Life After Launch: Tools for coping with the empty nest, navigating midlife transitions, and parenting adult children.

Here is the thing nobody says out loud about midlife: for the last 18 years, your social life ran on autopilot. You didn't choose all your friends, you defaulted into them because your kids shared a carpool lane, a soccer team, or a school committee. In this episode of Life After Launch , we are doing a strict, unapologetic Friendship Audit. When the daily logistics of parenting disappear, the...

You've done the shopping. You've made the lists. But are you ready for the conversation that actually matters before college drop-off day? If you're a parent of an incoming college freshman, this episode is your playbook. I'm joined by empowerment coach and educator Sunny Markowitz, who has spent over 30 years helping young adults thrive and helping empty nest parents survive the l...

If you are navigating the empty nest transition, dealing with grief in midlife, or trying to redefine your identity after parenting young adults, this episode is your lifeline. This week on  Life After Launch , life coach for women Allison Goldberg sits down with author Suzy McNamara to discuss overcoming midlife anxiety and finding purpose when your life undergoes a sudden, massive shift. When th...

If you are navigating the empty nest transition, struggling with midlife anxiety, or trying to handle parenting young adults without losing your mind, this episode is your lifeline. This week on  Life After Launch , life coach Alison Goldberg breaks down why women over 50 face the heavy pressure of perfectionism and how to overcome emotional burnout when your kids leave home. Moving past the polis...

It’s May, and if you have a child graduating or moving out, you’re likely feeling the "May-cray" at an all-time high. You’re looking at every "last Tuesday" or "last late-night snack" and feeling that lump in your throat. But beneath the sadness, there is often a hidden layer of fear:  Will they be safe? Can they handle the pressure? Did I teach them enough? This week, Alis...

Is the silence in your house feeling a little too loud? When Allison Goldberg’s client tried to listen to this podcast, he had to turn it off because the reality of the empty nest felt too heavy. If you’re feeling that same weight, this episode is your permission slip to feel it all, the grief, the relief, and the terrifying excitement of what comes next. Today, Allison sits down with  Sheila Scot...

They didn’t just go away... they changed. It’s the moment every parent both craves and dreads: the realization that the child you raised has officially become an adult with their own opinions, their own bank account, and a life that no longer requires your constant intervention. But if we’re being honest? That shift can feel incredibly disorienting. In this episode of  Life After Launch , host All...

When the kids leave, everyone talks about the freedom… But no one talks about the  quiet. That moment when the house is still, your role shifts overnight, and you’re left wondering: Who am I now? In this episode of  Life After Launch , Allison sits down with author, TEDx speaker, and book coach Carolyn Flynn to unpack the emotional reality of the empty nest that so many women feel, but don’t have...

Are you feeling off in midlife… even though your life looks good on paper? You’re not alone. In this Season 2 premiere of  Life After Launch , we’re talking about something rarely discussed-the unexpected emotions of midlife and the empty nest years, especially after the initial transition is over. Because here’s the truth: You can feel grateful, proud, and stable… and still feel a little lost. In...

When I sat down to record this episode, I felt something I didn’t expect: a wave of emotion so strong it almost stopped me in my tracks.  Fifty episodes.  Fifty honest, vulnerable, messy, beautiful conversations and I realized this wasn’t just a milestone for the podcast. It was a milestone for  me . When I started  Life After Launch , I wasn’t trying to figure out the empty nest for the first tim...

I remember the morning after my youngest left for college. The house was quiet, peaceful, but unsettling. For years, every part of my day had revolved around my kids. And suddenly, I didn’t know what to do with the silence. If you’ve felt that same ache, that strange mix of freedom and loss, you’re in the right place. Hi, I’m Allison, and this is  Life After Launch. T he podcast where we talk hone...

After her youngest left for college and the divorce papers were signed, Annie found herself in a quiet house that suddenly felt unfamiliar. As a newly single empty nester , the stillness was more than silence and it was a space filled with memories, questions, and a kind of emptiness she hadn’t prepared for.  Slowly, through conversations, connection, and a willingness to sit with what felt uncomf...

