In this episode, we’re discussing the real, raw, and essential skills that every woman needs to navigate midlife with grace, grit, and a whole lot of self-compassion. We’ve been through the highs, the lows, the chutes and ladders of this season, and today we’re pulling back the curtain to share the seven foundational skills we believe every woman should know to not just survive, but thrive. These are the skills we teach in our Midlife Master Class, and the ones that have held us up through the toughest times. From boundary-setting and assertive communication to frustration tolerance, inner parts work, and energy protection—this conversation is packed with insights we’ve lived, taught, and continue to practice ourselves.

Episode Highlights:

[0:02] - Why midlife is so hard—and why these 7 skills matter
[2:46] - The highlight reel isn’t the whole story (and why we cry behind the scenes)
[6:12] - Boundaries: not just with others, but with yourself
[9:03] - When your kid is in a toxic relationship (and you want to break up with them yourself)
[13:44] - Self-care as a boundary: what it really looks like
[14:00] - Assertive communication: the misunderstood superpower
[21:10] - Frustration tolerance: why it belongs in your skillset
[22:10] - What self-connected communication actually looks like
[29:43] - Understanding and befriending your inner critic
[31:10] - Why self-compassion isn’t fluffy—it’s essential
[33:08] - Protecting your energy: from giving tree to grounded goddess
[39:39] - The dance between being needed and being free
[41:31] - Redefining resilience as a learned, practiced skill
[46:02] - How changing your self-talk becomes your superpower
[47:39] - Why doing this work in a group is so powerful (and how you can join us)

If today's discussion resonated with you or sparked curiosity, please rate, follow, and share "Insights from the Couch" with others. Your support helps us reach more people and continue providing valuable insights. Here’s to finding our purposes and living a life full of meaning and joy. Stay tuned for more!

Come hang out with us in The Chat, our free community for midlife women, where we keep the
conversation going at insightsfromthecouch.org/the-chat.

And don’t forget to
download our free guide 7 Skills to Master Midlife so you can stop living small, start taking action, and
live the life you really want at insightsfromthecouch.org/midlife-roadmap.

Hey friends! In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome the incredible Christina Woods—a Clinical Hypnotherapist, Rapid Transformational Therapist, Empowerment Coach, and Reiki Master. Christina brings a wealth of knowledge and a deeply personal story of transformation after decades in corporate leadership. Together, we explore how childhood beliefs, people-pleasing patterns, and midlife awakenings can shape—and reshape—our lives.

Christina gets real about her journey from high-achieving executive to empowered healer, sharing how modalities like hypnotherapy, EMDR, and energy work helped her (and now help others) move from burnout to balance. We dig into subconscious beliefs, emotional healing, intuition, and how to rewire the mind for worthiness and self-compassion. You’ll hear both the science and the soul of healing, with laughs, deep truths, and maybe a few thigh stories along the way.

Episode Highlights:

[0:01] - Laura introduces Christina Woods and her background in therapy and corporate leadership.
[1:19] - Christina shares her unraveling: career burnout, divorce, and rediscovering herself.
[5:53] - The “garden moment” that sparked Christina’s personal transformation.
[7:35] - How hypnotherapy and EMDR opened the door to healing deep trauma.
[10:48] - Laura and Christina discuss the power of embodied therapeutic modalities.
[14:34] - Colette joins and dives into the hypnotherapy process and how it really works.
[20:19] - Can anyone be hypnotized? Busting myths and sharing real client experiences.
[24:27] - Custom hypnotherapy audios: why language, music, and intention matter.
[27:55] - Common client themes: high achievers, perfectionism, and “not enoughness”.
[29:16] - Healing principles from the documentary “HEAL” and why intuition matters.
[32:40] - Fear, intuition, and learning to trust your internal compass.
[35:58] - Hypnotherapy reveals unconscious beliefs—sometimes from early childhood.
[37:39] - Laura and Colette share personal “aha” moments and therapy curiosities.
[40:54] - Matching your energy with your mindset to truly hold what you believe you deserve.
[41:37] - Where to find Christina online and how to work with her.

Resources:

• Christina Woods’ website: www.christinalwoods.com
• Christina on Instagram: @christina.lwoods

If today's discussion resonated with you or sparked curiosity, please rate, follow, and share "Insights from the Couch" with others. Your support helps us reach more people and continue providing valuable insights. Here’s to finding our purposes and living a life full of meaning and joy. Stay tuned for more!

Come hang out with us in The Chat, our free community for midlife women, where we keep the
conversation going at insightsfromthecouch.org/the-chat.

And don’t forget to
download our free guide 7 Skills to Master Midlife so you can stop living small, start taking action, and
live the life you really want at insightsfromthecouch.org/midlife-roadmap.

Ready to reclaim your energy, sanity, and self-worth? In this episode, we’re diving into the unapologetic, liberating mindset of giving zero fucks—specifically, the 10 things we’ve learned to stop caring about at midlife. From good girl conditioning to comparison culture, we unpack the beliefs and behaviors that no longer serve us and explore what it means to live more freely, authentically, and powerfully in this season of life.

Episode Highlights:

[0:03] – Reclaiming your time and energy with a zero-fucks midlife mindset
[0:40] – Why being nice instead of honest keeps us stuck
[4:25] – Letting go of comparison and honoring your own path
[7:04] – Releasing outdated visions of what life "should" look like
[11:52] – Caring less about what others think—spotlight effect and all
[16:40] – Ditching the scale: body image, aging, and radical acceptance
[21:55] – No more default caretaker role—how to share the labor
[26:04] – Redefining beauty: aging with grace, or not
[30:49] – Hustling for approval: letting go of external validation
[36:23] – Playing small to keep others comfortable? Not anymore
[41:16] – Letting go of expectations for other people’s lives

If today's discussion resonated with you or sparked curiosity, please rate, follow, and share "Insights from the Couch" with others. Your support helps us reach more people and continue providing valuable insights. Here’s to finding our purposes and living a life full of meaning and joy. Stay tuned for more!

Come hang out with us in The Chat, our free community for midlife women, where we keep the
conversation going at insightsfromthecouch.org/the-chat.

And don’t forget to
download our free guide 7 Skills to Master Midlife so you can stop living small, start taking action, and
live the life you really want at insightsfromthecouch.org/midlife-roadmap.