The Rise2Shine Podcast with Noelle Kustas

What if you didn’t need to rush into this year at all? As we move into 2026, I wanted to create space instead of noise. This episode is a gentle midlife reflection on what the last year taught me, what I’m choosing to leave behind, and what I’m intentionally carrying forward. No pressure. No “new year, new you.” Just honesty, clarity, and self-trust. This season of my life has been about boldness...

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Marie Livesey , a board-certified family medicine physician, Navy veteran, and founder of Lively Holistic Health, to talk about burnout recovery for women, metabolic health, and why self-compassion weight loss is not fluffy. It is the foundation. We get real about the patterns I see in so many midlife women (including me sometimes). Putting everyone else first,...

From Striving to Receiving: The Sacred Pause That Shifts Everything A faith-led reflection for women ready to slow down and receive What if this in-between season is not something to rush through, but something to receive? In this episode, I’m inviting you into what I call the sacred pause , the quiet space between what was and what’s next. The days after Christmas carry a unique rhythm, one that...

Have you ever felt like something was “off” inside you, even when life looks good on the outside? In this episode, I talk with Julie Brumley , trauma-informed adoptee coach and founder of Coming Home to Self, about the hidden impact of adoption trauma and why adoptee wounds often live at a deep, preverbal level. We explore primal trauma, the pressure to “just be grateful,” and how somatic healing...

What would you say if you stopped trying to sound polished and finally told the truth? This episode is different on purpose. It’s my birthday week, I’m turning 52, and instead of another carefully curated episode, I’m sharing my midlife manifesto . This is unedited, heart-led, and rooted in truth, not strategy. We’re talking about using your voice, identity shifts, faith over performance, choosing...

Are you craving a softer way to end the year, one that feels nourishing instead of rushed? So many of us reach December feeling stretched thin and wishing we could simply exhale. In this episode, I guide you through a gentle year-end reset created for the woman who wants presence, peace, and a true return to herself. Instead of ending the year with pressure, I share identity-level reframes, micro...

Have you ever felt that pull that tells you there’s more waiting for you in this chapter of life?   In this episode, I’m talking with my friend Pam Osborne , who reinvented her life at 55 and proves that purpose, confidence, and joy don’t expire. Her story shows how one small yes can open an entirely new path and remind you that midlife is a beginning, not an ending. We cover what it looks like to...

What if gift giving this year felt meaningful instead of overwhelming? In Part 3 of the Glow Through the Holidays series, I’m sharing my personal favorite gifts, wellness tools, cozy home items, and beauty essentials that have truly supported my glow up this year. Not the “add to cart because everyone else is doing it” kind, but the gifts that bring comfort, intention, joy, and ease into real life...

What if this was the year you protected your peace instead of your to-do list? So many women walk into this season already exhausted, already overextended, and already bracing themselves for the chaos. If that’s you, take a breath. This episode will help you shift from surviving the holidays to actually enjoying them again. In Part 2 of my Glow Through the Holidays series , I’m sharing how I moved...

Feeling the weight of the holidays creeping in? The pressure to make everything perfect, keep everyone happy, and still find peace within yourself can feel like too much. You’re not alone , and this conversation will help you exhale. In this first part of my Glow Through the Holidays series, I share how I stopped chasing the perfect holiday and started practicing something far more powerful: grati...

Have you ever felt time slipping through your fingers no matter how much you try to hold onto it? Lately, I’ve been feeling time in my bones through motherhood, marriage, caregiving, and watching generations shift around me. If you’ve ever looked at your calendar and thought, “How is this my life right now?” this one is for you. I’m sharing insights from the American Time Use Study , the reality o...

Are you tired of guessing what’s “clean,” and ready for simple swaps that actually help your family feel better? I sat down with my friend Shelly Jefferis , wellness educator and host of Words of Wellness, to talk about self-care without guilt , reading labels with confidence , and building a faith-first, family-first lifestyle that lasts. Shelly shares why she founded Moms Who Flourish, how her p...

