Gen opens up about a personal struggle — a project that brought her to tears — and uses it to explore why showing up for ourselves consistently is one of the most spiritual, scientific, and emotionally profound things we can do in midlife.

She weaves together neuroscience, psychology, and wisdom from spiritual traditions worldwide to reframe consistency not as a productivity hack, but as a devotional act — a form of self-love that rebuilds trust from the inside out. She addresses why so many women in midlife struggle to follow through (hint: it's not laziness — it's conditioning, hormonal shifts, and a brain in active transition) and offers compassionate, practical tools for starting smaller and staying longer.

The breakthrough isn't the practice. The faithfulness before the breakthrough is.

📚 RESOURCES Books: Composing a Further Life (Bateson) · Good Habits, Bad Habits (Wood) · Tiny Habits (Fogg) · An Altar in the World (Brown Taylor)

Researchers: Carl Jung · Dr. Lisa Mosconi · Donald Hebb · Kristin Neff · Roy Baumeister · John Bowlby · Adam Grant · Albert Bandura · Brené Brown

Institutions: University College London · American Psychological Association · Harvard Medical School & National Institute on Aging

Also referenced: Rumi

🔗 FIND US 🌐 www.fatefortyandbeyond.com ✨ Soulful Existence (readings & sessions): www.soulfulexistence.com 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond 🎵 TikTok: tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond

In this warm and wide-ranging conversation, Gen sits down with Caren Paskel, self-evolution coach, author, and yoga teacher who transformed profound loss into a blueprint for radical reinvention. After losing her husband to brain cancer, her yoga studios during the pandemic, and eventually her home in Detroit, Caren didn't just rebuild — she completely reimagined what her life could look like. Now 48 and living in Colorado, she's the author of two books: The Power of Self-Belief and Midlife Crisis to Midlife Creation: The Five Steps to Recreate Your Life and Reclaim Your Power.

What unfolds is less an interview and more a conversation between two women who clearly speak the same language. They cover the tarot reading Gen pulls for Caren, the connection between nervous system regulation and abundance, and why staying open to multiple possibilities — in dating, housing, career, and life — is actually a spiritual practice.

It's the kind of conversation that makes you feel like you've been sitting at the table with them the whole time.
[00:00] Welcome & Caren's intro

[01:20] Losing her husband & writing The Power of Self-Belief

[02:50] Midlife Crisis to Midlife Creation — the five steps [04:00] Midlife awakening vs. midlife crisis

[05:00] Nervous system regulation & yoga

[05:50] Gen's wellness journey

[08:10] Tarot reading begins

[14:30] Midlife Olympic Dating — the viral post

[16:25] Influencing vs. inspiring

[18:15] Sacred pauses & social media breaks

[20:25] Staying open to multiple possibilities

[25:10] Grief, gratitude & not getting stuck

[29:10] What called Caren to Colorado

[34:05] When the universe forced the move

[42:10] Space is where the magic happens

[46:25] The Empress & the Hierophant

[53:15] Toxic positivity vs. genuine optimism

[59:25] Money as renewable energy

[1:05:30] Inspirational income

[1:19:20] Advice to your 20-year-old self

RESOURCES & LINKS

• Caren Paskel — Self-evolution coach, author, and yoga teacher
• The Power of Self-Belief by Caren Paskel
• Midlife Crisis to Midlife Creation: The Five Steps to Recreate Your Life and Reclaim Your Power by Caren Paskel (workbook)
• Caren on TikTok: @Caren.Paskel
• Caren on Instagram: @CarenPaskel
• Caren's website: CarenPaskel.com
• Brené Brown — referenced in discussion of shame and storytelling
• The Universal Laws (also covered in Gen's mini episode)
• Afformations (vs. affirmations) — referenced as a mindset tool
  If you love warm, real midlife conversations with humor and heart, you'll feel right at home here.

  Follow the show & connect with Gen: Gen's Website: http://www.soulfulexistence.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence Podcast homepage: http://www.fatefortyandbeyond.com Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond Podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond

In this mini episode, Gen responds to a listener question that stopped her in her tracks. Their question: how do you know what's grief psychosis and what's real? Gen's answer is warm, grounding, and deeply personal.

