(#43) Birthdays as a Reset Button: Finding Joy in Midlife — with Tamar Hurwitz Fleming
Release Date: 09/18/2025
(#54) Rewriting the Stories That Keep Us Stuck - with Christina L. Woods - Clinical Hypnotherapist, Subconscious Expert & Energy Healer
Now What
✨ Episode Highlights In this powerful and eye-opening conversation, Christina and I unpack why so many smart, capable women still struggle with self-sabotage, procrastination, and feeling “off” — especially in midlife. In this episode, we talk about: 🧠 Self-sabotage & procrastination — why they’re not character flaws, but subconscious protection patterns 🔁 The internal dialogue & stories we tell ourselves (“I’m always tired,” “I should know better”) — and how repetition becomes belief 🧘♀️ Why calm can feel unsafe when stress and pressure...
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(#53) From Wonder Woman to Scar Power: Jodi’s Surgery Journey, Confidence & What’s Next
Now What
Hey Gloss Squad — returning guest alert! 🚨✨ You met Jodi Echakowitz back in March 2024 on Episode 21 (From Weight Watchers to Wonder Woman)… and since then? This woman has been BUSY becoming her strongest self. 💪🔥 In this episode, Jodi gets real about the part of transformation people whisper about but rarely say out loud: plastic surgery after major weight loss — and why choosing it wasn’t “cheating,” it was reclaiming her body, confidence, and athlete identity. In this episode, we dig into: ✨ When Jodi first started considering surgery (and the exact moment she...
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(#52) Do the Hard Thing: A Midlife Reset (Competition Recap & A Challenge for All of You)
Now What
Hey Gloss Squad — I’m kicking off 2026 with a simple question that might change everything: what’s the hard thing you’ve been avoiding… and why? 👀✨ Yes, I finally did the scary thing I’d been talking myself out of for years (👙), but this episode isn’t about the stage — it’s about what came after. Because doing the hard thing is only half the story. The real magic is standing in it… and asking yourself, now what?! In this episode, we dig into: 🔥 Why confidence isn’t loud — it’s built quietly by showing up for yourself 🧠 How discipline is actually...
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(#51) Why You Can Love Everyone… Except Yourself & How to Fix That - with Author Karen Blaine
Now What
Why is self-love the hardest love to give? You can hype your kids, cheer on your friends, support your partner… but when it comes to YOU? Suddenly the inner critic takes over. In today’s episode, I’m joined by intuitive empath and seven-time author Karen Blaine to break down what real self-love looks like—beyond the quotes, the memes, and the “just be kind to yourself” advice we all roll our eyes at. We get into: • Why women (especially in midlife) struggle to give themselves the compassion they give everyone else • How being “too sensitive” can actually be your superpower...
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(#50) Writing Your Way Through Grief: The Nautilus Way with Marie Crews
Now What
Episode Description Today Melis is joined by Marie Crews—certified health & wellness coach, retreat facilitator, and bestselling author of Even When… She Rose—to talk about the healing power of journaling, her four-step Nautilus Way, and how she rebuilt her life after unimaginable loss. In This Episode, We Explore: The Nautilus Way: Write Your Way Free Why you don’t need to be a “writer” to journal The four steps of her method: Reveal: Stream-of-consciousness writing Review: Spotting pain points & patterns Rewrite: Giving yourself permission, validation &...
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(#49) The Midlife Flame Part 2: Desire, Pleasure & The Rekindle Program (Part 2 with Aimee Ames)
Now What
Hoops & Glossers… grab your gloss and maybe a fan — because this one’s spicy. 🌶️ In Part 2 of The Midlife Flame, Melis and Aimee Ames turn up the heat and get real about physical intimacy, body confidence, and what happens when you decide midlife doesn’t have to mean “meh.” Aimee opens up about her Somatica coaching practice — yes, including the now-famous “throw me against the wall” exercise — and how learning new ways to connect can reignite passion in long-term relationships. They talk about shame, kink, curiosity, and the beauty of being fully seen...
