Midlife Reclaimed: A Podcast for Women Over 40 Navigating Midlife Burnout

As we close Season 8 of Midlife Reclaimed, I wanted to share a conversation that feels deeply relevant to the times we are living in. My guest is Minky van der Walt, Registered Music Therapist, trauma therapist, clinical supervisor, and educator. While much of Minky's work focuses on supporting therapists, healthcare workers, educators, and other helping professionals, the themes we explore in thi...

What do you do when everything feels like too much? In this final solo episode of Season 8 of Midlife Reclaimed, clinical psychologist Shannon Swales offers gentle, practical grounding practices for overwhelmed days — especially for midlife women carrying the emotional, mental, and physical load of life. Together, we explore why overwhelm is such a common experience in midlife, including the impac...

About the Episode In this episode of Midlife Reclaimed, I’m joined by Kim — a survivor of domestic abuse, a mother, an author, and a fierce advocate for truth-telling. This is a deeply important conversation. We explore the often unseen and misunderstood nature of domestic abuse — particularly the gradual ways it can unfold over time. The kind that doesn’t always look obvious from the outside, and...

This episode may resonate with midlife women navigating burnout, identity shifts, or a desire to reconnect with themselves in a more compassionate way. Episode Description: This isn’t an episode to give you answers. It’s a space to gently turn toward yourself. In this solo episode, I invite you into a quiet pause, a space to step outside of the narratives we’ve been given about midlife — especiall...

WOMEN IN PODCASTING AWARDS: Show your support by voting for Midlife Reclaimed: https://www.womenpodcasters.com/midlife-reclaimed Voting is open April 1 - 30th. Winners Announced in May 2026. Host, Shannon A Swales, is also nominated in the category of podcaster guest for her 20+ appearances on other podcasts to spread her wisdom and knowledge on burnout and midlife health and well-being for women...

WOMEN IN PODCASTING AWARDS: Show your support by voting for Midlife Reclaimed: https://www.womenpodcasters.com/midlife-reclaimed Voting is open April 1 - 30th. Creativity is something many of us leave behind as life becomes fuller, busier, & more demanding. But what if reconnecting with creativity in midlife could be one of the most nourishing things we do for ourselves? In this ep, I’m joined...

In this solo episode of Midlife Reclaimed, I explore grief in midlife — a powerful but often unrecognised experience for many midlife women, especially those navigating burnout, identity shifts, changing roles, and the emotional transitions of this life stage. When we think of grief, we often think about death. But grief in midlife can also arise through: burnout and recovery changes in health, en...

In this episode of the Midlife Reclaimed Podcast , I’m joined by Clinical Psychologist Kirstin Bouse — widely known as The Midlife Psychologist — for an important conversation about hormones, mental health, and identity in midlife women. We explore how hormonal transitions such as perimenopause and menopause can influence mood, anxiety, burnout, neurodivergence, and overall psychological wellbeing...

When caring for others leaves you burnout, midlife can become a turning point for many women. In this solo episode of Midlife Reclaimed , clinical psychologist Shannon Swales explores midlife burnout, caregiver stress, and how self-compassion can help exhausted women learn to care for themselves without the pressure to “fix” themselves. Many midlife women are exceptionally skilled at caring for ot...

Perfectionism often looks like being capable, reliable, and responsible — the one others can count on. But beneath those labels, many women over 40 are quietly exhausted and teetering on the edge or tipping over into midlife burnout. In this solo episode of Midlife Reclaimed , psychologist and author Shannon A. Swales explores how perfectionism subtly tightens its grip in midlife — and why it so o...

In this solo episode of Midlife Reclaimed , psychologist and author Shannon A. Swales gently explores one of the quiet but powerful drivers of midlife burnout for women: the weight of “shoulds.” Those internalised expectations — I should be coping better… I shouldn’t need this much rest… I should be able to do it all — often sit beneath chronic stress, exhaustion, and self-criticism. And yet, they...

In this powerful and deeply human conversation, Shannon is joined by lived-experience guest Michelle Stalimeros , who shares her journey through burnout, midlife upheaval, and personal transformation. Michelle reflects on the early patterns that shaped her drive, years of striving in high-pressure corporate roles, and the subtle signs of burnout she missed along the way. She speaks openly about th...