Gen walks listeners through six of the most common signs that someone is opening up to mediumship, including clairaudience, knowing when someone has passed before being told, visitation dreams, heightened sensitivity to energy, synchronicities and signs, and a sudden pull toward all things metaphysical. She draws on her own lived experiences throughout.

But this episode isn't just about recognizing the signs. It's also about the doubt that almost always comes with them. She reminds listeners that you don't have to become a practicing medium to honor what's happening within you. You just have to be willing to stop explaining it away long enough to actually experience it.

• [00:18] Welcome and Listener Question That Inspired This Episode
• [02:45] What Mediumship Actually Is (Stripping Away the Hollywood Version)
• [05:10] Why Grief Opens the Door to Spirit Communication
• [07:00] Sign 1: Clairaudience — Hearing a Voice That Isn't Yours
• [10:20] Sign 2: Knowing When Someone Has Passed Before Being Told
• [13:45] Gen's Story: Waking Up the Moment Her Former Mother-in-Law Passed
• [16:30] Sign 3: Visitation Dreams and What Makes Them Different
• [19:50] Gen's Cousin and the Visitation That Left Her Feeling Settled
• [22:30] Sign 4: Heightened Sensitivity to Energy and Environment
• [25:00] Sign 5: Synchronicities, Signs, and Spirit's Language
• [27:15] Gen's Story: Smelling Spaghetti in an Empty House
• [30:00] Sign 6: A Sudden Pull Toward the Metaphysical
• [32:00] The Doubt Question — Is This Grief or Is This Real?
• [36:45] How Doubt Closes Down What's Opening Up
• [39:00] Closing Message to the Listener and Invitation to Go Deeper
  
  RESOURCES & LINKS
  • Journey of Souls by Dr. Michael Newton
  • Many Lives, Many Masters by Dr. Brian Weiss (referenced in context of Gen's broader spiritual framework)
  • Soulful Existence — Gen's private session practice: soulfulexistence.com
• The four clairs in mediumship: clairaudience, clairvoyance, claircognizance, clairsentience
  

  If you love warm, real midlife conversations with humor and heart, you'll feel right at home here.

  Follow the show & connect with Gen: Gen's Website: http://www.soulfulexistence.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence Podcast homepage: http://www.fatefortyandbeyond.com Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond Podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond

In Episode 19 of Fate, Forty, and Beyond, Gen welcomes Lisa Eva Zack — mother of five, women's advocate, and founder of a new nonprofit — for a conversation that moves from tarot cards to theology to tiny homes and back again. Lisa shares how a breaking point at work and the end of her second marriage became a catalyst for total reinvention, leading her toward a deeper trust in intuition and a mission to build real community for women who have nowhere to land.

Lisa opens up about leaving a job that was crushing her, navigating solo parenthood of five, and her dream of creating a sanctuary for mothers in transition.

Gen and Lisa also get into spiritual deconstruction after Catholic upbringings, self-love as the oxygen mask you put on first, and the grief that quietly arrives when life doesn't look the way you planned.

Timestamps:

• [00:18] Welcome & Introduction to the Show
• [01:00] Meet Lisa Eva Zack: Advocacy, Motherhood & Evolution
• [04:19] The Tarot Reading Begins
• [06:32] Lisa's Story: When Your Reality Breaks Open
• [09:35] Catholic Upbringings and Spiritual Deconstruction
• [17:26] The Gen X Productivity Trap and Learning to Be Still
• [18:36] The Breaking Point: Quitting, Leaping, and Trusting the Fall
• [29:19] Lisa's Vision: A Sanctuary for Single Mothers
• [31:05] Spiral Dynamics and The World Card — Going Back for Others
• [41:37] Self-Love First: The Oxygen Mask Reframe
• [50:40] The Grief of a Life That Didn't Go as Planned
• [1:04:10] Goddess Oracle: Vesta
• [1:08:06] Wild Offering: Loneliness
• [1:09:07] Closing Reflections

• Lisa Eva Zack — (women's advocacy organization, in development)
• Bhante Sujatha — Loving Kindness Monk, https://bhantesujatha.org/
• Spiral Dynamics — framework for stages of human psychological development https://spiraldynamics.org/
• Goddess Guidance Oracle Deck - https://amzn.to/3O2gzxv
• Wild Offering Oracle Deck — https://amzn.to/4tHNYMS

If you love warm, real midlife conversations with humor and heart, you'll feel right at home here.

