Holiday Health Series #2: The Invisible Holiday Load
Total Health in Midlife with Elizabeth Sherman
Between shopping lists, social calendars, and endless wrapping paper, it can feel like the entire weight of the holidays rests on your shoulders. You’re not imagining it — that invisible load is real, and it’s costing you more than just sleep. In this episode of Total Health in Midlife, Elizabeth unpacks why so many women feel responsible for making the holidays “magical” for everyone else — and why that pressure leaves them exhausted, resentful, and off track with their health by January. You’ll learn how cultural conditioning, people-pleasing, and “scope creep” quietly chip...
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Holiday Health Series #1: Food and Body Triggers
Total Health in Midlife with Elizabeth Sherman
Feeling like the holidays undo every bit of progress you’ve made with your health? You’re not alone. Between sugar-filled gatherings, endless to-do lists, and the pressure to “make it magical,” midlife women often end up exhausted, bloated, and quietly promising themselves they’ll start over in January. In this episode of Total Health in Midlife, Elizabeth Sherman breaks down what’s really happening beneath the overeating, overdrinking, and overcommitting that show up every December. Spoiler: it’s not about willpower. It’s about stress, hormones, and the invisible load that...
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248: Upleveling Your Health
Total Health in Midlife with Elizabeth Sherman
You’ve upgraded everything—your skincare, your wine, your wardrobe. You’re not DIYing your hair in the bathroom anymore. You’ve outgrown fast fashion, bad coffee, and relationships that take more than they give. And yet… when it comes to your health? You’re still stuck in the bargain bin. Still trying to “just do it” with free downloads, 30-day resets, or the same rules you learned from your mom’s Weight Watchers meetings. In this episode of Total Health in Midlife, I’m pulling back the curtain on the disconnect so many high-achieving women are living with—and the...
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247: What My Hair Taught Me About Midlife Health
Total Health in Midlife with Elizabeth Sherman
What do curly hair and your midlife health journey have in common? More than you’d think. In Episode 247 of Total Health in Midlife, Elizabeth Sherman shares a personal story about ditching the flat iron—and discovering that the path to healthier hair was eerily similar to the path so many midlife women take toward better health. The endless trial-and-error, the frustration, the belief that there must be one perfect product (or plan) out there if you could just find it. This episode is for every woman who’s ever said “Just tell me what to do” and still ended up feeling stuck,...
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246: Is it OK to Want to Lose Weight?
Total Health in Midlife with Elizabeth Sherman
We’ve been told all our lives that thinner is better. But now, in midlife, we’re also told that wanting to lose weight makes us shallow or brainwashed by diet culture. So… is it okay to want to lose weight? In this episode of Total Health in Midlife, I’m asking the question that so many women are silently wrestling with—but don’t feel like they’re allowed to say out loud. I’ll walk you through the real reasons behind that desire, what we’re hoping weight loss will “fix,” and why the fantasy often doesn’t match the reality. If you’ve ever said things like “I just...
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245: Self-Pity, Sabotage & Self-Soothing
Total Health in Midlife with Elizabeth Sherman
Self-pity is one of the most overlooked emotions we experience, and one of the most powerful. It doesn’t stomp in and throw a tantrum. It shows up quietly, as I have to, I deserve this, or no one ever includes me. And because it feels true, we don’t even question it. We just… sabotage ourselves. In this episode of the Total Health in Midlife podcast, I’m sharing a deeply personal moment that pulled back the curtain on my own self-pity spiral—and how it almost derailed my day (and my health habits) before I realized what was happening. We’ll explore how this hidden emotion can show...
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244: Having Your Own Back
Total Health in Midlife with Elizabeth Sherman
Ever catch yourself thinking, “I’ll do it later” — only to realize later is even more chaotic than now? In this episode of Total Health in Midlife, we’re unpacking the subtle, sneaky ways we make life harder for ourselves without even realizing it. From moldy broccoli to missed workouts and late-night wine that wrecks your sleep, these aren’t just random moments — they’re patterns. And those patterns can be shifted. I’ll share the real story behind how one freezing night at a gas station changed the way I treat myself — and why learning to “have your own back” isn’t...
