Departed cat (RIP Clyde), and me somehow becoming the cat smuggler. Yep, midlife is wild.

But in between the absurdity, we dig into something real—the importance of finding time to reconnect with your partner when you’re smack in the middle of caregiving, parenting, and managing everyday life.

💡 What you’ll laugh (and maybe cry) through in this episode:

The hilariously awkward story of Clyde, my mom’s late cat, and how he became part of my midlife memoir.

Why uninterrupted one-on-one time with your partner isn’t just “nice”—it’s survival fuel.

Offbeat, budget-friendly date ideas for when dinner-and-a-movie feels impossible.

A refreshingly real take on juggling love, loss, and laughter in the Sandwich Generation.

It’s funny, a little unfiltered, and totally relatable—because if midlife has taught us anything, it’s that sometimes you just have to laugh at the madness.

Thanks for joining our journey! Let's keep the conversation going and bring a little bit of midlife magic into everyday life. ✨

**Follow us for more hilarious insights and relatable moments!**

If You Have Aging Parents & Are In The Sandwich Generation, I Got What You Need Here:

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/ebook

Make sure you follow for daily entertainment here @BarbaraStratte on Instagram

Find Our Go To Favorite Things for Fun, Home, Family & Aging Parents

https://www.amazon.com/shop/thrivingfamilypodcastbycalmparent

If You Enjoy Reading Here’s The Blog

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/blog

#MidlifeWomen #MidlifePodcast #SandwichGeneration #ParentingTeens #AgingParents #MidlifeReset #MentalHealthAwareness #PositiveThinking #AgingGracefully #Midlife #Relationships #SandwichGeneration #CouplesTalk #Connection #Parenting #LifeBalance #CandidConversations

🔥🚲 Welcome to the wildest family trip we’ve ever taken—Burning Man! 🚲🔥

Yes, we packed up our 11, 13, and 15-year-olds and headed straight into the desert with 80,000 people, art cars, fire displays, and more neon than Vegas on steroids. Crazy? Maybe. Worth it? 1000%.

In this episode, we share the raw, unfiltered truth of what it’s like to take your kids to one of the most misunderstood (and magical) events on the planet. From sunrise bike rides across the Playa to late-night art shows that felt straight out of another universe, we’ll tell you the highs, the lows, and the “did that just happen?!” moments that made this an unforgettable family adventure.

💡 Why did we go? What did our kids think? And what does Burning Man actually teach you about parenting, connection, and choosing joy in midlife? Spoiler: a LOT more than you’d think.

If you’ve ever been curious about Burning Man—or just want to know what happens when a suburban family swaps soccer games for dust storms—this one’s for you. Expect laughter, real talk, and a few core-memory moments we’ll never forget.

👉 Hit play now, then tell us: would YOU ever take your family to Burning Man?

✨ Midlife isn’t boring—it’s technicolor. And sometimes, it’s covered in dust. ✨

#BurningMan #FamilyAdventure #ParentingInMidlife #CoreMemories #MidlifeMagic

**Follow us for more hilarious insights and relatable moments!**

If You Have Aging Parents & Are In The Sandwich Generation, I Got What You Need Here:

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/ebook

Make sure you follow for daily entertainment here @BarbaraStratte on Instagram

Find Our Go To Favorite Things for Fun, Home, Family & Aging Parents

https://www.amazon.com/shop/thrivingfamilypodcastbycalmparent

If You Enjoy Reading Here’s The Blog

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/blog

#MidlifeWomen #MidlifePodcast #SandwichGeneration #ParentingTeens #AgingParents #MidlifeReset #MentalHealthAwareness #PositiveThinking #AgingGracefully

Welcome to another Middle Age Management episode where we dive deep into the realities of midlife health, friendship, and self-acceptance! 🌟 Join us as we recount my journey through a recent health scare, the emotional rollercoaster of surgery, and the importance of leaning on loved ones during tough times.

We'll share thoughts on everything from feeling vulnerable in a hospital gown (seriously, why do they always put you in that?) to the unexpected warmth of IVs and how we can all learn to be better at receiving support from those around us.

We'll also explore the psychological side of midlife changes and how embracing who we are can be a true gift. Plus, we give a big shoutout to the friends who rally behind you—because community matters!

Whether you're navigating parenthood, aging parents, or your own health journey, this episode is filled with candid, unfiltered conversations that remind us that we are not alone.