Follow the show & connect with Gen: Gen's Website: http://www.soulfulexistence.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence Podcast homepage: http://www.fatefortyandbeyond.com Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond Podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond

This contains affiliate links with may result in a small commission from sales.

What if the reason manifesting hasn't fully clicked for you is that you've only been working with one law out of twelve?

In this mini episode, Gen breaks down all 12 Universal Laws — rooted in Hermetic philosophy dating back to ancient Egypt — and brings each one into the context of midlife. This is ancient knowledge made practical for women who are deep in the work of reinvention.

From the Law of Divine Oneness (the loneliness you feel is an illusion) to the Law of Rhythm (your slower seasons are not failures, they're preparation) to the Law of Gender (your softness is not a weakness), Gen walks through all twelve with warmth, honesty, and zero spiritual fluff.

This is the episode for anyone who tried The Secret, made the vision board, and still felt like something was missing.

In this episode:

• Where the 12 Universal Laws come from and why they matter
• What the Law of Attraction alone can't do — and what the other 11 fill in
• How each law applies to women navigating midlife specifically
• Why the Law of Rhythm is basically permission to rest
• The Law of Gender, divine masculine/feminine energy, and why so many of us are exhausted
• How to start working with the laws without using them to beat yourself up

Ready to go deeper? Gen offers one-on-one tarot readings, mediumship sessions, and past life regression at soulfulexistence.com.

If you love warm, real midlife conversations with humor and heart, you'll feel right at home here.

Follow the show & connect with Gen: Gen's Website: http://www.soulfulexistence.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence Podcast homepage: http://www.fatefortyandbeyond.com Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond Podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond

Sometimes midlife doesn’t look anything like what we thought it would.

In this episode, Gen sits down with Denean for a deeply honest conversation about grief, recovery, rebuilding after loss, and what it means to keep going when life has completely changed shape.

What starts as a tarot reading unfolds into a real conversation about widowhood, addiction recovery, abusive relationships, friendship loss, emotional sobriety, and trying to figure out who you are now.

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt like life knocked the wind out of them and still had to keep moving.

It’s raw, grounded, funny in the right places, and full of the kind of honesty that makes you feel a little less alone.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Welcome + intro
01:39 – Meet Deneen
03:02 – How Gen and Deneen first connected
04:47 – Tarot reading begins
05:02 – Moving, overwhelm, and family transitions
08:10 – Hope, blind spots, and wanting life to finally settle
10:06 – Work burnout and emotional exhaustion
12:15 – The Tower card and life falling apart
13:49 – Who do you become after survival?
14:13 – What grief changed
18:12 – Friendship loss after grief and divorce
23:09 – Giving people more grace
24:51 – Why being called “strong” can feel complicated
27:45 – Addiction, coping, and self-sabotage
29:32 – Leaving abuse and turning the pain inward
31:35 – When chaos starts to feel normal
33:53 – Emotional sobriety and learning not to react
36:24 – Progress over perfection
39:53 – The people who soften us
40:00 – Soul contracts, life lessons, and spiritual growth
43:36 – Safe love and being fully seen
46:19 – Relationships, independence, and what works in midlife
49:06 – New beginnings and emotional healing
50:50 – Confidence, self-trust, and stability
52:19 – Work uncertainty and finding your footing
55:22 – Important doors are opening
56:51 – Emotions want to be felt
57:53 – What Deneen would tell her younger self
59:13 – Becoming who you are because of what you survived
1:00:37 – Closing thoughts

If you love warm, real midlife conversations with humor and heart, you’ll feel right at home here.

Follow the show & connect with Gen:
Gen's Website: www.soulfulexistence.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence
Podcast homepage: www.fatefortyandbeyond.com
Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond
Podcast TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond

Perfectionism isn’t who you are. It’s something you learned to survive.

