In this phase of parenting, we’re shifting from telling kids what to do to trusting them to make their own decisions. It is challenging to continue to provide guidance without being overbearing and pushing our children away. Maintaining open communication is important to ensure that we can still be involved in our children's lives, ready to be an empathetic listener if they need help. We’re losing a bit of control over our children as they become adults. That being said, we find that as our kids grow up, authoritarian parenting should be minimized, instead, becoming more of a friend, confidant, and listener to our children. This will help maintain trust and enable us to offer advice to our kids that will be received well. A mutual level of respect is also important, as it allows both parent and child to have a positive relationship. In addition, being supportive while holding our children to a high standard, will help them make the right choices in the future.

Hi! We’re Dr. Brooke and Dr. Lynne, best friends and cofounders of Life after Kids, a community for midlife women seeking to make the next phase of life the best yet, with more meaning and purpose, better health, emotional balance, and natural beauty. Today is the very first episode of the new Life After Kids Podcast.

Friendship is one of the biggest struggles we hear about in the Life after Kids Community...

We get questions like: "How do you make friends after the age of 40?" "How do you keep friendships?" "How do you find connections with other women that are high quality and meaningful?"

You asked, and we're answering in this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, The Friendship Video. In today's episode we're discussing our friendship and what we've done through the years to grow it and strengthen in spite of living so far from each other. So if you're struggling in the friendship department, or lack quality friendship in your immediate community, you'll definitely want to join us for this conversation.

Do you know someone elderly who has fallen and fractured a hip or broken a rib?  Sadly, these injuries are very common later in life, and they can be devastating.

You may be thinking we're too young to be talking about hip fractures or saying to yourself, "please don't age me too quickly".  However, over 55% of people over the age of 50 in the US have osteoporosis or some form of bone loss. To clarify, osteopenia is a loss of bone density, while osteoporosis is a more advanced stage of bone loss.  It's considered to be disease of the bone.

We believe it's never too soon to talk about bone health and bone density, especially since there are many simply things we can do right now to strengthen our bones and prevent bone loss.  You can learn more about bone density in this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne.  For now, we've added a few important takeaways below.

Sarcopenia, or muscle loss, is a common side effect of aging.  However, we don't have to resign ourselves to loose skin, saggy arms, and weakness in midlife.  There are simple steps we can take to ensure we're stopping the loss of muscle as we age and building the muscles we do have. Protein is the key ingredient...We hear so much about protein, but we don't always hear about how important it is for women our age.  Many of us tend to shy away from eating alot of protein either because of taste or because it's so easy to ride the carbohydrate train.  Who doesn't love a steamy bowl of pasta, a plate of crackers, or a bowl of chips?  Chances are if you're craving these foods regularly, your body is telling you it's lacking something, and very often, that something is protein.  Protein happens to be the building block for muscle in our body, so it's extremely important to make sure we're getting enough in this phase of life.  That's why we're talking all about protein in this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, The Protein and Muscle Mass Video. 

Maybe you've heard us ask before, but we're going to ask again.  Why aren't more people talking about menopause?  We feel strongly that this time in our lives would be so much easier to navigate if we would start sharing our struggles, and talking more about how we're feeling as our hormones and bodies are changing. Just like life, menopause is so much easier to accept and deal with when we know we're not alone.  Plus there are many symptoms that nobody is mentioning or talkng about.  So when we experience them, we may think something is wrong with our body.  This alone can cause us so much stress, because sometimes the not knowing and wondering what's wrong is far worse than what's actually taking place.  Well, we want to shed more light on this topic and reduce all of our stress levels.  That's why we're talking all about unusual symptoms of menopause as we share some of our own struggles with you in this week's episode of Life after Kids, The Menopause Nobody's Talking About Video. 

We've all been there, right?  The sweaty palms.  The queasy stomach.  The dry mouth. The racing heart. 

Anytime we feel frightened, there's a good chance these physical signs will accompany our emotional state.  Usually, our first instinct is to "run away"  or stop whatever it is we're doing that's causing the fear.  But not all fear is the same.  Yes, there are times when fear is warranted and there to protect us. In those times, we need to listen to it.  But, more often than not, fear occurs because we're pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone. Growth and expansion can be frightening.  During these times, we need to recognize the fear and why it's occuring.  We must lean in and push through it, so we can reach our goals and achieve our dreams.  We're discussing all of this and more in this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, The Fear Video. 

