The Doula Johanna Podcast: Keeping Death Close. Living More Fully.

Are you in your forties or fifties wondering what comes next in life, love, and purpose? In this episode, I help you reframe midlife not as an ending but as an awakening and reset. You’ll learn how your inner compass can guide you toward more intentional living, richer relationships, meaningful work, and a grounded sense of joy even amid transition. This video explores: 0:00 Introduction 1:04 What...

Time Blocking for Mothers Over 40 (How to Plan Your Ideal Week Without Burnout) If your calendar feels like a list of obligations instead of a life you actually want, this video is for you. We all have the same 168 hours in a week, but in midlife, especially as mothers over 40, we can’t plan the way we did at 25. In this episode, I walk you through my time-blocking method for mothers over 40 and s...

Mothers in Midlife: 5 Hidden Energy Leaks That Steal Your Strength & How to Stop Them If you’re a mother in midlife and you feel tired in a way that sleep alone doesn’t fix, this episode is for you. ✨ This is not a “let’s complain about life” video. Midlife can be a powerful phase. But it’s also a season where so much depends on us, and we simply can’t afford to leak energy everywhere without...

Midlife & Perimenopause: Calm, Courageous, Intentional (A Reframe Without Panic) Perimenopause is everywhere right now, but the way it’s talked about often feels heavy, negative, and honestly a little hopeless. This video is for the mother in midlife who is done with that story and ready to shift perspective. If you’re in your late 30s, 40s, or early 50s and you feel like something is shifting...

ntentional Living for Midlife Women | Create Systems, Not Goals It’s a new year, and most goals are already in danger, not because you are lazy, but because a goal is only an outcome. If you want real change in 2026, you need a system. A small set of habits that still works when life is messy. In this short episode, I’ll show you how to: Choose one meaningful goal for 2026 that is upstream of ever...

There are losses no one ever knew about. The pregnancy that ended before you could tell anyone. The abortion you chose in an impossible situation and still think about years later. If you are quietly grieving a miscarriage or abortion while everyone around you is oblivious, this conversation is for you. In this video I share my own experience of early loss and what I have learned as a birth doula...

5 Life Lessons I Learned From Death & Dying | Gentle Reflections for Women in Midlife SAVE YOUR SPOT FOR THE INTENTION SETTING PARTY: https://shorturl.at/h9oqY Isn’t it depressing to think about death and dying? If part of you is curious about the end of life, but another part is afraid it will make everything feel heavier or darker, this conversation is for you. In this episode, I share 5 sur...

SAVE YOUR SPOT FOR THE INTENTION SETTING PARTY: https://the-no-regrets-womens-circle.mn.co/share/FViQ_HWLSGM4wCcd?utm_source=manual JOIN THE NO REGRETS WOMEN’S CIRCLE 2026: https://the-no-regrets-womens-circle.mn.co/share/FViQ_HWLSGM4wCcd?utm_source=manual If you are a mother in midlife and you feel that life is too precious to sleepwalk through another year, this episode is for you. In our fortie...

If this Christmas was the last one you had with all the grandparents at the table, or the last one with your kids exactly as they are right now, what would actually change for you? If December usually feels stressful, heavy or chaotic, you are not alone. Mothers usually juggle an insane amount of tasks during the holiday season. In this episode I share how my work as a birth doula and hospice volu...

Have you ever thought about your funeral preferences? Most expats in Germany discover very quickly that the funeral system here feels completely different from what they grew up with. SInce losing several beloved people in my life, I was deeply aware of the emotional load families carry at the end of life made me understand how much easier everything becomes when we prepare a few things in advance...

This is the third episode in my End of Life Essentials series, and today we are talking about something almost no one prepares for even though it can spare your loved ones weeks of stress and confusion. If the unthinkable were to happen, would your partner, your children or your closest friends know where to begin? Would they know where your important documents are, who to call, what accounts exis...

This episode is part of the End of Life Essentials series, created to help you make life easier for the people you love most. If you have ever thought that your partner or your closest family member could simply step in and make decisions for you if something happened, this episode will give you the clarity you deserve. A Power of Attorney, or Vorsorgevollmacht, is not just paperwork. It is an act...