Some mornings, the silence hits differently. You wake up, wander into a quiet kitchen, and there’s no one to remind about practice or to ask if they did their homework. After years of pouring into everyone else, the stillness that follows can feel jarring. As an empty nester , it’s easy to wonder: where do I begin now?  In this episode, I walk you through the personal story behind the workbook, wh...

For so many women over 50, especially those who’ve been a full-time mom, the empty nest brings more than just the absence of children. It brings a quiet space that can feel unfamiliar, a sense of identity loss, and a deep longing for connection. It stirs the tender question that sits quietly beneath the surface: What now? In this episode, I’m joined by Kelly Hess, a successful entrepreneur, wife,...

Lately, I’ve been thinking about how quickly everything changes when the kids leave. The routines vanish, the texts slow down, and suddenly, I’m standing in the quiet of my own life wondering what fits and what doesn’t anymore.  If you’re sitting in that same space, navigating an empty nest , shifting relationships, or feeling the subtle ache of reinvention, I want you to know: you're not the...

The day I dropped my daughter off at college, everything changed. I gave her a kiss, said goodbye, and got on the plane with a pit in my stomach. That moment marked the start of a quiet I wasn’t ready for and a chapter I didn’t quite know how to begin.  If you’re navigating an empty nest , feeling the stretch of a big life transition , or just wondering where you fit into this next season, you’re...

Can you believe it? Forty episodes in! In this milestone episode of  Life After Launch , I'm taking a moment to look back at this beautifully complicated empty nest chapter and share everything I’ve learned about midlife reinvention, emotional well-being, and designing a life of intentional living after the kids leave. This season of life is full of contradictions: joy and grief, freedom and u...

The kids are grown, the calendar’s a little more open, and suddenly the mirror feels like it’s asking bigger questions. Stepping into midlife can bring unexpected reflections on who you are beyond parenting, or who you thought you were supposed to be. In this episode, we’re joined by our guest, Cecilia (aka Silver Sister ), a midlife creator whose viral TikToks about embracing her gray hair and gr...

You raised them, loved them, gave them your whole self… and now the routines have changed. The house is quiet, but your mind isn’t. If stepping into the empty nest season has you feeling lost or struggling with your emotional health, this conversation speaks to the quiet, complicated parts of that transition. Today I’m joined by Elissa Varadi, a Houston-based therapist with 38 years of experience...

You thought the quiet would bring peace. Instead, it brought questions. What do I do now? Who am I without them here? And how do I make this next chapter mine? If the transition into the empty nest has left you feeling unsteady, you’re not the only one and there’s a path forward. In this episode, I’m sitting down with Jay Ramsden, an empty nest coach, and he unpacks what really happens when the ki...

Was there a moment when you walked past your child’s empty room and it hit harder than you expected? You might find yourself debating whether to reach out or hold back, unsure of what this new dynamic should look like. If your child’s start of college has you feeling a little off balance or unsure how to handle all the changes, you’re definitely not the only one. In this week’s conversation, Laura...

Is your teen in the middle of sorority rush or fraternity rush , and you're the one fielding the emotional fallout? Are you remembering your own bid day rejection, or silently hoping your child doesn’t feel the pain of rejection ? If the rush week process feels like more than you signed up for as a parent, this episode is for you. This isn’t just about Greek letters or group chats. It’s about...

College drop-off brought a wave of emotion you weren’t fully prepared for. Now the house is quiet, the routines are gone, and you're left sitting in a new kind of stillness. The silence isn’t just around you, it’s inside, too. If you’re like many empty nest moms , you’re feeling the weight of a major shift. The old parenting roles you knew so well don’t seem to fit anymore, and the new ones? S...

Have your adult children pulled away, not just emotionally, but completely? Do holidays pass without a single call or message? Are you living in the silence of family estrangement and wondering how things ended up here? You might be one of the estranged parents quietly carrying the weight of silence, questioning how something so natural, like parenting, could lead to such a painful distance. What...

In this episode, I share my own experience with empty nest loneliness , how it impacted my relationship, and the small but powerful steps I took to reconnect with myself and rebuild my self identity . We talk about how shame can keep us stuck, why pretending everything is fine only deepens the disconnection, and the moment I decided to face the truth out loud. I open up about the role therapy play...