Message In The Middle

Sometimes the hardest experiences to recognize are the ones we are living through. Many women think intimate partner violence only looks one way. They picture obvious warning signs, visible injuries, or situations that seem dramatically different from their own. But what happens when the harm is subtle? When it shows up as constant self-doubt, walking on eggshells, losing trust in your own instincts, or slowly becoming someone you no longer recognize? In this powerful conversation, Marianne s...

Many women reach midlife having done years of personal growth work. They’ve read the books, gone to therapy, practiced mindset tools, and still find themselves feeling stuck. Not broken, exactly. Just not settled. Not at ease. In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne is joined by Ranbir Puar for a conversation that reframes what healing actually looks like. Together, they explore why mindset tools alone can fall short, especially for women who have spent years in survival mode witho...

So many women in midlife are craving something they can’t quite name. It’s not another productivity system. It’s not better time management. And it’s definitely not one more thing to add to an already full plate. It’s genuine connection. In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne is joined by Dr. Mickey Fitch-Collins, a leadership development expert who believes that when we center human connection in how we learn, lead, and live, everything changes. Mickey’s journey is anything but t...

So many women in midlife are quietly carrying an exhausting belief: that their worth is something they have to earn—through productivity, perfection, and putting everyone else first. In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne is joined by registered social worker, meditation and breathwork teacher, and founder of The Self-Worth Solution, Ruth Hirshberg, for a deeply honest conversation about burnout, boundaries, and the hidden beliefs keeping so many high-achieving women stuck. Ruth s...

In this powerful conversation, Marianne sits down with author and creative visionary Nikki Allen, whose novel Loved You, Hated You began as a song, became a screenplay, and ultimately transformed into a raw, emotionally charged exploration of heartbreak, identity loss, and choosing yourself again. Nikki opens up about surviving an emotionally abusive relationship, the kind that doesn’t leave physical bruises but quietly erodes your voice, your clarity, and your sense of self. Through creativi...

What happens when you realize in midlife that your brain has been playing by a completely different rulebook all along? In this episode of Message in the Middle, host Marianne DeMello-Smith sits down with Jorie Houlihan, Your Guide for the Dopamine Deprived™️—an ADHD life coach, speaker, and host of ADHD &... with Jorie Houlihan. After being diagnosed with ADHD at 49, Jorie’s world began to make sense in ways it never had before. But the true transformation came not from the diagnosis its...

Many women in midlife begin to question habits they once accepted without much thought, for some that includes their relationship with alcohol. In this episode of Message in the Middle, Marianne sits down with alcohol-free empowerment coach, keynote speaker, and author Lauren Fay for an honest, compassionate conversation about reclaiming your power and choosing a more conscious way of living. Lauren shares what life looked like before she stopped drinking in 2018, and why she doesn’t fr...