In this mini episode, Gen shares a raw and honest reflection on what happens when perfectionism stops working in midlife. Through the lens of the Star and Judgment tarot cards, she breaks down the moment where everything clicks. The moment you realize you’re exhausted from trying to be everything for everyone.

This isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about seeing clearly what no longer fits.

Gen explores how perfectionism disconnects you from your intuition, keeps you stuck in delay, and slowly pulls you away from your authentic self. And more importantly, what happens when you finally let it go.

Because life isn’t waiting for you to get it right. It’s waiting for you to show up.

Tarot Deck Used in This Episode: https://amzn.to/4d9G1eF
(I may earn a small commission if you purchase through this link)

00:00 – Podcast intro + purpose
00:45 – Tarot cards pulled: Star + Judgment
01:30 – Perfectionism as a survival strategy
03:00 – Why perfection stops working in midlife
04:30 – The Star card: healing after being cracked open
06:00 – The Judgment card: clarity you can’t unsee
08:00 – Living for others vs losing yourself
10:00 – Why “doing everything right” still feels empty
12:00 – Perfectionism as control + blocked intuition
14:30 – The “hose” analogy for resistance and flow
16:30 – Intuition vs perfection: why we stop listening
18:30 – How perfectionism creates delay and stuckness
20:30 – Identity: being the “responsible one”
22:00 – Letting go feels like losing who you are
23:30 – Dropping the armor metaphor
25:00 – Creating space for authenticity and creativity
26:30 – Infinite paths vs one “right” way
28:00 – Choosing imperfect action repeatedly
30:00 – Trusting yourself in real time
32:00 – Midlife as unlearning, not fixing
34:00 – Truth vs perfection in connection
36:00 – Awareness: noticing perfectionism without judgment
38:00 – Life is waiting for participation, not perfection
40:00 – Closing reflection + invitation to act

If you love warm, real midlife conversations with humor and heart, you’ll feel right at home here.

Follow the show & connect with Gen:
Gen's Website: www.soulfulexistence.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence
Podcast homepage: www.fatefortyandbeyond.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond

What happens when two women in midlife stop pretending they have it all figured out and just tell the truth?

In this episode, Gen sits down with holistic nutritionist and kinesiologist Candace Swanson for a tarot-led conversation that opens into something deeper. They talk business expansion, parenting later in life, health wake-up calls, emotional boundaries, addiction, intuition, and what it means to protect your peace without apologizing for it.

It’s honest, funny, grounded, and full of those little moments that make you feel less alone. This one is about self-awareness, healing, and learning how to care less about the noise and more about what actually matters.

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro and meet Candace
03:05 - Business opportunities and tarot reading begins
06:32 - Business expansion and partnership energy
10:08 - Sugar cravings, addiction, and food habits
13:29 - Parenting later in life and perspective shifts
17:27 - Midlife honesty and “we do not care” energy
19:41 - Candace shares the health crisis that changed her life
22:39 - Kinesiology and investigative healing
24:25 - Protecting your energy and emotional boundaries
28:27 - Empaths and asking “is this mine?”
30:30 - Vivid dreams and astral travel conversation
34:10 - Infertility and needing answers
37:10 - Not taking life too seriously
40:10 - Morning routines, prayer, and protecting your mindset
42:59 - Social media boundaries and mental health
45:19 - Making inner work a priority
48:47 - Boundaries with clients and work
52:01 - Action energy and decision-making
55:06 - Self-awareness and relating to others
57:53 - Woo-woo stereotypes and spiritual life
59:56 - Advice to 20-year-old self
1:02:45 - Letting yourself keep a few harmless vices
1:05:17 - Health and habits in your 40s
1:05:37 - Final reflections

If you love warm, real midlife conversations with humor and heart, you’ll feel right at home here.

Follow the show & connect with Gen:
Gen's Website: www.soulfulexistence.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soulfulxistence
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@soulfulxistence
Podcast homepage: www.fatefortyandbeyond.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatefortyandbeyond
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fatefortyandbeyond

Work with Candace in the Metro Atlanta Area: www.alternahealthsolutions.com