What if the heaviness you’re feeling isn’t a flaw to power through — but a signal worth respecting? In midlife, stress doesn’t just live in your head. It lives in your sleep, your patience, your body, and sometimes… your heart.

In this solo episode of Second Opinion, Rosemarie Beltz unpacks what a “mental health day” actually is (and what it isn’t), why high-functioning people are often the last to take the break they’ve already earned, and how a planned reset can be a form of prevention — not a collapse. Drawing on Harvard Health’s reporting on mental health days as a “pre-charge” before burnout, and Mayo Clinic Health System guidance on intentional time away to recharge, this episode reframes rest as leadership.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How to recognize when your psychological load is quietly tipping into burnout (before it becomes a crisis)
• Why “pushing through” can worsen stress physiology — including impacts on blood pressure, sleep, and health behaviors
• The workplace reality: nearly one-quarter of U.S. workers report taking zero vacation days — even when they have PTO
• A simple self-check framework: exhaustion, apathy, and dread — rated honestly
• How to plan a mental health day that restores your baseline instead of leaving you more depleted

This episode is for you if you’ve been “fine” a little too convincingly — and you’re ready to treat recovery like a real part of your health strategy.

Listen, reflect, and share this with someone in midlife who’s been carrying a lot quietly.

Better questions lead to better decades — because in midlife, age is an advantage.

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💡 Have a topic you’d love for us to cover? Reach out at www.rosemarieb.com.

Midlife isn’t a breakdown. It’s a data point. When you’ve built a life that looks solid on paper—but your body, bandwidth, or curiosity says “there’s more”—it’s time for a different kind of conversation. In this Second Wind episode, Rosemarie Beltz sits down with Teri Trifiletti, a former cardiovascular perfusionist who quietly leveraged her clinical career into real estate ownership, greater autonomy, and a life designed with intention.

In midlife, the question isn’t whether you’re capable. It’s whether the life you built still fits.

In this episode of Second Opinion, Rosemarie Beltz launches Second Wind—conversations for high-functioning adults who aren’t broken, but ready to evolve. The focus isn’t dramatic reinvention. It’s strategic expansion: using your experience as leverage, not a limitation.

Rosemarie is joined by Teri Trifiletti, a former cardiovascular perfusionist who spent more than two decades in high-acuity cardiac surgery before transitioning fully out of the OR. While still practicing, Teri began investing in real estate, learning through ownership and building a portfolio over time. A relocation to Charlotte became the pivot point that helped her step into full-time property management—creating more flexibility, more control, and a different relationship with work.

This conversation is about what many professionals quietly carry: the golden handcuffs of stability, the invisible toll of constant readiness, and the moment you realize success is not the same as freedom.

Key themes explored:

• Why “successful on paper” can still feel misaligned in real life
• How clinical skills transfer directly into ownership, entrepreneurship, and leadership
• The hidden courage required to leave certainty—even when you’re good at it
• What perfusion teaches you about risk, pressure, documentation, and decision-making
• A grounded entry point into real estate that doesn’t require a license or hype
• How to get unstuck by separating real constraints from mindset loops

This episode is for you if you’re grateful for what you’ve built—but you’re ready for more choice, more autonomy, and a life that supports your nervous system, not just your résumé.

Listen in, then take five quiet minutes afterward to ask: What would change if your experience worked for you—fully?

Second Opinion is where science meets story—and better questions lead to better decisions.

🔗 Follow & Subscribe to never miss an episode. If you love the show, leave a review—it helps others get a second opinion!

💡 Have a topic you’d love for us to cover? Reach out at www.rosemarieb.com.