What if the fastest way to heal our relationships—and our politics—starts with honoring feminine wisdom? I sit down with Dr. Michelle “Shelley” Takei, transpersonal psychologist and author of SHE-Q: Why Women Should Mentor Men and Change the World, to explore how empathy, intuition, and embodied spirituality became undervalued—and how we bring them back with courage and clarity.

We trace the long arc that sidelined the feminine: from midwives recast as “witches,” to medicine built without women’s data, to religious edits that erased Mary Magdalene’s leadership. Shelley explains why the feminist claim of “no difference” left a gap, and how acknowledging real sex-based differences—like oxytocin’s role in trust and empathy, and testosterone’s dampening effect—can improve decision-making at home and in public life. You’ll hear why women often weigh the collective, how that shows up in budgets and war, and why “women are less moral” was never science—it was a biased definition of morality.

We get practical about midlife awakening: disentangling spirituality from religion, learning to trust inner authority, and using nature as a teacher. Shelley shares how mentoring men isn’t nagging or mothering; it’s modeling integration—left and right brain, thought and feeling—and inviting men to step into relational presence one stage at a time. We talk real relationships, divorce trends, and the new archetype beyond maiden and mother: decades of creative authorship where women lead from wisdom instead of apology.

If you’re ready to reclaim feminine intelligence without abandoning reason, this conversation offers evidence, language, and next steps. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and drop a review with the one feminine quality you want leaders to elevate next. Your voice helps this movement reach more people.

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MARI

SHE-Q

Michele Takei, PhD, holds a doctorate in transpersonal psychology and women’s studies from Union Institute. She has been professor at numerous universities where she has taught courses in both traditional and transpersonal psychology. Takei has worked with thousands of women as the director of a single parent and homemaker program, as well as in her private psychological practice. She is the owner and trainer of MARI (Mandala Assessment Research Instrument), a Jungian-based psychological assessment based on symbols and colors.

Halfway To Dead Podcast

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email: Jen@HalfwayToDeadPodcast.com

What if your next chapter is already speaking to you through simple shapes and colors? We sit down with Michele Takei (Shelley), a transpersonal psychologist and owner-trainer of the Mandala Assessment Research Instrument (MARI), to unpack how a Jungian, intuition-led tool can reveal where you are now and where your energy wants to move next—without collapsing your story into a diagnosis. Instead of long questionnaires and labels, the MARI pairs six “liked” symbols, one “dislike,” and two private “guidance” choices with a rich palette of colors, then places them on the Great Round: a 13-stage developmental map that tracks beginnings, identity, struggle, completion, and transformation.

Shelley walks us through the quiet power of the initial mandala drawing, why boundaries show up in heavy outlines, and how a sparkly gold overlay can signal a transpersonal sense of being in the world but not of it. We talk about the speed to clarity this method offers—how an hour of intuitive choices can surface themes it might take weeks to uncover in talk therapy—and why that matters for midlife listeners facing divorce, empty nests, career pivots, or the restless pull toward something more. You’ll hear how MARI complements therapy and coaching, exposes spiritual bypass when our colors don’t match our claims, and consistently delivers direction over diagnosis.

We also connect the map to Joseph Campbell’s arc—home, call, ordeal, return—naming that vulnerable moment when you stop fitting your old circle but haven’t yet landed in the new one. If you’ve felt invisible while life changes shape, this conversation offers a kinder lens and concrete footing. Come for the Jungian roots; stay for the practical, soul-honoring guidance that helps you trust your intuition, choose your next true step, and see your whole picture at once.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review—we love hearing what clicked for you and what you want us to explore next.

Let's Connect!

MARI

SHE-Q

Michele Takei, PhD, holds a doctorate in transpersonal psychology and women’s studies from Union Institute. She has been professor at numerous universities where she has taught courses in both traditional and transpersonal psychology. Takei has worked with thousands of women as the director of a single parent and homemaker program, as well as in her private psychological practice. She is the owner and trainer of MARI (Mandala Assessment Research Instrument), a Jungian-based psychological assessment based on symbols and colors.

Halfway To Dead Podcast

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email: Jen@HalfwayToDeadPodcast.com

Ready to trade barns and blinders for open fields? We dive into the rare Fire Horse year and show how to turn its heat into momentum—without burning your life down. Think fierce independence, bold creativity, and steady, controlled action that makes space for the truest version of you.

We start with a vivid image of the wild horse and layer on the fire element to frame 2026 as a season of initiation: release what keeps you small, claim your pace, and build a foundation that actually holds. From there, we map this energy into practical steps—clear intentions, a simple release ritual, and micro-habits that compound.

Eclipses bring a second current: light meeting shadow, truth surfacing, clarity sharpening. We unpack the “ring of fire,” the power of 3 and 333, and why March 3 at 3:33 is a potent checkpoint for visualization and gratitude-driven manifestation. Expect grounded advice on speaking your truth, choosing wild-horse friends over convenience circles, and directing your flame toward your own path. The result is a playbook for midlife reinvention that blends spirituality with strategy, numerology with nerve, and community with courage.

Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a quick review to help more midlifers find their fire. What will you release—and what will you run toward—this year?

Halfway To Dead Podcast

Website

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email: Jen@HalfwayToDeadPodcast.com