So, go on a weighted vest walk, grab a cozy drink, settle in, and let’s chat it out. And don't forget to **LIKE**, **SUBSCRIBE**, and **SHARE** this episode with anyone who could use a sprinkle of midlife magic! 💖✨

👇 **Check out more about my eBook for tips on managing the Sandwich Generation:** www.TheSandwichedGen.com/ebook

See you on the other side! ✨

**Follow us for more hilarious insights and relatable moments!**

If You Have Aging Parents & Are In The Sandwich Generation, I Got What You Need Here:

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/ebook

Make sure you follow for daily entertainment here @BarbaraStratte on Instagram

Find Our Go To Favorite Things for Fun, Home, Family & Aging Parents

https://www.amazon.com/shop/thrivingfamilypodcastbycalmparent

If You Enjoy Reading Here’s The Blog

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/blog

#MidlifeWomen #MidlifePodcast #SandwichGeneration #ParentingTeens #AgingParents #MidlifeReset #MentalHealthAwareness #PositiveThinking #AgingGracefully

Welcome to your midlife reset! 🌟 If you’re over 40 juggling kids, aging parents, career shifts, and your own body’s changes—you are not alone (and you’re in the right place).

💬 In this episode, we talk honestly about midlife burnout, anxiety, and overwhelm—but also about laughter, gratitude, and the surprising freedom this season of life can bring. Whether you’re sending kids off to college, caring for your parents, or just trying to find yourself again, this is your reminder: you’re stronger than you think.

✨ Midlife isn’t the beginning of the end—it’s the power decade where wisdom meets courage, and chaos becomes clarity. We’ll help you see how, three years from now, you’ll look back and realize how good today really was.

❤️ So grab your coffee (or your weighted vest), hit subscribe, and join us as we turn stress into strength, burnout into balance, and ordinary days into moments worth celebrating. Because together? We’re redefining what it means to age well, live fully, and thrive in midlife.

👉 Don’t forget to share this with your midlife besties—because this stage is better when we do it together.

**Follow us for more hilarious insights and relatable moments!**

If You Have Aging Parents & Are In The Sandwich Generation, I Got What You Need Here:

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/ebook

Make sure you follow for daily entertainment here @BarbaraStratte on Instagram

Find Our Go To Favorite Things for Fun, Home, Family & Aging Parents

https://www.amazon.com/shop/thrivingfamilypodcastbycalmparent

If You Enjoy Reading Here’s The Blog

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/blog

#MidlifeWomen #MidlifePodcast #SandwichGeneration #ParentingTeens #AgingParents #MidlifeReset #MentalHealthAwareness #PositiveThinking #AgingGracefully

This episode is for every woman who's ever walked into a room and forgotten why—twice.

Let’s get one thing straight:

Midlife health isn’t a spa day. It’s a full-contact sport. And in this episode, we’re getting real about what it means to live in a body that’s suddenly doing weird things without warning:

• Sciatic pain that shows up uninvited and refuses to leave

• Hormones that feel like they’re playing dodgeball with your sanity

• Mammograms, MRIs, and that moment you Google something at 3 am and spiral hard

• How to advocate for yourself when the system shrugs and says, “Welcome to getting older”

And yes—we’re laughing the whole way through. Because if you don’t laugh? You cry in the Walgreens vitamin aisle.

This episode is your reminder that:

• You’re not lazy. You’re exhausted from holding everything together.

• You’re not broken. Your body’s just asking you to finally listen.

• You don’t need to EARN rest, validation, or a break from carrying the mental load of your entire household.

We’re pulling back the curtain on all the messy, magical, midlife stuff—without pretending we have it all figured out. Because guess what? No one does.

Tune in if:

• You’ve ever cried over back pain and laughed about it 5 minutes later

• You need a friend to say, “Me too,” about the things no one talks about

• You want to feel seen, heard, and reminded that you’re not going through this alone

So go ahead—grab your coffee, your weighted vest, or whatever makes you feel slightly less unhinged—and hit play.

And hey, if this episode makes you feel even a little less alone in this season?

Send it to your friends. The one who’s also quietly panicking over hot flashes, brain fog, and that weird noise her hip just made.

**Follow us for more hilarious insights and relatable moments!**

If You Have Aging Parents & Are In The Sandwich Generation, I Got What You Need Here:

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/ebook

Make sure you follow for daily entertainment here @BarbaraStratte on Instagram

Find Our Go To Favorite Things for Fun, Home, Family & Aging Parents

https://www.amazon.com/shop/thrivingfamilypodcastbycalmparent

If You Enjoy Reading Here’s The Blog

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/blog

#MidlifeUnfiltered #RealTalkAfter40 #PoopAndPower #HormonesAndHumor #YouAreNotAlone #CaregiverLife #MiddleAgeMagic #SandwichGenerationSupport

Raising Athletes, Losing Our Minds, and Why Sports Moms Deserve Medals

If you’ve ever packed a cooler at 6 a.m., screamed from the sidelines, or quietly questioned why this game matters so much—you’re in the right place.

This episode is what every sports parent needs to hear. Because let’s be honest: youth sports? It’s not just a hobby—it’s a full-time job with zero pay, high emotional stakes, and way too many snack duties.

In this episode, we get real about:

• Why youth sports culture is so intense

• The pressure we feel as parents to “get it right”

• How to keep your own identity while raising a kid who’s chasing goals

• What sports actually teach our kids—and what they teach us

• Why gratitude, grit, and growth matter more than any trophy

Here’s the truth: You don’t need to have it all figured out.

You just need to show up with heart and boundaries.

This is the pep talk you didn’t know you needed—and the permission slip to stop trying to be everything to everyone.

This episode is for:

• The mom who’s burnt out, stretched thin, and wondering if it’s okay to not care this much

• The woman who loves her kids but misses herself

• Anyone who’s ever sat in the car after a game and thought: “What are we even doing?”

This isn’t just about sports.

It’s about who you are when the whistle blows and life keeps coming.

**Follow us for more hilarious insights and relatable moments!**

If You Have Aging Parents & Are In The Sandwich Generation, I Got What You Need Here:

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/ebook

Make sure you follow for daily entertainment here @BarbaraStratte on Instagram

Find Our Go To Favorite Things for Fun, Home, Family & Aging Parents

https://www.amazon.com/shop/thrivingfamilypodcastbycalmparent

If You Enjoy Reading Here’s The Blog

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/blog

#MidlifeMom #YouthSports #RaisingAthletes #BurnoutIsReal #SportsMoms #SidelineHero #ParentingUnfiltered #MiddleAgeManagement

Let’s talk about the thing no one wants to talk about—but everyone feels: grief. In this episode of Middle Age Management, we’re getting real about what it means to lose people (and pets) we love—and what they teach us about living fully while we’re still here.

From the quiet impact of our beloved family cat Bonnie to the larger-than-life legacy of a family friend, Keith, this episode is packed with powerful reflections, unexpected laughter, and soul-stirring moments. Whether you're dealing with the loss of a parent, caring for aging loved ones, or simply feeling the emotional weight of midlife, this conversation is here to remind you: you’re not alone—and your feelings are valid.

We’re diving into:
• The emotional rollercoaster of caregiving and loss
• Why death forces us to re-evaluate what really matters
• How to find meaning, humor, and hope—even in grief
• And why the Sandwich Generation is rewriting what midlife looks like

This is more than just a podcast episode—it’s a love letter to the lessons we carry from those who came before us.
Hit play. Feel seen. Share it with someone who needs it.

Because when we talk about death, we actually start living.

👉 Subscribe now to Middle Age Management—where real life, real love, and real messes meet.

#midlifepodcast #griefjourney #sandwichgeneration #agingparents #caregiverlife #midlifewisdom #melrobbinsstyle #deathandlife #legacyandlove #middleagemagic

**Follow us for more hilarious insights and relatable moments!**

If You Have Aging Parents & Are In The Sandwich Generation, I Got What You Need Here:
https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/ebook

Make sure you follow for daily entertainment here @BarbaraStratte on Instagram

Find Our Go To Favorite Things for Fun, Home, Family & Aging Parents
https://www.amazon.com/shop/thrivingfamilypodcastbycalmparent

If You Enjoy Reading Here’s The Blog
https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/blog

**Follow us for more hilarious insights and relatable moments!**

If You Have Aging Parents & Are In The Sandwich Generation, I Got What You Need Here:

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/ebook

Make sure you follow for daily entertainment here @BarbaraStratte on Instagram

Find Our Go To Favorite Things for Fun, Home, Family & Aging Parents

https://www.amazon.com/shop/thrivingfamilypodcastbycalmparent

If You Enjoy Reading Here’s The Blog

https://www.thesandwichedgen.com/blog