🎙️ EPISODE 109 — 40 Things I’ve Learned by 40 (Part 2): The Clarity Half
🎙️ EPISODE 109 — “40 Things I’ve Learned by 40 (Part 2): The Clarity Half”
Your girl is officially in her 40s (still wild to say 😅), and we’re back with the second half of this birthday series — the grown-woman, softer-but-still-chaotic, “okay but here’s what we’re NOT doing anymore” half.
Last week was the messy half.
This week? 👉 The clarity half. 👉 The “wow, therapy would’ve helped” half. 👉 The “I finally learned the lesson instead of repeating it” half. ✨
Fresh off the emotional hangover of Part 1 — and fueled by my favorite drink that I’ve officially named “The Eff-It” (sugar-free watermelon vodka + Red Bull, because balance) — I’m diving into the 20 things I’ve learned after the smoke cleared, the chaos settled, and I finally stopped sprinting through my life like it was a fire drill. 🔥😅
✨ Inside This Episode
We’re unpacking the grown woman clarity — the lessons that hit different at 40, like:
💙 learning when a season needs softness vs strength
💙 taking up emotional + physical space without apologizing
💙 people-pleasing as self-abandonment (my Roman Empire, honestly)
💙 giving fewer people access to the real you
💙 wanting more without feeling ungrateful
💙 why “no” is a whole sentence (no essays, no PowerPoints)
💙 realizing you cannot be the glue, duct tape, AND emotional support human
💙 breaking out of comfort zones that started feeling like cages
💙 slowing down after a lifetime of chaos
💙 finally meeting the version of myself I’ve been chasing for years
It’s honest, emotional, sarcastic, slightly unhinged, and full of clarity I wish I’d figured out a decade ago. 😂
🍹 This Week’s Sip
I’m sipping on The Eff-It — sugar-free watermelon vodka + my ride-or-die Red Bull.
Warm, summery, caffeinated chaos in a cup. 10/10 recommend. 🍉⚡
(Also, someone PLEASE support my dream of opening a nap clinic.)
🧠 Why This Episode Matters
Midlife clarity doesn’t show up all at once — it sneaks in through breakdowns, quiet car rides, late-night realizations, and those “WTF am I doing?” moments we all pretend we don’t have.
These lessons came from:
🌪️ blended family chaos
🌪️ motherhood burnout
🌪️ marriage growing pains
🌪️ rediscovering myself
🌪️ breaking patterns I didn’t even realize I was repeating
And if you’re navigating midlife, identity shifts, overstimulation, emotional labor, or just trying to figure out who the hell you are now… this episode is for you. 💙
🌈 Big Takeaway This Week
You are allowed to grow.
You are allowed to want more.
You are allowed to change — even if people around you don’t get it.
Clarity isn’t a switch… it’s a process.
And girl, we’re in the process. ✨
🎧 Listen In
Pour your drink, take a breath, unclench your jaw, and settle in.
The clarity era has entered the chat. 💙✨
💬 If This Episode Hit Home…
Send it to a friend, leave a review, or just nod silently in the Target parking lot — whatever feels right.
Either way, thank you for navigating 40 with me. 💙
Stay real. Stay chaotic. Keep a drink close.
— Stef 🍹✨