Unapologetically Wild with Mary Giordano

There's a quiet lie running through so many women's lives. It doesn't sound dangerous. It sounds reasonable. Responsible, even. It sounds like: I'll start when things settle down. After this busy season. Once there's a little more time. In this episode I'm talking about the most dangerous sentence women say to themselves every single day, and why breaking that pattern has very little to do with mo...

Listen Again: This episode resonated deeply with listeners the first time it aired, and with so many new listeners joining the show, it felt like a good time to bring it back. Ever catch yourself thinking something like, “I’d love to do that… but I’m not enough”? Not capable enough. Not confident enough. Not ready enough. Most women never say that fear out loud, but it quietly shapes a lot of deci...

This is a replay of one of the most impactful episodes of Unapologetically Wild. Because fear is still the thing so many people point to as the reason they stay where they are. Fear of failure. Fear of judgment. Fear of getting it wrong. But what if fear isn’t actually the problem? What if the real reason you’re stuck has nothing to do with fear, and everything to do with the identity you’ve been...

Women always feel like they need permission. For everything. And most of us don’t even realize we’re doing it. In this episode, I’m talking about agency - your ability to make decisions about your own life without needing someone else to sign off on them. Where it went, why it’s not your fault, and how to start taking it back. I’m getting into the research on how girls are socialized from a young...

Nobody really talks about this, but there’s a shift that happens to women’s friendships in midlife. Not dramatic. Not explosive. More like a slow fade you don’t notice until one day you realize your world got smaller. In this episode, I’m talking about why friendships thin out as we get older, why most women never replace what they shed, and how easy it is to mistake comfort for alignment. I’m sha...

Soy might be one of the most confusing foods in women's health. Depending on who you listen to, it's either a miracle superfood that will fix everything, or a hormone-disrupting danger that should be avoided at all costs. And when advice feels that extreme, most women do the safest thing they know how to do: they avoid it altogether. In this episode, we cut through the noise. No wellness hype. No...

In Part I, you heard what creatine is. You saw the research on muscle, brain fog, sleep, and mood. Now comes the practical part: Is it actually safe? Will it make you bulky? Damage your kidneys? And most importantly, how do you decide if it's right for YOU? This is Part 2 of our creatine deep-dive for midlife women. If you haven't listened to Part 1 yet, go back and start there - this won't make s...

Creatine is everywhere right now. TikTok. Instagram. Your wellness group chat. Everyone's talking about it like it's the answer to brain fog, muscle loss, and midlife fatigue. But here's the problem: most of the information out there is either oversimplified, flat-out wrong, or designed for 23-year-old men trying to maximize their bench press. Almost none of it is made for you—a woman in midlife w...

It’s January - which means everyone’s talking about resolutions. What they’re cutting out, fixing, or finally going to “get right” this year. But if you’re being honest… most resolutions don’t last. And it’s not because you’re lazy. It’s because your brain is wired to stay comfortable, not evolve. In this episode, I’m breaking down why resolutions fail, what Quitter’s Day really says about the way...

Why does the “most wonderful time of the year” make so many women want to hide in their car with coffee? Because the minute November hits, the world forgets how to function - traffic triples, parking lots turn into demolition derbies, and everyone’s pretending they’re fine while quietly losing it. In this episode, I’m breaking down what’s really behind holiday burnout - the pressure to make it per...

Have you ever looked in the mirror and thought, who the hell is that person staring back at me? Not just your reflection, but the woman behind it. For years, maybe decades, you’ve been everything for everyone else - the mom, the partner, the friend, the employee, the dependable one. You built your life around everyone else’s needs, and now that the noise has quieted - the kids are grown, the job’s...

Have ever eaten dinner alone? Gone to a movie by yourself? Taken a trip solo - not because you had to, but because you chose to? Most women say they want “me time,” but the second they get it, they reach for their phone. Because silence feels uncomfortable. Stillness feels unproductive. And being alone in public? That feels downright awkward. But what if that discomfort isn’t the problem, what if...

You’ve been told your whole life the secret is balance. Work-life balance. Balanced schedule. Balanced everything. But if balance really worked… why are so many women still exhausted, guilty, and feeling like no matter how much they do, it’s never enough? Here’s the truth: balance doesn’t give you peace, it gives you pressure. And the harder you chase it, the more fractured you feel. In this episo...

