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(#22) - “Sharing a Roof, a Wi-Fi Password, and Way Too Much Time Together” - with Papi

Now What

Release Date: 03/28/2025

(#32) “When Grief Becomes Part of Life: One Mom’s Honest Journey” - with Ashley McLin show art (#32) “When Grief Becomes Part of Life: One Mom’s Honest Journey” - with Ashley McLin

Now What

Grief isn’t a dirty word. It’s part of life — and it deserves to be talked about. In this deeply moving episode, Melis sits down with her close friend Ashley — a wife, mom, and interior designer — who shares her story of losing her son, Alex, to cancer seven years ago. With honesty, heart, and strength, Ashley opens up about what grief really looks like, and why she’s on a mission to bring these conversations into the light. Whether you’ve experienced loss or want to better support someone who has, this episode is a powerful reminder that you’re not alone — and you don’t...

info_outline (#31) - 🎓 SPECIAL GRADUATION EDITION - “We’re All Graduating... From Snack Duty and Sanity” - with Melis show art (#31) - 🎓 SPECIAL GRADUATION EDITION - “We’re All Graduating... From Snack Duty and Sanity” - with Melis

Now What

Hey Hoops & Glossers, Grab your tissues and your tassels — we’re going there. This solo episode is for all the parents hiding their ugly cries behind sunglasses and wondering why the end of the school year feels like an identity crisis wrapped in a slideshow. In this graduation-season rollercoaster, Melis gets real (and weepy) about: Why you might actually be the one graduating — from carpool duty, form-signing, and snack-pack life The bittersweet shift from parenting chaos to “Wait… who am I now?” How her own “Now What?!” moment started the day her son walked across...

info_outline (#30) - Motherhood, Real Estate, and Me Time with Tina Frechman show art (#30) - Motherhood, Real Estate, and Me Time with Tina Frechman

Now What

Hey hey, Hoops & Gloss crew!  Today’s episode is serving up real estate with a side of real life — think heart, humor, and just a sprinkle of tough love (glossed up, of course). 💄 We’re hanging out with the amazing Tina Frechman — realtor, investor, and all-around boss and trust us, this chat goes way beyond open houses and “sold” signs. If you’ve ever felt torn between your memory-filled home and that dream of something new? This one hits home.  Here’s what’s on the table: ・Home = memories – Every corner tells a story, and yeah, it’s emotional. ・...

info_outline (#29) - “Be a Rad Woman, Not Just a Rad Mom: Friendship, Lexapro & Midlife Plot Twists” - with Kelly Huber show art (#29) - “Be a Rad Woman, Not Just a Rad Mom: Friendship, Lexapro & Midlife Plot Twists” - with Kelly Huber

Now What

Hoops & Glossers… if you’re feeling meh, moody, or just mildly ragey, this episode is the warm hug (and possibly the estrogen patch) you didn’t know you needed. Meet Kelly Brooks Huber: mom of four (two human, two furry), businesswoman, college roommate, and—fun fact—bikini wax spirit guide. We go way back, and this convo? It’s real, ridiculous, and ridiculously relatable. We cover: That time both of us broke up with Lexapro (and how we knew it was time) Why the estrogen patch might deserve its own holiday Parenting adult daughters (and teenage ones who suddenly don’t...

info_outline (#28) - “Squats, Sweat & Sanity: Skyler's Midlife Reboot” - with Skyler Burton show art (#28) - “Squats, Sweat & Sanity: Skyler's Midlife Reboot” - with Skyler Burton

Now What

What do you get when two midlife moms trade stories about protein shakes, pelvic floors, and fighting for their identity one workout at a time? THIS episode. Melis sits down with Skyler Burton — fellow mom, awesome human, and accountability buddy on the same fitness and mindset journey — to talk about what it really looks like to try and reclaim your energy, your confidence, and maybe even your abs (no promises) while raising kids and holding onto your sanity. In this episode: 🏋️‍♀️ Why starting a fitness routine in midlife is about so much more than the scale 🤪 How being...

info_outline (#27) - (#27) - "Rest is Not a Four Letter Word" - with Melis

Now What

Welcome to this week’s from-the-bed episode, where your host Melis, wrapped in cozy PJs and channeling her inner Sara Foster, shares the wild tale of what happens when you don’t listen to your body… until it shouts “STREP AND BRONCHITIS” through a megaphone. Midlife women, it’s time to ditch the guilt and reclaim rest—not as a luxury, but as a necessity (and yes, even a performance strategy if you’re chasing that 53-year-old booty gain like Melis). ✨ In this episode: The true story of how ignoring a cough turned into an urgent care wake-up call What a bodybuilding butt...

