Why am I so mad at myself? If you keep replaying a moment you wish you’d handled differently, and you’re angrier at yourself than at the person who actually wronged you, this episode is for you. I share a bad date I still can’t shake, the moment I stayed when I should have walked out, and why I was still beating myself up about it years later.I also talk openly about starting therapy on a whim and trying EMDR for the first time. If you’ve been wondering what EMDR therapy is, how EMDR works, or whether EMDR works at all, I walk through what my session was like: the eye movements, the knee tapping, and talking to the younger version of me who was sitting on a bench filled with dread. I’m not a therapist, just sharing my experience, and the emotional charge around that memory dropped noticeably. I also answer the question I kept asking myself: do you have to be hurt to have trauma?Then we get into why I no longer buy into the idea of self-abandonment. If you’re asking how to stop abandoning yourself, how to rebuild trust with yourself, how to trust yourself again, or why you ignore your gut feeling, here’s the shift that helped me: you were doing the best you could with the skills and experience you had. Giving yourself grace is how you learn to trust yourself, not a way of letting yourself off the hook. I also share a simple pause exercise for when you feel pressured or overwhelmed, and a few ways to stop ruminating at night when your mind is running scenarios.If you want to know how to forgive yourself, why you blame yourself for everything, how to let go of anger at yourself, or how to stop being mad at yourself about something you can’t change, this conversation is a reminder that healing isn’t about never having these thoughts again. It’s about meeting them with compassion and moving forward kinder and stronger. These are the life lessons I wish someone had handed me earlier, and that’s what life in your 50s is teaching me. Whether you’re looking for life advice at 50 or just starting your own healing, I hope this feels like a hug.If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend who is being hard on herself, and don’t forget to subscribe for more conversations about self-worth, healing, midlife, and life lessons in your 40s and 50s.Connect with Amy: Beacons: ⁠⁠⁠amyedwards.info⁠⁠⁠Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@realamyedwards⁠⁠⁠TikTok:⁠⁠⁠ @themagicbabe⁠⁠⁠Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠The Amy Edwards Show

Can you feel sexy after 50? Yes, and it has nothing to do with the next injection. In this honest midlife conversation, I'm talking about feeling sexy after 50, what natural sexiness really means, and how to age naturally in a world of filters, fillers, and Hollywood magic. I'm sitting here in hair extensions, makeup, and breast implants, so I get the irony. I share the cognitive dissonance I felt watching Practical Magic 2 and why nobody seems to know what aging naturally looks like anymore. If you've ever searched for how to be attractive after 40 or how to be attractive after 50, the answer starts with a feeling, not a face: the "I matter" energy.

This episode is for any woman looking for midlife advice,midlife tips, or proof that sexy women over 50 and sexy women over 40 are not a myth. These midlife conversations are about self-love after 40, self-love after 50, and how to love yourself as you age without waiting for a new look or a smaller number on the scale. I share what happened when I gained 50 pounds and felt sexier than I ever had, and what that taught me about how to love your aging body at any size. Feeling sexy after 50 doesn't require reinvention. It requires using your voice, putting yourself on your own priority list, and letting more laughter, ease, and flow into your days.

If you're asking how to feel sexy after menopause, or working on menopause and confidence at the same time, I hope this reminds you that changing hormones, breakouts, and a changing body are not problems to fix. They're part of the story. I share two simple practices for self care in your 40s and self care in your 50s: a daily "I matter" ritual, and a future-self writing exercise about aging with purpose. Think of it as your permission slip for how to embrace aging gracefully. Whether you want to lift weights at 75, start a business, or just feel radiant in your own skin, aging with purpose is how you stay vibrant. For more midlife advice, self-love after 50, and honest midlife conversations, keep listening.

Please remember to rate, review, and follow the show – and share with a friend!

Subscribe to the newsletter:

https://mailchi.mp/amyedwards/sign-up-to-amys-newsletter

Connect with Amy:

Beacons: ⁠⁠⁠amyedwards.info⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@realamyedwards⁠⁠⁠

TikTok:⁠⁠⁠ @themagicbabe⁠⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠The Amy Edwards Show

Wondering how to feel sexy in your 40s or how to feel sexyin your 50s? This episode is for you. I'm Amy Edwards, and I'm sharing five mindset shifts and daily habits that have helped me feel more confident, attractive, and genuinely happy in my 50s—because how to age confidently isn't about having everything figured out. It's about learning how to love your aging body, choose yourself, and build a life (and a body image) that feels true to who you are now.

