The Midlife Mess
Welcome to The Midlife Mess Podcast! A podcast about the mess that is midlife, how to cope in your relationships, interpersonally, and the world during this time of life. Hosted by, Lara Thompson, a 42-year-old single mom and professional. In each episode Lara will use her background knowledge of psychology and mindset to discuss a self-improvement strategy or hot topic in a way that brings empathy and understanding for women and men. So, unless every aspect of your life is perfect, join the discussion every Wednesday, and please subscribe, rate, review, and follow TheMidlifeMessPod on Instagram.
Episodes
22 episodes
Flashback Friday: Mom-Strong in Midlife with My Trainer, Lauren
New episodes over Summer Break are tough, so this is the first in my Summer Flashback Friday Series! This is a good one to start with...Lauren is insightful and our gym-convos are, of course, unhinged! Enjoy!Lara’s first gues...
Episode 21: Can you burn too much hay?
What if the Burned Haystack Method works...and you're still left wondering where all the needles are?After finishing Burn the Haystack and diving back into online dating, Lara expected to have a clearer strategy. Instead, she fo...
Episode 20: Burn the Haystack, Bumble & Midlife Dating Reality Checks 🔥🧠
This week on The Midlife Mess, I’m diving into the viral dating philosophy from Burn the Haystack by Dr. Jennie Young — and honestly? I feel personally attacked in the best possible way.I break down:What the “Burn th...
Episode 19: The 8 Rules of Love Hit Hard in Midlife
This week on The Midlife Mess, I’m talking about love—but not just the romantic kind.After revisiting 8 Rules of Love by Jay Shetty, I found myself reflecting on something that hit even harder this time around: society teaches us ...
Episode 18: Spring Break Mess
This week, Lara shares a very real recap of the past couple of weeks—from spring break comparison spirals and a meaningful trip with her daughter, to friendship accountability, letting go of someone from her past, and processing tragic loss in ...
Episode 17: Burner Phone, Who Dis? Why Is This Dude's Fantasy, My Problem?
This week on The Midlife Mess, Lara shares a deeply personal story about receiving anonymous text messages from burner phone numbers — and the bigger truth it revealed about shame, secrecy, power, and what it means to exist as a woman in the...
Episode 16: You Are Not Stuck With Your Attachment Style
This week, I’m talking about attachment theory — one of the psychology topics that has fascinated me for years, both from studying psychology in college and from living through enough relationships to know this stuff gets very real very fast.
Episode 15: Part 2 with My Brother: Recovery, Family, and Midlife
In part two of this conversation, Lara welcomes her brother Joel back to the podcast after his recent health scare. With Joel slowly feeling more like himself, they talk about recovery, parenting, childhood roles, divorce, emotional awareness, ...
Episode 14: My Brother's Midlife Health Scare and How It Changed Everything....Part 1
In Episode 14, Lara is joined by her brother Joel (newly 40 and officially “midlife”) to tell the story behind a sudden, terrifying health spiral that started with flu + strep and escalated into mastoiditis, meningitis, shingles, and e...
Episode 13: Single Saturday Nights & The Loudness of Loneliness
This week’s episode is a real-time life update — recorded on a quiet Saturday night, alone, with a glass of wine and a lot of honesty.Lara shares what midlife looks like in the in-between moments — when your child is at their other paren...
Episode 12: The Real Charleston: Neighborhood Vibes, Beaches, Growth Pains, and Why I Chose It
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 h...
Episode 11: Can Men and Women live in Harmony, Not a Power Struggle?
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 bel...
Episode 10: Twin Flame Theory & Understanding the 3 Types of Love
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, t...
Bonus Episode: Where's the Middle? (A followup to Episode 8)
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.
Episode 8: I Didn’t Know What to Say This Week...
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 u...
Episode 7: My Therapist’s Take on the Midlife Mess: Trauma, Hope, and Becoming “Okay” Again
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 believe...
Episode 6: Mom-Strong in Midlife: Healing, Lifting, and Laughing with My Trainer Lauren
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”), ...
Episode 5: 2026 is the Year of the Horse?
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 20...
Episode 4: Holiday Check-In, Dating App Déjà Vu, and the Christmas Parade That Broke Lara’s Silence
In this shorter, more casual holiday episode, Lara shares a cozy midlife New Year’s mindset—lower expectations, more peace, and zero pressure to “eventize” the night. After a full house at Christmas (family, kids, and pets included), she reflec...
Episode 3: Midlife Dating: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
In this deeply honest and often hilarious episode, Lara opens up about what it’s really like to date in midlife—for the first time. After two marriages and a late start in the dating world, she shares the lessons she’s learned over the past fiv...
