It might look like love. Might even feel like love. But what if it’s not?

In this episode, we’re exploring the difference between love and attachment. Knowing the difference might save years of confusion, resentment, and chasing someone’s potential.

Stacey is walking you through what love is (without the fairytale framing), how attachment shows up in your nervous system and choices, and why the two get so tangled in midlife relationships.

If you’ve ever been in a situation that made you question yourself, held on longer than you wanted to, or built a future with someone who wasn’t fully present, this conversation may give you language and clarity for what you’ve been feeling.

You’ll learn:

• What real love looks like

• How attachment hides in chemistry and caretaking

• The waiting-for-them-to-change trap

• Why long-term relationships aren’t always mutual

• How to stop confusing connection with compatibility

This episode is a roadmap for recognizing the kind of connection that can hold your wholeness.

✨ Got a topic, idea, or question?
Submit ideas for upcoming episodes in the Suggestion Box
https://staceyherrera.com/suggestion-box

📸 Follow Stacey on Instagram & TikTok for insight, truth, and grown woman reflections

💌 Subscribe to the Midlife & Then Some Substack
https://staceyherrera.substack.com/

📖 Read Stacey’s Book: How Do I Tell Them I Have Herpes?
A guide to having “the talk” without losing your cool (or your dignity).
https://staceyherrera.com/herpesbook

⭐️ Love the Show? Leave a 5-Star Review
Your words help other midlife women find us.
https://staceyherrera.com/love-is-review

If you’re the one who remembers the birthdays, plans the date nights, manages the group chats, and loads the dishwasher (because no one else seems to notice it’s full), this episode is for you.

In today’s conversation, Stacey opens up about what happened when she finally stopped doing it all and what she learned about herself, her nervous system, and the stories that keep so many women in midlife over-functioning in their relationships.

If you’ve ever thought, “If I don’t do it, it won’t get done,” this one will hit home.

You’ll hear why it feels so hard to step back (even when you’re exhausted) and how to make small but powerful changes that allow space for support, help, and actual partnership.

Whether you're in a relationship or just realizing how often you take the lead in your life, this episode offers honest reflections and practical tools for letting go of the mental load.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The hidden belief that keeps women stuck in the “go-to” role

• Three doable ways to shift the dynamic and stop doing it all

• Why letting people show up for you is vulnerable and necessary

• What really happens when you stop filling every gap yourself

Overfunctioning in relationships leads to burnout.

You deserve rest, support, and space.

✨ Got a topic, idea, or question?
Submit ideas for upcoming episodes in the Suggestion Box
https://staceyherrera.com/suggestion-box

📸 Follow Stacey on Instagram & TikTok for insight, truth, and grown woman reflections

💌 Subscribe to the Midlife & Then Some Substack
https://staceyherrera.substack.com/

📖 Read Stacey’s Book: How Do I Tell Them I Have Herpes?
A guide to having “the talk” without losing your cool (or your dignity).
https://staceyherrera.com/herpesbook

⭐️ Love the Show? Leave a 5-Star Review
Your words help other midlife women find us.
https://staceyherrera.com/love-is-review

Midlife brings shifts—some welcome, some disorienting. One of the most confusing? When your desire goes quiet for a while.

This week, we're talking about sexual winter. This season doesn’t get enough airtime, especially among midlife women navigating shifting roles, changing hormones, and the pressure to always be “on.”

This episode is for you if you've ever wondered:

• Why don’t I want to have sex?

• Is this just a phase or something else?

• How can I stay connected to my partner when I’m not feeling sexual?

• Will my desire ever come back?

Stacey shares her story of moving through a dormant season—not with urgency, but with curiosity. She offers insight on what helped, what didn’t, and why winter doesn’t mean anything is wrong. It just means your body is asking for something different.