If you've been searching for real 40s life advice, 40s tips,or 50s tips on how to feel confident after 40, I'm walking through the self-love exercises for women that actually changed things for me: learning to enjoy my own company, getting honest about what makes me feel beautiful, and figuring out how to build inner confidence from the inside out instead of waiting for someone else to hand it to me.

This is also a big one for anyone navigating single life inyour 40s—because feeling sexy and attractive doesn't require a relationship to validate it. Whether you're looking for 40s advice, 40s living inspiration, 50s life advice, 50s living motivation, midlife tips, or simply a reminder of how to love yourself in your 40s, I hope this conversation helps you feel more confident, more attractive, and more excited about your next chapter.

If you've ever wondered how to get attractive from the inside out, or you're curious how to feel beautiful in your 40s and how to feel beautiful in your 50s, this is that conversation. It doesn't come from a dramatic reinvention—it starts with small daily choices, deeper self-care, and deciding you're worth showing up for.

What has helped you feel more confident or attractive inyour 40s or 50s? I'd love to hear it in the comments.

Please remember to rate, review, and follow the show – andshare with a friend!

Subscribe to the newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/amyedwards/sign-up-to-amys-newsletter

Connect with Me:

All links: ⁠⁠⁠amyedwards.info⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@realamyedwards⁠⁠⁠

TikTok:⁠⁠⁠ @themagicbabe⁠⁠⁠

Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠The Amy Edwards Show

Six boundaries you must have if you want to thrive in midlife. I'm 54 years old, and in this episode I'm breaking down exactly how to set boundaries that actually stick — no perfection required, just practice. If you've ever wondered how to say no without guilt, how to stop overexplaining, or how to stop people pleasing once and for all, this conversation is for you.

I talk honestly about the unpaid labor we take on without even realizing it — being someone else's calendar, someone else's memory, someone else's emotional support system — and why creating boundaries around that is one of the most powerful things you can do for yourself. I get into why do I feel resentful, how emotional labor in relationships and emotional labor in marriage quietly builds up over the years, and what it actually looks like to draw the line before resentment takes over.

This episode is for any woman searching for boundaries for women over 40, setting boundaries with aging parents, or simply trying to figure out how to identify your boundaries in the first place. I share the exact scripts I use — the sentences that stop a conversation in its tracks without a single ounce of guilt — for everything from body and aging commentary, to reflexive yeses, to overexplaining a no until it turns into a negotiation.

We also talk about the boundary most people forget: the one with yourself. How to break a bad habit, protect your future self, and stop the "just one more" cycle that keeps so many of us stuck. Healthy boundaries don't start with other people — they start with the decision you make about your own life, every single day.

Whether you're navigating saying no to people at work, at home, or within your own family, or you're just starting to notice the signs you need better boundaries, I hope this episode gives you the language and the permission to start practicing today.

Timestamps:

00:00 -- Six boundaries for midlife

01:15 -- The unpaid labor boundary

04:30 -- Body commentary and aging

07:45 -- Defaulting to yes

11:00 -- The access boundary

13:40 -- Overexplaining and negotiation

16:20 -- Boundaries within yourself

19:10 -- Practice, not perfection

What boundary did I forget that you feel strongly about? I'd love to hear it in the comments!

Subscribe to the newsletter!

https://mailchi.mp/amyedwards/sign-up-to-amys-newsletter

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @realamyedwards

Spotify: The Amy Edwards Show Podcast

#boundaries #midlife #lifeadvice #peoplepleasing

I cheated in both my first and second marriage. That's notan easy thing to admit out loud, but in this episode, I'm getting real about cheating in a relationship, self forgiveness, and how to forgive yourself for past mistakes. I talk honestly about repeating the same pattern twice, sitting with guilt, and what it actually took for me to finally break the cycle.

If you're struggling with letting go of guilt and regret, wondering how to forgive yourself and move on, or trying to figure out how to stop making the same mistakes in relationships, this episode is for you.

I dig into signs of insecurity in a relationship and how insecurity affects relationships—including my own, long before I understood what I was really chasing. I talk about the validation I was searching for underneath the infidelity, insecurity that traced back to childhood rejection, and how I finally learned to love myself instead of looking for that loveoutside of myself. That inner work is what led me to meeting my now-husband, Justin, and finally understanding real intimacy and real healing.

This is an honest conversation about reframing past mistakes, turning your mistakes into lessons, and how to learn from yourmistakes in a relationship instead of repeating them. Whether you're carrying guilt, working through self forgiveness, or just trying to figure out how to move forward after a bad decision, I hope this reminds you that your life is not ruined because of something you did or something that happened to you. Growth is always available to you—no matter how many times you've had to learn the same lesson.

