Raise your hand (or glass?) if gift giving, cards, décor, hosting, and family expectations around the holidays STRESS. YOU. OUT. I see you.

In this episode, world-renowned organizing expert and bestselling author Shira Gill shares minimalist strategies that help busy midlife women simplify the holidays without sacrificing joy.

We cover:

✔️Why we keep buying things we don’t need — and how to break the cycle

✔️How to handle unwanted gifts without guilt

✔️Décor ideas that create a festive atmosphere (without more bins to store)

✔️Hosting and entertaining strategies that don’t require two days of cooking

✔️How to set boundaries, reset expectations, and design a calmer holiday season

Shira’s philosophy: Minimalism isn’t about deprivation — it’s about having the perfect amount for you.

If you’ve ever caught yourself saying “next year, I’m keeping it simple,” this conversation is your roadmap for how to do just that.

🎁 Easy gift idea: Share this episode with a friend!

Connect with Shira:

Website: shiragill.com

Substack: The Life Edit

Books: Minimalista, Organized Living, Lifestyled

Episode Highlights:

02:39 Shira's Definition of Minimalism

09:10 How to Avoid Excess Everything during the Holidays

13:13 How to Handle Gifts You Don't Want

16:43 How to Give a Great Gift

20:29 How to Be Thoughtful, Not Excessive, with Decorations

25:21 Simple Home Styling Tips

27:12 Host a Holiday Meal without Going Overboard

30:08 Decide Ahead of Time How You Want Your Holiday to Feel

37:46 Key Takeaways

I want to hear from you. Send me a text!

Let's stay in touch:
Join my email list and I will send you my three favorite protein-rich smoothie recipes!

Follow me on Instagram: @midlifeadvicepodcast | @belongwellness
Check out my website: belongwellness.com

This one’s special — because you helped create it.

In honor of Thanksgiving, I asked listeners to share what they’re feeling most grateful for in midlife. And your answers were so good! They’re honest, hilarious, heartfelt, and full of that signature midlife “F-it” energy we all know and love.

Today’s episode is a crowdsourced roundup of what real women 40+ are grateful for right now — from better relationships with our bodies, to boundaries that finally stick, to friendships that really matter.

Whether you’re juggling work, perimenopause, kids, aging parents, a chin hair you swear wasn’t there yesterday, or all of the above, this episode is a reminder that there’s still so much good in this wild stage of life.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

•The top themes midlife women say they’re grateful for

•Why gratitude hits differently in your 40s and 50s

•What’s changing in how we relate to our bodies

•The rise of boundaries & dropping the people-pleasing

•The power of women supporting women (and why it matters now more than ever)

•Reflections on raising teens and giving fewer f***s

•My own takeaways from your beautiful submissions

Why this episode matters for midlife women

It’s easy to get swallowed by the chaos of midlife — hormones, careers, family, relationships, the mental load… the list is long. Sometimes we forget to actually notice what’s working.

This episode gives you a chance to pause, reflect, and see yourself in the stories of other women walking the same path.

Join the conversation

What resonated with you? What did we miss?

💌 Send me a DM on Instagram @midlifeadvicepodcast or text me using the link in the show notes. I love hearing from you.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friend — and thank you for being here. Truly.

I want to hear from you. Send me a text!

Let's stay in touch:
Join my email list and I will send you my three favorite protein-rich smoothie recipes!

Follow me on Instagram: @midlifeadvicepodcast | @belongwellness
Check out my website: belongwellness.com

If you’ve been thinking, “I just don’t feel like myself anymore,” this episode is for you. Dr. Prudence Hall breaks down why perimenopause can flip your mood, energy, sleep, libido, and identity upside down—and what you can actually do about it.

We dig into the hormonal shifts behind the fog, the labs that matter, the truth about birth control pills and hormonal IUDs in perimenopause, and how bioidentical hormones may help you feel like you again.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

•The real reason you don’t feel like yourself in perimenopause

•How declining hormones affect your mood, weight, sleep, and libido

•Why Dr. Hall says to measure, don’t guess — the exact labs to ask your doctor for

•How BHRT (bioidentical hormones) can restore capacity so lifestyle changes actually stick

•What to know about birth control pills and hormonal IUDs during perimenopause

•How thyroid and adrenal issues can mimic perimenopause symptoms

•When to seek a functional or integrative provider for deeper support

Connect with Dr. Prudence Hall

•@drprudencehall

•Get her free book: Radiant Again & Forever

•The Hall Center

🚌 If you have a friend on the perimenopause struggle bus, please send her this episode so she knows she’s not alone.

CHAPTERS:

02:01 Why We Don't Feel Like Ourselves in Perimenopause

07:22 Why Labs are Important in Perimenopause

10:11 When Your Labs Look "Normal" in Perimenopause

13:05 HRT or Diet/Lifestyle? Which Comes First?

15:33 Can Midlife Women Feel Like We're 30 Again?

19:05 The WHI Study and What We Know Now About HRT

22:11 Birth Control Pills & IUDs in Perimenopause: Dr. Hall's Take

27:59 What Perimenopausal Women Need to Know About Their Thyroid

35:06 Key Takeaways

I want to hear from you. Send me a text!

Let's stay in touch:
Join my email list and I will send you my three favorite protein-rich smoothie recipes!

Follow me on Instagram: @midlifeadvicepodcast | @belongwellness
Check out my website: belongwellness.com