Create Your Best Empty Nest

Everyone says the empty nest is "your time." But when someone actually asks you what you want -- you go blank. Or something comes out that sounds right but feels hollow. Like you're reading off a list that belongs to someone else. That's not a you problem. That's a question problem. Because most of us have spent 20 years getting really good at answering "what do the kids...

Have you been walking around with an invisible weight on your shoulders... and you don't even know it has a name? It sounds like responsibility. It feels like self-improvement. But "should" might be the exact thing making your days feel heavy, your purpose feel out of reach, and your life feel like a to-do list you never actually agreed to. If you're in the empty nest season, the last few years be...

You've been taking care of everyone else for so long that somewhere along the way you forgot to take care of you. Today Joy Crawford is back to remind you that only YOU can make you smile - and that taking care of yourself is not selfish. It's the most important thing you can do for everyone you love. This is Part 2 of a two part conversation with Joy Crawford --76 years old, retired kinde...

You know that quiet voice that keeps asking "is this really all there is?" This episode is for her. If you're in the empty nest season and you've been feeling lost, stuck, or like you've somehow disappeared into everyone else's life - you are not alone. And today's guest is living proof that the best chapter of your life can start at any age. Joy Crawford is 76 years...

You've spent decades making sure everyone else had what they needed. And somewhere along the way, you stopped asking yourself what YOU wanted. Not because you forgot. Because you stopped giving yourself permission. If you're in the empty nest season, or getting close to it, and someone asks "so what do YOU want now?" and you go completely blank, this episode is for you. That blan...

You've been trying to fix the wrong thing. If you're in the empty nest season and you feel stuck, lost, disconnected from your adult kids, or like you don't even know who you are anymore, you've probably been looking for the answer out there somewhere. A new routine. A new circumstance. Waiting for something to change. But what if every single problem you have, every relationship s...

What if the thing standing between you and your next chapter isn't laziness or fear or even not knowing what you want? What if it's just that nobody ever gave you permission to want it? In Part 2 of this conversation with Maureen Mehr, we go deeper. Maureen is the president of the nonprofit Who I Really Am, a singer-songwriter, a grandmother of five, and a woman who spent years learning wh...

What happens when the kids leave and you realize you've been living everyone else's life but your own? If you're in the empty nest season and you've been sitting with that quiet, uncomfortable question of "who am I now?" -- you are not alone. And you are not too late. In this episode, I sit down with my neighbor and friend Maureen Mehr, president of the nonprofit Who I Re...

The last school lunch you packed. The last time you're the first number they call. The last time someone's practice schedule tells you what the week looks like. Those lasts are yours too, and they deserve to be felt. But here's what nobody talks about: after all that busy evaporates and the house goes quiet, a lot of women stand in the middle of it and think something is wrong with the...

The house is quiet… but no one talks about what happens inside of you. You thought you’d feel relief when the kids moved out. More time. More freedom. Maybe even a little excitement. Instead… you feel lost. Like something important disappeared...and you can’t quite name it. In this episode, we’re talking about the part of the empty nest that catches so many women off guard: the loss of purpose aft...

You spent years being everything for everyone. The one who remembered, planned, fixed, showed up, and held it all together. And now… the house is quieter. The calendar isn’t packed the same way. And when someone asks, “What do you want?” your mind goes blank. Not a pause. A blank. If you’re an empty nest mom wondering who you are now… this episode is for you. In today’s conversation, we’re talking...

You waved goodbye, walked back into a quiet house, and felt something you weren't expecting. Not just sadness. Something deeper. A hollow feeling that whispered: I don't know who I am anymore. If that's where you are right now, this episode is the one you didn't know you needed. In this episode of Create Your Best Empty Nest, coach Marianne Iverson gets honest about something nobod...

If you’ve been thinking, “I should feel happy… so why do I feel a little lost?”- this episode is for you. The kids are leaving (or already gone), and suddenly the life that once felt full and structured feels… quiet. Different. Off. You love your family. You’re proud of them. But underneath it all, there’s a question you can’t quite shake: 👉 Who am I now? In this episode, we’re talking about the...

