S4 Ep 221: Remember Joy? Midlife Reinvention Starts Here

Somewhere between responsibilities, careers, raising kids, and trying to hold life together… many of us stopped asking a very important question:

What actually brings me joy?

In this week’s Pool Podcast episode of MEfirst Midlife Badassery, I’m recording from my favorite place — the pool — talking about why joy might actually be one of the most powerful tools for transformation.

From joining a watercolor group to experimenting with alter egos, exploring creativity, and remembering the things we loved as kids… this episode is about giving yourself permission to try things again.

Midlife reinvention doesn’t have to be serious all the time.

Sometimes it starts with joy.

And sometimes the first step is simply asking yourself what lights you up.

In This Episode

• Why joy is a powerful part of personal transformation
• How creativity helps unlock new identities
• The concept of alter egos and stepping into future versions of yourself
• Rediscovering childhood joy (inspired by The Artist’s Way)
• Why midlife is the perfect time to experiment and try new things
• How small adventures can reconnect you to your purpose

Your Challenge This Week

Ask yourself:

What did I love doing when I was younger that I haven’t done in a long time?

Try one small thing this week that sparks curiosity, creativity, or joy.

You might be surprised what happens next.

Episode Timestamps

00:00 Recording the podcast from the pool
02:00 Why joy matters on the transformation journey
05:00 Alter egos and identity creation
09:00 Everyday adventures and creativity
14:00 Finding what lights you up in midlife
19:30 Loch Ness Addie and the joy of the water
24:00 Expanding joy and trying new things
28:00 Your challenge: rediscover joy

Watch the Pool Podcast on YouTube

You can watch this episode (and follow my everyday adventure experiments) over on YouTube.

Search Midlife Badassery with Addie Beall or follow the links in my community.

If you’re a midlife woman ready to reinvent your life, reconnect to yourself, and surround yourself with other badass women doing the same work…

Come join us inside the Midlife Badassery community.

Weekly Challenges inside our SKOOL community Midlife Badassery is open HERE

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Transcript

Hey you guys, we are headed to the pool to record the podcast for today. I'm so excited because I decided today is all about how important finding joy on your journey of transformation is. And of course it's my favorite topic because my core value is fun. Like when do we stop dreaming and stop having fun? And I know some of you are going to say, well, I always have fun, you know, but

I think our adult fun and play can look so different than the innocent play we had when we were kids. And how can we bring more of that just wonderful joy in our lives? So I want to talk through that today

Okay, you guys, here we are at the pool. I'm loving my podcast in the pool and it's so on topic for today because like this is my adult playground, right? Like sometimes I even go down the slide because when do we stop playing? I know a lot of you have been doing this work with me for a while and you have started to find joy in your lives, start to play a little bit or maybe you always did, but I think there's always that.

next evolution of ourselves, that next space to expand and find what joy is. I did a thing this week. I'm loving the communities on school and how I can just hop in and cross over to all kinds of stuff. And I'm meeting people that do cool things. I joined this watercolor group. So it really hit me with doing this painting work, that painting itself, the creativity of it, the just allowing yourself to create something from basically nothing but your mind.

and how that also plays into our identities. And so I went and I started doing this alter ego work because I was reading the book, The Alter Ego Effect. I created a whole alter ego process and I thought I invented it. Then I found out. Everybody is just doing this, Like Beyonce and like all these athletes do it and...

Lady Gaga is an alter ego. I'm doing this alter ego course, you guys, and he was talking about Clark Kent and Superman, right? And which one is the alter ego? And it's actually Clark Kent that is the alter ego, that Superman, the one with all the powers, is who we truly are. And that is the one within us lying in wait. I start doing this course because in the community I'm leading, where we have our alter ego GPT,

It's just not deep enough. It's just, it's amazing work to like coach you and guide you and give you some like coiners for the week, but it's not the deeper alter ego work that is really deep transformations. I am working on putting that in process. We're going to do that the beginning of April in like a five day alter ego challenge, but I really wanted the key. So I'm practicing it on myself right now as you, as I do.

Slayer goes first, you know, and then I bring you all the good stuff. In the process, he's talking about how we have all these identities, which I think we've probably heard this before, you know, you're the mom, you're the, you're the business owner, you're the employee, all of these, roles you play in this globe. And so I started writing this out and I'm doing the work and having fun and so much clarity has come from this, you guys, about.

how I can just have joy. You guys know I've been playing on YouTube and figuring out how I want to show up there and what I want it to look like. My goal is to give people a little moment of inspiration through watching my journey as I try to sway it. And then the Me First Buy, that's the process that I show up for every day that is the foundation that helps me move forward one little step at a time or do things like create joy.