Subscribe to the newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/amyedwards/sign-up-to-amys-newsletter

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @realamyedwards

Youtube: The Amy Edwards Show

Do you ever catch yourself comparing yourself to others andinstantly feeling like a failure? In this episode, I'm talking about comparison, the social media comparison trap, and why comparison is the thief of joy. I share a moment from just the other day when I noticed myself jealous of friends' success—people I actually love—and had to stop and ask myself whatwas really going on.

This episode is for anyone dealing with comparison anxiety,feeling not good enough, competition with friends, or wondering how to not compete with others in a world that constantly pushes us to measure up. I get honest about my own history with comparing myself to friends, from crying on my kitchen floor in my 30s after being pushed out of a band, to still catching myself feeling not enough even after turning 50. I talk about the difference between feeling inspired and feeling like a failure, and why running your own race isn't just a nice phrase—it's a daily mindfulness for comparison practice.

We'll dig into how comparison quietly destroys self-worth,why success is not a zero-sum game, and how to be happy for others instead of secretly competing with them. I also share how to define success for yourself, a few grounding affirmations for self-worth, and a reminder that noticing comparison creeping in isn't a failure—it's the first step out of it.

If you've ever wondered how to stop comparing myself tofriends, how to handle social media comparison, or how to build real affirmations for self-worth, I hope this conversation helps you feel a little more at peace running your own race.

Subscribe to the newsletter:https://mailchi.mp/amyedwards/sign-up-to-amys-newsletter

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @realamyedwards

Youtube: The Amy Edwards Show Podcast

Have you ever wondered why some friendships just start to fade, even when nothing dramatic ever happened? In this episode, I'm talking about outgrowing friendship, drifting apart from friends, and how to know when a friendship is over. This isn't about the big blowup friendship breakup—this is about the slow fade, the quiet drift, the moment you realize a friendship has simply run its course.

If you've ever asked yourself how to let go of a friendship, wondered why do friends drift apart, or found yourself cutting ties with toxic people who no longer align with your values, this conversation is for you. I share the story of two friends I'll call Isabelle One and Isabelle Two—two decades-long friendships that quietly expired once I got sober and realized we were simply out of alignment. I also talk about the flip side: a lifelongfriendship that almost faded but came roaring back once we both got healthier.

Whether you're navigating outgrowing your friends, letting go of old friendships, or just trying to figure out if an unhealthy friendship has expired, I'm giving you real tools to work through it—including my favorite gauge for knowing when it's time to let go: the wedding test. I talk about muting instead of cutting, why you don't owe anyone your time or energy, and how to "water the grass" of the new friendships that are actuallyaligned with who you are now.

Letting go of friendships isn't always dramatic. Sometimes it's just quietly making space for the people who are actually growing alongside you.

Subscribe to the newsletter:

https://mailchi.mp/amyedwards/sign-up-to-amys-newsletter

Connect with Me:

Instagram: @realamyedwards

Spotify: The Amy Edwards Show Podcast

#friendshipbreakup #outgrowingfriendships #lifeadvice#friendship

Have you ever looked up and realized you’ve been so busy taking care of everyone else that you’re not even sure where you went? In this episode, I’m talking about losing yourself in a relationship, what it really means to put yourself first, and why prioritizing yourself doesn’t make you selfish. I’ve learned this one the hard way through relationships, marriage, motherhood, divorce, and plenty of moments where I put everyone else’s needs ahead of my own. And eventually, that can turn into resentment, exhaustion, and that feeling of being completely disconnected from yourself.

We’ll talk about how to stop losing yourself in a relationship or marriage, how to recognize when you’ve made your partner, kids, or everyone around you the center of your life, and some simple ways to start coming back to yourself. I’m sharing what putting yourself first in a relationship actually looks like, how boundaries and small acts of self-care can change the way you show up, and why being a loving partner or mom shouldn’t require abandoning your own needs, identity, and desires.

I also share a few of my favorite tools for those moments when you’re overwhelmed or feeling lost, including a five-minute reset, an easy meditation practice, and a simple technique for calming your nervous system. If you’ve been feeling lost in your relationship, losing yourself as a mom, or wondering how to put yourself first without feeling guilty, this conversation is your reminder that you are allowed to take up space in your own life.

Connect with Me:
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠@realamyedwards⁠⁠⁠
Youtube: ⁠⁠⁠The Amy Edwards Show