Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to Unboxed, Unburdened, Unstoppable. I'm your host, Michelle Madrid, and if you're navigating the grief of midlife, feeling the weight of fading identities, shifting roles, and the lives you've outgrown, this is the place for you.
Speaker: In this space, we honor who we've been, we've sacrificed, and what we've tucked away while preparing our kids to leave the nest. Together we'll unbox the limiting beliefs, outdated expectations, and old identities that no longer serve you so that you can reclaim your voice, your power, and step boldly into this next chapter of your life.
Speaker: Are you ready? Before we dive I want to share a tool that has absolutely changed my life. My daily check-in. It's a five-step practice I use every morning to reconnect with myself, ground in how I'm feeling, and take one small aligned step forward.
Speaker: Now, it takes only 10 minutes a day and it's become a non-negotiable part of my routine. This is one of the best first things you can do to start familiarizing yourself with some of the boxes you've hidden away that are holding you back.
Speaker: You can download it for free at themichellemadrid.com slash daily. That's themichellemadrid.com slash daily or click the links in the show notes.
Speaker: All right, box breakers, let's get into today's episode.
Speaker: Hi friends, I'm Michelle Madrid. Welcome to Unboxed, Unburdened, Unstoppable. I am so glad you're here, as always. And today, i got to share something that is so big, real, and present on my heart.
Speaker: And I think as moms, you'll truly relate to this. And it's that ache, that deep ache we can feel as we watch our kids growing up.
Speaker: that ache that we feel and it's real, isn't it? mean, it seems like one minute you're holding their hand and the next minute they're heading off to high school on their own. And in those moments, both pride and pain, they just collide.
Speaker: They do. But here's the thing that I've learned as a midlife mom. That ache isn't just something that we carry. don't have to just carry it around the burden, the weight of that.
Speaker: It truly is a call to action, that ache, that emotion you're feeling. It's your invitation to grow too. So are you ready to unbox that emotion and turn it into something powerful with me today?
Speaker: If so, let's get started. And I want to first share what's coming up for me right now in my life, because yesterday, I dropped off my daughter to her first day of her sophomore year at high school.
Speaker: I get a lump in my throat just saying it. um It was a beautiful morning. It was an exciting morning. And after drop off, I parked my car, walked back to the school and I stood there and watched the convocation, the school's opening ceremony.
Speaker: And there were various speakers and the student body president spoke so eloquently. It was really a fun, festive, um lovely event to be at. And I saw my daughter sitting with her classmates and all of the kids were seated by grades. So the ninth graders were seated together, 10th graders were together and so on.
Speaker: And they were all gathered around the school's town square. And the sophomore class, the class of 2028, they were seated they were seated across the square from the senior class, the class of 2026. They were facing each other, these two classes.
Speaker: And I just stood there quietly taking it all in every single second. was precious. I was watching my daughter listen attentively with her friends and watching her belong in this, what seemed like a sea of of young and hopeful faces.
Speaker: I was watching her grow into herself. And ah I got to tell you, I put my hands over my heart right now because I can feel it in my chest. In that moment, my chest was filled with both pride and pain.
Speaker: They collided right there in my chest. And I could feel the powerful sensation of that because truly, This is the both and of motherhood in midlife.
Speaker: It's the pride of watching them step into who they're becoming. And it's also the ache of knowing that every milestone they hit is also one step closer to goodbye.
Speaker: and time feels sneaky like that, doesn't it? One minute you're tying their little shoes for the first day of kindergarten. And the next you're standing at a convocation at their high school as they enter their sophomore year.
Speaker: And there are balloons and banners all around. And you're wondering where the years went.
Speaker: And you're saying to yourself how quickly the years pass by.
Speaker: And here's what I want to say out loud. And I feel like it needs to be said out loud because I know so many of us feel this quietly within ourselves. This season is not easy.
Speaker: It's not easy. It's hard. It's holy. It's heartbreaking. And it's also hopeful. And it is all of those things all at once.
Speaker: But here is what I'm learning. And let me say it's what I continue to be reminded of as I now watch my youngest starting her sophomore year of high school. And it's this.
Speaker: Back to school isn't just for our kids. It's for us too. going to say that again. Back to school isn't just for our kids. It's for us too.
Speaker: And I think sometimes we miss that as parents. I wish someone had shared that with me years ago when my kids were much smaller. Back to school isn't just for them. It's for us too, as moms, as women.
Speaker: So hear me on this. This is an invitation to go back to ourselves, to come home to ourselves, to unbox the emotions that are rising up with the passing of time, that grief, that guilt, that fear, the joy, and to ask ourselves, what do I want to do with this space that's opening up in my life?
Speaker: And to even add the word really to that, what do I really want to do with this space that's opening up in my life? What do I want to do? What do I want? And that's why in my unbox method, UNBOX, the very first step in that method is to uncover the box.
