I Used to Be Fun
A warm, humorous, honest podcast for midlife women who’ve gotten really good at doing all the things—and are ready to make a little more room for themselves in the lives they’ve built.
Episodes
20 episodes
Play Date with Teresa Thomas: Fun is Fuel
Meet the Joy Concierge! That's the nickname my guest Teresa Thomas earned after turning her 50th birthday into a wildly contagious practice: a list of 50 fun things to experience before the big day — everything from Santorini-sized dreams to fi...
The Problem is There is No Problem
What happens when your brain is really good at solving problems... and then, for once, there isn't one to solve?This week's Nudge episode started with a line from a novel I read recently — "What am I supposed to seek justice for now?" — ...
Play Date with Cynthia Morris
What if the truest résumé of your life isn't the one with job titles on it?This week's Play Date is with Cynthia Morris — writing and creativity coach, novelist, and former hot air balloon chef in the Alps (a real job, apparently) — who'...
What If You're Not Late?
What if “I’m too old” isn’t a fact, but a story we’ve been telling ourselves for so long it started to sound true?In this Nudge episode, I explore the particular gremlin that insists we’ve missed our chance or gotten too old for somethin...
Play Date with Catherine LaSota
In this Play Date episode, I’m talking with creativity coach, writer, artist, and podcaster Catherine LaSota about becoming your own authority—questioning the expectations you’ve absorbed, trusting the path that actually fits you, and building ...
Urgent Meditation?
Have you ever caught yourself rushing when you have absolutely nowhere you need to be?In this Nudge, I’m sharing the morning I found myself hurrying just so I could relax and meditate. (Yes, I see the irony.)It got me wondering ho...
Play Date with Minette Riordan
Somewhere around midlife, the roles that used to fit us start to feel like pants that won't button — and creativity, it turns out, is how we find our way back to who's underneath them. In this Play Date, I sit down with artist and midlife trans...
Are You Saving or Savoring?
I grew up in the era of fine china saved for occasions that never came, and formal living rooms no one was allowed to sit in — a whole generation preparing for a party that never quite happened.Turns out I never outgrew asking why. In th...
It's Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature (or Yourself)
This is a Nudge with a twist — because last week, my friend Kim Turcotte (you'll remember her from our very first Play Date) sent an email that got me thinking, and I immediately texted her: "We need to talk about this on the podcast."So...
Ep 10: Play Date with Sarah Raad
Sarah Raad has spent her career working with creative women who are stuck in the loop: overthinking, second-guessing, circling the same ideas, and never quite feeling ready. Sound familiar?In this episode, we dig into why rest isn't lazi...
Ep 9: Play Date with Kate Buckmeier
My guest today is Kate Buckmeier — former neighbor, fellow quilter, and the mastermind behind something she calls The Grandma Project. Around her 49th birthday, the idea for the project arrived fully formed: twelve months, twelve activit...
Ep 8: [Nudge] What Sounds Fun to You?
Life gets busy. Responsibilities get loud. And somewhere along the way, many of us stop noticing the little things that make us smile. In this episode, we're exploring what happens when we get curious about fun again—and why rediscovering it do...
Ep 7: [Nudge] But, do I deserve that?
If you've ever talked yourself out of the art class, the afternoon off, the thing that would genuinely make your life more beautiful — and told yourself it was about the money or the time — this one's for you. In this Nudge, I'm following a que...
Ep 6: Play Date with Dr. J (a.k.a. my husband)
You've heard a lot from me about reclaiming your right to play. But what does it look like from the other side — from the person in your corner who makes that space possible?Today I'm welcoming my husband of 26-plus years, known...
Ep 5: [NUDGE] Your to-do list lied. Rest is not a reward.
When was the last time you genuinely felt sharp? Not caffeinated sharp — actually sharp? In this Nudge episode, Annmarie digs into why rest is not an earned reward, but a vital input -- and why play might be the most underrated form of rest the...
EP 4: Play Date with Kristen Tate
Kristen Tate is my book editor, a self-described introvert, and someone who has intentionally built play back into her life more than once. Which means this conversation felt a little like sitting down with someone who understands how easy it i...
Ep 3: Turns Out, I Need My Own Podcast
I built a podcast called I Used to Be Fun about reclaiming creativity, play, and joy. So you'd think I'd be great at actually choosing joy. You'd be wrong. In this episode, I get honest about the gap between knowing something and livin...
Ep 2: Play Date with Kim Turcotte
For the first Play Date episode of I Used to Be Fun, I brought in one of my besties (made it a little less scary that way!)— Kim Turcotte. Kim helps women reconnect with themselves through cyclical wisdom and intentional practice, which sounds ...
Ep. 1: What if she isn't lost?
What if you didn't lose the fun, playful version of yourself? What if you actually just got really good at editing her out? In this first episode, we explore the difference between something being lost vs. being tucked away, and make a case for...