My So-Called Midlife with Reshma Saujani

At 41, Mel Robbins was at her rock bottom when a rocket launch changed the trajectory of her life. Mel tells Reshma how she got herself unstuck and began the work that would lead to becoming a #1 New York Times bestselling author and podcast juggernaut. Mel puts her “Let Them” theory into practice for Reshma, with examples from Reshma’s relationships with her mother and her friends. Plus, Mel shares what she’s still working on in her own midlife. Follow Mel at @melrobbins on Instagram. Check out her latest book, The Let Them Theory.  You can follow our host Reshma Saujani @reshmasaujani on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/?hl=en Let us know how you’re doing in midlife! You can submit your story to be included in this show at speakpipe.com/midlife  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.  Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sahaj Kaur Kohli is going on her fourth father-daughter trip soon – something that she could never have imagined 10 years ago. And it’s something that Reshma definitely can’t imagine with her own father. Both daughters to immigrant parents, Reshma and Sahaj talk about how their unique upbringing has informed their senses of self. But Sahaj’s work as a therapist, journalist, and founder of Brown Girl Therapy isn’t limited to adult children of immigrants. She gives Reshma tools for setting boundaries, breaking generational cycles, and rebuilding adult relationships with our parents – things we can all use in our midlife.    Follow Sahaj at @BrownGirlTherapy. Check out her book, But What Will People Say?  here. You can follow our host Reshma Saujani @reshmasaujani on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/?hl=en Let us know how you’re doing in midlife! You can submit your story to be included in this show at speakpipe.com/midlife  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.    Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Classicist Mary Beard is the author of Women & Power: A Manifesto and has a cult following because she doesn't fit any kind of mold. She definitely speaks up, and she says whatever she thinks whenever she wants. But it wasn't always like that. In this episode, she talks to Reshma about how she had writer's block for most of her 20s and 30s. It wasn’t until midlife that she figured out how to write in a way that resonated with women. In her manifesto, Mary uncovers the ancient roots of misogyny in the Western world. Basically, she points out the first historical record of a man telling a woman to shut up, and in light of the 2024 election, this is the conversation we need to put it all into perspective.    You can follow Mary Beard on Instagram @wmarybeard. You can follow our host Reshma Saujani @reshmasaujani on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/?hl=en Let us know how you’re doing in midlife! You can submit your story to be included in this show at speakpipe.com/midlife  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.    Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bozoma Saint John is the newest cast member of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and she has a take-no-shit approach to life that will motivate you to demand everything you deserve. After working in executive marketing positions for companies like Uber, Netflix, Apple and Pepsi, Boz decided to leave corporate America and do things her own way. She had experienced so much loss in her life that she didn’t want to take a single day for granted. She lost her first daughter after a tough pregnancy, and her husband died of cancer. But Boz is not only working through it, she's talking about it. In this episode, she talks with Reshma about her life as a corporate girlie, the conversations she had with Housewives producers and what we can all learn from her book “The Urgent Life.” Follow Bozomo Saint John on Instagram @badassboz. Her book is called The Urgent Life and her Wig and Hair Care company is called Eve by Boz. You can follow our host Reshma Saujani @reshmasaujani on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/?hl=en Let us know how you’re doing in midlife! You can submit your story to be included in this show at speakpipe.com/midlife  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.    Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join renowned activist and feminist Gloria Steinem as she shares her timeless wisdom at 94. She emphasizes the power of community, discussing how her home serves as a sanctuary for women of diverse backgrounds. Gloria reflects on regrouping after loss and the importance of nurturing connections, especially in midlife. Reshma Saujani opens up about her tough year and shares her New Year’s resolution. Together, they inspire listeners to embrace community and mental wellness as vital ingredients for facing challenges ahead.