If you're considering what your next steps are.  If you're thinking about what you want in your Life after Kids, if you're expanding your thinking or dreaming a little bigger, FEAR is likely to rear it's ugly head.  Be prepared. This conversation is for you. 

FOMO or the Fear Of Missing Out can be a struggle even in this phase of life.  But, alas, we can't do all the things and be at all the places, so we must set our priorities, choose what's most important to us, and let go of the rest.  Social media doesn't necessarily make that easy, does it?  We're constantly inundated with what every one around is doing, which can cause us and certainly our kids to feel left out. You'd think at our age that we'd be over FOMO, but that's not always the case.  So, in Episode 64 of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, we're discussing FOMO and what to do about it.  

How do we go about accepting feedback from the people we trust and love? It seems to us, that over the years, we’ve all grown a little too soft. We can get hurt easily. We only want positive feedback. And, we can have a difficult time hearing hard truths. Listen, it’s so important to hear how great things are and how good you are doing in life. But, if that’s all you ever hear, how will grow and make improvements. It’s necessary to hear the other side of things too, because, none of us are perfect, and there is always room for improvement. Unfortunately, we don’t always see it for ourselves, so we need people we trust to edify us and speak truth to us even if it’s hard to hear. Otherwise, how are you going to grow? How are you going to become a better version of yourself? In this week’s episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, we’re discussing all things Constructive Criticism in Midlife, because we should all be old enough and mature enough to ask for and accept advice and help from people we trust in our inner circle.

In this phase of life we get so zoned in on what we're doing and what we're achieving that it's necessary to step back and realize what we're doing isn't the center of the world.  Life will go on if we don't check that box, or make that sale, or whatever it is for the day.  Those things are important, but what is life if we don't take time to celebrate it, and we don't have a sense of playfulness in our day?  It's so important in midlife to be playful and whimsical.  It's important to do something just because you enjoy it.  In fact, we would argue that having fun and being playful is just as important for thriving in midlife as the work we do.  Unfortunately, it seldom gets enough focus and attention.  To help you along the way, we've included some ways to bring more playfulness and whimsy into your life

Is alcohol really all that bad for us?  Doesn't it have some health benefits?  What's wrong with a few glasses on the weekend?  Aren't we at the age where we should be enjoying ourselves with a couple of glasses of wine with friends?  There's so much conflicting information about alcoholic beverages and their effect on our overall health.  Several years ago, research came out stating that a few glasses of red wine a week were actually good for your health due to the high level of antioxidants.  More recent research finds that the overall effects of alcohol are detrimental to us.  It's easy to want to believe the best when it comes to things we really enjoy.  So in this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, we're breaking down the pros and cons of alcohol in midlife.  And, we're giving our best tips for drinking smarter and in a healthier way, should you choose to indulge. Highlights from The Alcohol Video are below.

No matter how hard we try, there are some things we can't change. Things like the weather, the amount of time in a day, the past, and our genetic make up.

Fortunately for us, there are many things that we can change.  For example, we can change our health, the way we age, and the way we view ourselves.  So why do we decide not to do anything about our health or life and then compare ourselves to celebrities and other women we know, making excuses for ourselves like, "she got so lucky" or "I could do that too if I had her money" or "yeah, but she has great genes"  And, if we're not making excuses for ourselves, we often put down on people that are accomplishing things that we haven't tried or haven't been able to do in an effort to make ourselves feel better.  The excuses and the negativity might make us feel better in the short term, but in the long run this behavior isn't conducive to living a vibrant and fulfilled midlife.  We're discussing these topics and more in this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, The No Excuses Video. 

For midlife women, vitamin D is especially important because it helps deposit calcium in our bones which keeps them healthy and strong.  And, if we want to age well, we must protect and strengthen our skeletal system now!  It also strengthens our immune system and provides emotional support.  In this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, we're taking a deep dive into all things vitamin D. 

