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Are you ready to trade overwhelm for clarity and turn the empty nest into a launchpad for a richer life? In this enlightening episode, we sit down with writer, simplicity advocate, and author of Beyond Decluttering, Suzanne Searcy Johnson, who shares how moving into a 399-square-foot tiny home opened the door to deeper friendships, steadier purpose, and clearer decision-making.

Suzanne’s inspiring journey spans nine years of small steps that built her courage—from decluttering a three-bedroom townhouse to testing out a smaller apartment, and finally settling in an Austin agrihood centered around an organic farm. She reveals a practical framework that makes minimalism meaningful by highlighting four key connections: nature, relationships, spirit, and self.

Our discussion redefines "right-sizing" your living space, reminding us that the best home is the one that aligns with your current life stage—be it 2,500, 1,200 square feet or 399.

Highlights & Key Takeaways:

• Redefine simplicity by removing what blocks the life you want.
• Understand the four pillars of connection: nature, relationships, spirit, and self.
• Build courage through small, incremental steps.
• Discover the concept of right-sizing your home to reflect your current stage of life.

Suzanne Searcy Johnson Bio: Suzanne Searcy Johnson is a writer, poet, and simplicity advocate. She helps people simplify by honoring their internal, relational, spiritual, and environmental connections as outlined in her latest book, “Beyond Decluttering: 40 days to experiencing simplicity through connection.” An empty nester, Suzanne lives in Austin, TX in a tiny home with her cat. Contact her, explore her books, or sign up for her newsletter at her website below.

Find Suzanne Online: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Website, Beyond Decluttering Book,

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When the house goes quiet and everyone expects you to feel "free," but your heart says otherwise, it's time to confront the stories that keep empty nesters feeling stuck. In this transformative episode, attorney and master NLP coach Amber Fuhriman joins us to dismantle the guilt, shame, and belief that our worth lies in being needed. Instead, we’ll explore practical tools to change your daily experience and embrace a fulfilling life.

Amber shares her own journey, detailing the mindset that led her to outward success while grappling with internal panic. We delve into how compartmentalizing pain can create “gremlins” that shape our thoughts and behaviors, and why opening that emotional box is the safest path to healing and identity reconstruction as parenting shifts.

We also discuss the importance of connection without codependency as we navigate relationships with friends and partners. By learning to ask for help, extending small invitations, and letting go of self-punishing narratives, you can deepen your bonds and foster a supportive community.

Highlights & Key Takeaways:

• Identify and challenge the “bullshit box” that keeps you compartmentalizing emotions.
• Address the identity loss that occurs when parenting roles fade.
• Understand the “I’m fine” mask that conceals shame and grief.
• Learn to respect your adult children’s choices while focusing on your reactions.
• Understand the importance of creating boundaries around your triggers.

Amber Fuhriman's Bio
Recovering Perfectionist and Serial Accomplisher helping professionals design their best life and have the courage to live it. Attorney, author, podcaster, speaker, success architect, NLP Master Coach, NLP Certified Trainer. Author of the book Break Your Bullsh*t Box where she discusses the excuses we have relied on to justify holding ourselves back and how to break the bullshit box those excuses live in.

Find Amber Online: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Website

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What if the key to finding love and purpose after your children launch lies in changing the way you view your life? In this insightful episode, we sit down with Trisha Rose Stone—soulful guide, former optometrist, and creator of the New Lens Method. Trisha shares her inspiring journey, from moving to Boston as a single mom and building a thriving practice, to meeting her husband at 44 after years of inner work that transformed her perspective.

She discusses how true worthiness—rooted in self-acceptance rather than external measures like weight or resumes—creates an attractive energy, allowing aligned relationships and opportunities to come into your life. Trisha demonstrates how belief, embodiment, and release can work together to manifest what truly matters.

Highlights & Key Takeaways:

• Reframing motherhood as modelhood rather than martyrdom.
• How embodying worthiness opened her to love and a healthy partnership.
• Identifying mental blocks and rewriting your personal love story.
• Visualizing the specific relationship and life you desire.

Tricia Rose Stone Bio
Tricia Rose Stone is a former optometrist turned transformational life coach, podcast host, and founder of The New Lens Method™, a signature coaching framework that helps women reconnect with their truth, reclaim their power, and create soulful lives and relationships.