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243: High Functioning Co-Dependency with Sara Fisk
Total Health in Midlife with Elizabeth Sherman
What happens when you're so good at keeping everything together… that you forget to take care of yourself? In this episode of The Total Health in Midlife Podcast, I’m joined by Master Certified Coach and people-pleasing expert Sara Fisk to explore a surprising culprit behind so many women’s exhaustion, resentment, and stalled health goals: high-functioning codependency. We’re not talking about the kind of codependency tied to addiction. This is the polished, over-performing version that shows up in moms, partners, daughters, and leaders—the women who hold everything and everyone...
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242: Ask Better Questions to Get Better Answers
Total Health in Midlife with Elizabeth Sherman
Have you ever asked yourself, “Do I want to go to the gym?” or “Do I feel like making dinner?”—and then beat yourself up when the answer was no? In this episode of Total Health in Midlife, we’re exploring how the questions we ask ourselves—especially around our health—can either sabotage our best intentions or support the version of ourselves we’re trying to become. You’ll hear a story about a real-life conversation with my husband that sparked this whole idea, plus my own recent experience with a motivation slump. And most importantly, we’ll unpack the powerful shift...
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241: Making and Keeping Friendships with Nina Badzin
Total Health in Midlife with Elizabeth Sherman
Making (and keeping) friends in midlife can feel surprisingly hard. In this episode of the Total Health in Midlife podcast, I’m joined by Nina Badzin, writer and host of the Dear Nina podcast, to talk about the real stuff that comes up in adult friendships, like feeling left out, keeping score, and what to do when your once-close friends just… fade. Whether you’ve ever wondered, “Is it just me?” or you’ve found yourself ghosted or burned out from being the one who always initiates, you’re not alone—and you’re not doing it wrong. This episode is full of validation, fresh...
info_outlineYou’ve upgraded everything—your skincare, your wine, your wardrobe. You’re not DIYing your hair in the bathroom anymore. You’ve outgrown fast fashion, bad coffee, and relationships that take more than they give.
And yet… when it comes to your health? You’re still stuck in the bargain bin. Still trying to “just do it” with free downloads, 30-day resets, or the same rules you learned from your mom’s Weight Watchers meetings.
In this episode of Total Health in Midlife, I’m pulling back the curtain on the disconnect so many high-achieving women are living with—and the lightbulb moment that changed everything for me and for my client Kathy.
We’ll talk about why “knowing what to do” isn’t the problem—and why smart, successful women still struggle with their health despite doing everything “right.” If you’ve ever said, “I know what to do, I’m just not doing it,” this episode is going to reframe everything.
It’s not about more discipline. It’s about a new standard.
The Biggest Problem Midlife Women Face Regarding Health and Self-Investment
Many midlife women have upleveled every area of their lives—except their health. They’ve upgraded their homes, wardrobes, and relationships, yet they’re still approaching their health with free downloads, outdated diets, and generalized advice that doesn’t match their reality.
This disconnect creates a cycle of frustration. These women are smart. They’re used to succeeding. So when their health habits don’t “stick,” they assume they are the problem. But the real issue isn’t discipline—it’s misalignment. Most health solutions are designed for beginners, not women juggling careers, caregiving, hormonal shifts, and high standards for how they want to feel.
They’re not failing. The tools they’ve been given are. And until that changes, they’ll stay stuck in a cycle of “fine” instead of thriving.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
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Why smart women still feel stuck, even when they “know what to do”
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The real reason free resources and generic programs don’t work anymore
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What changes when you treat your health like a high-level investment—not a side hustle
What You Can Do Right Now
If you’re still treating your health like it should be cheap, convenient, or easy to figure out with free advice, it’s time to pause. Ask yourself: Would I accept this level of support or structure in any other area of my life?
Start by downloading the 8 Basic Habits Healthy People Do. These are not rules. They’re the daily, sustainable actions that lay the foundation for real change. If you already have them and aren’t using them, it’s time to get curious—not critical—about why.
The Listener Takeaway: Why This Episode Matters
Your health is not extra. It’s not separate from your success. It’s the foundation of everything you want to enjoy—travel, grandkids, freedom, confidence, peace.
You don’t need another challenge or checklist. You need a framework that honors your complexity and aligns with your values. When your health feels as refined, intentional, and supported as the rest of your life? That’s when everything clicks into place.
RESOURCES
Get full show notes and more information here: https://elizabethsherman.com/248