Dr. Alison Alford joins Reshma for a thoughtful conversation about what it means to be a daughter in midlife. As a psychologist and the author of Good Daughtering, Alison helps name the invisible rules, emotional labor, and guilt that so many women carry in their relationships with their parents. Together, they explore how daughters can move out of enmeshment, redefine care, and stay connected to their families.

Follow Dr. Allison Alford on Instagram at @daughtering101. Her book Good Daughtering is out February

You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.

Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.

Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brad Meltzer, one of the most widely read authors in America, joins Reshma for a candid conversation about midlife, legacy, and learning how to be gentler with yourself. He reflects on breaking up with achievement, reexamining his relationship with his parents, and the teacher who changed his life by simply saying, “you can write.”

They also talk about empathy, self forgiveness, and the ideas behind his viral talks Make Magic and How to Write Your Own Obituary, which explore how we shape the lives we are remembered for. The conversation also touches on the inspiration for his new thriller, The Viper, but at its core, this episode is about accepting the early lines, the mistakes, and the parts of ourselves that make the masterpiece possible.

Follow Brad Meltzer on Instagram at @bradmeltzer.

You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.

Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.

Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

Check out the What Should I Do With My Money? podcast.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fighting is not the problem. How we fight is.

In this episode, Reshma welcomes back psychotherapist, writer, and divorce group leader Oona Metz for a grounded, deeply human conversation about what actually breaks marriages and what still makes them salvageable. As the new year begins and January earns its reputation as “Divorce Day,” Oona helps unpack why midlife becomes such a turning point in relationships and why so many couples are forced to finally look at what they have been avoiding.

Follow Oona Metz on Instagram at @oonametz or at oonametz.com . Oona’s new book, Unhitched: The Essential Divorce Guide for Women, is out January 13.

You can follow our host Reshma Saujani on Instagram at @reshmasaujani and on Substack.

Stay up to date with Moms First (www.momsfirst.us) on Instagram at @momsfirstus and with Lemonada at @LemonadaMedia.

Thanks so much for listening to My So-Called Midlife. If you haven’t yet, now is a great time to subscribe to Lemonada Premium. You’ll get ad-free episodes and bonus content like me and Emily Oster talking about her thoughts on how often you should have sex. Just hit the 'subscribe' button on Apple Podcasts, or, for all other podcast apps head to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe.

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors

Check out the What Should I Do With My Money? podcast.

To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.