Boundaries are the limits and rules you set for yourself within a relationship. Setting boundaries for yourself is the highest form of self care.  Boundaries are one of the best ways you can show love to yourself.  And, in this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, we're discussing what boundaries are, why they're so important in this phase of life, and how to go about setting them.

Setting boundaries can be tricky, because what is healthy, safe, and good for you may come across to others as selfish.  You may hear that familiar voice in your head saying, "who do you think you are".  At this time in our life, we're coming off a season of taking care of our kids and our spouses while often putting our own needs last.  But now is the time to come into our own, to rediscover our self and reimagine our life.  To do that, we have to start making our needs a priority. Which means, we may need to have boundaries in place. 

Whatever you do, don't tell our husbands we're talking about them!  LOL

Here's the thing, it's the beginning of February and that means Valentine's Day is right around the corner.  So we're going to let you in on a little secret.  Our husbands are terrible gift givers. (It's ok.  We're over it.  They're good at other things!)  But, we did get to thinking, surely we're not the only women with this issue, let's talk about it"  And you guessed it, this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne is all about spouses and gift giving!  We're discussing ways that we've navigated the holidays and special occasions through the years so we feel special and our husbands don't feel stressed!

As if we aren't dealing with enough already, lucky for us, in this phase of life, our hormones are shifting and we get to navigate MENOPAUSE. Around the age of 40, our hormones begin to shift.  Our ovaries slow down and estrogen levels decrease.  We may notice things like our cycle becoming irregular, heavy bleeding, night sweats, hot flashes, anxiety, even heart palpitations.  The symptoms of menopause look different for each woman.  But, one thing is the same, navigating menopause can be a struggle.  So much so, that many of us turn to treatments like HRT and bioidentical hormones for relief.  So in this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, we're discussing Menopause and HRT.

Beauty looks different for each of us.  We won't all choose the same path when it comes to the way we age.  And that's ok.  Can we all agree, that regardless of whether we choose a more conservative or more aggressive approach to aging, when we look our best, we feel our best.  So it's important to discuss the health of our skin and our physical appearance in midlife.

In this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, we're comparing and contrasting two beauty industry technologies used to enhance physical appearance with a more natural approach. Today we're discussing PRP treatments and laser facials.  We want you to know the ins and outs of each treament and what to expect so you can choose a path that's best for you, (if any).

There's nothing like a good book to grow you as a person and open you to new ideas.  A great novel can be a form of stress relief as it entertains while transporting you to new places and teaching you life lessons.  Non-fictions are an exceptional way to learn and grow.  And then there's historical fictions, which are part novel/entertainment and part history lesson.  If you don't share our love of reading, don't write this conversation off yet. We have some simple bite-sized ways for you to fit reading into your life so you can reap it's benefits without it feeling like a chore.

Honestly, when it comes to books, there's never been one we've read that we didn't get at least one important thing from. And, timing is everything, so if there are books you've read in the past that you liked, consider revisiting them.  In this phase of life you, that book might speak to you differently and you may just learn something new. 

One of the best thing we can do for ourselves in midlife is to have a morning routine with activities that energize us, grow us, and start our day on the right foot.  The problem is most of us have very little time, especially in the morning.  When you understand your make up and you learn what activities work best for you, you can accomplish more in less time.  Because, instead of doing all the things, you can choose to do the one or two things that will have the biggest impact on you as an individual.  Get motivated to make significant change in 2023 by watching this weeks episode of Life after Kids, the Enneagram Action Step Video. 

We've just entered a new year! Can you believe it's 2023?!  The New Year is such an exciting time.  It's a clean slate, a new chapter, an opportunity to start again!  So in this week's episode of Life after Kids with Drs. Brooke and Lynne, The New Year Video, we're talking all about how to make the most of the coming year.  We'll give you simple steps to reflect on and learn from the year before while being strategic about what you want to build for yourself in 2023. 

Remember, we're not talking about resolutions here.  Resolutions don't typically last past February.  We're talking about goal setting that will upgrade your life and help you become the best version of yourself. We're not here to simply coast through midlife.  We're here to be our best selves, seize the day, and kick butt now and 30-40 years down the road. So, let's start asking ourselves, what we can give back to the world and how we can live as healthy and vibrantly as possible in midlife.