Empty Nester Life: The Podcast with Mark and Jacki
Empty Nester Life: The Podcast is your honest, heartfelt guide to life after the kids leave home. Join Jacki and Mark as they dive into real conversations about marriage, grief, purpose, parenting adult children, rediscovering yourself, and navigating major life transitions. Whether you’re embracing freedom, facing loneliness, or dreaming of what’s next, you’ll find encouragement, humor, and real talk here. Welcome to the next—and best—chapter of life.
Episodes
23 episodes
Forgiving When Someone Lets You Down | Finding Freedom and Healing
What do you do when someone you love deeply lets you down? When unmet expectations leave quiet but lasting wounds? In this episode of Empty Nester Life, Jacki and Mark talk candidly about forgiveness — not the dramatic kind, but the qu...
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Season 1
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Episode 23
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45:30
Fun & Affordable Date Night Ideas for Empty Nesters | At-Home, Local, & Overnight Adventures
Looking for fresh date night inspiration now that the nest is empty? In this episode of Empty Nester Life, we’re sharing 3 fun, affordable, and memorable date night ideas you can try this week!✨ Here’s what we cover:<...
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Season 1
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Episode 22
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33:17
What Dogs Teach Us About Love, Loyalty & Family 🐾
Dogs aren’t just pets — they’re family. 🐶 In this heartfelt episode, we explore how dogs teach us about love, loyalty, presence, and even faith.We’ll talk about:Why dogs are often the emotional heart of a home ❤️How ...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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49:38
Should We Keep Growing? Rethinking Growth in Different Areas of Life
Is growth always good? Or is the constant pressure to “do more and be more” actually keeping us from true transformation?In this episode, we dive into the big question: Should we keep growing? Together, we’ll explore what healthy,...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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46:21
Top 5 Travel Destinations for Empty Nesters
Looking for the best travel ideas for empty nesters? In this episode, we share our Top 5 Travel Destinations for Empty Nesters. From romantic getaways to bucket-list adventures, these top 5 travel ideas are perfect for couples ready to explore ...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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45:13
Stronger in God: How Faith Transforms Love, Life, and Marriage
In this episode of Empty Nester Life, we share how a Bible-based faith in Christ has shaped our story from the very beginning. We talk about how God brought us together, the ways Scripture continues to guide our marriage, and why walking with J...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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1:00:59
Top 5 Ways Your Life Changes as an Empty Nester (And How to Embrace It)
Becoming an empty nester is one of the biggest life transitions you’ll ever face—and it comes with more changes than you might expect. In this episode of Empty Nester Life: The Podcast, Mark and Jacki dive into the Top 5 Ways Your L...
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Season 1
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Episode 17
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33:23
Turning Your Second Home Into a Short-Term Rental – What You Need to Know
Thinking about turning your second home into a short-term rental? 🏡✨ In this episode of Empty Nester Life, we’re diving into everything you need to know before listing your vacation home on Airbnb, VRBO, or another rental pl...
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Season 1
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Episode 16
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56:04
Arizona Travel & Lifestyle Guide: From the Desert to the Pines
Arizona Travel & Lifestyle Guide: From the Desert to the Pines 🌵🌲Arizona is so much more than cactus and sunshine—it’s a state full of stunning contrasts, rich history, and endless adventures. In this episode of the Empty Nester Lif...
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Season 1
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Episode 15
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57:41
Buying a Home in a Different State - What You Need to Know
Buying a home in a different state can be exciting—but also overwhelming.In this episode of Empty Nester Life, we share our real-life experience buying a second home in Rockport, Texas, and walk you through what you need to know before purc...
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Season 1
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Episode 14
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50:22
10 Ways to Mess Up Your YouTube Channel | Episode 13
🎥 10 Ways to Ruin Your YouTube Channel (And What to Do Instead!) Welcome to Empty Nester Life, where we explore the next chapter with curiosity, humor, and purpose. In this episode, we’re diving into something a little diffe...
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Season 1
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Episode 13
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44:40
Mending Fences: How to Reconnect with Family, Friends, or Adult Children
“It’s not too late to make a phone call, write a letter, or open a door.”In this episode of Empty Nester Life, we’re diving into one of the hardest and most meaningful challenges of midlife: rebuilding broken or distant relation...
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1:02:12
Coping With Regret or “Should Haves” — Empty Nester Life Podcast Episode 11
Have you ever found yourself coping with regret thinking, “I should have…” or “If only I had…”? In this heartfelt episode of the Empty Nester Life Podcast, we dive into the universal experience of regret—and how to stop letting it define you.
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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1:04:43
How to Know When It’s Time to Downsize Your Home
Is it time to downsize your home now that the kids have moved out? In this episode of Empty Nester Life: The Podcast, we’re tackling one of the biggest questions empty nesters face: Should we sell the family home and move int...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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1:01:36
Integrating a Stepparent into the Family: Building Trust & Blending with Care
Blending a family is never easy—especially when it involves integrating a stepfather into a child’s life. In this episode of Empty Nester Life: The Podcast, we dive into the emotional, practical, and relational aspects of becoming a stepdad or ...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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39:08
What Does it Really Mean to Live the Empty Nester Life?
What does it really mean to live the Empty Nester Life? In this episode, we unpack the meaning behind each word in our title:– Empty: From the quiet house to the emotional emptiness we sometimes feel– Nest: How our home evolves when the...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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1:04:27
Are Toxins Hiding in Your Kitchen?
In this first episode of our health mini-series, we kick things off with the eye-opening moment that changed everything for us: a casual clean-out of our spice rack that led to a deep dive into food toxins, ultra-processed products, and ingredi...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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44:42
How to Help Your Adult Children Find Their Groove | Episode 5
Your kids are grown, but the parenting role hasn’t disappeared—it’s just changed. In this episode of Empty Nester Life: The Podcast, we explore how to support your adult children without hovering, offer advice without oversteppi...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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43:45
Marriage After the Kids Move Out: Episode 4
In this episode of Empty Nester Life: The Podcast, we dive into one of the most important—and sometimes overlooked—topics in the empty nester journey: marriage after the kids leave home. When the house gets quiet and the routines chang...
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45:33
Heart Health & Diet – Mark’s Wake Up Call and What We Learned - Episode 3
Episode 3: Heart Health & Diet – Mark’s Wake-Up Call and What We LearnedIn this episode of Empty Nester Life: The Podcast, we open up about Mark’s personal health scare that became a major turning point in how we approach wellness. ...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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49:00
Picking Up the Pieces – Where We Left Off - Episode 2
In this episode of Empty Nester Life: The Podcast, we reconnect with our YouTube community and share an honest update on our empty nester journey. From falling in love with Rockport, Texas, to buying (and eventually selling) vacation r...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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21:19
Welcome to Empty Nester Life: The Podcast!
In our very first episode, we’re pulling back the curtain and inviting you into our story. We’re Jacki and Mark—married for decades, parents of four, and now navigating the unpredictable, exciting, and sometimes emotional world of empty nest li...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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23:01
This just in! Empty Nester Life: The Podcast is now live!
🎙️ Welcome to the Empty Nester Life podcast — where life after the kids move out gets real, raw, and a little ridiculous.Hosted by Jacki and Mark Tait, a couple navigating the next chapter of marriage, meaning, and memory-making...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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2:10