And being more creative in life. So I found this content creator I really like on YouTube and I made this identity because I decided I want to do them like vlog style. And it became all about joy. Because you remember the artist way with Julia Cameron, out of it, she'll take you back like, Hey, what were the fun things when you were a kid? And you know, like you take yourself on an artist date. This everyday adventure, like I had made that bucket list, but.

If you don't plan on, you don't go do them. And the challenge is it's got to be by yourself or else you're just wrapped up in that other person where that is maybe ⁓ open to allowing your creativity to flow. know, sometimes for me, this will just be finding a new coffee shop, going to a new town on the island hurt.

in the mainland or something or finding a new hiking trail. I'd say find a new pool, but it doesn't get any better than this. So I decided it would be so fun, you guys, if I took you on an everyday adventure with me every week. And I'm like, this is what this is all about, like reinvention, finding a way to make it fun. And all of sudden I knew why I was like procrastinating everything, why I wasn't in my full body. Yes.

because I kept being like, was trying to make myself sit in this desk like some professional YouTuber where I'm like, this is Loch Ness Addie My whole essence is just being me. You know what I mean? And so it was like, it was really hard to just sit there. And I thought, well, how can I bring more joy into what I'm creating? Like, what would be really fun, you know?

And going and exploring different coffee shops or different areas on the island. And also sharing different concepts I've learned on the way, like morning pages. Like maybe I have like a whiteboard part and I've got an adventure part and I've got my morning routine part, making the habit of coming to the pool, like all kinds of fun shit, right? So this came to me and I'm like, that's just freaking fun. When I...

feel like something's fun, that is another full lot of fun and joy run very close together for me. So this is my content creator personality. Who is she? How does she act? How does she show up? Because some of what I was writing through when I was doing this alter ego course is how am I not showing up that I want to show up for times I want to record or for laying out a concept, something like that. Something that feels just really hard, right?

And so I wrote out all these personalities around my life and creation right now. And funny enough, very few of them are about my health because I spent so much time on that identity on who Healthy Slayer is and what it looks like. And now it's just putting a little Tetris pieces in place to configure my life. Speaking of Tetris pieces, you guys, I keep hearing about this IFS, these parts or whatever.

I guess I got to look into that next, but I'm doing human design right now and then I'll get in the IFS stuff for us. I'll let you know if you need to go there or not. But the human design shit, you guys, is so key. Like, knowing I'm a generator and I've got all these centers activated. I get a sacral response, which that's your first yes or no. And then I also have emotional authority, which means I get emotional yes or no after that. And then I have splenic.

which I think is like the little magic, like full body, hell yes, layer, but those are fleeting and you not gotta know when to grab them, right? But understanding that my type is to respond. So something comes in my ether and I'm like that, I'm doing that. And I'm very quick to do everything by the way, in case you guys haven't noticed. Like let's do it.

So it'll come in my field. Now I'm learning to let it wait, let it percolate, let it wait, let it percolate. Let these people at the pool must think of me. They must think I'm fun. That's what it must be. Okay, so I'm gonna wait and let it percolate, right? And then is it a yes or a no? And so I've been sitting with this and I just had to share with you guys because...

I think so many of us go through this, like learning what your response is, how to listen to your body. And this was so key for me, like the first time around with my weight loss, like being, I remember being like, my God, this is just about me figuring out what lights me up. And when I do that, everything else falls into place and how I lost my weight. No, I didn't lose my weight because I was right where I was supposed to be. I'm reframing that story.

But I needed to be in the space. was going back to a job for a while and doing a lot of healing physically and being there with Millie and healing a lot of that. You know, I was right where I was supposed to be. But also, like, do what lights you up. You know, the problem is so many of us don't know what lights us up. We get to middle age.

And we've been dreaming for everyone and everything, for our bosses, for our kids, for everybody but ourselves. And we're like, I don't know what the fuck lights me up. We think we want to retire and go sit on a beach and drink margaritas forever, but that's going to be good for like, I don't know.

a month, but like how long are you satisfied with that for? We're growth seeking beings. I guess if you're numbing out with booze all the time, you could be satisfied with that a long time. So this is the challenge for this week, you guys, right? Like how can you find joy? And what if we look at midlife reinvention as a process of finding joy? What could bring you more joy in your life? What little thing can you try this week? Every time I do this, someone goes and they try water aerobics. I can't imagine why.

Maybe that's your thing. Maybe that's what brings you joy. But if we don't go out and try different things, then we never know what could bring you joy. And when I first started walking the pool, you guys, I was really fearful to be outside because I kept breaking out and it was pretty, it was pretty awful. I will tell you, my whole face was just covered in eczema.

