What happens when you spend 25 years building a business, finally close the doors, and realize you're not entirely sure who you are without it?

You take a grown-up gap year, of course. And if you're Mitra Palmer, you somehow turn that one year into two.

In this Play Date, Mitra and I chat about giving ourselves permission to take a beat between seasons of life, finding a creative obsession (pottery, in her case), and the surprisingly tricky business of answering the question, “So, what do you do?” when you're no longer doing what you've always done.

We also wander into solo travel, friendships formed halfway around the world, the joys of making something with your hands, and why getting comfortable with being uncomfortable might just open doors you never knew existed.

It's a conversation about curiosity, reinvention, and the wonderful possibility that the next chapter doesn't have to look anything like the last one. And perhaps the better question isn't “Who am I?” but “Who do I want to be?”

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Find more episodes at www.iusedtobefunpodcast.com

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What happens when you stop trying to be good at everything and give yourself permission to simply make stuff, love stuff, and occasionally have grape-candy-colored hair?

In this Play Date, I’m catching up with teaching artist Becka Rahn about bringing more joy into everyday life, the exhausting business of always waiting for someone to say yes, why grown women need more chances to be beginners, and what happens to our brains when we put down the screens and make something with our hands. We also talk about leaving a job without a plan, learning there is—in fact—not an endless supply of Becka to throw at every problem, and why unabashed enthusiasm might just be one of her favorite qualities in a person.

Find all the things Becka does at www.beckarahn.com

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Find more episodes at www.iusedtobefunpodcast.com

Music from Uppbeat (https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/to-the-top), License code BC9SEN3G6PMABOA

Meet the Joy Concierge! That's the nickname my guest Teresa Thomas earned after turning her 50th birthday into a wildly contagious practice: a list of 50 fun things to experience before the big day — everything from Santorini-sized dreams to finally ordering the latte instead of the regular coffee.

We dig into why saying what you want out loud seems to summon it (wait for the drum jam story), the real difference between toxic positivity and joy as an act of resistance, and why "I'm good at this" is one of the hardest sentences for women to say without flinching. We also get into foreboding joy, Teresa's decade-long refusal to skip dance, and the archery outing she still hasn't taken.

Grab your coffee (or your latte, no judgment) and press play.

If this one gave you a little spark, you can support the podcast by "buying me a coffee (or Teresa's latte)" at the link below. Every cup keeps these conversations coming.

Support the show

Find more episodes at www.iusedtobefunpodcast.com

Music from Uppbeat (https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/to-the-top), License code BC9SEN3G6PMABOA