Speaker: That's the U in unbox. And here's what that looks like right here, right now. It's pausing, taking taking the time to pause and name what we're feeling.
Speaker: how often do we give ourselves that opportunity just to pause and name what we're feeling? Not often enough. Maybe it's grief. The grief that childhood is slipping away so fast.
Speaker: Maybe it's guilt. The guilt that you didn't savor enough of it. Maybe it's fear. The fear of who you'll be when the season is over. Or maybe it's joy.
Speaker: The joy that your child is stepping fully into his or her own story and they're owning that more and more and more. So whatever the emotion is, I want you to remember it is here to lead you, to guide you. It's a messenger. It's here to guide you to the boxes that are waiting within you.
Speaker: So leaning into that emotion, not running from it, not avoiding it, um Leaning into that emotion, not to be ruled by it, but to understand it. And then naming the box that you're led to open up.
Speaker: Well, that matters, matters greatly. Because when we're not curious about the emotions that are rising up within us, and when we don't uncover the box, we end up carrying it around.
Speaker: And it's heavy, and it's unspoken, and we feel burdened. But when we stop and name it, we can begin to understand it and move through it.
Speaker: We can get to the other side.
Speaker: And don't just want to talk about this with you. I want to do it together right here, right now. We're in this space together to learn, to grow, to get clear, to understand these emotions that we're feeling, to unbox these boxes packed away.
Speaker: I want to do that with you. So if you're listening, even if you're driving, you can take a breath with me. you can take a deep breath in.
Speaker: and then a long exhale out and just let it out. Let any tension you might be feeling in your body, let it out, release it. Find that sense of relief and connect with that.
Speaker: Feels good, doesn't it? And let's just walk through a short practice together. Just a taste. of what it feels like to unbox these emotions. Are you ready?
Speaker: So I want you to close your eyes if you can, not if you're driving. I say that in all caps, not if you're driving. But you can still put a hand on your heart or just focus on your heart while you're driving.
Speaker: If you're sitting in a chair on your bed, on the floor, just put your hands over your heart and connect to your breath. Just feel your breath.
Speaker: As it moves in and out of your body, just feel that sensation, connect to it.
Speaker: And then remind yourself that you're here and that you're safe and that you're not alone in this. You're not alone in this season of midlife. You're not alone in this chapter of empty nesting.
Speaker: We're here, I'm here, and we're walking through the season together. And that sense of community matters. That sense of togetherness matters.
Speaker: Now, as you're connected to your breath, as you've reminded yourself that you're here, you're present in your body, you're here with us and you're safe, you're not alone, i want you to ask yourself this simple question.
Speaker: Ask yourself, what am I really feeling? What am I really feeling? about the passing of time right now? What am i really feeling about the passing of time right now?
Speaker: That word really helps you get super honed in. It helps you to get specific about the emotion you're feeling. So don't edit yourself.
Speaker: Don't try to fix it. Just listen. Listen to what's coming up for you.
Speaker: When you ask yourself, what am I really feeling about the passing of time right now? Maybe it's pride that's coming up for you. Maybe it's grief.
Speaker: Maybe it is guilt. Maybe it's joy fear. Maybe it's uncertainty. Just become aware of it. There's no judgment. I just want you to become aware of it.
Speaker: And I want you to remember you're not the emotion. You're the one feeling the emotion.
Speaker: You are not identified by the emotion you're feeling. You're the one who's feeling it. And you're the one who can hold it out in your hand and look at it, get curious about it and begin to explore it.
Speaker: What is that emotion you're feeling? Because that emotion, it is your messenger. It is your guide. And it's rising up to reveal what needs to be unboxed.
Speaker: So let that emotion in this moment lead you to where you need to go. Let it lead you. Don't resist. Lean in Follow it.
Speaker: And I want you to envision the box that this emotion is leading you toward. I want you to really see the box. Hold it in your hands if you'd like. Feel the texture of the box. Look at the color.
Speaker: What does it feel like in your hands? What's the weightiness of that box as you hold it in your hands? And I want you to name it. I want you to name the box.
Speaker: Name it out loud.
Speaker: Name it out loud. And notice what happens in your body as you name it Do your shoulders soften? Do you feel a lump in your throat?
Speaker: Do you feel a release in your chest? What's the sensation you feel in your body as you name the box?
Speaker: So allow in this moment and trust that your body can show you how much you've been carrying. Let your body show you just how much you've been carrying and let this be the first step in setting that weight down.
Speaker: We name the box and we feel the release and the relief of naming it. That's step one. We uncover the box. Just take that in and take one more deep breath in.
Speaker: And exhale, feel the release and the relief in letting go what's been weighing you down, the release and the relief of naming the box.
