EPISODE 118

Midlife? More Like Mayhem: The Wild, Emotional, Liberating Ride No One Warned Us About

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Ever find yourself staring at your to-do list, crying over an Instagram reel, wondering if you need a therapist, a hormone panel, or just a nap?

Yeah, same.

Midlife can feel like mayhem. You’re juggling work, relationships, parenting, pets, Amazon returns, and somewhere in there your brain starts glitching. Your energy’s unpredictable. You forget what you were saying mid-sentence. One day you’re madly in love, the next you’re mentally budgeting for a divorce. The chaos is real.

And it’s not just hormones. Or maybe it is. But it could also be anxiety. Or ADHD. Or burnout. Or trauma. Or spiritual awakening. Or all of it.

That’s the wild part—so many symptoms, so many possibilities, and so little clarity.

What I know for sure is this: chasing a diagnosis sometimes feels like another full-time job. And honestly? Most of us are just trying to make it through the day without snapping at our kids or crying in the Costco parking lot.

Instead of obsessing over labels, I’ve started doing something different: I meet myself where I’m at each day. With compassion. With curiosity. With whatever tools I can muster—like good sleep, daily movement, morning rituals, breathwork, dance breaks, and spiritual connection.

Some days I wake up with zero energy and a messy mind. Instead of beating myself up, I close my stress cycle with a walk, or I throw on Tupac and high-kick my way back to sanity with ankle weights and audacity.

Other days I’m riding emotional waves that come out of nowhere—grief, anger, joy, dread—all crashing at once. That’s when I remember: it’s not about stopping the waves, it’s about building a damn surfboard.

Here’s what else helps:

  • Letting myself cry without apology

  • Laughing at how unhinged it all feels

  • Sharing the mess with other women who get it

  • Remembering that I don’t have to fix myself to be worthy

Midlife is not a problem to solve. It’s a portal to walk through. It’s the moment you stop abandoning yourself and start coming home.

You’re not broken—you’re just waking up.

If this hits home, share it with a friend who needs the reminder. And if you want more raw, real conversations like this, make sure you’re subscribed to The Unperfected Pod. Because messy is not the opposite of magical. It's the gateway.

Take care of yourself and there for each other!

XO, Brooke Jean

    • Brooke sets the tone: new setup, raw conversation, same Unperfected truth

    • Introduces the chaos of midlife many women are experiencing

    • Normalizes mood swings, brain fog, and 3AM spiral sessions

    • Offers a grounded, real-life look at what’s coming in the episode

    • A rundown of physical and emotional symptoms that feel… endless

    • ADHD? Perimenopause? Burnout? Hormones? Or just being 44?

    • Brooke shares her honest struggle trying to figure it all out

    • Calls out the overwhelm of self-diagnosis while raising kids, working, and running a household

    • Why chasing clarity sometimes just leads to more stress

    • Choosing to meet each day’s symptoms with grace, not guilt

    • Honoring your unique needs without shame

    • Introducing the idea of self-responsibility without self-blame

    • How closing the stress cycle changes everything

    • Walking, dancing, and high-kicks as therapy

    • The impact of exercise on hormones, mood, and sleep quality

    • Simple rituals that support your nervous system and sanity

    • The sacred morning practice that anchors Brooke’s day

    • The real science behind lemon water, sunlight, and no-phone mornings

    • How this ritual clears brain fog and supports emotional resilience

    • Permission to start small and make it your own

    • Learning to surf emotional highs and lows without resistance

    • Why emotions aren’t the enemy—suppression is

    • What “building a better surfboard” actually looks like

    • Real-life examples of emotional regulation in messy moments

    • The healing power of sisterhood and shared experiences

    • Tools Brooke uses: breathwork, dance, nature, and laughter

    • Why joy, play, and connection are medicine

CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION

I hope that you’ll join me in this movement, and that you can authentically reconnect with who you really are. That’s where your essence and your gems really lie.

Follow along on Instagram
@brookejeanunperfected to see how ridiculous I am IRL.

Join my private Facebook group Mommy’s Mental Health Matters and let’s continue the conversation, uplift one another, and build the life that we have always dreamed of. I would love to have you!

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subscribe, rate and review the unPERFECTED pod, share the episode on social media, and tag me at @brookejeanunperfected.

Thanks so much for listening!