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Sarah and I are back again to wrap up season 3 of BSB and talk about the one impactful mindset shift we have made in the last couple of years that has led us to live with more compassion and way less judgment.

Drawing on a Brené Brown anecdote, we explain how everything changes when we start assuming that everyone (even the people who frustrate and disappoint us most) is “doing their best.” We can then decide how to respond from a place of empathy instead of criticism.

Everybody’s best looks different, and our “best” can change from day to day, but using the “what if they’re doing their best” lens helps you treat people with kindness and compassion and can also lead to you also being able to show yourself more of the same. 

Topics include: 

• How to get started with a practice of empathy
• Stepping into empathy while also setting boundaries
• Our goals for...

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Today I talk with Sarah about how the empty nesting went last year and how I'm feeling now that both of my kids are home for the summer. 

Just one year ago on the podcast, I shared the reality of empty nest syndrome, including my apprehension and grief around my children leaving for university and the sale of their childhood home.

But their time away brought many unexpected gifts, and I found myself enjoying the agency and freedom that came with the un-parenting. I traveled loads by myself, and my husband and I downsized to a fun downtown neighborhood.

There was an adjustment period around how to both parent and “un-parent” from afar, and now with my kids back at home for the summer, there’s another re-adjustment happening for all of us as full nest syndrome sets in.

Topics include: 

• understanding your own needs and...

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Today’s conversation around the value of meaningful female friendships in midlife is especially poignant for me and my co-host Sarah as colleagues who have also become very good friends over the course of the last few years.

We discuss how picture-perfect social media feeds can often lead to comparison and feelings of inadequacy, and how that can keep women from reaching out when they need more connection. 

But with midlife there’s a sense of coming home to oneself, and with that, a level of honesty that can make women finally feel they can admit when things are imperfect. Being able to build these deeper, more vulnerable friendships nurtures our energy.

Midlife is also a time when many women feel they now also have time for themselves, and these high-value friendships that could have been put on the back burner while they were prioritizing their family’s growth. 

If you have a story...

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Scott Pinyard is the owner and coach at Modern Coparent, a company dedicated to helping people find peace while coparenting. He has years of coaching experience both in private practice and as the Head Coach of This Naked Mind. Scott’s focus is in helping people through challenging growth with compassion, patience and humor.

Scott shares his personal story of modern coparenting and how he came to be a coach in this area. He explains how our lives are built on story and how these stories inform how we parent and coparent. Scott and I discuss some of the most common coparenting stories, why we often get stuck in patterns that don’t serve our kids, and how we can step into personal responsibility once we get clear on our stories and replace them with new beliefs that serve us better as individuals and parents. Scott provides some accessible, practical tips for parents who are currently in conflict and seeking more peace around...

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April Stroink is a Money Coach and Advisor for individuals and entrepreneurs seeking clarity, ease, and abundance with their finances. In this episode, April and I discuss the common limiting money beliefs that many women in midlife have, and why it’s worth the work to shift them.

April draws a fascinating parallel between overspending and other addictive behaviours including drinking, and she and I discuss how stepping into your power around money mirrors taking back control over alcohol. 

We also talk about shopping as an unhealthy coping mechanism, the emotional aspect of money, the patriarchal construct of “retail therapy” and how it is disempowering women, the role of social media in mindless consumerism, and the price our daughters are paying as a result, the importance of a healthy money mindset in preventing burnout, and the connection between your personal values and your financial picture.

Might your...

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As an experienced Burnout & Alcohol Coach, I share some of my best advice on how to worry less and manage your anxiety better. My strategies range from small daily practices that build resilience and calm to simple yet effective tools you can use in a moment of overwhelm to ground and centre yourself. You can apply everything in this episode to any area of your life where you might find yourself worrying: career, parenting or relationships!

FREE 5-Day Drink Less REWIND Challenge: www.wendymccallum.com/challenge

For free tools and resources for making change around alcohol, burnout, or midlife, visit: www.wendymccallum.com/learn-with-wendy

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

I chat with Mitch Cobb, Co-Founder and CEO of Upstreet Brewing and Libra Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer about the alcohol-free drink market, the sober curious movement, and our shared mission to normalize socializing without alcohol.

Mitch shares how he came to start a craft brewery on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and soon after began exploring his own relationship with alcohol, as well some fascinating behind-the-scenes details on how alcohol-free beer is made and marketed.

This is a fun and light conversation around what it means to find your balance and how having a great alcohol-free alternative on hand can make that easier. 

For free tools and resources for making change around alcohol, burnout, or midlife, visit: www.wendymccallum.com/learn-with-wendy

Libra Alcohol-Free Craft Beer: www.drinklibra.ca

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

In today's episode, I share some of my best advice around how to make positive change (in any area of your life or wellness) when it feels too hard.

Our default is to just try harder, but that almost always leads to failure, because we are trying the wrong way. 

I provide five specific strategies for how to “try different, not harder”, including how to identify and replace the beliefs that are keeping you stuck, how to remind your brain and body it can do hard things, and how the easy days can provide the lessons you need to get through the tough ones better. You can apply everything in this episode to any area of personal growth you’re working on, from your parenting style to social media habits to your relationship with alcohol! 

For free tools and resources for making changes around alcohol, burnout, or midlife, visit: www.wendymccallum.com/learn-with-wendy

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

Sarah and I share our favourite stories, strategies, and tips for taking back the holidays – after all, you deserve a break and some fun too! Our suggestions include:

  setting an intention around what really matters to you about the holidays this year and then taking the steps to make that happen, 

  saying no to plans and events that don’t serve you,

  getting better at outsourcing and delegation,

  creating new traditions that serve you better,

  taking shortcuts that make things easier, and

  setting and enforcing boundaries to protect your own wellness and joy.

It’s the perfect pre-Holiday conversation, join us!

For free tools and resources for making change around alcohol, burnout, or midlife, visit: www.wendymccallum.com/learn-with-wendy

Watch the podcast, above, or listen below.

In today's episode, I interview Robyn Berman, who pursued a second career in the challenging primary care field of midwifery at the age of 40 while navigating parenthood and midlife (and all that comes with that.) 

I share a bit of my own birth story, and Robyn provides some insight from the midwife and doula perspective. Robyn talks about her recent burnout and decision to leave clinical practice, and what she learned from that. Robyn and I discuss the role of perimenopause and estrogen in their own “midlife rebirths” and reflect back on what we’ve learned in the first half of our lives around balance and stress management as busy working moms.