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(#48) The Midlife Flame: How to Rekindle Love, Connection & Yourself (Part 1 with Aimee Ames)
Now What
Hoops & Glossers, this one’s a must-listen. 💋 In this first half of The Midlife Flame series, Melis sits down with Aimee Ames — a Somatica-trained Sex & Relationship Coach, Breathwork Facilitator, Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, and host of the There She Is podcast — to unpack what actually happens in long-term relationships once midlife hits. They dive into everything from perimenopause and the emotional load of motherhood to that weird “parallel lives” phase where you realize you and your partner are running the household but forgetting to actually connect....
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(#47) The Midlife Power Shift: Mastering Your Energy, Mindset & Momentum - with Johanna Danaher
Now What
The quick “why listen” When your old playbook for success stops working, Johanna Danaher helps you write a new one. She’s the Founder & Chief Energy Officer of Anchor to Aspire and a former global HR leader at Pfizer. Using Energy Leadership (ELI), Positive Intelligence, HBDI, and happiness science, she coaches mid-life, mid-career pros (hi, that’s us) through pivots—so you stop reacting on autopilot and start choosing your response, your energy, and your next chapter. What you’ll learn “Have to” → “Choose to”: a tiny language shift that unlocks better decisions. ...
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🥂(#46) HAPPY 1st Bday, “Now What?!” — A Birthday Bash with OG guest + college bestie, Kelly Huber
Now What
🥂 (#46) HAPPY 1st Bday, “Now What?!” — A Birthday Bash with OG guest + college bestie, Kelly Huber Hoops & Glossers… grab your gloss, pour something bubbly (sparkling water totally counts 🥂), and join the celebration — because Now What?! just turned ONE! And what’s a birthday without your bestie? 🎉 This week, I’m celebrating with my college bestie and OG podcast guest, Kelly Huber — the woman behind the legendary quote: “Don’t just be a rad mom… be a rad woman.” 🙌 This isn’t an interview — it’s a catch-up between two lifelong friends. We’re...
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(#45) The Great Midlife Rebrand: Redefining Who You Are (& WHY I'm Stepping on a Bikini Stage at 50) - Solo with Melis
Now What
💋 Hoops & Glossers… it’s REBRAND TIME! Melis is doing it too — sparkly bikini, big dreams, and zero apologies — and this is your sign to join her. This isn’t about starting over; it’s about unleashing the next you — the louder, freer, more confident version that’s been waiting to take the mic. 🎙 Episode Vibe: If you’ve been feeling stuck, stale, or like your spark dimmed somewhere between carpools and career changes — this one’s your pep talk. Melis gets real about her own “midlife rebrand” (yes, including the spray tan and clear heels 😅) and walks you...
info_outline✨ What if your birthday could be the reset button you’ve been waiting for in midlife?
If you’ve ever looked in the mirror and thought, I don’t even recognize this woman anymore — this episode is your permission slip to stop dreading birthdays and start celebrating them. My guest, Tamar Hurwitz Fleming, author of How to Have a Happy Birthday, shares why birthdays are our most spiritually powerful day of the year and how to:
🎂 Break old patterns of disappointment
🎂 Ask for what you want without guilt
🎂 Stop birthday sabotage (yes, even the “mystery illness” kind)
🎂 Celebrate aging with courage instead of fear
It’s time to reclaim birthdays as an excuse to honor yourself, laugh a little louder, and take up space — because you deserve it.
xoxo
melis
📍 Listen now, share with a friend, and then go buy yourself the cake you actually want. 🎂💃
✨ Connect with Tamar Hurwitz Fleming
📚 How to Have a Happy Birthday — wherever books are sold
📘 How to Have a Happy Birthday Workbook — exclusively on Amazon
🌐 howtohaveahappybirthday.com
✨ Connect with me
📧 info@motivatewithmelis
📲 IG: @motivatewithmelis
🎧 Listen to Now What?! on: