We reflect on how holiday traditions evolve as kids grow up, parents age, and priorities shift, and how to honour what still brings joy without carrying the entire mental load. Expectations ease when we calendar the moments that matter and let the rest flex.

• Redefining tradition as values shared, not fixed events
• Midlife realities of time, aging parents, teens, and adult children
• Opting out of rituals that drain and doubling down on those that delight
• Calendars, boundaries, and gentle “mandatory fun”
• Feminist lens on holiday films and the three words we want to hear
• The mental load, control loops, and how to actually share help
• Experience gifts that build one-to-one connection across generations
• Christmas mornings that move from sunrise to brunch without losing magic
• Permission to travel, rotate hosting, and change your mind year to year

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Because what’s left isn’t less. It’s everything.

We explore how to turn midlife time into meaningful service, moving from good intentions to simple, repeatable actions that build purpose and community. We share practical ideas, stories from local charities, and ways to make giving feel easy, social, and deeply human.

• Difference between community roles and outward-facing charity
• Midlife as a window for service and purpose
• Easy entry points to volunteering with friends
• How giving circles amplify small contributions
• Examples from United Way and local charities
• Turning parties and traditions into donation drives
• Teaching kids the why behind giving
• Lending professional skills to nonprofits
• Building consistency with quarterly commitments
• Invitation to join our Leading Left events

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Because what’s left isn’t less. It’s everything.

We explore why friendship changes in midlife, how to spot the gap between what we crave and what we live, and the small habits that rebuild real community. We share stories, frameworks, and simple moves to make new friends, protect time, and deepen trust.

• Community and purpose as pillars of happiness
• Digital touchpoints versus real connection
• Releasing family from meeting every emotional need
• Friends for a reason, season, or lifetime
• Pursuing new friendships with clear follow-ups
• Routines and traditions that keep bonds strong
• Scheduling, not just texting, to close the loop
• Showing up in hard times and not canceling lightly
• Widening circles across ages and backgrounds
• Friendship as personal and professional support

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Because what’s left isn’t less. It’s everything.

We explore how travel shifts in midlife from family logistics to an intentional tool for creativity, focus, and joy. We map three travel modes—rest, adventure, and living—while challenging restrictive remote work rules and inviting listeners to design mini-retirements now.

• Defining travel as a design choice for a beautiful life
• Three modes of travel: restorative, adventure, living
• The three-week acclimation threshold and re-entry
• Four-trips framework: family, partner, friends, solo
• Segmenting family trips one-on-one with kids or parents
• Negotiating flexible work and mini-retirements
• Pushback on out-of-province work restrictions
• Using time zones to create deep work windows
• Accessibility of experiences vs distance and budget
• Growth from youth exchanges and adult “home base” stays

If you felt this one, share it because what's left isn't less, it's everything

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Because what’s left isn’t less. It’s everything.

We rethink sleep by peeling back routine, hormones, family schedules, and the shame that surrounds night owls and early risers. We land on a practical, compassionate take: build life around your rhythm when you can, and stack small tools when you can’t.

• how daylight saving exposes fragile routines
• small kids vs teens as different sleep disruptors
• hormones, HRT, magnesium, and deeper sleep
• two chronotypes and why both can thrive
• screens, midnight productivity, and boundaries
• environmental tweaks for noise and light
• naps, the 20-minute window, and nappuccino
• school start times and workplace flexibility
• shifting from sleep shame to outcomes

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Because what’s left isn’t less. It’s everything.

We swap a city hike for a deeper look at how curiosity and discipline shape midlife, from daily routines to brave little experiments that make life feel wider. A walk, a map, and a flurry of left turns become a clear plan to try three new things and say yes on purpose.

• using a hike to reveal leadership, trust and time styles
• curiosity versus discipline as complementary tools
• finding a buddy to lower the barrier to trying new things
• low‑stakes starts like a beginner pickleball session
• work from home shrinking circles and how to expand them
• Big Magic and creative living beyond fear
• small daily experiments in walking, cooking and music
• a simple homework: three new things this month

If you felt this one, share it. Because what’s left isn’t left, it’s everything.

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Find us on Instagram @living_left_​​

Because what’s left isn’t less. It’s everything.

We show how a goofy costume night turned into a masterclass on permission, play, and belonging. Dressing as Helen Roper becomes a shortcut to ease nerves, widen the circle, and remember that owning what’s left can start with choosing joy on purpose.

• redefining success as owning what’s left
• why costumes lower inhibition and spark connection
• adult play as a tool for confidence and relief
• the difference between belonging and connection
• easing social anxiety with prescribed fun
• inviting more voices by lowering creative burden
• honoring humor as a practiced skill for women
• practical ways to schedule silly and keep it easy

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Because what’s left isn’t less. It’s everything.

In this episode, we explore the messy, energizing shift from parenting on-call to owning your time, and how that change spills into work, health, and identity.

We share different coping styles, practical habits, and simple ways to build community so the quiet feels full rather than empty

• empty nest emotions meet work-life choice
• time as a resource to steward, not fill
• travel vs home-based coping and why both work
• avoiding the trap of “just work more”
• health habits that lower cortisol and lift mood
• simple social rules to keep momentum
• celebrating launches and honouring your role
• defining a left turn as a conscious choice
• small experiments to find joy and energy

Follow Living Left for bold conversations by women for women on business, creativity, and comeback energy.

Find us on Instagram @living_left_​​

Because what’s left isn’t less. It’s everything.