Midlife Mayhem

Send a text We explore holiday fractures—grief, family rifts, and the pressure of the “shoulds”—and how midlife wisdom helps us set boundaries, loosen control, and rediscover joy. Faith, flexibility, and simple wellness steps create space for peace in a blended-family season. • naming internal fractures and honoring grief • setting calm, clear boundaries around plans • flexibility with blended-fam...

Send a text We explore how to protect energy, set boundaries, and choose relationships in midlife using a simple measure: heartbeats. From blended family stress to bucket-filling habits and clearer communication, we share stories and tools to invest where it truly counts. • the heartbeat lens for time and relationships • cutting leeches and honoring healthy boundaries • choosing communities that v...

Send a text What if the most meaningful parts of life show up in the in‑between—airport curbs, hospital breezeways, snow-blown roads at 2 a.m.? We explore “thin spaces,” those moments when heaven feels close and the world goes quiet enough to hear what matters. From caring for Nana through pancreatic cancer to a last-minute flight that arrived just in time, we open up about the decisions, neighbor...

Send a text We trace Stephen’s path from emergency medicine to orthopedics and entrepreneurship, and we share how those experiences shaped Thin Space Wellness. We dig into food as medicine, aesthetics done thoughtfully, and the practical support that helps people change for good. • gratitude for listeners and how sharing has been therapeutic • Stephen’s training, ER stories, and the decision to pu...

Send a text Ever felt like your body changed overnight and the scale stopped listening? We get real about midlife weight gain, stress, and hormones—and what it actually takes to feel strong and confident again. Carrie opens up about gaining 60 pounds in her 40s, trying every diet, and finding traction only when medical support, mindset work, and daily habits lined up. Together, we walk through her...

Send a text Ever left a conversation feeling smaller, confused, or like you might be the problem? That uneasy signal matters. We open up about the hidden mechanics of narcissistic abuse—how love bombing morphs into devaluation, why hoovering is so persuasive, and the neuroscience behind trauma bonding that keeps smart, capable people stuck. This is a grounded, stigma-free guide to recognizing patt...

Send a text Ever feel like the person in the mirror isn’t the one you are inside? That unresolved tension is what musicians call dissonance, and it shows up in midlife as fatigue, heaviness, and a face that reads tired or stern no matter how hard you try. I just returned from Allergan’s MD Codes training with Dr. DeMaio, and I’m breaking down how a strategic, artistry-meets-anatomy approach can re...

Send a text A confession, a catharsis, and a roadmap for anyone who’s ever felt the ground disappear beneath their feet. Kim opens up about growing up around divorce, losing her mother, and how those early stories planted a vision of love she chased into adulthood—through a too-fast first marriage, a second marriage defined by control and narcissism, and finally a partnership that feels like home....

Send a text When the 3 a.m. thoughts won’t quit, the truth gets loud: relationships can save us, stretch us, and sometimes break us open. I’m talking about the raw middle—where childhood trauma still hums under the surface, where people-pleasing used to run the show, and where midlife finally hands us permission to protect our peace without apology. This conversation moves through the tender parts...

Send a text Surrounded by golden aspens on the porch of Seven Keys Lodge in Estes Park, I sat down with grief counselor Bridget Caletka for what became one of the most powerful conversations I've had about loss, healing, and the spaces between. "Say their names," Bridget encourages as we discuss those we've lost—her mother Alice and my mother Susan. This simple act of naming br...

Send a text What happens when unimaginable tragedy strikes in childhood? For Tim Resch, losing his father, grandfather, and younger brother to a drunk driver at age 13 became the catalyst for an extraordinary life journey that led him to become a real-life mountain man in the Colorado Rockies. In this deeply moving conversation with host Kim Branham, Tim shares his remarkable story of resilience w...

Send a text Kim Branum shares the defining moment of her life—losing her mother in a tragic accident at age seven when her mom stopped to help a stranger on the side of the road. This childhood trauma has shaped every aspect of her life since that day. • How the accident happened when Kim was seven and her brother was 18 months old • Memory gaps that protected her from the trauma as her mother was...

Send a text Kim Branum welcomes her patient-turned-friend Kim from Estes Park, Colorado, who shares her remarkable 60-pound weight loss journey using GLP-1 medications over the past 14 months. • Starting Weight Watchers at age 10 led to a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and trying countless fad diets • After decades of struggle, Kim had resigned herself to remaining overweight in middle age • Initial di...

Send a text Feeling stuck in your body despite your best efforts? You're not alone. The buzz around GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro has reached fever pitch, but separating fact from fiction can feel impossible. As a nurse and midlife woman who's been there myself, I'm pulling back the curtain on these "medications heard around the world." The magic of GLP-1 tre...

Send a text Kim shares her personal wellness journey from childhood weight awareness to finding freedom from restriction and true comfort in her skin after losing 45 pounds in midlife. • First became aware of weight during summers with grandparents, fluctuating between "plumping up" and slimming down • Developed food restriction habits in elementary school after a cafeteria worker's...

Send a text Welcome to Midlife Mayhem —where we embrace the beautiful chaos that comes with life in the messy middle. I’m your host, Kim Branum, RN-BSN, wellness coach, co-owner of Thin Space Wellness, and boy mom x3. In this very first episode, recorded during a sleepless night in a bathrobe and eye patches (because midlife skin care waits for no one), I give you a real, unfiltered introduction t...