After building and selling two successful practices, Tricia pivoted to help women "see" in a new way—by shifting their internal lens. Through her podcast Her New Lens, her long-running blog Rose Colored Glasses, and her signature coaching programs, she guides clients through transitions in love, career, motherhood, and identity—with heart-led strategy and soul-aligned insight.

Tricia’s work blends spiritual wisdom, psychology, coaching tools, and personal storytelling to help women embody their worth, protect their peace, and lead from within.

Find Tricia Online: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Website

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Grief can feel like the rug has been pulled out from under you—especially when the echoes of absence are amplified as your children leave home. In this deeply moving episode, grief coach, healer, and author Angela Clement joins us to explore how to honor profound loss while still building a life that feels true, grounded, and even joyful.

After losing her husband of 35 years to cancer, Angela shares her journey of rebuilding life from the smallest steps—a walk under open skies, jotting down gratitude, and trips to visit family—culminating in solo travel that rewired her sense of self. She provides practical tools for navigating grief and shares insights from her book, Awakening Through Grief, which blends her personal journey with prompts and exercises you can implement immediately.

Highlights & Key Takeaways:

• Honor love while rediscovering joy after loss.
• Reframe grief as a natural response to life changes, not a sign of weakness.
• Use nature and creativity as daily healing practices for emotional wellness.
• Practical tools for managing grief surges both in public and at home.

If you’re wondering if it’s too late to feel happy or purposeful again, this episode offers a kinder map for your journey. Start small, stay curious, honor what was beautiful, and take those steps toward what lies ahead.

Join us to learn how to rebuild and thrive after loss. Don’t miss this insightful conversation!

Angela Clement Bio
Angela Clement is a former school principal, speaker, writer, energy healer and the creator and host of the Awaken Your Soul’s Journey Podcast series on grief. She is also the author of her new book Awakening Through Grief: A Spiritual Journey of Healing and Transformation After Loss and has Co-Authored the book Good to the Last Drop with Podcast Host Irene Weinberg.

Find Angela Online: LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Website

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What if ending emotional eating isn’t about creating the perfect plan, but about choosing who you want to be? In this eye-opening episode, author, TEDx speaker, and coach Renée Jones shares her transformative journey from 40 years of yo-yo dieting to a steady, fulfilling relationship with food based on identity rather than willpower. Renée recounts her evolution from family meals in Texas to a pivotal moment at 49—a closet safety-pin crisis that prompted her to re-evaluate her relationship with food.

We delve into Renée’s HANG method, a practical way to defuse cravings in real-time, as well as the importance of external accountability for those who tend to neglect their own needs. By understanding food as data and testing what works best for your body, you can shift from tired, cranky meals to ones that foster energy and stability.

For anyone navigating the empty nest transition, this episode serves as a critical moment to ask: Who do I want to be now?

Highlights & Key Takeaways:

• Redefine your identity after years of yo-yo dieting.
• Understand the influence of family food culture and early eating patterns.
• Recognize the emotional versus physical hunger distinction.
• Discover the HANG method to manage cravings effectively.
• Test foods to find your personal fit, guiding energy, mood, and satiety.

This episode offers a compassionate, practical path to build a healthier, more fulfilling relationship with food—and ultimately, with yourself.

Renée Jones Bio
Renée spent decades struggling with the hidden barriers of self-sabotage, and once free, her passion became helping others get unstuck and unleash their full potential. Renée has a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Counseling, a Clinical Residency, and training in contemporary methods of transformation, and a TEDx talk. Her book is What’s Really Eating You: Overcome the Triggers of Comfort Eating.

Find Renée Online: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Website

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When your children launch or your career ends, a strange silence can set in—and with it, the big question: What’s Next?

In this inspiring episode, Jack Calhoun, founder of Encore Career Lab, shares a hopeful, practical path from drifting to purposeful direction. He discusses how many of us face an identity crunch when titles no longer define us—and how to use agency, values, and curiosity to craft a second act that truly fits.

Jack unpacks the paradox of choice—why having too many options can stall momentum—and offers a straightforward antidote: start with your why and non-negotiables, identify your caring audience, and run small, low-risk experiments. He emphasizes that purpose often follows action, not the other way around, and shows how both career-related and unrelated paths can thrive if your heart is in it.