In this episode:

• What sexual winter is (and how to recognize it)

• A new way to think about intimacy and connection during low-desire seasons

• How to communicate what’s happening without guilt or pressure

• Why slowing down isn’t a step back—it’s part of the rhythm
  
  

💫 Special Offer: May is Masturbation Month. Pleasure for One is just $10. This mini-course will help you reconnect with your body. No fixing or forcing required. Use code LOVEIS at checkout.

✨ Got a topic, idea, or question?
Submit ideas for upcoming episodes in the Suggestion Box
https://staceyherrera.com/suggestion-box

📸 Follow Stacey on Instagram
Daily insights, soft truths, and grown woman reflections
https://www.instagram.com/staceynherrera/

💌 Subscribe to the Sensual Sundays Newsletter
Weekly love notes on presence, embodiment, and coming home to yourself
https://staceyherrera.com/sensual-sundays/

📖 Read Stacey’s Book: How Do I Tell Them I Have Herpes?
A guide to having “the talk” without losing your cool (or your dignity).
https://staceyherrera.com/herpesbook

⭐️ Love the Show? Leave a 5-Star Review
Your words help other midlife women find us.
https://staceyherrera.com/love-is-review

What do you do when your reflection surprises you? When you catch a glimpse and think, Wait… when did that change?

In this episode, Stacey shares an unfiltered reflection on aging, intimacy, hydration (yes, hydration), and her evolving relationship with the woman in the mirror.

Tender. Honest. Very midlife.

In this conversation:

• The difference between fixing and tending to yourself

• The soft grief and quiet joy of watching your body change

• Confidence that comes not from how you look, but how you stay

This is not a "how to age gracefully" conversation. It’s a how to stay with yourself while things change conversation.

If you’ve been feeling discombobulated about inhabiting unfamiliar skin, the unexpected thirst, or the sometimes strange, always sacred beauty of softening… listen now.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Sage and Grace newsletter - staceyherrera.com/sage

• Connect with Stacey on Instagram or TikTok

• Send Stacey an email or an audio message

✨ Got a topic, idea, or question?

Submit ideas for upcoming episodes in the Suggestion Box

https://staceyherrera.com/suggestion-box

📖 Read Stacey’s Book: How Do I Tell Them I Have Herpes?

A guide to having “the talk” without losing your cool (or your dignity).

https://staceyherrera.com/herpesbook

⭐️ Love the Show? Leave a 5-Star Review

Your words help other midlife women find us

https://staceyherrera.com/love-is-review

This week on Love Is…, we’re exploring Sexual Autumn—a season that doesn’t get nearly enough celebration.

Unlike the urgent heat of summer, autumn brings a slower, deeper sensuality.

Touch becomes more intentional. Foreplay is a full-body conversation. Arousal builds in layers. It’s richer and more satisfying. Might even feel otherworldly.

In this episode:

• How to honor your body when it takes longer to warm up

• Why spontaneity isn’t necessarily the gold standard for good sex

• What to do if you and your partner are in different seasons

• Why autumn can feel clarifying

• How autumn can be a gift for singles and a bridge for relationship-ers

💌 Are you in Sexual Autumn? Share your story

Leave Stacey a voice note:
https://async.com/staceynherrera

✨ Got a topic, idea, or question?

Submit ideas for upcoming episodes in the Suggestion Box

https://staceyherrera.com/suggestion-box

📸 Follow Stacey on Instagram

Daily insights, soft truths, and grown woman reflections

https://www.instagram.com/staceynherrera/

💌 Subscribe to the Sensual Sundays Newsletter

Weekly love notes on presence, embodiment, and coming home to yourself

https://staceyherrera.com/sensual-sundays/

📖 Read Stacey’s Book: How Do I Tell Them I Have Herpes?

A guide to having “the talk” without losing your cool (or your dignity).

https://staceyherrera.com/herpesbook

⭐️ Love the Show? Leave a 5-Star Review

Your words help other midlife women find us

https://staceyherrera.com/love-is-review

This week on Love Is..., we’re diving into Sexual Summer—the season of peak desire.

If spring is awakening, summer is full bloom.

