In this episode of Midlife, No Crisis, we celebrate 1,000 downloads 🎉 and welcome (back) a very special guest: Pat Wilson, solution-focused hypnotherapist and former secondary school teacher.

We talk honestly about midlife career change, burnout, anxiety, sleep problems, and why so many women hit a wall in their 40s and 50s feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and stuck. Pat shares her powerful story of leaving a 24-year teaching career after bereavement, stress, and perimenopause - and how retraining in hypnotherapy changed her life.

Together, we explore:

• Why midlife is often the tipping point for stress and anxiety
• The truth about overthinking, sleep issues, and waking at 3am
• Pat’s brilliant “stress bucket” metaphor (and how to empty it)
• Why smart watches and sleep tracking can increase anxiety
• How hobbies, purpose, and small mindset shifts protect mental health
• What solution-focused hypnotherapy really is (and what it isn’t)

This episode is packed with reassurance, practical tools, laughs, and those “oh THAT’S me” moments - especially if you’re navigating perimenopause, parenting teens, caring for others, or questioning your career.

🎧 Stay to the end for a listener-only offer from Pat, including a free relaxation track and a podcast-exclusive discount.

https://reboundhypnotherapy.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/p/Rebound-Hypnotherapy-100090731785036/

https://www.instagram.com/rebound_hypnotherapy/#

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Listen if you want a laugh and a comforting reminder that friendships don’t have to be perfect — they just have to be real.

Following Monday’s chat about hobbies, this episode dives into how to stay motivated to actually do them — especially when life is busy, tiring, cold or just a bit… January.

Katie and Katy explore:
Gardening and allotments — the joy of planting bulbs, watching things grow and losing yourself for half an hour
Creative urges — floristry, drawing and the pleasure of doing things simply for enjoyment
Travel and planning — discovering that even researching holidays counts as a hobby
Exercise habits — from marathons to walking to work, and how building routines makes movement feel automatic
What truly motivates us — avoiding boredom, loving fun and fresh air, and knowing how good you’ll feel afterwards

They also tackle the mindset side:
✨ Making habits easy (set your clothes out, don’t miss twice)
✨ Remembering the feeling after doing something
✨ Starting small — 15 minutes can change your day
✨ Pull vs push goals: choosing things you want to do, not things you feel you should do

With humour, honesty and a touch of self-realisation (“turns out we DO have lots of hobbies!”), the episode reminds midlife women that hobbies don’t need to be worthy or productive — they just need to make you feel good.

A warm, relatable nudge to stop overthinking, start small and find joy in whatever sparks your interest.

Get a message straight to the show!

Don't forget to subscribe and share with your friends.

Keep in touch, follow our socials or send an email to hellomidlife@icloud.com.

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Listen if you want a laugh and a comforting reminder that friendships don’t have to be perfect — they just have to be real.

This week the conversation begins with January blues, endless colds, annoying neighbours and parental house moves — classic midlife chaos — before landing on the real topic: hobbies.

Katy and Katie chat honestly about how easy it is to lose hobbies in your 40s and 50s when work, family, health, hormones and life admin creep into every spare minute. They admit hobbies often feel like “one more thing to do”, but also explore how grounding they can be when life feels heavy.

From gardening to reading, crafting and podcasting itself, they reflect on how small pleasures and creative outlets can boost mood, identity and confidence — especially for women navigating perimenopause, medical appointments and the general slog of winter.

There’s also a diversion into authenticity and why not everything has to be monetised or Instagram-perfect — sometimes a hobby is just for joy.

A warm and relatable reminder that hobbies don’t have to be big, productive or impressive — they just have to make you feel more you.

Get a message straight to the show!

Don't forget to subscribe and share with your friends.

Keep in touch, follow our socials or send an email to hellomidlife@icloud.com.

Support the show

Listen if you want a laugh and a comforting reminder that friendships don’t have to be perfect — they just have to be real.