Charleston has been ranked a top travel city for years — but visiting and living here are two totally different experiences. In this episode, Lara shares why she chose Charleston, what surprised her after moving from the DC area, and how each part of town has its own personality — from downtown’s postcard charm to West Ashley’s laid-back “real life” vibe, to Mount Pleasant’s suburban-coastal polish, to Folly’s low-key surf energy, and Summerville’s fast-growing family scene. She also gets honest about growth, traffic, cost, school choice, the dating scene, and Charleston’s complicated history — and why she’s still grateful to call it home.

What you’ll hear in this episode

• Why Lara chose Charleston (small-town Virginia → DC → “Charleston is my middle”)
• Two things she missed immediately: major league sports + a thriving mall (hello, Sephora panic 😅)
• “Postcard Charleston”: Rainbow Row, carriages, church steeples, Spanish moss (and why she loves it)
• Downtown breakdown: Upper King vs. Lower King + a lesser-known gem (Philadelphia Alley)
• Neighborhood/area vibes across the metro (3 counties: Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester):
  • North Charleston realities + the cool pockets (Park Circle, Old Navy Base redevelopment)
  • “East of the Cooper” world: Mount Pleasant, Sullivan’s, IOP, Daniel Island
  • “West side” world: West Ashley (Avondale) + hidden treasure Charles Towne Landing
  • The plantation district stops: Drayton Hall, Magnolia, Middleton Place
  • Island life: James Island, Johns Island (and commute/traffic realities)
  • Beach culture: why Folly Beach is her favorite
  • Summerville: old-town charm + Nexton growth and what it feels like
• Schools & the big question: “Where are the good schools?”
  • What “school choice” means in Charleston County
  • Spotlight on Ashley River Creative Arts (and why Lara loves it for her daughter)
  • Magnet options later (arts + academic pathways)
• Growth and the economy: the metro pushing toward ~1M over the next decade + diversified industry
• The “been here vs come here” tension (and the transplant jokes)
• Dating in Charleston: slightly more women than men + Peter Pan syndrome (Lara keeps it real)
• Charleston’s complicated past — and why acknowledging it matters
  • The market’s history
  • International African American Museum, McLeod Plantation, and honoring Gullah Geechee culture
• Closing: Charleston isn’t perfect (cost, heat, traffic)… but it’s where she’s built a life

If you know someone visiting or thinking about moving to Charleston, send them this episode. And if you want a deeper dive on any area (West Ashley pockets, Mount Pleasant vs Daniel Island, best “local” beach days, etc.), DM Lara and tell her what you want next.

In this episode of Midlife Mess, Lara dives into one of the most nuanced and emotionally charged conversations of our time: the dynamic between men and women.

Is it strained? Yes.
Is it hopeless? Absolutely not.

Lara believes we’re actually closer than ever to something healthier — but growth always comes with friction.

From Travis and Taylor (yes, we’re going there) to the “wives submit…” Bible verse that’s rarely quoted in full, to pregnancy, physical vulnerability, masculine and feminine energy, and the male loneliness epidemic — this episode is an honest, bridge-building conversation meant to bring men and women closer together, not push them further apart.

This is not an anti-man episode.
It’s a pro-relationship, pro-respect, pro-understanding episode.

Forward this one to your husband, boyfriend, brother, dad, or male friends. This is a conversation worth having together.

In this episode of The Midlife Mess, Lara explores the idea that we only fall in love three times—and why that framework can be incredibly freeing in midlife.

Inspired by You Only Fall in Love Three Times by Kate Rose, this episode breaks down soulmate love, karmic love, and twin flame love, and how each relationship serves a purpose rather than representing a failure.

Through personal reflection and real-life examples, Lara reframes past relationships as lessons that build toward emotional awareness, boundaries, and readiness for calm, consistent love.

If you’re single, healing, dating again, or wondering whether you missed your chance, this episode offers reassurance: you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.

Love isn’t something we fail at—it’s something we evolve through.

In this bonus (no production, just talking) follow-up episode, Lara returns to a heavy but necessary conversation—one rooted not in politics, but in humanity, balance, and the often-silent majority living somewhere in the middle.

Sparked by a recent, deeply troubling incident involving ICE and a protester’s death, this episode is not about choosing sides. It’s about questioning fear-based narratives, calling out extremes, and reminding ourselves that most people are far more reasonable—and compassionate—than the loudest voices suggest.

Lara reflects on why extreme viewpoints dominate public discourse, how fear is used as a motivator, and why the center often feels drowned out. Drawing from personal experience, cultural moments, history, and first-hand stories, she invites listeners to pause, breathe, and remember: we’ve been through hard chapters before—and we’re still here.

In this episode, Lara explores:

• Why extreme narratives are so loud—and why they work
• A powerful quote from The American President that feels eerily relevant today
• A grounded, compassionate perspective on abortion that centers women’s lived experiences
• Growing up around guns—and why “the middle” gets lost in the gun debate
• Immigration fear narratives, personal Facebook backlash, and why many people stay silent
• How fear + blame derail productive conversation
• Why due process and democracy matter—regardless of political identity
• Historical context showing that today’s tensions are not new
• First-hand stories of immigrants Lara worked with—stories of kindness, dignity, and tragedy
• A heartbreaking example of how broken systems impact real families
• Why personal stories soften fear more than statistics ever could
• A timely book recommendation that restores faith in compromise and shared values

Book Recommendation:

The Greatest Sentence Ever Written by Walter Isaacson
A short but powerful read (or audiobook) that explores the care, compromise, and intention behind the founding of American democracy—and why those principles still matter today.

