Life Happens with Barb & Michelle

Latest Episodes:

Personal Growth & Bestseller at 40: Stop Doubting Yourself Nov 03, 2026

Show notes

“I just love those kinds of moments where people feel like this book is written for them, because it was.” - Michelle

On this episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle, the mother-daughter duo are celebrating the first anniversary of Michelle’s book, Dear Friend: Daily Love Notes for Contemplation, Connection, and Clarity (365 Days), and the personal growth that came with it. They reflect on this meaningful milestone and why it’s so important to take time to celebrate our wins before moving on to the next thing.

Michelle shares how Dear Friend grew out of the weekly blogs she started writing for Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life® in 2012, and the morning reading ritual Barb began when she was little. The book was released on Michelle’s 40th birthday, and a year later, she’s still taking it all in. She also gets honest about doubting herself and learning to advocate for work she believes in.

Barb shares why a close friend calls Dear Friend her “forever book” and how returning to the same passage year after year can help you recognize your own personal growth. Michelle reflects on writing about grief as a reminder of love, hearing from a reader who found her “following the breadcrumbs” entry helpful, and spotting a stranger carrying the book through an airport.

Barb and Michelle also discuss:

Why everyone has a story worth sharing, and how journaling helped Michelle find her voice as a writer
Why reaching a goal doesn’t necessarily make everything easier, and how to keep believing in yourself even when facing rejection
The power of giving yourself a deadline and sharing your dreams with people you trust
The importance of being present for the milestones you’ve worked toward, whether it’s publishing a book or celebrating a wedding

Michelle encourages you to keep at it little by little and to believe in yourself. And if Dear Friend has been part of your personal growth this year, tell Barb and Michelle how in the comments.

✨Mentioned in Today’s Episode✨

Journaling and self-compassion are two of the practices inside The Emotional Well-Being Toolkit. It soft launches November 10. Join the interest list at https://peacefulmindpeacefullife.org/toolkit/

Get Dear Friend: Daily Love Notes for Contemplation, Connection, and Clarity (365 Days): https://link.amazon/B04t1aCS1

Read Michelle’s blog, How I Manage My Relationship with Grief: https://peacefulmindpeacefullife.org/how-i-manage-my-relationship-with-grief-3/

Watch the Life Happens with Barb and Michelle episode, ‘Grief Isn’t Linear – How to Navigate Loss and Feel Your Feelings (Without a Timeline)’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwzEJKnR3n8

🎙️Life Happens with Barb and Michelle is a weekly mental health podcast, with new episodes dropping every Tuesday.

Make sure you subscribe & join us next week for another episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle!

Hosted by:

💕Barb Schmidt https://www.instagram.com/peaceful_barb/

💕Michelle Maros https://www.instagram.com/michellemaros/

Join our community! ⬇️

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LifeHappensThePodcast

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Substack: https://lifehappensthepodcast.substack.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifehappensthepodcast

Listen to our podcast anywhere → https://michellemaros.com/podcast/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why Are People So Mean? How to Protect Your Mental Health Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

CW: this episode mentions the Cornell Seven and includes a discussion of sexual abuse. Please take care while listening.

“We’re going to come across mean people. It’s part of life. But you have the power to decide how that’s going to impact you, and you don’t have to carry that with you.” - Michelle

Mean people are draining your mental health, and on Life Happens with Barb and Michelle, the mother-daughter duo are revisiting this popular topic. This week, they get into why people lash out and how to stop internalizing it.

Michelle opens with the everyday stuff: a honk the second the traffic light turns green, the nasty comment from a stranger, the dig at the holiday dinner table, and why we carry it around all day like it belongs to us. Barb adds a new layer this time around: a lot of today’s meanness comes down to control and power, and she wonders what living with it is doing to our mental health.

Barb shares how she pictures a shield in front of her, blocking the nasty comments that come in, and what she saw at an airport after a three-hour delay. Michelle explains why imagining the honking driver’s whole day helps her take it less personally.

Barb and Michelle also discuss:

Why meanness is rarely about you: control, insecurity, impatience, and people who are simply at the end of their rope
Protecting your energy and your mental health when you can’t control what other people say or do
How to check in with yourself in the moment, from HALT (hungry, angry, lonely, or tired) to remembering that feelings aren’t facts
What to do when you’re the mean one

As Barb said, “we are worth having our own energy back.”

