In this episode of The Things We Know, Kari and Lisa sit down with Angela Burk, author of Real Girls Guide to Midlife, for a conversation that doesn't try to tidy midlife into a transformation story. What they got instead was something more honest — and more useful. Angela writes and speaks about what midlife actually looks like: the identity shifts, the relationship reckonings, the body changes, the inherited stories about money and power, and the quiet grief of letting go of who you used to be. This one landed for both of them as recognition, not just agreement.

In this episode, Kari, Lisa, and Angela talk about:

• Why midlife feels like everything shifting at once — not one single change

• The grief of releasing past versions of yourself and why it's harder than anyone says

• What happens to relationships, partnerships, and desire in this season

• Menopause, body trust, and reclaiming pleasure on your own terms

• The money and power stories women inherited — and what shifts when they question them

• What sovereignty actually means and what it looks like to build a life on your own terms

• Solo aging, chosen family, and moving from fear of being alone to something more expansive

About Angela Burk: Angela Burk is an award-winning marketing strategist, mother of three, bonus mom to four, and author of Real Girls Guide to Midlife. She splits her time between California and Australia and writes about the real experience of midlife — without the polish, without the rush to reframe everything as positive, and without the pressure to handle it all quietly.

To learn more about Angela and her book, start here: https://www.realgirlsguide.com/