take your own vacation? With Summer knocking on the door, the ladies have decided to take a summer hiatus. Enjoy your summer and we’ll reconnect in the fall! If you enjoy the show, be sure to subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re using and feel to drop us a line at reinventingmidlife@outlook.com Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com

Join Jen, Tara, and Lana as they catch up on life's happenings. This week's icebreaker, Lana decides to throw something new at the ladies with a "would you rather" question. The hot topic of this episode is good ol' self-care. Is it something that’s important to you? Is it easier or more difficult the older you get? What does it mean for you? Tune in as the ladies discuss how they define self-care and what it looks like for them. If you enjoy the show, be sure to subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re using and feel to drop us a line at reinventingmidlife@outlook.com Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com

Hey there! The ladies are back with a new upcoming schedule. It's been a busy month and neither Jen, Tara or Lana realized how long it had been since their last podcast. Catch up with the ladies as they talk about their spring activities, new hobbies and more! Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com

We're back from our month long break of holiday madness! Join Jen, Tara and Lana as they catch up on life and reevaluate their New Year's Resolution Goals. Marie Kondo has hit these ladies hard! Tune into hear how the Netflix series has created change in their lives. Are you obsessed with Marie Kondo also? Are you ready for Spring? Don't forget to Subscribe to us on iTunes! Connect with Jen at www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara at www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana at www.lanasimmons.com

This week, Jen, Tara, and Lana catch up on the latest happenings in their lives, perimenopause, and more conversations on aquaponics than you want to hear!  This episode's icebreaker is all about going to the movies.  Are you a movie person?  Do you enjoy going to the movies or is it just an over priced entertainment experience?   How do you feel about the Holiday season?  Do you look forward to it or do you dread the cooking, get togethers, etc?  Tune in as, Jen, Tara, and Lana talk about good ol' Holiday stress. We're knee deep in the holiday season and it seems like when we are supposed to be “enjoying” the holidays we feel more stress than joy.       The ladies would love to hear from you and what you think about this topic, so leave a comment on Reinventing Midlife's Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! If you enjoy the show, be sure to tell your friends about Reinventing Midlife and subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re using. Check out the website at reinventing-midlife.com or drop send an e-mail at reinventingmidlife@outlook.com    Thanks for listening!

Catch up with Jen, Tara, and Lana on their latest TV finds, and their love of the enneagram, oyster gardens, and more! This week's podcast main topic is all about appearance, Do you care? Does it matter? How has this changed since you were younger? Let’s talk about it! We’d love to hear from you and what you think about this topic, so leave us a comment on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! If you enjoy the show, be sure to tell your friends about Reinventing Midlife and subscribe on whatever podcast player you’re using. Visit us at reinventing-midlife.com or drop us a line at reinventingmidlife@outlook.com Until next week, thanks for listening! Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com

Happy early Halloween! This episode is all about our favorite Fall activities and keeping a marriage strong in midlife. A couple of quick disclaimers--one thing the ladies agreed on when they started this podcast was that 1) they weren’t going to talk about their sex lives and 2) they weren’t going to husband bash. Why? Because they all agreed they wouldn’t want their husbands publicly discussing those things about them, so they won’t do it either! Instead they're going to talk about how marriage changes in midlife. ​ Do you feel like your long term relationship has changed over the years? Do you still see glimpses of the person you committed to or are they a completely different human? Jen, Tara and Lana also share lessons they've learned and insights about who they were in that early relationship? Tune in to hear about the pieces of advice they've received over the years and more! They'd love to hear your pieces of relationship advice you've received over the years! Don't forget to hit that subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify and Stitcher! Send any comments or questions to reinventingmidlife@outlook.com ​ Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com

Previously, Jen, Tara and Lana had pledged to step out of their comfort zones. Tune in to learn if the ladies followed through or ended up letting life get in the way. Also, when trying something new, or taking a chance on something, is it easy to feel defeated before you even begin due to social media and other platforms like pinterest? Is comparing yourself to others impairing your own efforts to explore a possible hobby or relationship? Jen, Tara and Lana discuss social media envy, talking themselves off the ledge and more. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify and Stitcher! Send any comments or questions to reinventingmidlife@outlook.com Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com