Feeling constantly exhausted, overwhelmed, or like you’re running on empty — even after resting? In this episode of Midlife Reclaimed, Shannon A Swales explores pacing, a powerful and compassionate approach to managing your energy in midlife to prevent midlife burnout. If rest is how you refill your tank, pacing is how you spend your energy — wisely, intentionally, and without slipping back into b...

Parental burnout is something many parents quietly shoulder — deep exhaustion, emotional disconnection, loss of joy, and the painful sense of not being the parent they used to be or want to be. In this episode, we dive into what parental burnout truly is, how it develops, and why so many parents are struggling under the weight of modern expectations. We explore: ✨ the difference between everyday...

Rest isn’t something we earn at the end of the to-do list — it’s something we can gently weave into the middle of our lives. In this solo episode, Shannon explores how to create micro-moments of rest in the midst of busyness — small, compassionate pauses that help the nervous system soften and restore. She unpacks the myth of “enough time,” redefines what rest can look like in real life, and share...

In this powerful conversation, Shannon is joined by Lazz Tomic — a workplace wellbeing and early intervention specialist who’s lived both sides of burnout: as a professional advising on wellbeing, and as someone who burned out while doing that very work. Together they explore what happens when the system itself is tired — when workplace cultures built on productivity, compliance, and “doing more”...

In this episode, Shannon is joined by Dr. Stan Steindl to explore the true meaning of compassion — beyond kindness or a fleeting feeling — as a powerful practice that transforms how we relate to ourselves and others. They unpack why so many of us, especially women in midlife, find it easier to give compassion than receive it, and explore the common fears and blocks that get in the way. Together, t...

Welcome to Season 8 of Midlife Reclaimed ! In this first solo episode of the new season, I’m introducing a fresh format: shorter, more focused episodes designed to fit gently into your month. So many of us in midlife crave rest, yet when the moment finally arrives, it can feel deeply uncomfortable — even unsafe. In this episode, I explore why rest is harder than it looks, and how years of conditio...

In this episode, I sit down with Karina Schneider — a certified coach (ACC), Mental Health First Aid Instructor, and seasoned Global People & Culture Leader. Karina has spent over 20 years working across consulting, healthcare, engineering, and non-profit sectors. Today, she combines her HR expertise with coaching and lived experience to help people return to work in a way that’s paced, meanin...

This episode was groundbreaking for me—both personally and professionally. In my own journey through burnout, and in the stories I witness daily as a psychologist supporting midlife women, I’ve often sensed that there was something deeper—something unspoken—beneath the exhaustion, the disconnection, the collapse. Meeting Lora Cheadle and learning about betrayal as a root cause of burnout felt like...

In episode 54 of Midlife Reclaimed, we dive into one of the most quietly complex areas of midlife burnout recovery—relationships and intimacy. Whether you’re partnered or not, midlife often brings emotional and relational shifts that can leave us questioning what connection, desire, and closeness mean now. This conversation is an open, compassionate look at how burnout impacts intimacy—and how we...

In this solo episode, I invite you to see burnout through a different lens — not as a crisis to fear, but as a call for change, growth, and deeper self-connection. Drawing from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), my own burnout journey, the inspiring work of Dr. Dina Glouberman ( The Joy of Burnout ), and the lived experiences of my clients, we’ll explore how burnout can be a doorway to a lif...

In Episode 52 , I’m joined by Nicole Gribble, owner and coach at This is Living Nutrition, and a coach at one of Australia’s most popular gyms—Fitstop. Nicole works with adults across all life stages, but many of her clients happen to be midlife women—navigating stress, hormonal changes, and the question we all ask at some point: “Why am I doing everything ‘right’ and still feel so tired?” Togethe...

In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Debbie Sorensen, a clinical psychologist, who specialises in helping midlife adults with burnout. Dr. Sorensen is the author of ACT for Burnout (2023), a guide for breaking the burnout cycle, and co-host of Psychologists Off the Clock . She shares insights on how burnout shows up uniquely in midlife and the common patterns she observes. We explore the role of Acc...

Vulnerability isn’t a weakness—it’s a superpower that fuels growth, resilience, and deeper connections. Yet, for many midlife women, embracing vulnerability can feel daunting, especially when navigating career shifts, evolving relationships, and changing identities. In this episode, we explore what vulnerability truly means, why it’s essential for navigating midlife with courage, and how it can be...