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Message In The Middle

Message In The Middle

By: Marianne DeMello-Smith
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About this listen

This podcast is a safe and supportive space for listeners to explore life's challenging lessons and gain inspiration for their personal development journey. Through a variety of engaging formats, including interviews, book clubs, master classes, and discussions, the podcast delves into topics related to perseverance, self-empowerment, and self-discovery. With a focus on sharing expertise, inspiring stories and insights from a diverse range of voices, the podcast aims to help listeners navigate difficult experiences, provide hope and inspiration, and develop the resilience and strength needed to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.

At its core, this podcast is a platform for personal growth and development. It provides a welcoming space for listeners to explore life's toughest lessons and learn from others who have overcome similar challenges. Through a variety of formats, including interviews with experts and everyday people, book clubs featuring thought-provoking works, and discussions focused on specific topics, listeners are exposed to a range of perspectives and ideas that can help them on their own personal journeys.


One of the key themes of this podcast is perseverance. Many of the stories shared on the show highlight the importance of pushing through difficult times and not giving up, even when the odds seem insurmountable. Whether it's overcoming eating disorders, grief, addiction, navigating a health crisis, or dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic experience, the podcast emphasizes the resilience and strength of the human spirit.

Another important theme of the podcast is self-empowerment. Listeners are encouraged to take control of their own lives and pursue their goals with confidence and determination. By sharing stories of individuals who have transformed their lives through hard work and self-discovery, the podcast inspires listeners to believe in their own potential and take steps to create the life they want and to recognize that we are all capable of rewiring our thoughts and behaviors.

Finally, the podcast is focused on self-discovery. Through discussions and interviews, listeners are encouraged to explore their own values, beliefs, and desires, and to gain a deeper understanding of themselves. By reflecting on their own experiences and learning from the stories of others, listeners can gain valuable insights that can help them navigate life's challenges and live more fulfilling lives.


Overall, this podcast is a powerful resource for anyone seeking inspiration, guidance, and support on their personal development journey. By exploring life's difficult lessons through inspiring stories, interviews, book clubs, and discussions, listeners can gain the tools they need to persevere through tough times, empower themselves to achieve their goals, and discover their true selves.

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Episodes
  • From Fight, Flight, or Freeze to Ease: Reconnecting with Your Nervous System with Kelly Hale

    From Fight, Flight, or Freeze to Ease: Reconnecting with Your Nervous System with Kelly Hale
    Jan 24 2026

    If you’ve ever felt like your body and your mind were working against you—stuck in stress, burnout, or exhaustion—this episode is for you.

    Marianne sits down with Kelly Hale, a wellness practitioner with over 25 years of experience as an occupational therapist, restorative movement specialist, and nervous system regulation expert. Kelly’s not your typical wellness voice—she’s a self-proclaimed former meditation dropout who discovered that healing doesn’t come from doing more, but from listening within.

    Through her Gutsy Brain Movement, Kelly helps people move from fight, flight, or freeze into ease by blending nervous system regulation, gut health, and gentle, intentional movement. In this conversation, Kelly shares how her own health struggles with celiac disease and fertility challenges deepened her understanding of the body’s innate wisdom—and how we can all learn to trust our own bodies again.

    Together, Marianne and Kelly explore:
    ✅ What nervous system regulation really means (and why it matters in midlife)
    ✅ How gut health and emotional well-being are connected
    ✅ What it looks like to rebuild trust with your body after years of disconnect
    ✅ Simple, everyday practices to calm anxiety and restore balance
    ✅ Why “healing” doesn’t have to be complicated

    If you’re ready to trade stress for self-awareness and exhaustion for ease, this episode will remind you that everything you need to heal already lives within you.

    Connect with Kelly:

    • Website: https://inspiredwell.com/
    • Inner Peace Freebie: https://inspiredwell.com/innerpeace
    • IG: https://www.instagram.com/inspired2wellness/
    • FB: https://www.facebook.com/inspiredwellnesskelly

    Connect with Marianne:

    • Website: Message In The Middle with Marianne
    • Message In the Middle Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
    • Email: Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne


    Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify
    • YouTube

    Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

    Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in th...
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    47 mins
  • You’re Not Broken, You’re Wired Differently: ADHD, Midlife, and Thriving with Jorie Houlihan

    You’re Not Broken, You’re Wired Differently: ADHD, Midlife, and Thriving with Jorie Houlihan
    Jan 17 2026

    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 itself, but from unlearning decades of self-blame and learning how to create systems that actually work for her unique brain.

    Together, Marianne and Jorie unpack:
    💡 What ADHD really looks like in adult women (and why it’s often missed)
    💡 The emotional rollercoaster of diagnosis including the relief, grief, and everything in between
    💡 How to tell the difference between ADHD traits and unrealistic self-expectations
    💡 Real-world strategies to build confidence and reduce overwhelm
    💡 How to support loved ones who are learning to manage ADHD later in life

    If you’ve ever wondered why you struggle with focus, time, or rest, or you’re ready to stop forcing yourself into neurotypical molds, this conversation is for you.

    👉 Tune in to discover why your brain isn’t broken, it’s just beautifully different.

    Connect with Jorie:

    • https://joriehoulihan.com
    • https://theadhdandpodcast.com

    Connect with Marianne:

    • Website: Message In The Middle with Marianne
    • Message In the Middle Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
    • Email: Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne


    Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify
    • YouTube

    Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

    Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in th...
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
  • The Power of Storytelling: How to Rewrite Your Life with Shaunna Lee

    The Power of Storytelling: How to Rewrite Your Life with Shaunna Lee
    Jan 10 2026

    In this episode of Message in the Middle, we’re exploring something deeply human and undeniably powerful: the stories we tell about ourselves and how changing them can change everything.

    I’m joined by Shaunna Lee, bestselling author, coach, and passionate advocate for rewriting your inner narrative so you can step into a life that feels aligned, empowered, and true. Together, we talk about how stories shape identity, influence confidence, and often keep us stuck without even realizing it.

    Shaunna shares her own journey of reframing old beliefs, finding her voice, and choosing a story that supported the life she wanted instead of the one she felt tied to. We dig into why midlife is the perfect time for this kind of transformation, how to challenge narratives that no longer serve you, and what it really looks like to reclaim authorship of your life.

    If you’ve ever felt defined by your past or if you're ready to write a new chapter grounded in truth, compassion, and strength, then this conversation is for you.

    Connect with Shaunna: https://www.shaunnalee.com

    Connect with Marianne:

    • Website: Message In The Middle with Marianne
    • Message In the Middle Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/422430469323847/
    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MessageInTheMiddle/playlists
    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marianne-demello-smith-678b9966
    • Email: Contact | Message In The Middle with Marianne


    Subscribe to Message In the Middle:

    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify
    • YouTube

    Leave Us a Review: If you enjoyed today’s episode, please leave a review and share your favorite takeaway. Your feedback helps us reach more listeners and bring you even more valuable content.

    Keep the conversation going - Join us for more insightful conversations in the Message in the Middle Private Facebook Community & subscribe to Message in th...
    Show More Show Less
    42 mins
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