Love From the Inside Out: Real Life Conversations for Women Going Through Midlife, Menopause Body Changes and Identity Shifts
Love From the Inside Out is an honest, empowering podcast for women in midlife navigating menopause, body changes, burnout, boundaries, relationships, self-trust, anxiety, and identity shifts.
Hosted by Susan Kricun, storyteller, PR strategist, speaker, and midlife woman navigating many of these same questions herself, this show offers grounded reflections, real conversations, and relatable stories to help you feel seen, less alone, and more connected to yourself again.
If you’ve been wondering, “Why don’t I feel like myself anymore?” or “Who am I now?” this podcast meets you in that in-between place with honesty, warmth, humor, and perspective you can use in real life. The conversations are emotionally honest without being heavy, reflective without feeling overly therapeutic, and real without leaving you stuck in what feels hard.
Whether you’re navigating menopause, midlife anxiety, body image, people-pleasing, burnout, grief, marriage, friendship, boundaries, reinvention, self-doubt, or the feeling that your old roles no longer fit, each episode is designed to help you slow down, name what you’re feeling, reconnect with your own voice, and begin trusting yourself in this next chapter.
With decades of experience in storytelling, communications, and connecting people through honest conversation, Susan explores the emotional side of midlife, the parts we don’t always say out loud, but so many women are quietly carrying.
At its heart, Love From the Inside Out is about telling the truth about this season of life without making midlife feel like something to survive. It is about noticing what you’ve been carrying, questioning what no longer belongs to you, and remembering that this part of life can still hold beauty, joy, movement, confidence, friendship, laughter, style, pleasure, freedom, and a deeper connection to yourself.
You’ll hear honest solo episodes and real conversations about midlife, menopause, body changes, self-trust, people-pleasing, burnout, boundaries, identity, grief, anxiety, relationships, and what it means to stop living on autopilot.
If you’re asking, “Is this menopause, midlife, burnout, anxiety, or something else?” “How do I stop people-pleasing and trust myself again?” or “What do I want for this next part of my life?” you’re in the right place.
New episodes every Thursday. Follow along for honest conversations about midlife, menopause, self-trust, and coming back to yourself.
Love From the Inside Out: Real Life Conversations for Women Going Through Midlife, Menopause Body Changes and Identity Shifts
Why I Didn't Change My Last Name After Marriage
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What happens when the thing you imagined your whole life finally arrives... and it doesn't feel the way you expected?
For most of my life, I assumed I would change my last name when I got married. I actually looked forward to it. Growing up with a difficult-to-pronounce last name, I dreamed of the day I would take a simpler name and step into what I thought would be an easier identity.
But when I got married for the first time at 52, something unexpected happened.
The name I had spent years wanting to leave behind had become part of who I was.
In this episode of Love From the Inside Out, I’m sharing the story behind why I didn’t change my last name after marriage and why that decision became about much more than paperwork.
I talk about family expectations, growing up with the belief that marriage was the ultimate goal, what it means to get married later in life, and how keeping my maiden name became connected to identity, independence, family history, and belonging.
Whether you changed your name, kept your name, reclaimed your maiden name after divorce, never married, or are still figuring out what parts of your identity truly belong to you, this episode is really about one question:
How do we love deeply without losing ourselves in the process?
In this episode, I talk about:
• Why I chose not to change my last name after marriage
• What came up for me around keeping my maiden name
• Getting married for the first time at 52
• Family expectations around marriage, motherhood, and identity
• Why names can feel so emotional for women
• What it means to belong to someone without losing yourself
Referenced in this episode:
• Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden
• Related episode: “I Tried Every Dating App - What Actually Worked: Self-Love, Boundaries & Message Scripts”
🎧 Connect & Get More:
• Instagram: @susan.kricun
• Drop in my DMs and share your story or ask a question.
• Sign up for my newsletter for free resources and updates.
🎶 Music Credit:
“Seize the Day” by Andrey Rossi, via #Uppbeat (uppbeat.io/t/andrey-rossi/seize-the-day)
✨ Support the Show:
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere you listen
• Share this episode with a friend who could use a little more love—right where it matters most.
📚 Susan’s Favorite Books + Tools
• This link leads you to a curated list of books and tools I genuinely love and use.
• Some links are Amazon affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
🎙️ Be a Guest on the Show. Fill out this form.
© 2025–present Susan Kricun. Love From the Inside Out™ is a trademark of Susan Kricun.
All rights reserved. All opinions are my own. This podcast is educational, not medical or legal advice.