This week we’re talking about parenting in midlife. We have kids in all different ages and stages of life. How has your parenting style changed over the years? Are there things you wish you'd done differently? Parenting isn't easy, and just when you think you have the hang of it, the kids change again! Join Jen, Tara, and Lana as they discuss how parenting has changed for them over the years, what they'd do differently and the challenges they are facing raising fine upstanding citizens. ​ Don't forget to hit that subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify and Stitcher! Send any comments or questions to reinventingmidlife@outlook.com Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com

What do Boho Chic, dead plants and sourdough starter all have common? Tune in as Jen, Tara, and Lana discuss what's currently going on in their lives and some of their favorite places they've lived over the years! In the second half of the podcast we discuss the realities of turning into our parents. Are you turning into your parents or are you fighting against it? What worries you about it? Don't forget to hit that subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify and Stitcher! Send any comments or questions to reinventingmidlife@outlook.com Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com  

This episode is all about bad haircuts and friendships, or the lack thereof. Our icebreaker this week is about the worst haircut, or style, we've ever gotten, and there have been some interesting ones with father figure bangs and burned hair. Did you lose a lot of friendships when you hit midlife? Are you searching for your "tribe"? Do you think friendship is important? Tune in to hear how our friendships have changed and if this is considered "normal" or not. www.reinventing-midlife.com Connect with Jen www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana www.lanasimmons.com

Do you feel restless and want to try something new, but are afraid of failing?  Are you wondering if you're too old and "mature" to try a new adventure? Join Jen, Tara and Lana as they talk about  what scares, and challenges, them to try new things or embody new midlife roles.     Connect with Jen www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara www.tarahowes.com  Connect with Lana www.lanasimmons.com   Mentioned in the podcast: Best of Next Door https://twitter.com/bestofnextdoor   Running Like a Girl: http://a.co/d/7lD8E9W   Growing Vegetables in Straw Bales: https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/straw-bale-gardens/8882.html   Veggie Remix: http://a.co/d/h2WH4GY

Our Icebreaker this week is all about Mixtape Madness. Do you remember your first mixtape? How did you record your mixtape and on what medium (cassette, CD, etc?)? Could you use someone's mixtape as a way to discern their personality? Are you knee deep in midlife and wondering what your passion is? Or do you think you know what your passion is but don't know where to start? Join Jen, Tara and Lana as they talk about the concept of finding their passions and how the concept can be exhausting rather than uplifting. Are they where they thought they'd be in life? Did they pursue their passions when they were young (20+) and now they have a new passion? Tune in to find out! Articles quoted: You're Not Meant to Do What You Love - https://medium.com/s/story/youre-not-meant-to-do-what-you-love-you-re-meant-to-do-what-you-re-good-at-4e8e6b8e929d “Find your passion” is bad advice, say Yale-NUS and Stanford psychologists - https://qz.com/1314088/find-your-passion-is-bad-advice-say-yale-and-stanford-psychologists/ Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com

Join Jen, Tara and Lana as they share a little about themselves and how Reinventing Midlife came to be. Learn about their guilty pleasures, the article that sparked the Reinventing Midlife Podcast, and where they see themselves going in life without plastic surgery. Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com

Does the advice ‘just follow your passion’ make you tired or are you weary of seeing middle aged women portrayed as helpless victims of their hormones? You’re not a Millennial, but you’re also not over the hill yet. Do you find yourself somewhere more in the...middle? Then join Lana, Jen, and Tara, who offer a fresh, positive take on mid life--because it’s not a crisis! Sandwiched between boomers and millennials, this podcast is for Gen Xers who know midlife isn’t about trying to look like they’re still in their twenties or wearing themselves out attempting to regain their youth. We’re proud of our wrinkles, scars, and saggy skin, because we’ve earned them! Join us as we discard society’s ideals about who we’re supposed to be and figure out this next exciting phase of our lives. Here’s Reinventing Midlife: They may not know the answers, but they’re going to talk about it anyway! Connect with Jen: www.jenmcdonald.net Connect with Tara: www.tarahowes.com Connect with Lana: www.lanasimmons.com