It’s spontaneous. It’s primal. It’s the kind of hunger that lives in your skin and hums through your whole body.

For women over 40, sexual summer might hit hardest in midlife, when pregnancy is no longer a worry, and pleasure becomes a top priority.

In this episode, we explore:

• How sexual summer shows up in midlife (even if it skipped your twenties)

• What to do when your partner’s not in summer with you

• The difference between urgent desire and aligned connection

• Why a high libido is a sign of aliveness, not a problem

• How to channel sexual energy into creativity, confidence, and connection

Whether you’re single, partnered, or somewhere in between, this episode is an invitation to feel everything—and do you, unapologetically.

🎧 Listen now.

💌 Got a story or question about your sexual summer?

Leave Stacey a voice note:
https://async.com/staceynherrera

✨ Got a topic, idea, or question?

Submit ideas for upcoming episodes in the Suggestion Box

https://staceyherrera.com/suggestion-box

📸 Follow Stacey on Instagram

Daily insights, soft truths, and grown woman reflections

https://www.instagram.com/staceynherrera/

💌 Subscribe to the Sensual Sundays Newsletter

Weekly love notes on presence, embodiment, and coming home to yourself

https://staceyherrera.com/sensual-sundays/

📖 Read Stacey’s Book: How Do I Tell Them I Have Herpes?

A guide to having “the talk” without losing your cool (or your dignity).

https://staceyherrera.com/herpesbook

⭐️ Love the Show? Leave a 5-Star Review

Your words help other midlife women find us

https://staceyherrera.com/love-is-review

In this week's episode of Love Is..., we’re beginning a new four-part series called Sexual Seasons—because desire isn’t static. It changes with us. Especially in midlife, when everything from hormones to heartbreak can shift how we feel about sex, touch, and our own bodies.

Today, we’re exploring Sexual Spring—that delicious season of reawakened desire.
It’s the sudden tingles. The unexpected turn-on. The moment you catch your reflection and think, Oh hey... I remember her. 🌸

Whether you're single, partnered, post-breakup, post-baby, or just resurfacing after a long internal winter—this episode invites you to welcome your own erotic awakening. With tenderness. With curiosity. With zero pressure to perform.

We’ll talk about:

• What triggers sexual spring (and why it might not make logical sense)

• How to talk to your partner about new desires without scaring them off

• Why feeling “off” doesn’t mean something’s wrong—it might mean something’s waking up

This one’s for every woman in midlife who’s ready to feel alive again—in her skin, her senses, and her sexuality.

💌 Want to share your own sexual spring story?

Feeling a shift in your body or sexuality? I'd love to hear from you.

https://async.com/staceynherrera

✨ Got a Topic You Want Me to Cover?

Submit ideas for upcoming episodes in the Suggestion Box

https://staceyherrera.com/suggestion-box

📸 Follow Me on Instagram

Daily insights, soft truths, and grown woman reflections

https://www.instagram.com/staceynherrera/

💌 Subscribe to the Sensual Sundays Newsletter

Weekly love notes on presence, embodiment, and coming home to yourself

https://staceyherrera.com/sensual-sundays/

📖 Read My Book: How Do I Tell Them I Have Herpes?

Raw, real, and redefining intimacy beyond shame

https://staceyherrera.com/herpesbook

⭐️ Love the Show? Leave a 5-Star Review

Your words help other midlife women find us

https://staceyherrera.com/love-is-review

This is a little bonus minisode I had to share while the feeling was still fresh.

It’s about the kind of love that doesn’t fix — it holds.

The kind that doesn’t shame — it calls you in.

The kind that doesn’t keep you company in the dark — it helps you find the switch.

And if you’re ready to stop betraying yourself in the name of being nice, needed, or helpful…

Me, Again is that kind of calling in. That kind of love.

Applications close tomorrow. Apply Now.

Links + Resrouces:

Me, Again - coaching for the woman who’s done abandoning herself.