Have you been feeling an unexplainable shift lately, like something in you is quietly changing, even if you can’t put words to it? If so, this episode will meet you right where you are. I open up about what I call a soulful reset , that in-between season where things feel softer, slower, and a little uncertain, but deeply sacred underneath. Whether you’ve been craving stillness, clarity, or a sens...

Have you ever wondered what might happen if women in their 20s and 40s actually sat down and really listened to one another? In this episode, I’m joined by two incredible women who inspire me daily, my daughter Alexa Johnston and her best friend Elysee Vielma , for a heartfelt, raw conversation about what it means to be a woman in your 20s today. We talk about ambition, anxiety, faith, pressure, b...

Is your phone quietly running your life instead of you? In this raw and real episode, I get honest about how phone addiction and constant accessibility have been draining my energy and stealing my spark. If you’ve ever promised yourself “just five more minutes” of scrolling, only to look up and realize an hour has disappeared, you’ll feel seen here. I’ll share the five simple boundaries I call “an...

What if the greatest mission of your life was sparked by love for your child? In this episode, I sit down with my radiant friend Amie Schindler , a wife, mom of three, and fierce advocate for the autism community. When her son Brayden entered adulthood and suddenly lost access to vital services, Amie didn’t stay stuck in frustration. She followed the nudge from God, stepped into her purpose, and p...

Have you ever felt like the person you once were no longer fits, yet the new version of you hasn’t fully arrived? That in-between space can feel unsettling, but it’s also a powerful sign: you’re in an identity shift. In this episode, I share how to recognize the subtle (and not-so-subtle) signs of a midlife shift and the four anchors you can lean on when everything feels uncertain. From faith to n...

Are you dressing like the woman you are becoming, or the woman you used to be? In this episode, I sit down with brand style strategist Katie Watford , creator of the Industry Icon Style Formula , to explore how identity-first style shifts far more than your closet. Katie shares her journey from celebrity styling in LA to pioneering virtual styling and creating a signature method that helps women a...

Ever said yes to something so big it made you want to throw up and cheer at the same time? That’s exactly what happened when I became a first-time author . In this episode, recorded just two days after my book went live, I pull back the curtain on the fun house ride of a book launch, from the adrenaline highs to the vulnerable lows, and everything in between. This isn’t a polished success story. I...

What if the season you’re in right now is the exact doorway to your next chapter? In this powerful episode of the Rise2Shine Podcast, I sit down with Lisa Blaisdell , a wellness entrepreneur and midlife woman who has navigated reinvention, resilience, and redefining what it means to truly shine. Lisa shares her raw and real journey of finding purpose beyond the roles she once identified with, and...

Have you ever had life crack you wide open when you least expected it? In this episode, I get real about what it looks like when change doesn’t arrive gently but barges in with force, unraveling your plans, testing your identity, and asking you to find courage you didn’t know you had. From releasing my first book, to letting go of a community I loved, to processing sudden loss, I share the bold, t...

What if the words you say to yourself are the very thing holding you back from the life you want? In this powerful conversation, I sit down with my friend and fellow coach, Heather McNally , a Master Certified Life Coach, keynote speaker, and author, to unpack how limiting beliefs are formed, and how you can rewire them for lasting change. Heather’s journey from surviving childhood abuse to creati...

What if the only thing standing between you and the life you want is the image you hold of yourself? In this episode, I’m revealing the one thing that’s quietly shaping your confidence, your income, your relationships, and even your joy,  your self-image. And no, I don’t mean how you look in the mirror. I’m talking about the mental portrait of who you believe yourself to be. When your self-image i...

Ever feel like you're doing everything for everyone else and no one’s asking how you’re doing? In this heartfelt and healing episode, I sit down with my friend and certified emotion management coach, Shana Towns, for a powerful conversation that speaks directly to every midlife woman who’s ever felt emotionally overloaded, especially those living in the thick of the sandwich generation. You kn...

Are you mistaking breadcrumbs of effort for the full banquet of real love? I said something in the last solo episode that hit a nerve with so many of you: you deserve a champion. Not someone who just says the right words but someone who shows up for you, holds space for your evolution, and protects your light. Too many women call emotional labor “love” and stay in relationships built on potential...