How To Stop Losing Yourself In Midlife w/ Lisa Brooks (EP #71)

Jul 20
3 min read

Rebel Rootz Show Episode #71 with Lisa Brooks.

Watch the full episode on Youtube:

Lisa Brooks is an LCSW, life coach, consultant, and founder of Wilmington Thrive Tribes. She helps women navigate life and career transitions with more self-trust, self-awareness, and courage. She is also a full-time Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Work at UNCW.

In this episode, Evonne Varady sits down with Lisa to talk about midlife, burnout, self-abandonment, people pleasing, boundaries, identity shifts, and what it means for women to come back to themselves. Lisa shares how she first experienced an identity crash after leaving the dance and theater world in her early twenties, then faced another after marriage, motherhood, and 18 years working with children and families who had experienced trauma.

This conversation is for the woman who has followed the rules, raised the family, built the career, said yes too many times, and still wonders why she does not feel better. Lisa talks about the kind of tired sleep does not fix, why self-care is not always another thing to add to your plate, and how boundaries, values, and small micro-movements can help women reconnect with themselves.

Evonne and Lisa also discuss the “next chapter” after kids, the guilt women carry when they want more, the pressure to be good, and the powerful question: What do I want that is just for me?

This episode is a reminder that losing yourself in midlife does not mean you are broken. It may mean you are waking up.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Trailer + Intro

[01:21] Meet Lisa Brooks

[01:21] Lisa’s First Identity Crash

[03:41] Losing Herself in Work and Motherhood

[05:14] Choosing a Different Path

[07:26] Midlife Identity Shift

[08:37] Signs of Burnout and People Pleasing

[10:57] Letting Go of What People Think

[12:12] Learning to Bounce Back

[13:20] Growth, Connection, and Values

[15:11] Why Women Abandon Themselves

[18:24] Midlife Awakening

[19:29] The Next Chapter After Kids

[21:54] Self-Care as Boundaries

[25:07] The Bullseye of Support

[29:20] Trusting Herself Through Change

[31:46] Helping Women Through Transitions

[33:34] Lisa’s Biggest Success Story

[37:35] Building Self-Trust and Safety

[38:37] What Do I Want For Me?

[41:00] Small Micro-Movements

[42:48] What’s Next for Lisa

[43:43] Connect with Lisa

Key Takeaways:

• “I loved that world until it stopped loving me back.” ~ Lisa Brooks

• “My life just didn’t feel like mine anymore.” ~ Lisa Brooks

• “I was the kind of tired that sleep doesn’t fix.” ~ Lisa Brooks

• “I wanted to help women unlearn rules that they had been following, perhaps even unconsciously, that weren’t serving them well.” ~ Lisa Brooks

• “Sometimes feeling good is about breaking the rules.” ~ Lisa Brooks

• “I trust myself. I can figure this out.” ~ Lisa Brooks

• “What do I want that’s not for anyone but me?” ~ Lisa Brooks

• Small micro-movements can help women reconnect with themselves without overwhelming their lives. ~ Lisa Brooks

• Women are often not given a clear roadmap for the chapter between raising kids and retirement. ~ Evonne Varady

—

Timestamps:

Key Takeaways:

Keep In Touch with Lisa Brooks:

Connect with Evonne Varady:

Follow Rebel Rootz Social Media…

Tune in to every episode on your favorite platform:

This Podcast Is Powered By Clean Eatz:

Comments