Confessions of a Freebird - Midlife, Divorce, Heal, and Date Differently with Somatic Experiencing, Empty Nest, Well-Being, Happiness
Hi, I’m Laurie James—author of Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go, somatic relationship coach, mother of four adult daughters, divorcée, and recovering caregiver.
I created Confessions of a Freebird as a heartfelt space for women navigating midlife transitions—divorce, empty nesting, loss, dating again, or simply wondering:
“Is this all there is?”
If you're longing for more authenticity, joy, freedom, and purpose, especially after years of putting everyone else first, you're in the right place.
Each episode, I’ll share:
- Practical tools and somatic coaching strategies
- Raw reflections and confessions from my own journey
- Expert conversations on everything from sex, grief, trauma healing, and finances to dating, caregiving, and reinvention
We'll explore what it means to come home to yourself through somatic practices—and how to design a life that feels aligned with who you are now, not who you were 20 years ago or who someone or society has told you to be.
Whether you’re in the sandwich generation, starting over after loss, or dreaming of your next chapter—Confessions of a Freebird is your midlife best friend. Think of it as a permission slip to evolve, heal, and fall in love with your life all over again.
Because the most important relationship you’ll ever have… is the one you have with yourself.
XO,
Laurie
Connect with me:
Purchase my book, Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go, https://www.laurieejames.com/book
IG: https://www.instagram.com/laurie.james/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/laurie.james.79219754
Confessions of a Freebird - Midlife, Divorce, Heal, and Date Differently with Somatic Experiencing, Empty Nest, Well-Being, Happiness
When a Good Life Feels Heavy: A Somatic Mid-Year Reset for Burnout You Can't Explain
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What if the exhaustion you've been carrying isn't a sign that you need to do more — but your body's way of telling you something needs to shift?
You can be a founder, a mother, a partner, a caregiver for aging parents, or a woman in midlife building something meaningful — and still find yourself running on fumes. The women I work with love their lives and the people in them. And they still feel their bodies quietly asking for something they haven't been giving themselves.
Burnout signs in midlife don’t always announce themselves loudly.. You're still showing up. Still dependable. And underneath that, you feel flat, disconnected, and unsure why a life that looks full on the outside feels so heavy from the inside. For those navigating caregiver burnout — years of holding everyone else together — that heaviness can be especially hard to name.
This isn't weakness or a lack of gratitude. A nervous system that has been overriding its own signals for years is doing exactly what it was designed to do. The exhaustion makes sense. And there's a deeper pattern underneath it worth understanding.
As a somatic experiencing practitioner, life coach, author, this solo mid-year episode offers a body-based reset through the lens of somatic experiencing and nervous system regulation. I share a piece of my own burnout story, explain what's happening biologically when meaningful work quietly becomes depleting, I walk you through simple somatic practices you can use today, and offer journal prompts to help you listen to your nervous system before it forces you to stop.
In this episode, I’ll share:
- Why burnout takes hold even when your life is full of things you genuinely love — and what's happening in your nervous system when it does.
- How your body communicates through chronic tension, fatigue, emotional flatness, and low-grade dread long before it shouts.
- Why pushing through disconnects you from your purpose, your values, and your own clarity.
- What somatic experiencing is, why it works, and how it's different from every other approach to stress and burnout you've tried.
- Three simple somatic practices to bring you back to the present moment through the felt sense.
- Three journal prompts to help you honor your first half and set a soulful intention for the next six months.
Burnout recovery doesn't begin with doing more. It begins with slowing down, coming home to your body, and choosing the second half of this year from a more grounded and stable place.
Much love and freedom,
Laurie
Connect with me:
Click here to download your FREE Mid-Year Check-in
Click here to purchase my “Nervous System Regulation Starter Kit” it’s $29.99
Click here to purchase my book: Sandwiched: A Memoir of Holding On and Letting Go
Free Resources
Click here to schedule a FREE inquiry call with me.
Click here for my FREE “Beginner’s Guide to Somatic Healing”
Click here for my FREE Core Values Exercise
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Midyear Reflection Journal Prompts: A set of questions to honor what you’ve carried in the first half of the year, name what feels out of alignment, and choose one soulful intention for the months ahead.
Beginner's Guide to Somatic Healing: A body-based approach to working with the nervous system, developed by Dr. Peter Levine, that supports releasing stored stress so you can move through life with more regulation, presence, and ease.
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DISCLAIMER: THE COMMENTARY AND OPINIONS AVAILABLE ON THIS PODCAST ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL AND ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY AND NOT FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING LEGAL, MEDICAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED THERAPIST IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCING SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY IN YOUR STATE TO OBTAIN LEGAL ADVICE. YOU SHOULD CONTACT A LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL WITH RESPECT TO ANY MEDICAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM.