In today’s episode of WTF Just Happened — Life Is Messy, Let’s Talk About It, we dive deep into what we lovingly call La La Land — the emotional space you slip into when real life feels too heavy, grief is suffocating, or adulthood is simply too much.

If you’re a widow, a divorcée, a woman in midlife, a burned-out mom, or someone trying to hold it all together while your heart is quietly falling apart… this conversation is for you.

This episode unpacks:

💛 Escapism during grief — why travel, distractions, spending, and staying “busy” become survival tools
💛 The emotional crash of re-entry — that moment you walk back into your house and reality hits like a freight train
💛 Grief fog + decision fatigue — when even choosing dinner feels impossible
💛 Widowhood + identity loss — rebuilding yourself after losing the person who knew you best
💛 Living alone for the first time ever — navigating quiet, loneliness, routines, and rediscovering who you are
💛 The universal midlife meltdown — how even people who haven’t experienced death still find themselves living in their own version of “La La Land”
💛 The guilt around joy — what it’s like to love travel, adventure, sunshine, and freedom… while grieving
💛 Widow’s Fire — YES… we go there 👀🔥 (and it’s a real thing)
💛 Why community matters — friends, family, and the people who won’t let you disappear into the couch
💛 Redefining adulthood — hobbies, purpose, self-discovery, and figuring out who the hell you are now
💛 Self-compassion through transition — why it’s okay to have cheese + wine for dinner, skip the grocery store, or not brush your teeth for a day

We talk honestly about grief, loss, trauma, escapism, resilience, and the messy, beautiful, confusing transformation that happens in midlife. Whether you’re navigating widowhood, divorce, a breakup, empty nesting, burnout, mental health struggles, or a massive identity shift — this episode will make you feel seen, supported, and a little less alone.

Grab a cocktail, mocktail, Stanley cup, or emotionally supportive snack… because La La Land is a wild ride — and we’re talking about all of it.

Thank you for joining us for another real, raw, and healing conversation on WTF Just Happened — Life Is Messy.

Connect with us on the socials:

🎙 Podcast: @wtf.lifeismessy

💛 Hilary: @hilary.mode

💛 Sada: @simplysadajames

If you’re walking through grief, midlife transitions, healing, or the messy middle and want deeper support, Sada offers RISE, an intimate 8-week mentorship container for women ready to feel held, seen, supported, and less alone. It’s for anyone craving community, clarity, connection, and a softer place to land through the hard.

We love you for being here. Subscribe, share, and stay messy with us. 💛

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views shared are based on personal experience and do not constitute medical, legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your individual situation. Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or this podcast.

In this brutally honest — and hilarious — episode of WTF Just Happened — Life Is Messy, Let’s Talk About It, Sada and Hilary dive into one of the most requested topics of midlife: our faces, aging, facelifts, fillers, and what the hell is actually happening to our skin at 20, 30, 40, 50, and beyond.

We’re joined by the incredible Amy Melchior, MSN, APNP, FNP-BC, advanced injector, educator, and owner of Medical Rejuvenation, a boutique aesthetic practice just outside Portland in Gladstone, OR. Amy brings decades of medical wisdom, compassion, and zero-BS guidance about how women can age gracefully (or not-so-gracefully — your choice), what treatments actually work, and what’s nothing but expensive hype.

In this episode we unpack:
✨ Why your face looks different in the 40's and 50's — volume loss, ligament laxity, fat pad shifts, skin texture changes, and hormone-driven aging
✨ The truth about facelifts — who benefits, who doesn’t, industry myths, healing timelines, and why many women get little return doing it too early
✨ Fillers vs. surgery — what filler can and cannot fix, when it makes things worse, and how to know which path is right for you
✨ 40s vs. 50s aging reality check — perimenopause, exhaustion, parenting stress, career burnout, and the moment we all ask: “Why do I look so tired?”
✨ The decade-by-decade guide to aging — what to expect and what tools give the biggest results at different ages
✨ IPL vs. CO2 vs. microneedling — which treatments actually improve pigmentation, texture, and sun damage (and which ones are outdated or risky)
✨ Medical vs. aesthetic perspective — how Amy’s ER and cardiology background shapes her safety-first approach
✨ Why so many women are getting cosmetic procedures now — and why it’s nothing to be ashamed of

This conversation is real, raw, educational, and genuinely empowering. Whether you're thinking about Botox for the first time, considering a facelift, battling pigmentation, or simply curious why your neck suddenly changed overnight… this episode will make you feel normal, informed, and supported.

