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Message in the Middle: Midlife Women, Reinvention & Personal Growth
Message in the Middle is a podcast for women navigating the challenges, transitions, and reinventions that often come with midlife.
Hosted by Marianne DeMello-Smith, each episode explores the messy, meaningful moments that shape who we become. Through honest conversations with experts, authors, thought leaders, and everyday women, you'll discover practical insights, inspiring stories, and new perspectives on what it means to grow through life's most difficult seasons.
Whether you're facing a career change, caregiving responsibilities, health challenges, grief, relationship shifts, menopause, identity changes, or simply wondering what's next, Message in the Middle offers encouragement, wisdom, and real-world strategies to help you move forward with greater confidence and purpose.
Together, we'll explore resilience, personal growth, self-discovery, emotional well-being, and the power of turning life's messes into meaningful midlife messages.
Because midlife isn't the end of your story. It may just be the beginning of your next chapter.
Message in the Middle: Midlife Women, Reinvention & Personal Growth
Can We Really Have It All? A Candid Conversation About Burnout and Balance with Dr. Denise Brown
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Joining Marianne today is Dr. Denise Brown—a Stanford-trained physician, author, former CEO and Chief Strategy Officer, and board advisor to seven- and eight-figure companies.
Dr. Brown brings over three decades of experience in healthcare and leadership, but what truly sets her apart is her commitment to helping high-achieving women redefine success, prioritize self-care, and navigate maternal overwhelm without burning out. Her new book, The Fairy God Doctor’s Guide to the Good Life: A Prescription for the Working Woman, offers a thoughtful, practical approach to thriving—at work, at home, and everywhere in between.
In this conversation, we dive into:
- Why she felt now was the time to write this book—and what inspired it
- A few small but powerful “prescriptions” that women can start using right away
- The pressure of “having it all” and how to actually create balance instead
- Subtle signs of burnout that many women miss until it’s too late
- How to redefine success and let go of outdated expectations
- Why so many ambitious, capable women still struggle to put themselves on the list
- How Dr. Brown personally recognized it was time to shift her own path
Whether you're juggling work, caregiving, leadership, or all of the above, this episode offers wisdom, reassurance, and a reminder that you deserve to feel good in your own life.
Connect with Dr. Brown https://thefairygoddoctor.com/
Connect with Marianne:
- Website: Message In The Middle with Marianne
- Message In the Middle Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
- Email: Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne
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