What if the version of you that isn’t "all in" is still exactly what you need to move forward? In today’s raw and powerful episode, I’m flipping the script on perfection, consistency, and the lies we’ve been fed about what it takes to really make progress. You’ll learn why aiming for 100% is secretly sabotaging your results, why starting over all the time keeps you stuck, and how the 80% zone is w...

This one’s a full-on travel prep episode. As you’re hearing this, I’m just getting home from hosting my third women’s group trip which took place Banff - Canada! But just a few months ago, I was across the globe in Bali with another incredible group of women. Between those two trips, and over a decade of international travel, I’ve learned a lot of things the hard way. So today, I’m walking you thr...

Ever looked around and thought, “I should be further along by now”? This episode is the reminder you didn’t know you needed. We’re unpacking the shame spiral that comes with feeling “behind” in your career, your relationship status, your bank account, or your purpose, and calling out the timeline lie that’s been running the show. Because midlife isn’t a crisis. It’s a reset. A return. A rebellion...

There’s a reason so many women don’t feel confident, and it has nothing to do with being fearless, ready, or more disciplined. In this episode, I’m breaking down the one truth about confidence most people never tell you: Confidence isn’t a feeling you wait for. It’s self-trust — on repeat. We’re talking about: Why confidence starts with keeping the promises no one else sees How we chip away at our...

Ever caught yourself thinking… “I’d love to do that, *but I’m not _____ enough”? Strong enough. Brave enough. Outgoing enough. Young enough. Just… enough. This episode is about that exact fear — the one most women don’t say out loud, but carry around like a quiet weight. We’re diving into: Where that “not enough” story actually comes from How to spot the ways it shows up in your decisions What rea...

10 women. Ages 27-69 One life-changing week. This isn’t a vacation recap - it’s a behind-the-scenes look at what really happens when women stop waiting, get on the plane, and say yes to the thing that scares the hell out of them. In this episode, you’ll hear directly from the women who came on my most recent Unapologetically Wild retreat in Bali. What they were afraid of, what almost kept them fro...

Ever notice how the second life veers off script, your whole mood shifts with it? In this episode, I’m coming to you from Bali (yep, still pinching myself) with some real talk about expectations—how they quietly hijack your presence, mess with your energy, and keep you stuck chasing a version of life that doesn’t actually exist. I’ll share why some of the most powerful moments of my life happened...

If someone followed you around all day and talked to you the way you talk to you… Would you call them supportive? Or would you slap them? Because most of us wouldn’t let a stranger say half the sh*t we say to ourselves—and yet we let it slide when it’s coming from inside our own head. This episode is your wake-up call. We’re not sugarcoating it. We’re going all in on the damage of negative self-ta...

We’ve all been handed a script for how life should look: Get married. Have the kids. Climb the ladder. Be grateful. Be good. And don’t rock the boat. But what if that script never fit you in the first place? In this episode, I’m calling out the quiet ways we abandon ourselves trying to meet expectations we never agreed to and what happens when we stop living for the “shoulds” and start living for...

Sometimes the most important thing you can do… is pause. In this episode, I’m pulling back the curtain on a chapter that’s been anything but easy. After months of living in a low-grade state of survival - navigating Phoebe’s health, abandoning my routines, and feeling completely disconnected from myself, I finally stepped away. Five days in a luxury treehouse tucked into the Colorado mountains gav...

You keep thinking you’re just “bad at time management.” Or that you just need to get your sh*t together. It's not just a bad habit. Procrastination is the invisible cage you keep locking yourself inside while telling yourself you’re “just busy.” This episode isn’t about beating yourself up. It’s about finally understanding what’s actually happening underneath the stall... and how to start breaking...

You keep waiting for the spark. The fire. The feeling that finally makes it all click. But here’s the truth: Motivation isn’t the fuel, it’s the reward. And if you’re sitting around waiting to feel ready, you’ll stay stuck in the same cycle you keep saying you want to break. This episode is a callout and a reset. Because your problem isn’t laziness, inconsistency, or lack of discipline It’s your r...