Have you ever avoided thinking about what would happen if you couldn’t make decisions for yourself? Most people do. We push the thought away because it feels too heavy, too final, too uncomfortable. Yet somewhere deep down we know that avoiding it doesn’t protect us or our loved ones — it only leaves them uncertain when they’ll need clarity the most. In this first episode of End-of-Life Essentials...

These are the lessons that shaped me — from perfectionism and purpose to love, health, and what really matters when we remember that life is finite. If you’ve ever wondered what it means to live with intention, to stay grateful in the chaos of midlife, or to create a life you’ll be proud to look back on, this episode is for you. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 01:34 Being Human with Kindness 03:54 Love an...

Recorded under the Tuscan sun, this heartfelt conversation invites you to look back with compassion, honesty, and a little courage. In this episode, I explore the legacy of our parents: the patterns we inherited, the beliefs that shaped us, and the power we have now to choose what continues and what ends with us. As parents ourselves, we know how easy it is to mess up and how healing it can be to...

What will you remember when it’s all said and done? In this second episode of the Legacy Series, recorded under the warm Tuscan sun, I share something very vulnerable: how even on a beautiful family vacation, I found myself exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering why joy still felt out of reach. As a mother in midlife, I often feel like I’m supposed to have it all figured out, but the truth is, some...

When your children grow up and look back, what will they actually remember about you? Not the to-do lists or the rushing, but the feeling of being with you. In this first episode of the Legacy Series, recorded during my summer stay in Tuscany, I invite you to pause and reflect on the emotional traces we leave behind for our kids. Surrounded by olive groves and slow Italian afternoons, I share some...

In this final episode, I invite you to slow down, close your eyes, and sink into a deeply nurturing guided meditation created just for mothers who are ready to welcome more abundance, joy, and prosperity into their lives. This practice weaves together everything we’ve explored so far: reconnecting with your body, honoring your dreams, letting go of what no longer serves you, and planting the seeds...

How deeply are you aware of the financial impact of motherhood on your life? Like so many women, I chose to step back from my career when my children were little. I knew I was trading income for time and presence, and I don't regret that. But I never fully understood just how big that trade-off would be in the long run, especially when it comes to retirement savings, pension contributions, and...

Feeling stretched thin or stuck in survival mode? In this episode — part 6 of my 8-part Abundance Series — we explore 7 simple yet powerful habits that can gently shift you into a more abundant state, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. These habits are designed with mothers in midlife in mind and honor your capacity, your rhythms, and your dreams. Whether you're navigating burnout, rein...

What if the biggest thing standing between you and more abundance... isn't your budget, your job, or your partner but an old belief you're still carrying? In this episode of the Abundance Series, we explore how emotional blocks around money can quietly hold us back, and how EFT tapping can help you clear them. I guide you through a very personal EFT tapping session to help release one of t...

This episode is a gentle invitation to reflect. Not to overhaul your life, but to notice what's no longer helping you—and what you're ready to release. As mothers, we often carry things we never meant to: guilt, pressure, expectations, habits that no longer feel like us. This week, I’m guiding you through a simple life audit to help you get honest about what’s taking up space in your body,...

As mothers, we spend so many years showing up for everyone else’s needs. Somewhere along the way, our own dreams get quiet. Or buried. Or put off for someday. But what if someday is now? In this episode of the Abundance Series, I invite you to pause—just for a moment—and reconnect with your vision. The life that would feel deeply meaningful, nourishing, and true to you. Not what the world says you...

Are you waiting until the kids are asleep to care for your body? In this episode of the Abundance Series, we explore why your health can’t wait—and why treating your body with love during motherhood (not just around it) is a radical act of abundance. Johanna shares her personal story of burnout, healing, and how embracing the 8 pillars of the NEWSTART model helped her reconnect with her body in su...

Welcome to Episode 1 of the Abundance for Mothers Series with Doula Johanna. In this opening episode, we explore the most powerful yet often overlooked key to abundance: gratitude. You’ll learn why gratitude isn’t just a feel-good practice—but a scientifically-backed tool to rewire your brain for more joy, creativity, and financial flow. I share my personal story of how choosing gratitude—especial...