Midlife with Brooke

Consider What You're Considering: A Lesson from King Mosiah When King Mosiah's people wanted a new king, he gave them counsel that applies to every decision we make in our families today: "I desire that ye should consider the cause which ye are called to consider" (Mosiah 29:5). In other words — consider what you're considering. In this episode, I share how a family home evening lesson from my dad...

What makes Gen Z tick — and why does it feel so hard to connect with them? In this episode, Brooke sits down with Maggon Osmond, owner of Kindness Matters Education, who has spent 20 years working with teens and young adults. Maggon brings a warm, practical perspective to one of the most common struggles her clients face: understanding the generation they're raising. Maggon works with businesses t...

Have you ever put off cleaning your bathrooms because you didn't have time for a deep clean? Or held back a creative project because it wasn't quite ready? Or avoided a hard conversation because the timing wasn't perfect? That's perfectionism in disguise and it's keeping you stuck. In this episode, Brooke introduces one of her favorite concepts: B-minus work. A B-minus is a passing grade, and it t...

When Helping Isn't Helping Brooke Oniki Life Coaching Podcast My husband was making cookies. He's done it dozens of times. And I still couldn't keep my mouth shut about the butter. That moment introduced me — again — to a concept from leadership researcher Liz Wiseman: the difference between multipliers and diminishers. Wiseman was studying corporations. But she was describing our families. In thi...

We live in a world designed for comfort — same-day delivery, instant answers, and climate-controlled rooms. But what happens when that instinct for ease bleeds into our most important relationships? In this episode, Brooke explores what it means to expand your zone of relational discomfort and why staying in the hard moments might be the most loving thing you can do. Drawing on a yoga metaphor tha...

What does it look like to love someone when their path unfolds differently than you expected? In this heartfelt conversation, Brooke sits down with Sandra Rhees and her son Jeremy to talk about their family's experience navigating faith, family relationships, and Jeremy's journey as a gay, active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeremy shares his experience of recognizing...

Family reunions. Holidays. Summer trips. Long weekends with adult children, in-laws, and extended family. Sometimes they’re full of connection and joy. Sometimes they come with stress, hurt feelings, unmet expectations, or that one conversation that catches you off guard. In today’s episode, I’m sharing three simple tools to help you show up differently at family gatherings this summer. Instead of...

Today we’re talking about a fascinating concept: our brains resist state changes. When we’re sitting, we don’t want to stand. When we’re home, we don’t want to leave. When we finally start cleaning, we suddenly don’t want to stop. This isn’t because you’re lazy or unmotivated. Our brains love familiarity, efficiency, and conserving energy. In this episode we discuss: • Why transitions feel hard •...

Today’s episode is a special conversation with two fellow relationship coaches, and . Together, we talk about some of the most powerful tools we use with clients to create healthier, more connected relationships. We discuss: Why black-and-white thinking creates disconnection How curiosity softens judgment What nervous system regulation has to do with communication Why defensiveness makes hard conv...

Mother’s Day can bring up a wide range of emotions—joy, gratitude, disappointment, even resentment. Wherever you find yourself on that spectrum, this episode offers a thoughtful and empowering way to approach the day differently. In this episode, I share 7 practical ideas to help you create a Mother’s Day that feels meaningful and enjoyable to you—without relying on anyone else to get it “just rig...

In this episode, I’m joined by Tucker Boyle for a beautiful and honest conversation about faith journeys, faith crisis, and how to stay connected to the people we love when their beliefs begin to shift. Tucker shares his own experience of moving through a difficult faith crisis while serving as a seminary teacher and church leader, and how that journey helped him understand faith, questions, nervo...

What do you do when life doesn’t turn out the way you expected? Whether you're navigating loss, preparing for an empty nest, or simply wondering “what’s next for me?” —this conversation will meet you right where you are. In this episode, I sit down with life coach Kolette Hall, who shares her powerful story of becoming a young widow, raising her son, and learning—again and again—how to move forwar...

In this episode of Midlife with Brooke , we talk about a simple idea that can feel surprisingly hard to live: accepting reality. So often, we don’t realize we’re resisting what’s actually happening. We think we’re just seeing things clearly… but underneath it, there’s a quiet argument with reality: This shouldn’t be happening. They shouldn’t have done that. It was supposed to be different. That re...