For actress, comedian and singer Margaret Cho, being 50 is hot. And she’s here to tell us how we can all feel the same way. Not only is she taking better care of herself these days but she’s also tapping into her goddess energy. So much so that people are paying attention! And she says she owes a lot of this midlife energy to menopause. With hormones no longer ruling her life, she is free to be who she wants to be. She tells us how that evolution happened. Plus, the rituals she does to honor her age, what she's addressing in her new stand-up special Live and Livid and what we can all do to make daily meditation work for us. Follow Margaret Cho on Instagram @margaret_cho You can follow our host Reshma Saujani @reshmasaujani on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/?hl=en Let us know how you’re doing in midlife! You can submit your story to be included in this show at speakpipe.com/midlife  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ilana Glazer is all grown up! You might know them from their spunky stoner bestie role in Broad City. But now, they’re a mom, and they’re determined to show us what it's really like to be a pregnant person. We're talking about the funny, messy, and totally insane parts of growing a human that no one talks about. Illana talks to Reshma about getting the funding for their film Babes and what it was like going on tour for their newest comedy special, Human Magic. Plus, why they’re so pumped about midlife, how they shut off her work brain, and why pregnancy led them to come out as nonbinary.   Follow Ilana Glazer on Instagram @ilana https://www.instagram.com/ilana/?hl=en You can follow our host Reshma Saujani @reshmasaujani on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/?hl=en Let us know how you’re doing in midlife! You can submit your story to be included in this show at speakpipe.com/midlife  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.    Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yvette Nicole Brown says being single with no kids in midlife is something to be proud of. At 53, she’s about to walk down the aisle for the first time and she’s happy she waited. All the while, she’s been busy caregiving for her father. In 2013, her dad first started showing signs of Alzheimer's, so Yvette broke her contract with the beloved comedy series, Community, and took him into her home to take care of him. Yvette and Reshma talk about falling in love at 50, caregiving for elderly parents, and how the decision to leave her full-time acting job was a no-brainer. Follow Yvette Nicole Brown on Instagram @yvettenicolebrown   You can follow our host Reshma Saujani @reshmasaujani on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/?hl=en Let us know how you’re doing in midlife! You can submit your story to be included in this show at speakpipe.com/midlife  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.    Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“You’re in menopause. Any questions?” That’s the brief message a doctor sent to journalist Tamsen Fadal after she almost passed out one day at work. She was 49. And she did have questions. So she took it upon herself to talk to OBGYNs, neuroscientists and hormone experts about what’s happening to our bodies during this pivotal time in our lives. All her work is compiled into a new documentary, The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause. We talked to Tamsen about how menopause affects the brain, why many doctors are hesitant to prescribe hormone replacement therapy, and the benefits of watching her film with your loved ones (hint: it’s so they understand wtf you’re going through!). You can follow Tamsen Fadal on Instagram and TikTok @TamsenFadal https://www.tiktok.com/@tamsenfadal https://www.instagram.com/tamsenfadal/  Watch her documentary, The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause on PBS. Thank you to our sponsor Magic Mind. You have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code MIDLIFE at checkout. You can claim it at: https://www.magicmind.com/MIDLIFE You can follow our host Reshma Saujani @reshmasaujani on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/ Let us know how you’re doing in midlife! You can submit your story to be included in this show at speakpipe.com/midlife  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.  Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Best selling author and advice columnist Cheryl Strayed isn’t looking back. She’s taking a front seat to her post menopause years so much so that she’s given it a name — the “crone age.” Cheryl shares why she’s excited about this next stage of her life and what she’s learned from her iconic advice column Dear Sugar. Plus she gets real about grief and why we shouldn't wait for the “deathbed moment.”  You can follow our guest on Instagram @Cheryl Strayed https://www.instagram.com/cherylstrayed/ Subscribe to Dear Sugar here https://cherylstrayed.substack.com  You can follow our host Reshma Saujani @reshmasaujani on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reshmasaujani/?hl=en Let us know how you’re doing in midlife! You can submit your story to be included in this show at speakpipe.com/midlife  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.  Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.