Speaker: And when you're ready, you can open your eyes if they're currently closed and just come back to me, come back to us.
Speaker: And that, my friend, is the very first step of unboxing. We uncover the box. Uncover the box. Just by naming what you're carrying, you create space for something new.
Speaker: I'll say that again. Just by naming what you're carrying, you create space for something new.
Speaker: And if you want a simple way to do this daily, My Unbox Daily Check-In Tool is waiting for you. It is free, it is simple, and it will help you uncover what's sitting in your heart each day, what might be weighing you down on a daily basis. Because when you name it, you can release the weight of it.
Speaker: And when you release it, you create a space for what's next. And you can find my daily check-in at the link in the show notes. Again, it is free. It is my gift to you.
Speaker: hope you'll check it out. And now I want you to remind yourself of this truth. Every ending for them a beginning for me. You can whisper that to yourself, whisper it again and again and again and again and again.
Speaker: Every ending for them is also a beginning for me. And let me tell you, you can't say that to yourself enough because repetition is the mother of mastery.
Speaker: And we really need to get this truth in our body. We need to feel it. Every ending for them is also a beginning for me.
Speaker: How good does that feel to connect with that truth?
Speaker: You can remind yourself that your son or your daughter's becoming invites your becoming too. And their new chapter is also your new chapter. And I believe that our kids need to see that example coming from us as their moms, because it offers them proof that in every chapter of life, there is always room for self-expansion.
Speaker: There's always room for more. and We've got to believe that first. We have to model that for them.
Speaker: So you want to know a secret? I want my daughter to look back on her growing up years with me and know, and I want her to feel that she was loved.
Speaker: Of course, that she was loved unconditionally. She was nurtured and guided. And sure, I want her to think that she has a good mom, a great mom, a chill mom, but maybe even a sick mom, as the kids say these days. You know, when something is sick, it is apparently really, really good.
Speaker: And i want her to know, by my example, that her mother is an empowered woman, which gives her the permission to know that she can be too.
Speaker: And you want to know another secret? My girl already is. My daughter is empowered. She is brave. She is centered. She is the coolest young lady I have ever, ever known.
Speaker: i'm so proud to be her mom But I cannot live empowered and free in my own skin if I am not willing or able to unbox all the places inside of me that feel heavy, that feel burdened, that feel unexpressed in my life.
Speaker: And my daughter sees each day in living color what unboxing looks like because she's witnessing her mom's unboxing and she sees the benefit and the blessings of this process as I show up for it each and every day as I dedicate myself to doing the work.
Speaker: Because my girl and I, when I pick her up from school, we talk about it in the car. We talk about it in the kitchen. And so to unbox, has become my legacy to her.
Speaker: And it's become my legacy to you as well.
Speaker: So please please please please, please, please, if you only hear me on this, hear me. Begin to unbox today.
Speaker: Start unboxing today. Don't live another second of your life locked away from the most precious parts of yourself. Get to the places that are holding you back.
Speaker: Go there, get there. Maybe they served as a protection mechanism at one time in your life. That's okay, don't judge that. But now, we live in the present moment. Now, they only serve to isolate you, to hold you back, to minimize your potential.
Speaker: And they cause you to feel disconnected from yourself. And you do not deserve to live that kind of life. You deserve the unboxed life.
Speaker: And it's here and it's waiting for you. So if you felt that tug of time and perhaps you're carrying the ache of both pride and grief, pride and pain, watching your children grow and step into their becoming, I want to invite you to take this very next step.
Speaker: Download the Unbox Daily Check-In tool. Again, it's free. It's simple. It's waiting for you. And the link is right there in the show notes. Make the decision to unbox and then take action. Download my Unbox Daily Check-In.
Speaker: Go grab it. Let it guide you through the unboxing of your own emotions so that instead of being weighed down by the passing of time, you are opened up by it.
Speaker: so Hear me on this as well. This season isn't just about your kids stepping into their next chapter. It's about you stepping into yours too. And we can find, this is true.
Speaker: Hear me on this as well. We can find the joy and the fun in that. There is joy and there is fun in this moment. Yes, we can feel the grief and we can feel the ache. But let's not forget about the promise and the opportunity awaiting us here, right here, right now in this season of midlife and empty nesting.
Speaker: We are capable of holding the both and of this season. So take the daily check-in tool, take the pause, and take the invitation to begin again, one on-box moment at a time.
Speaker: You've got this, and I've got you.
Speaker: Thank you for joining me on Unboxed, Unburdened, Unstoppable. If today's stories sparked something in you, share this with a friend, subscribe, and commit to walking this path of power and purpose with us.
Speaker: Remember, unboxing your fears, doubts, and old stories is the key to unlocking the unstoppable woman inside you. Until next time, stay unboxed, unburdened, and unstoppable.