This conversation challenges outdated retirement scripts, reframing work as a fulfilling, energizing part of life’s ongoing journey. Expect honest talk about fear, ego, and indecision, along with tactical advice on surfacing your “wisdom fingerprint,” setting boundaries, and testing new ideas without risking everything.

Key takeaways:

• The rise of entrepreneurship among ages 55-64
• Identity enmeshment with career and parenting
• Finding purpose through purposeful action
• Defining your core values and non-negotiables first

Jack Calhoun Bio
Jack J. Calhoun is the founder of Encore Career Lab and a seasoned entrepreneur with over two decades of experience managing a wealth management firm. After selling his business, Jack faced his own post-retirement questions about purpose and fulfillment, inspiring him to help others navigate similar transitions. He specializes in guiding high achievers—particularly those aged 50 and above—toward designing meaningful second careers that blend passion, impact, and income. Through his insights and frameworks, Jack empowers professionals to turn uncertainty into opportunity and create purpose-driven encore careers that enrich their lives well beyond traditional retirement.

Find Jack Online: LinkedIn, Website

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When the house gets quiet, your nervous system often gets loud. For many, the departure of children triggers deep questions about marriage, identity, and personal desire—questions long shelved but now impossible to ignore. In this heartfelt episode, author and somatic relationship coach Laurie James shares her journey through caregiving, betrayal, and loneliness, and how she found her way back to breath, presence, and choice.

We explore how your body and nervous system work—covering the parasympathetic, sympathetic, and dorsal vagal states—and why understanding these is critical for making clear, courageous decisions.

Whether facing betrayal, burnout, the empty nest or all three—this episode offers a compassionate, trauma-informed guide with simple, immediate practices to regulate your nervous system, build vulnerability, and choose your next chapter with intention.

Highlights & Key Takeaways:

• The collision of caregiving stress and marital betrayal often amplifies overwhelm.
• Choosing to leave isn’t giving up—it’s reclaiming your right to breathe again.
• Panic, overload, and emotional buildup are stored in the body; releasing them requires somatic safety practices.
• Building vulnerability and repairing relationships are skills you can relearn, deepening your courage.

Laurie James Bio
A mother, divorcée, recovering caregiver, author, and somatic relationship coach Laurie's journey has been marked by personal growth, healing, and self-discovery, as she transformed her life through therapy, yoga, and somatic practices. Her memoir, Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go, chronicles her path to embracing change and finding happiness beyond societal expectations. Now, she dedicates herself to guiding others in creating authentic, purpose-driven lives by integrating mind-body techniques and coaching. When not working with clients or writing, she loves skiing, sailing, hiking, and walking her husky, Lu, in Los Angeles.

Find Laurie Online: Instagram, Website, Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit

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What if the empty rooms in your home are an invitation to a bigger, richer life? In this inspiring episode, best-selling author and performer Troy Horne joins us to explore how to redesign your future after 40 by tapping into your greatest asset—your experience. From Broadway breakthroughs as Tom Collins in RENT to co-authoring a mindset book with his son, Troy demonstrates how creativity, courage, and compassion can flourish alongside family priorities—and how to move forward when your heart calls.

We delve into the arc of real change: the initial decision to start, the honeymoon phase where momentum builds, and the “are-you-sure” resistance that often follows. Troy introduces “scar power,” the idea that past setbacks deepen judgment and accelerate learning—proof that late bloomers like Julia Child and Martha Stewart show timing is a feature, not a bug.

Highlights & Key Takeaways:

• The “preview” stage of empty nesting and shifting home energy.
• Permission to start again after 40—your second act is possible now.
• Transform scars and setbacks into resilience and confidence.
• The honeymoon and "are-you-sure" phases of change—expect resistance and growth.
• The mantra: No day but today—action over hesitation.

Ready to trade hesitation for momentum? Join Troy Horn as he shares stories—and practical strategies—to help you design the life you’re meant for.

Troy Horne Bio
Troy Horne is a three-time best-selling author, Star Search contestant, NBC’s the Sing Off competitor, opening act for Steve Miller and Gov’t Mule band, and has portrayed Tom Collins on Broadway in RENT on Broadway. A father of three, Troy is published author who has sold over 287,800 copies of his non-fiction books. His mission is to help people over 40 live their dream.

Find Troy Online: Instagram, LinkedIn

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