Episode Summary You send a text… and then you wait. Maybe it’s been a few hours. Maybe a few days. And before long, your mind starts filling in the gaps. In this episode, I talk about why it feels so personal when your kids don’t text you back—and how to stay grounded, connected, and at peace no matter what. We’ll walk through the difference between facts and the stories we tell, how your nervous...

So much of our stress and disconnection comes from one pattern: all-or-nothing thinking. This is when your brain offers you two extreme options— always or never, success or failure, all in or checked out. But real life doesn’t happen on the extremes. It happens in the middle. In this episode, I share how this shows up in parenting adult children, marriage, and even the way we take care of ourselve...

In this episode, I continue my conversation with my son Ben about women, leadership, and feeling heard in the Church. This conversation is an invitation to better understand how our kids experience the Church—their questions, their concerns, and the ideas they’re thoughtfully working through. We talk about what good leadership feels like, why voice matters, and how being willing to really hear eac...

In this special anniversary episode, Tom and I sit down with our daughter Kaitlyn to share the story of how we met, became friends, and eventually fell in love. What began as a fun friendship slowly grew into something deeper. We talk about the hesitations, the timing, the role of prayer, and the surprising way our relationship came together. It is a personal episode, but it also touches on faith,...

In this episode, I’m joined by Angela Jones, a nurse practitioner who specializes in women’s health and menopause care. We talk about perimenopause, menopause, hormones, sleep, bone health, weight changes, and how to advocate for yourself if you feel dismissed by a provider. Angela explains the difference between perimenopause and menopause, why symptoms can feel so unpredictable, and why women ne...

In today’s episode, Brooke sits down with Leah Davidson (Toronto-based speech language pathologist and nervous system educator) for a practical, hope-filled conversation about nervous system regulation and safety and why it matters so much in midlife and in our relationships with adult children. If you’ve ever wondered, “Why did I react like that?” or felt your body go into stress mode over someth...

Episode Highlights (Quick Notes) Why your young adult may not “get it” yet — and why that’s normal What a frame of reference actually means (and how it shapes every reaction) The college airport goodbye that didn’t make sense… until 30 years later A tragic family experience that permanently shaped Brooke’s compassion The simple but powerful lesson: When someone is hurting, come. Why people sometim...

Episode highlights (quick outline) Why Brooke is continuing the “young adult perspective” series Ben’s story: North Carolina → BYU → Sweden mission (COVID) → questions → stepping away → returning Defining patriarchy and naming the tension it creates Brooke’s experience vs. other women’s experiences Mission story: sister assistants + why it mattered Practical changes at home and in ward culture Res...

Podcast Show Notes — Midlife with Brooke Episode: Decluttering for Empty Nesters (with Rochelle Haywood) Host: Brooke Oniki Guest: Rachelle Heywood, Decluttering Coach Episode Summary Decluttering in midlife isn’t just about “getting organized”—it can be deeply emotional. In this conversation, Brooke sits down with decluttering coach Rachelle Heywood to talk about why clutter hits differently when...

Creating Safety in Yourself and Your Relationships In this episode of Midlife with Brooke , we explore why safety—not pressure—is the foundation for healthy conversations with our adult children . When the nervous system feels threatened, we lose access to clarity, curiosity, and problem-solving. But when safety is restored, relationships soften and real dialogue becomes possible. Brooke walks thr...

The Nervous System Thrives on Choice Recognizing the Trap & Widening the Options When parenting adult children feels tense or confusing, it’s often because your nervous system feels trapped. In this episode, Brooke shares a simple framework to help you calm anxiety and respond with clarity: recognize the trap and widen the options . When we believe there are only two bad choices, we become rea...

In this episode, Brooke shares a marriage webinar she taught a few years ago—packed with practical tools for strengthening connection, especially in the “kids are grown” season when the marriage dynamic often shifts. Brooke explains how you can change the feel of your marriage without waiting for your spouse to “try harder,” by focusing on what you can control: your thoughts, your emotions, and yo...