Break Free From People Pleasing with Karen Ehman
To 50 and Beyond | Midlife and Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
Release Date: 11/20/2024
You're Not Alone if You're In the Middle of a Life Transition
To 50 and Beyond | Midlife and Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
Episode #348 Hey there! I'm glad you're here. I recorded this short and sweet episode to let you know if you're in the middle of a transition in your life, or multiple transitions, I'm here. Sometimes, that is the best thing I can offer - to let you know you're not alone during this time. In this episode, I share two transitions I'm recognizing with a move and my son living at home. I also talk about why it's helpful to recognize when you're in the "middle" of a transition, and some simple things I do for myself. I share a story about my mom and how I learned from...
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A Look Inside My First Two Years Alcohol-Free: Is This Lifestyle For You?
To 50 and Beyond | Midlife and Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
Episode #347 Hey there! I hope you're having a nice day. If you are curious about living alcohol-free, and ready to make it a lifestyle, or if you've decided to live alcohol-free and you're months or more in and you're not sure if it's the lifestyle for you, this episode is for you. In this episode, I give you my perspective of an alcohol-free lifestyle and what my decision to go alcohol-free gave me in the first two years of living alcohol-free. It's an honest look into my experience after 30 years of being a drinker, a party girl, and a woman smack dab in the middle of life...
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Hey There, Im Lori! A Reintroduction to the Podcast and Me
To 50 and Beyond | Midlife and Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
This is an episode you can have playing in the background as I give you a little bio and reintroduction to the podcast. ☺️ I'm reintroducing myself and the podcast after being in a bit of a transition. I share my story from losing both parents, to meeting my husband Bill in a bar back in '97, to navigating life with our 24-year-old son and our rescue corgi, Franklin Blue. I open up about my journey to sobriety, which started at 43 when I realized alcohol wasn't serving me anymore. After 30 years of drinking and almost two years of trying to moderate, I quit on August 11th, 2013. Now,...
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Becoming a Party Girl: The Night I Went All In on Alcohol at 14
To 50 and Beyond | Midlife and Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
In this episode, I take you back to 1982 when I was 14 years old and the night I became a "party girl." I share the story of my first real experience with alcohol at a date party, from getting ready in my bathroom with my sweet mom Carol Jean, to wearing that pink striped dress that hid my nervous hives, to discovering how alcohol made me feel lighter, looser, and more confident. This was the night that changed everything. It's when I told myself, "I'm cool as long as I have alcohol," and started chasing that feeling for the next 30 years. I reflect on why remembering this moment is so...
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What I'm Doing to Take Care of Myself Right Now - Ideas For You
To 50 and Beyond | Midlife and Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
Hello! I recorded an episode to let you know what I'm doing to take care of myself and my anxiety right now. These are some of my favorites that I focus on throughout the week, not daily as a "work from home" gal. I wanted to check in with you to let you know I'm still here and offer ideas to find relief without drinking alcohol. Here are the daily prompts that I walk you through to practice: Ask yourself: What do I need less of right now? What do I need more of right now? What can I do for myself right now? What can I let go of for today? You don’t need to...
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New Year, Same Courageous and Capable You
To 50 and Beyond | Midlife and Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
Happy 2026! Thank you for listening to the podcast. I appreciate you! In this episode, I offer you a different take on "New Year, New You" energy. I hope that you take time to reflect on how far you've come in life and go "all in" on what you want and don't want in 2026. I’ll be back to the podcast, but right now I’m doing a lot of reflecting and soul-searching. To stay in touch, you can join For personalized support through private sessions, To walk alongside me and other women living alcohol-free, you can join
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A Holiday Check-In: You Are Not Alone
To 50 and Beyond | Midlife and Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
Hello! I'm so happy to be here with you. I'm popping in to check in with you this holiday season. As 2025 comes to a close, I want to offer words of encouragement to help you navigate the holiday alcohol-free. Whether this is your first year, your second, or many years in. I talk about growth, discomfort, awkward moments, grief, and why outgrowing alcohol is a sign that you’re evolving, which is a good thing! I also share where I am right now, slowing down, focusing on one thing at a time, and letting intuition and flow guide me. And a personal story from my first sober...
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Take a Walk With Wonder This Season
To 50 and Beyond | Midlife and Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
Episode 343 Hello, friend! Happy holidays and happy season of midlife and beyond! This episode was inspired by a walk I took this morning and the possibilities that open up when you walk with the topic of wonder. I invite you to walk with wonder during the holiday season and the season of midlife, using curiosity instead of pressure to explore what’s possible for you. Wonder expands your perspective and opens doors you may not have touched or considered in a long time (or ever!) I share simple prompts you can take with you anywhere, but I suggest taking a walk with this one! ...
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Choosing Yourself in Midlife | My Interview on The Change Effect Podcast with Noelle Van
To 50 and Beyond | Midlife and Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
Hey there! I'm sharing my interview with my friend Noelle Van on her podcast, because it's all of our favorite topics that we discuss on To 50 and Beyond! In this episode, we talk about: The myth of “rock bottom” and why real change begins with your decision, not a catastrophic event. How negotiating and bargaining with alcohol keeps us stuck Navigating the unique challenges of quitting alcohol in midlife The ways alcohol-free living can bring clarity, emotional freedom, and renewed energy during the perimenopause and menopause transition. The importance of...
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Expectations and Empowering the Word "Still"
To 50 and Beyond | Midlife and Alcohol-Free Lifestyle
Episode #341 Hello there! I'm glad you're here. Today, I want to have a conversation about the word “still” — how it can either make us feel stuck, like we’re not doing enough, or trapped in frustration and confusion. But it can also be a word we use to empower ourselves. This year especially, I’ve had heartfelt conversations with women who feel like they’re in a transition, still figuring things out. Whether it’s about their relationship with alcohol or their life in general. There’s a lot of outgrowing happening, a lot of evolving, and I want to talk about what it...
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As a lifelong people pleaser who frequently works with many women—many of whom also tend to please others and drink as a way to cope with their feelings—I reached out to Karen after discovering her insightful book, When Making Others Happy Is Making You Miserable: How to Break the Pattern of People Pleasing and Confidently Live Your Life.
Karen Ehman is a New York Times bestselling author, a Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker, a contributing writer for Encouragement for Today online devotions, and a teacher in the First 5 Bible study app which has over 2 million daily users. She has written 19 books and Bible studies, including Keep It Shut: What to Say, How to Say It, and When to Say Nothing at All, and the 2020 ECPA devotional book of the year, Settle My Soul: 100 Quiet Moments to Meet with Jesus.
Karen shares what she realized about certain friendships after she made the decision to spend her “necessary and no” summer and the freedom she felt in having more time for herself. Her reflections highlight a crucial truth: every need is not necessarily your call, and it’s not our responsibility to make others happy. As she aptly states, “You don’t need anyone’s permission to do God’s will.”
Karen encourages us to be patient with ourselves as we learn to set boundaries and overcome people-pleasing tendencies.
To read this episode's full show notes, click here.
Thank you for listening!
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