The innerlight podcast
How Breaking Down Can Actually Help You Rebuild Bigger
Menopause is not the ending women were told it was, and Sharon Langert is here to flip the script. The editor-in-chief of Glimmer Magazine breaks down why midlife can be the most liberating stage of a woman's life, when old roles, old shame, and old survival strategies finally stop working. Kathy Orah and Sharon get real about the symptoms most women are never taught to connect: rage, brain fog, intolerance for what you used to tolerate, and the strange relief that can come when your body starts demanding a new way of living. This conversation goes far beyond hormones. It becomes a roadmap for authenticity, boundaries, and the courage to stop performing a version of womanhood that no longer fits. You'll discover: Why perimenopause can begin years before most women are told to expect it How identity loss in midlife often shows up as anger, depression, or emotional shutdown Why women's bodies may be forcing a deeper release, not breaking down The difference between spiritual bypassing and real healing How shadow work can reveal what your children, your triggers, and your jealousy are trying to teach you Sharon shares her own story of reinvention, from years spent trying to fit into a rigid community to the upheaval that pushed her toward a more honest life. She opens up about culture shock, ego death, motherhood, and the painful but freeing process of letting an old identity fall away so a truer self can emerge. Kathy brings her perspective as a therapist working with women and families, naming the cost of repression, the power of boundaries, and the importance of making space for joy, play, and self-reconnection alongside the healing work. If you've ever felt yourself changing and didn't know what to call it, or if you're ready to stop shrinking, people-pleasing, and second-guessing your own voice, this episode will feel like a permission slip. Essential listening for women in midlife, mothers, and anyone wondering what comes after "holding it all together." Find Sharon on Instagram: @sharonlangertlifestyle Website and blog: sharonlangert.com https://issuu.com/glindamagazine/docs/glimmer_summer_issue-3
