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You Did Everything Right. Why Does Midlife Feel So Wrong?
Description
JOIN ME AT THE NATIONAL MENOPAUSE SHOW
Come for honest conversations, practical information and a whole lot of midlife connection.
When: Oct 17, 2026–Oct 18, 2026 | 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Where: The International Centre, Hall 5, Mississauga, Ontario.
I’ll be podcasting from the show floor, including a live conversation with Jessica Holmes on Saturday. Come say hello!
Use my code TRANSFORM45 for 15% off your tickets.
Tickets: National Menopause Show tickets
What happens when you’ve done everything “right”—and still find yourself asking, Who am I now?
Around her 50th birthday, Jennifer Arthurton faced divorce, unemployment, an empty nest and illness. The checklist she’d followed no longer offered an answer for what came next.
In this episode of Transforming 45, Jennifer and Lisa Boate talk honestly about the grief and anger that can come with a changing identity, the energy it takes to perform a perfect life, and the small questions that can bring you back to yourself.
Jennifer shares how writing opened a door to creativity she hadn’t recognised, why stillness was so uncomfortable, and how she learned to ask harder questions without taking responsibility for everyone else’s reaction.
You’ll hear about:
Letting go of the “good girl” script
Finding identity beyond work, marriage and motherhood
Listening to your preferences instead of automatically accommodating everyone
Practising self-trust through small everyday choices
Building community that supports you and challenges you
Chapters:
00:00 Who am I now? Introducing Jennifer Arthurton
01:40 The corporate checklist and the “good girl” script
04:37 Divorce, empty nest and the grief behind starting over
08:04 Finding an identity beyond your roles
10:41 Discovering creativity and Old Chicks Know Sh*t
13:56 The energy cost of performing a perfect life
19:15 Learning to stop—and making room for stillness
23:23 Practising self-trust through small choices
25:24 Lisa’s personal experience of stillness and memory
28:25 What do I want? Questions and boundaries
30:44 People-pleasing and asking difficult questions
32:17 Community, collaboration and being fully expressed
38:36 Jennifer’s personal perspective on menopause and purpose
41:11 Trusting yourself in your next chapter
About Jennifer
Jennifer Arthurton is the founder of Old Chicks Know Sh*t, a platform, podcast and community supporting women navigating midlife and their next chapter. In the conversation, she also discusses her Maven Collective community.
CONNECT WITH JENNIFER
Instagram: @oldchicksknowshit
Facebook: Jennifer on Facebook
Website: Old Chicks Know Sh*t
Podcast: Old Chicks Know Sh*t Podcast
CONNECT WITH LISA
Website: Liberated Menopause Consulting & Coaching
Email: lisa@liberatedmenopause.ca
Instagram: @lboate
Facebook: Lisa on Facebook
Facebook community: Join Lisa’s community
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