In this episode of Rock the Damn Boat, I’m joined by Ellen Scherr—licensed therapist, midlife coach, and Substack writer whose work on midlife and people-pleasing has resonated with women around the world.

Ellen shares her midlife pivot from a successful career in sales to becoming a therapist, and how that transition reflects the deeper shifts many women experience in midlife. We explore how changes in neurochemistry and hormones affect emotional regulation, tolerance, and boundaries—and why people-pleasing often becomes unsustainable during this stage of life.

We also break down Ellen’s viral Substack article, which offers direct, practical guidance for anyone ready to stop over-explaining, over-giving, and prioritizing everyone else’s comfort over their own.

Ellen also previews her upcoming Midlife Clarity Assessment, designed to help women better understand where they are in midlife, what’s changing internally, and how to move forward with confidence and clarity.

✨ In this episode, we discuss:

• How midlife neurochemical changes impact boundaries and emotional tolerance
• Why people-pleasing is replaced by raw truth in midlife
• Career pivots, identity shifts, and redefining success in the second half of life
• Steps women can take at any age for more direct communication

Learn more about Ellen and her work at https://lifebranches.com, and watch for the launch of her Midlife Clarity Assessment.

Read the article that launched a movement here!

Drum Roll, Please...

In this Sunday Shortie, I’m sharing the results of my recent psychological assessment—and what the testing process revealed during midlife, when symptoms are often harder to untangle.

I talk candidly about the complexity of ADHD assessments, how long and mentally demanding the tests were, and how my mind wandered throughout the process—a detail that turned out to be important data, not a failure.

My official diagnoses: ADHD, predominantly inattentive type, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

This episode explores how midlife and menopause can blur the lines between anxiety, hormonal changes, burnout, and ADHD—especially for women who’ve spent decades coping, masking, and pushing through.

In this episode, we cover:

• What a comprehensive ADHD and anxiety assessment actually looks like
• Why distraction, fatigue, and wandering focus during testing matter
• How midlife and menopause can amplify cognitive and emotional symptoms
• Why many women receive an ADHD diagnosis later in life
• How receiving clarity can feel grounding—not defining

If you’re navigating perimenopause or menopause and questioning what’s “hormonal” versus something deeper, this conversation offers perspective, validation, and steadiness.

Keywords / SEO tags:
adult ADHD diagnosis, inattentive ADHD, ADHD and menopause, perimenopause and ADHD, midlife mental health, women with ADHD, ADHD assessment, generalized anxiety disorder, GAD, late ADHD diagnosis

In my first full week of self-employment, I expected freedom… but instead I found myself wrestling with old habits: overworking, over-giving, and slipping right back into the hustle culture I thought I left behind. In this episode, I share the real, unpolished truth about resetting my relationship with time, learning to set boundaries without guilt, and figuring out what work looks like when I get to define it.

If you’re navigating a new chapter, letting go of burnout culture, or trying to unlearn years of “be productive at all costs” conditioning, this conversation will feel like a deep exhale.

We talk self-trust, slowing down, restructuring your days, and the messy middle of building a business without breaking yourself in the process.

Between people pleasing and perfectionism, I have waged war on my body in more ways than I can count. As a naturally skinny teen, I gained the freshman 15 and then some in college. And the battles commenced:

• Weight Watchers in my twenties with a vicious cycle of bank the points, drink the points
• Macro Counting and a small notion of bodybuilding competitions, resulting in an indescribable shame cycle
• Intuitive Eating, which doesn't always work, but sure feels better than listening to a thousand experts give vastly different advice

While I haven't resigned myself to the fate of a "menopausal middle", I am learning to befriend my body, and to be a heckuva lot kinder to her. And also...less Blue Bell.

Quick Intro! If you were raised a Gen X-er in the Bible belt, you were likely taught to avoid conflict and adhere strictly to Christian ideals. Now, you are midlife and realize you've put everyone else first. How do you start to rock the boat?

Homework: Read Step Into Your Moxie by Alexia Vernon

Sunday Shortie: How Did Your Boundaries Hold Up This Holiday?

The holidays have a way of testing even our strongest boundaries.
Maybe you spoke up, said no, and protected your energy.
Or maybe you found yourself overgiving, overexplaining, and ending the season feeling depleted.

In this Sunday Shortie, I’m inviting you to reflect — not judge — how your boundaries actually played out over the holidays. We’ll explore what worked, what didn’t, and what your exhaustion (or peace) might be trying to tell you as we move into a new season.

Because boundaries aren’t about getting it perfect — they’re about learning, adjusting, and choosing yourself again and again.

✨ A gentle check-in for anyone who loves deeply… and is learning not to disappear in the process.

Don't forget to check out thrivewithchristy.com for coaching programs that help build confidence, especially when it comes to setting boundaries. Cohorts kick off in January.

What motivated me to open a yoga studio in a conservative rural Texas town? I suppose the same thing that motivated Patrick Swayze to sashay through a small town in the movie To Wong Foo. Maybe not quite the same gumption, but the inner rebel in me didn't care that yoga might not be maintstream in Hamilton County.

After years of attending online yoga classes, I was ready to return to that sense of community that can only be found in a studio. It's been an uphill battle, but we have forged a small student base that is better together.

My "rock the damn boat" attitude really shines through when I teach that any body type can practice yoga. For one thing, what we do on the mat is only one limb of yoga: asana. And secondly, striving for physical perfection in yoga goes against the very idea of yogic philosophy.

This won't be the last you hear from me on this topic, but to understand my relationship with yoga is to understand my humble beginnings and how it has transformed me.

I was digging through some childhood mementos and found a Senior English essay on The Awakening by Kate Chopin. I was in awe of this book and its author because both were more progressive than their time permitted.

The book was banned for several decades and Chopin barely wrote after its scathing reviews. A half century later, the book was praised for its scenery and characters. Both the author and her main character were ahead of their time.

A boat rocker in every sense of the word, Kate Chopin wrote about extramarital affairs, the pursuit of creativity, and the less glamorous side of motherhood. In other words, any Real Housewives season.

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