✨ Connect with Today’s Guest: Amy Melchior, MSN, APNP, FNP-BC

Owner, Medical Rejuvenation (Gladstone, OR)

🌐 Website: https://medjuv.com/
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/medical_rejuvenation/
📍 Address: 15 82nd Dr Suite 230, Gladstone, OR 97027
📞 Phone: 503-421-9271

Thank you for joining us for another real, raw, and healing conversation on WTF Just Happened — Life Is Messy.

Connect with us on the socials:

🎙 Podcast: @wtf.lifeismessy

💛 Hilary: @hilary.mode

💛 Sada: @simplysadajames

If you’re walking through grief, midlife transitions, healing, or the messy middle and want deeper support, Sada offers RISE, an intimate 8-week mentorship container for women ready to feel held, seen, supported, and less alone. It’s for anyone craving community, clarity, connection, and a softer place to land through the hard.

We love you for being here. Subscribe, share, and stay messy with us. 💛

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views shared are based on personal experience and do not constitute medical, legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your individual situation. Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or this podcast.

In this raw, deeply honest, and at times darkly funny episode of WTF Just Happened? Life Is Messy, Let’s Talk About It, Hilary shares the true story of the day a cheerful call from “Susan at Wells Fargo” blew the lid off her marriage — and ultimately became the catalyst for divorce, reinvention, and rising from the ashes.

Hilary takes us inside what it’s really like to be a mom of three young daughters, trusting her spouse to handle the finances, only to discover massive hidden debt, emotional stonewalling, and a life built on silence. From bankruptcy court and financial ruin to divorce, custody battles, restraining orders, and rebuilding from a credit score in the 500s, this episode pulls no punches.

But this isn’t just a divorce story.

It’s a story about:
• Financial infidelity and hidden debt
• Emotional neglect and stonewalling in marriage
• The silent unraveling so many women experience behind closed doors
• Divorce as a business decision, not just an emotional one
• Rebuilding after bankruptcy, divorce, and betrayal
• Finding joy, love, and stability after your life explodes
• Why trusting your intuition can save your future

Hilary also shares practical, hard-won advice for women who may be in the thick of it right now — including how to prepare financially, protect yourself, and take small steps toward independence even when you feel stuck, scared, or overwhelmed.

Along the way, she reminds us that even when life feels like a total plot twist, there can be silver linings — new love, deeper self-trust, laughter again, and a life you never could have imagined for yourself.

If you’ve ever:
• Been blindsided in marriage
• Trusted someone who broke that trust
• Felt trapped by finances, fear, or silence
• Walked through divorce, grief, or reinvention in midlife
• Wondered if it’s possible to truly start over

This episode will make you feel seen, understood, and less alone.

Grab your emotionally supportive snack, pour a cocktail or mocktail, and settle in. This is one you won’t forget.

✨ Content note: Adult language, real talk about divorce, finances, and emotional trauma.

📩 Need support or resources?
DM us on Instagram — we’re listening, and we’ve got you.

Thank you for joining us for another real, raw, and healing conversation on WTF Just Happened — Life Is Messy.

Connect with us on the socials:

🎙 Podcast: @wtf.lifeismessy

💛 Hilary: @hilary.mode

💛 Sada: @simplysadajames

If you’re walking through grief, midlife transitions, healing, or the messy middle and want deeper support, Sada offers RISE, an intimate 8-week mentorship container for women ready to feel held, seen, supported, and less alone. It’s for anyone craving community, clarity, connection, and a softer place to land through the hard.

We love you for being here. Subscribe, share, and stay messy with us. 💛

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views shared are based on personal experience and do not constitute medical, legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your individual situation. Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or this podcast.

Trigger Warning: This episode contains discussion of sudden loss, widowhood, and grief.

In this unforgettable episode of WTF Just Happened — Life Is Messy, Let’s Talk About It, Sada shares her full, unfiltered story of love, marriage, sudden loss, and the moment her life split into before and after.

This is not just a story about losing a husband.
It’s a story about growing up together, building a life side-by-side, surviving the messy middle of marriage, and then losing everything in a single, quiet moment — thousands of miles from home.

Sada takes us back to meeting Kris at 14 years old, growing up together, raising two daughters, navigating the ups and downs of a decades-long marriage, relocating states, rebuilding connection, and finally arriving at the most beautiful, aligned season of their relationship — just weeks before his sudden death from a brain aneurysm while on vacation in Hawaii.

With honesty, tenderness, and remarkable clarity, Sada walks us through:

• Loving someone for over half your life
• Marriage, miscommunication, and growing up together
• Moving states, identity loss, and reinvention
• The illusion that “the next thing” will finally make you happy
• The night everything changed — sudden loss in Hawaii
• Performing CPR on the person you love most
• Navigating shock, trauma, and the hours that follow
• Sitting bedside in the ICU while waiting for answers
• Organ donation, honor walks, and saving other lives
• Flying home without your spouse
• Grief brain, nervous system shock, and survival mode
• Parenting through profound loss
• Holding joy and devastation at the same time
• Choosing meaning, gratitude, and purpose after loss

This episode also explores the reality of widowhood — not as a linear journey, but as a constant balancing act between grief and joy. Sada speaks candidly about PTSD, brain fog, gratitude, mentorship, community, and why she refuses to live the rest of her life numb or disconnected from beauty, travel, laughter, and love.

If you’ve ever:
• Lost a spouse or partner
• Experienced sudden or traumatic loss
• Wondered how people survive the unimaginable
• Felt your old self disappear overnight
• Tried to hold joy and grief in the same breath
• Needed proof that life can still be meaningful after devastation

This episode will meet you exactly where you are.

It’s raw.
It’s sacred.
And it’s a reminder that even after everything breaks — life can still be lived fully, intentionally, and with heart.

✨

Thank you for joining us for another real, raw, and healing conversation on WTF Just Happened — Life Is Messy.

Connect with us on the socials:

🎙 Podcast: @wtf.lifeismessy

💛 Hilary: @hilary.mode

💛 Sada: @simplysadajames

If you’re walking through grief, midlife transitions, healing, or the messy middle and want deeper support, Sada offers RISE, an intimate 8-week mentorship container for women ready to feel held, seen, supported, and less alone. It’s for anyone craving community, clarity, connection, and a softer place to land through the hard.

We love you for being here. Subscribe, share, and stay messy with us. 💛

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views shared are based on personal experience and do not constitute medical, legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your individual situation. Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or this podcast.

Welcome to Episode One of WTF Just Happened — Life Is Messy, Let’s Talk About It, the unfiltered podcast for women in midlife, grief, healing, reinvention, and the wild ride of becoming who you are now. If you’ve ever looked around and thought, “What the F just happened to my life?”—you’re in the right place.

In this premiere episode, Sada and Hilary introduce themselves, their stories, and the real-life, unglossed-over messiness that inspired this podcast. From widowhood to divorce, perimenopause to parenting adult kids, facelifts to fixing your credit score, this show is about naming the truth, laughing through the chaos, and building a community of women who refuse to pretend everything is perfect.

In today’s episode we explore:

💛 Who we are:
— Sada: widow, mom of two adult daughters, joy mentor, sunshine-seeker, ocean lover, grief guide, and midlife truth-teller.
— Hilary: alum of the longest starter marriage ever (16 years), blended-family mom of five, Amazon addict, slightly unhinged, animal rescuer, and professional Instagram cleaning-reel scroller.

💛 Why we created this podcast — because midlife is wild, grief is heavy, marriage is complex, divorce is brutal, and pretending everything is “fine” is exhausting.

💛 The messy middle — the phase of life where your kids are grown, your marriage may be shifting, your body is changing, and you’re figuring out who the hell you are now.

💛 Grief, widowhood & healing — how Sada is rebuilding life after losing her husband, the fog of the first year, and the power of connection.

💛 Divorce, survival & starting over — Hilary’s raw journey from restraining orders to rebuilding her life, repairing her credit, and learning to thrive in her second marriage.

💛 Glow-ups, facelifts & fixing what bothers you — why aesthetics are never about shame and always about agency.

💛 Motherhood, identity & reinvention — navigating midlife shifts, parenting in chaos, and rediscovering hobbies, dreams, and joy.

💛 Real talk about Instagram vs. reality — the highlight reels, the filters, the pressure, and the truth behind the screens.

This is NOT a podcast about perfection. It’s a podcast about survival, humor, messy healing, midlife rebirth, and the community of women who get it.

Grab a cocktail, mocktail, or your favorite emotionally supportive snack and settle in — you’re home.

Thank you for joining us for another real, raw, and healing conversation on WTF Just Happened — Life Is Messy.

Connect with us on the socials:

🎙 Podcast: @wtf.lifeismessy

💛 Hilary: @hilary.mode

💛 Sada: @simplysadajames

If you’re walking through grief, midlife transitions, healing, or the messy middle and want deeper support, Sada offers RISE, an intimate 8-week mentorship container for women ready to feel held, seen, supported, and less alone. It’s for anyone craving community, clarity, connection, and a softer place to land through the hard.

We love you for being here. Subscribe, share, and stay messy with us. 💛

Disclaimer:
This podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views shared are based on personal experience and do not constitute medical, legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional regarding your individual situation. Guest opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the hosts or this podcast.