Why does everyone else seem to have their group… and you don’t? If you’re an LDS empty nest mom staring at a quieter house and wondering, “Who am I now?” - this episode is for you. When your kids leave home, the transition to the empty nest can feel like an identity crisis. Friendships shift. Loneliness creeps in. You scroll social media and it looks like every woman your age has a tight-knit circ...

What if the problem isn’t the empty nest… but the quiet war you’ve been having with yourself? If you’re an empty nest mom replaying motherhood in your head, wondering if you did enough, while also feeling pressure to “figure out what’s next,” this episode is for you. The transition to the empty nest can bring grief, loneliness, identity loss, and self-doubt. You love your kids. You’re proud of the...

Are you lying awake wondering, “Who am I now that my kids don’t need me the same way?” The hardest part of the empty nest isn’t always the quiet house. It’s the story you’re telling yourself about what it means. In this episode of Create Your Best Empty Nest , we’re talking about the difference between facts vs. thoughts - and why mixing them up may be the real reason you feel stuck, lost, or unse...

Do you feel stuck in your empty nest… even though you’re grateful for your life? If your kids have left home and you’re wondering, “Who am I now?” - but you keep waiting for clarity before making a move - this episode is for you. Many midlife women feel lost after motherhood. Not because they lack faith or purpose, but because they’ve spent decades supporting everyone else. When the house gets qui...

If your kids have left home and your brain won’t slow down, this episode is for you. You’re not doing anything wrong. Your brain is just busy solving the wrong problem. After kids leave, many women find their thoughts spiraling: Worrying about their kids’ choices. Replaying conversations. Fixating on what might go wrong next. Feeling restless, anxious, or strangely on edge in a quiet house. In thi...

You don’t need to fix yourself to move forward. If the empty nest has you feeling pulled in opposite directions - missing your kids deeply and enjoying the quiet, feeling grateful for your life and restless for more - this episode is for you. In this conversation, we talk honestly about a truth most women are living but rarely naming: opposites can be true at the same time. You can accept where yo...

The empty nest isn’t just quiet. It’s confusing. If you’re an empty nest mom adjusting to life after kids , this episode is for you. In this conversation, I share 5 surprising perks of an empty nest that most women miss while dealing with empty nest syndrome and wondering what comes next. This episode is especially for women over 45 who feel a little lost, a little lonely, and unsure how to start...

Standing in your child’s empty bedroom can stir up more emotion than you ever expected. In this episode, Empty Nest Makeover: Turning My Kid’s Room into My Space , we talk about why changing your child’s room after they leave home isn’t just about décor—it’s about identity, healing, and life after kids . If you’re an empty nest mom feeling a mix of pride, sadness, loneliness, and uncertainty, this...

The empty nest can feel emotional, confusing, and quieter than you expected. In this episode, Marianne Iverson shares a hopeful message for moms navigating life after their kids leave home. This conversation is about permission. Permission to slow down, to stop having everything figured out, and to believe that this season can still hold something meaningful and good. If you’re an empty nest mom w...

When kids leave home, most women expect to miss their kids. What they don’t expect is how many relationships start to feel different at the same time. Marriage can feel unfamiliar. Friendships can feel harder to maintain. And being alone with yourself can bring up feelings you didn’t anticipate. In this episode, we talk about the important truth about relationships after kids leave and why this se...

When the kids leave, the house gets quieter. But what no one prepares you for is how you can go quiet too. Suddenly everyone’s asking, “So what are you going to do now?” And inside you’re thinking, “I want more… but I don’t even know where to start.” In this episode, we talk honestly about reinventing yourself in midlife after the empty nest. Not in a flashy, pressure-filled way. But in a grounded...

When your kids leave home, the house gets quiet—and a lot of women quietly wonder, “Who am I now?” In this episode, we talk about why feeling lost doesn’t mean you failed—it means you were all in. You’ll hear why the quiet of the empty nest isn’t empty at all, how staying busy can keep you from hearing yourself, and how purpose is built slowly by following what lights you up. If you’re navigating...