info_outline (#26) -  “You’d Never Flake on a Doctor’s Appointment—So Why Bail on Yourself?” - with Melis show art (#26) -  “You’d Never Flake on a Doctor’s Appointment—So Why Bail on Yourself?” - with Melis

Now What

Why is it that we’ll move mountains to show up for everyone else... but ghost our own goals like a bad Tinder date? In this solo pep talk, Melis gets real about the sneaky ways we slide off our own to-do lists (and what to do about it). From gym daycare confessions to the “start small” mantra, she’s calling us all in—with love, laughter, and a little tough truth. You’ll hear: Why your calendar needs your name on it The real reason you keep saying “yes” to everyone but you And how not to sign up for a marathon when you haven’t taken a walk in weeks (guilty!) 💪...

info_outline (#25) - Suddenly We’re the Grown-Ups: Midlife, Moms & Medical Crises - with long term bestie Nicole Johnson show art (#25) - Suddenly We’re the Grown-Ups: Midlife, Moms & Medical Crises - with long term bestie Nicole Johnson

Now What

One minute you're texting your mom to ask how long chicken lasts in the fridge, and the next you're coordinating her hospital discharge and Googling “signs of sepsis.” Welcome to the midlife plot twist they forgot to warn us about: parenting our parents. In this raw, real, and yes—still hilarious—episode, Melis is joined by her longtime bestie and nurse extraordinaire Nicole Jolicoeur Johnson. Together, they unpack what it’s like to be full-time caregivers, full-time moms, and part-time guilt-ridden humans trying to hold it all together. 💥 Spoiler alert: there's a penis sighting...

info_outline (#24) - “I’m Not Done Yet, Dammit!” with your host, Melis show art (#24) - “I’m Not Done Yet, Dammit!” with your host, Melis

Now What

What if this chapter isn’t the beginning of the end—but the part where we finally stop playing small? Welcome back to Now What?!, the podcast that’s part pep talk, part group therapy, and all about embracing midlife with grit, grace, and a heavy pour of humor. In this solo episode, Melis is serving up a much-needed reminder: this season of life is not your fade-to-black moment—it’s your plot twist. 🎬 From side-eyes at the Nordstrom racks to dreaming big and doing scary things (hello, bodybuilding competition 👀), Melis dishes on what it really means to show up, stand tall, and...

info_outline (#23) - “Are Your Friendships Built for the Good Times, Too?”(...because popping champagne should be a group sport) show art (#23) - “Are Your Friendships Built for the Good Times, Too?”(...because popping champagne should be a group sport)

Now What

Hey Hoops & Glossers, We always talk about who shows up when life hits the fan—but what about when life rocks? In today’s solo episode, I’m spilling all the tea on friendship: the kind that cheers you on when you’re winning, not just when you’re wounded. After a whirlwind weekend where my college besties pulled off an epic surprise trip to celebrate one of us landing a dream promotion (spoiler alert: there were tears, joy, and probably champagne), I started asking myself this question: 👉 How am I showing up for my friends… really? We get into: Why we wait for funerals to...

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More Episodes

What happens when your marriage, your office, your kitchen, and your sanity all exist in the same square footage?

Melis' husband, Shannon (aka Papi), is back on the pod — and they’re getting hilariously honest about what it’s really like to work from home… together. From dining-room Zoom calls to deli-meat crime scenes, they unpack the highs, the lows, and the “please pretend I’m not here from 9 to 2” moments that come with sharing space 24/7.

This episode doesn’t pretend to fix it all — but it normalizes the mess and gives listeners tools and perspective to feel less alone in the chaos.

💡 In This Episode:

  • The kitchen is not a conference room

  • Tips for setting boundaries without setting the house on fire

  • Why needing alone time isn’t personal (even if it feels that way)

  • The power of therapy, meat snacks, and the occasional car call

🎧 Listen now, laugh with us, and share it with your favorite frazzled couple.

And if you’re loving Now What?!, leave us a 5-star review!

(Anything less? Keep it moving. We’re Uber driver rules around here. 😘)

Until next time, Hoops and Glossers — stay sane, set those boundaries, and remember: it’s okay to need space (even from the one you love). 💛

xoxo

melis

🌎 Check out how we can work together → https://motivatewithmelis.com/ 

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