What this episode is not:

• A political manifesto
• A call to extremes
• An argument for outrage

What it is:

• A call for calm
• A reminder that most of us live in the middle
• An invitation to lead with humanity instead of fear

Lara closes by sharing what’s coming next (including a lighter, self-help-focused episode), introducing a new recurring segment, and reminding listeners that it’s okay to speak up—even when it’s uncomfortable.

New Segment - Insta Follow of the Week:

@slavic.bestie
Bold, feminine, empowering content with humor, confidence, and unapologetic energy.

If this episode resonated with you—or challenged you—Lara welcomes your feedback. The goal isn’t agreement. It’s connection.

Thanks for being here. We’re going to be okay. 💛

This week’s episode is a pause, a processing moment, and an honest check-in, in real time after watching the disturbing video out of Minnesota over the weekend. Lara found herself unsure how to show up—yet committed to showing up anyway. What unfolds is a calm, empathetic reflection on power, escalation, grief, and the complicated emotions that surface when authority and humanity collide.

Drawing from personal experience—including years spent in the DC area and her intimate experience as a law enforcement wife—Lara explores why training, discernment, and restraint matter, and why empathy doesn’t require silence or extremism.

The episode closes with a note of hope, inspired by Michelle Obama’s recent conversation on Call Her Daddy: a reminder that progress isn’t finished, but we are not starting from zero—and that new ideas and new leaders matter.

Listeners are also offered one simple, tangible action step for those feeling helpless in the current climate: directly contacting elected officials through their official websites.

This episode isn’t about politics or having the perfect words.
It’s about being honest, staying human, and choosing calm over cruelty.

In Episode 7, Lara sits down with her therapist, Kelly Quarles, for a real-life look at what healing can actually feel like—messy, layered, hopeful, and very human. Kelly shares her path from journalism to trauma therapy, why she believes trauma isn’t only “big T” events, and how therapy can help when your world flips upside down.

Together, they revisit Lara’s early days in therapy after a major life upheaval—grieving the loss of the life she thought she had, the friendships that fell apart, and a future dream (including the possibility of another baby) that suddenly felt out of reach. Kelly names what Lara was carrying: complex grief, stacked in layers, and validates that “being strong” doesn’t mean rushing past sadness.

They also get practical about mental health support: Lara opens up about antidepressants, a tough attempt to taper off, and how medication can be a powerful tool to “turn the volume down” enough to do the deeper work.

The conversation closes on growth—Lara’s breakthroughs, new parts of her personality emerging, and even the “fun” healing goals (a tattoo, touching a snake, and skydiving… two out of three so far). They also touch on parenting, why men need therapy, and why therapy can be useful even when you’re not in crisis—and healing isn’t a straight line.

Book your appointment in Mt. Pleasant or Charleston, SC, with Kelly's team at, https://guidedhealingclinicaltherapy.com/.

Lara’s first guest is here—her personal trainer, Lauren Michi—and this episode is equal parts funny, real, and motivating. They talk about what training looks like in midlife, how the right trainer becomes a trusted person (aka “gym therapy”), and why strength training matters more than ever.

Lara shares her 2025 injury story: a fall that shattered and dislocated her left elbow, surgery, months of recovery, and the moment she decided to stop settling for “functional” and start rebuilding real strength. Lauren breaks down how injuries create imbalance, how to train safely around limitations, and why the scale isn’t the best measure of progress—especially for women navigating perimenopause.

They also touch on fitness and diet trends (weighted vests, no-carb confusion, protein obsession, GLP-1s and protecting muscle mass), and wrap with a Charleston spotlight on Forge: a clean, contract-free, 24/7 private gym with capped membership and a welcoming setup for strength and functional training.

Check out more info that Lauren recommends on weighted vests:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/exercise-and-fitness/what-are-the-benefits-of-walking-with-a-weighted-vest

https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/should-you-walk-with-weighted-vest

In Episode 5 of Midlife Mess, Lara digs into why astrology resonates so deeply in midlife—especially when identity, emotions, and life roles start shifting. Prompted by social media chatter about 2025 being the Year of the Snake and 2026 being the Year of the Horse, she explores how the Chinese zodiac connects (and differs) from Western astrology, and why both can be useful tools for meaning-making during seasons of change.

Lara breaks down the basics of a birth chart—how your sun, moon, and rising signs work together—and offers a memorable “house” metaphor: your rising sign is the curb appeal, your sun sign is how the house functions, and your moon sign is what it feels like inside at night. She explains how midlife often brings a collision between these layers: how you’ve been functioning, who you said you were, and what you actually need now. Using her own chart (Aries rising, Cancer sun, Scorpio moon), she shares how this framework helped her understand boundaries, emotional truth, and the shift from surviving quietly to living honestly.

The episode closes by tying the “snake-to-horse” transition into a broader message: 2025 as internal shedding and emotional excavation, and 2026 as outward movement and decisive action—a powerful invitation to align your life with what’s real and nourishing now.