And so I just really hid for so long. And then I just gradually started coming here to the pool. And the pool is somewhere that has always just been home for me, you know? And like, so this version of me is Loch Ness Addy. This is the girl that doesn't ever want to get out of the pool and doesn't want to get out of the ocean. I remember when I had my beach house here in Ewa Beach, like right on the ocean, you guys, and we used to these parties all the time. And we had this big floaty.

that we tie up to the rock jetty. And I didn't ever want to come in. I just wanted to stay out there forever. Or I could be like in a floatie hanging off the side, just bobbing forever. I love being in the water. And I grew up as a swimmer and we had a pool and it was just like, I love being in the water. My mom always said, you're like a fish. And she said, that's why it's good your feet are so big. They're like big fins. Thanks, mom. Thanks a lot.

I got big fins for feet, you guys. It's okay though, I love my body. I always loved being a little bit of a bigger girl, very strong and very athletic, you know? So for me, you guys, I think it's always been about finding that thing that feels so good, like I don't ever want to get out, like Loch Ness Addy or my mountain I didn't want to leave. Like finding that place that was solely mine that was

adventure and joy and also heart sing. I think it's so different for all of us. It might be a walk in nature for you. It might be something else, but also expanding your joy. Maybe you already have that. Maybe you love a good walk or a good swim or whatever it is, but maybe you can expand your joy a little bit. Like doing this water coloring group or, ⁓ you know, many slayers started sewing and she's in this cute little sewing community.

Like this girl's just started on TikTok, like trying to teach people to sew and she's in Phoenix too, like Lexi. And then she had a group, she rented out a sewing place, I don't know, a place and brought a bunch of sewing machines and they all go and sew together. And now she's on like a little membership for that. I'm just so proud of Mini Slayer because she does this work too, right? And I'm like, she's...

Just so far ahead. I mean, I didn't find all this shit to us 50, right? She's dreaming with us every quarter, making everyday adventure lists, getting out there and trying things. And I think for kids nowadays, and not that she's bitch, like 31, right? ⁓ It's harder. It's all, everyone's all in their tech. Even dating is so different, you know? Like the internet is beautiful in so many ways and...

has maybe brought up ⁓ some more challenges in ways like that for ourselves and our kids. I'm telling you that when I was in that AI seminar and the doctor of happiness said, look at your social media usage. Is it bringing you closer to people or farther from people?

If the answer of that is farther, you're probably doom-spilling. It's probably not feeling good. And this is, think, what I love about the communities I'm in so much right now, because it's all community. You know, there's no reels interrupting the food. I have to intentionally go in there and interact. And it's changing me. It's changing how I show up in the world. And, you know, it's an intention though. I'm not just letting...

letting the internet gods guide whatever, whatever comes to me and being a generator, I'll respond to that shit all day long. You know, I mean, I'm very intentional, but I did this at the beginning of my journey with social media. I would actually get like a no in my body. would be like, ⁓ and so that true me really quickly. I wonder why I don't get that anymore. I've been talking about that's a year. Like that full body no.

Maybe I'm just not doing anything that's a full body now, cause I'm like such a perfect little child. Okay. guys that's to joy. So your mission this week, ask yourself, what did I like to do when I was little that I haven't done in a long time? Try to just do one little thing this month and, or maybe you go on an everyday adventure and follow along on my YouTube channel. Cause I'm going to start putting like these cool adventure vlogs to go. Well, I think they're going to be cool.

You might think they're mundane. I've been watching a lot of vlogs. It's, can't tell you how fascinating it is to watch someone reorganize their makeup counter. I'm like, people really watch this shit? I'm like, I'll clean a closet for you. I got to clean my closet. Okay, you guys, I just wanted you to know I'm over here at Boeufscent, full adjoining Hertz thing again. And it's been intentional identity creation. And so now, oh, I forgot to finish telling you about

My content creator identity. So her name is Katie, which is the name of the chick I'm learning from. So when I stepped into that and I'm still haven't got to this part of his ultimate ego course, but it was like when I stepped into Slayer, the one slaying the weight loss goals, right? Like what would Slayer do? When I put on content creator Katie, when I put on that mask and he even has you do like like F and so you use a towel and, ⁓ you can have different ways to activate this persona.

And when I step into that, she's the one that is creative and is like, we're going to go shoot a shot of doing this and ⁓ getting the coffee shot. Why we like to watch people make coffee too, you guys. I'm just saying. Okay. That's it for this week, you guys. Thanks for listening, hanging in the pool. My hope is it's like, we're just here in the pool chatting together, because you guys are all my besties and we're just.

on this ride together to find joy and find what lights us up. Cause it's our purpose. Whatever lights you up and there's nothing selfish about it. So go find joy. What can you start exploring something different, something new? It should give you like that little tangle of, my gosh, I'm so excited to go do this. Right. Or nervous, nervous and excitement can feel like the same emotion. Okay. You guys, I love you until next week. Slayers.