Peace Signs, Petty Parking & Protecting Your Energy

About this episode

The episode discusses midlife friendship dilemmas, personal boundaries, and a humorous take on driving gestures.

Today on 40ish: Nicole has officially had enough of the algorithm, and Lauren is launching a bold new driving movement: replacing the universal thank-you hand with a casual two-finger peace-out gesture. Will it catch on? Only time will tell. We dive into a listener dilemma about friendships in midlife. She used to be the organiser and emotional support system for everyone. Now the energy to keep friendships running just isn’t there. Is this burnout from years of carrying the load, a normal midlife shift towards protecting your energy, or the slow drift into becoming a bad friend? We talk about balance, boundaries, and what showing up for people really looks like in your 40s. Plus, midlife meltdowns are in full swing as a listener has a full internal breakdown in a supermarket car park after being silently pressured by a woman waiting for her parking space resulting in an act of slow-motion petty resistance that honestly deserves a medal. Friendship burnout, car park standoffs, failing eyesight, rogue algorithms, and a potential driving hand-gesture revolution. It’s just another calm and normal week in midlife. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…

People in this episode

Hosts: Nicole, Lauren

Topics covered

• friendship burnout
• midlife dilemmas
• personal boundaries
• driving gestures
• energy protection

Keywords

• midlife
• friendship
• energy
• driving
• burnout
• personal boundaries
• humor

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Instagram, TikTok, Spreaker

More episodes of 40ish | The Funny Podcast on Perimenopause, Menopause & Midlife

• Steam Mops, Baby Names & Trendy Moustaches · September 8, 2026 · 37 min
• Lost Sparks, Raving & Relationship Advice | Midlife & Menopause Podcast · September 1, 2026 · 41 min
• From The Archives: Aussie Deception Drama & Varicose Veins · August 27, 2026 · 32 min
• From The Archives: Period Necklaces, Parking & Homebase · August 20, 2026 · 37 min
• From The Archives: Nipple Tassels, Top Gun & Frozen Shoulders · August 13, 2026 · 42 min
• From The Archives: I Told A Huge Lie, Sex Dreams & James Nesbitt · August 13, 2026 · 36 min