Midlife Purpose Project: Conversations for midlife women on mindfulness, mental health and spirituality

Today I am joined by the author of one of my favorite books "Everyday Dharma". He is an two time best selling author, speaker, visiting scholar at Harvard Medical School, Storyteller and Host of the Amazon Prime Show Business Class.

In this episode we explore how living in alignment with your Dharma—your true purpose—can bring more meaning and ease to your daily life. This conversation offers practical insights for women juggling careers, family, and personal growth, especially those navigating stress from juggling family and work and those seeking ways to reconnect with themselves.

💡 Key Takeaways from This Episode:

• Discovering Your Dharma: What Dharma means and how you can start uncovering your purpose by reflecting on moments that light you up.
• How Failure Fuels Growth: Shifting your mindset around failure and learning how it guides you closer to your purpose.
• Energy Management: Strategies to manage energy (not just time) to avoid burnout, improve productivity, and reduce stress.
• Practices for Self-Regulation: Simple breathwork and reflection tools to stay calm and grounded when life gets chaotic.
• Suneel’s Story of Self-Discovery: A candid look at how Suneel realigned with his purpose after experiencing overwhelm and uncertainty—and how you can do the same.

✨ Why Listen?

This episode is designed for spiritually curious, growth-minded women balancing the demands of modern life. Whether you’re managing remote work stress, pursuing personal development, or simply trying to find more joy and meaning, this conversation offers practical advice to help you realign with your center and live more purposefully.

If you’re ready to embrace your Dharma and take meaningful action, this episode will inspire you to start small, stay regulated, and reconnect with what truly matters. 🌱

👉 Listen now, and don’t forget to leave a review if this episode resonates with you!

Connect with Suneel:

website: https://www.suneelgupta.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suneelgupta/

📖 Episode Summary:

In this calming episode of The Midlife Purpose Project, Katie guides you through a short but powerful Dharma talk and meditation to help you manage fear and anxiety in uncertain times. Whether you’re feeling overwhelmed by the news or stuck in a spiral of nervous system dysregulation, this is a resource you can return to again and again.

You’ll learn how fear can be a doorway to spiritual growth—and how to use breathwork, grounding techniques, and visualization to reconnect with your higher self and regulate your emotions.

🧘‍♀️ What You’ll Learn:

• A Dharma talk on how to work with fear as a spiritual teacher
• How to regulate your nervous system using body scanning and mindful breath
• Visualization and grounding techniques to calm anxiety and find inner safety
• Tools to reconnect with your higher self for spiritual direction
• Ways to turn inner peace into meaningful, compassionate action in the world

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Join Katie and menopause coach Cara as they dive into midlife transformation, exploring opportunities for growth, evolution, and authentic living beyond traditional age ranges. This episode covers Cara's personal menopause journey, the crucial role of self-advocacy, and practical strategies for a growth mindset during perimenopause and post-menopause. Learn why open conversations about menopause symptoms are vital, how to simplify lifestyle changes, and the power of female support networks for women over 40, 50, and 60. Discover how to redefine success, embrace new possibilities, and thrive in your midlife power.

Episode Highlights:

• Expand Your Midlife: Discover why midlife isn't just 40-65 but an expansive period for wisdom and new opportunities—learn to redefine your middle years.
• Cara's Menopause Story: Hear Cara's honest journey through perimenopause and menopause, how she mistook symptoms for burnout, and the impact of menopause-related inflammation on her health.

• Break the Menopause Silence: Understand why open conversations about menopause are vital. Learn how to recognize and address symptoms to avoid suffering in silence.

• Empowerment Through Menopause Coaching: Cara, a certified menopause coach, shares how women can embrace change, build confidence, and find new power post-menopause.

• Fixed vs. Growth Mindset for Midlife: Explore the power of a growth mindset to stay curious, seek answers, and embrace new possibilities during your midlife transition.

• Self-Advocacy in Healthcare: Learn why women must advocate for themselves in healthcare, educate themselves, and persevere even with dismissive providers, especially during menopause.

• Redefining Success at 60: Cara shares her journey of shifting from external validation to finding inner peace and authenticity by redefining success in midlife.

• "Sparks" of Authentic Creativity: Discover Cara's new creative project, "Sparks," as an outlet for self-expression and how embracing a beginner's mindset fosters growth.

• Simplifying Menopause Self-Care: Get practical strategies to manage menopause symptoms with simple self-care. Learn Cara's "Mindfulness of Menopause" practice.

• Trust Your Intuition for Health: Understand why simplifying lifestyle changes and listening to your inner wisdom can be more effective than overwhelming health advice for midlife well-being.

• The Power of Female Support: Explore the strength of women supporting women. Discover the importance of strong female networks and collaboration for positive change in midlife and beyond.

This episode is essential for any woman navigating midlife challenges and opportunities, offering encouragement, practical advice, and a powerful reminder that midlife is a profound opportunity for transformation.

In this heartfelt and vulnerable episode of The Midlife Purpose Project, Katie explores the foundational yogic principle of Ahimsa — the practice of nonviolence — and why cultivating inner balance is essential for living a compassionate, purposeful life.

After taking a much-needed pause last week (and walking her talk), Katie opens up about feeling out of balance and the powerful reminder that busyness does not equal worthiness. She shares how this cultural myth often disconnects us from our bodies, our emotions, and our spiritual center — leaving us feeling exhausted and empty.

You’ll learn:

• Why yoga is more than poses — it’s a system rooted in ethical and spiritual guidelines known as the Yamas and Niyamas
• How Ahimsa (nonviolence) is about more than avoiding harm — it’s about choosing kindness, compassion, and balance
• The hidden ways we cause harm to ourselves and others through thoughts, words, and actions
• Why balance is the foundation of peace, and how the inner world shapes the outer world
• How to begin restoring balance by listening to your body, setting boundaries, and reframing disempowering situations

Katie invites you to reflect:

✨ What does balance look like for you?

✨ Where are you being called to soften, slow down, or say no?

“The universe rearranges itself to match your inner vibration.” — Panache Desai

In this episode of The Midlife Purpose Project, Katie invites you to take a closer look at what success really means—especially in the middle chapter of life.

Too often, society defines success by external achievements, productivity, and material gains. But these markers can leave us stuck in an endless loop of goal-chasing and short-lived satisfaction. Katie challenges this narrative and encourages listeners to reflect on what success means on a soul level.

Tune in as she explores:

• Why traditional success metrics often leave us feeling empty
• The power of self-exploration, curiosity, and inner fulfillment
• How to align your life with your values and purpose
• Using your unique gifts to serve others
• Cultivating inner steadiness, especially in uncertain times

This conversation is a gentle but powerful reminder that true success might not be something you chase—but something you choose, moment by moment, in alignment with your deepest truths.

✨ Whether you’re reevaluating your career, navigating a life transition, or simply craving more meaning, this episode will help you reconnect with what really matters.