Want more help putting this into practice? The Emotional Well-Being Toolkit covers self-compassion, boundaries, and ways to stop taking things so personally. It soft launches November 10. Join the interest list at https://peacefulmindpeacefullife.org/toolkit/

Episode Breakdown ⬇️

00:00 Episode Intro: Why We Carry Other People's Meanness

02:00 Connecting Meanness to Control, Power, and Lost Energy

06:00 Stop Taking It Personally: Deciding Not to Give Away Your Power

11:30 Understanding Why People Latch Out: Insecurity, Overwhelm, and End of the Rope

18:30 When Meanness Stems from Exhaustion & Living in an Unfair World

22:30 Dealing with Public Vitriol & Social Media Backlash

26:30 Visualization & Emotional Protection: Imagining a Shield

28:30 Checking In with Yourself: HALT & Feelings Aren't Facts

29:30 What to Do When You're the Mean One: Stopping Gossip & Making Amends

🎙️Life Happens with Barb and Michelle is a weekly mental health podcast, with new episodes dropping every Tuesday.

Make sure you subscribe & join us next week for another episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle!

Hosted by:

💕Barb Schmidt https://www.instagram.com/peaceful_barb/

💕Michelle Maros https://www.instagram.com/michellemaros/

Join our community! ⬇️

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LifeHappensThePodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifehappensthepodcast/

Substack: https://lifehappensthepodcast.substack.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifehappensthepodcast

Listen to our podcast anywhere → https://michellemaros.com/podcast/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Q&A with Barb and Michelle: Toxic Family, Self-Love, and Overwhelm Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

“It’s not about you needing to be fixed. It’s about you needing to understand that you already are worthy.” - Barb

Self-love, toxic relationships, and feeling overwhelmed: these are just a few of the topics in this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle, where the mother-daughter duo are back with one of their favorite formats, a Q&A from their community.

Barb shares how she gets through difficult family gatherings, from volunteering for the grocery run to taking the grandkids out for ice cream. Michelle reflects on Scott Peck’s line that life is difficult, and how once you accept that, it can take the edge off when someone rubs you the wrong way.

They then get into how to build self-love and how to keep it even when it feels like life is knocking you down.

Barb and Michelle also discuss:

Handling toxic family and workplace dynamics, loving people from afar, and building emotional resilience
Why self-love and confidence take daily practice: from talking back to untrue thoughts to morning affirmations
How to build a mother-daughter bond, and why no relationship is perfect
Coping with overwhelm: three questions to ask yourself and “be where your feet are”

If you’re struggling with your relationships, your workplace, or the relationship you have with yourself, you’re not alone in figuring out life’s challenges.

Want Barb to visit your town for a book event? Let us know in the comments and on Instagram where you’d like to see her!

🎙️Life Happens with Barb and Michelle is a weekly mental health podcast, with new episodes dropping every Tuesday.

Make sure you subscribe & join us next week for another episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle!

Hosted by:

💕Barb Schmidt https://www.instagram.com/peaceful_barb/

💕Michelle Maros https://www.instagram.com/michellemaros/

Join our community! ⬇️

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@LifeHappensThePodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifehappensthepodcast/

Substack: https://lifehappensthepodcast.substack.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifehappensthepodcast

Listen to our podcast anywhere → https://michellemaros.com/podcast/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There's No One Path to Mental Health Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

"I'm okay with people having their opinions … but I'm not okay with them saying it's the only way." – Barb

In this week's episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle, the mother-daughter duo get personal about mental health, asking for help, and how to make practices feel like your own.

Michelle gets vulnerable, sharing her experience with the loudest voices in the self-help world. They once convinced her she could meditate, journal, or affirm her way out of depression, and she opens up about how long she suffered before she let herself ask for support. Barb reflects on what 42 years in recovery have taught her, and why no teacher, treatment, or trend is ever the final answer.

Together, Barb and Michelle push back on the stigma around mental health medication and the pressure to follow one person's set of rules, word for word. Their advice? "Be the scientist in the laboratory of your own life." Try things on for size, and listen to and trust what your body and intuition are telling you.

Barb and Michelle also discuss:

How to spot someone selling you “the one way” in a self-help journey
Finding your practice, your teachers, and your community, and building an emotional well-being toolkit that works for you
Ways to use social media for mental health education while still seeing a licensed professional for a real diagnosis
Practicing self-compassion: forgiving yourself for what you didn't know before you learned it

Whether you're new to personal growth or decades into your practice, this episode is a reminder that there’s never any shame in needing support.

🎙️Life Happens with Barb and Michelle is a weekly mental health podcast, with new episodes dropping every Tuesday.

Make sure you subscribe & join us next week for another episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle!

Hosted by:

💕Barb Schmidt https://www.instagram.com/peaceful_barb/

💕Michelle Maros https://www.instagram.com/michellemaros/

Join our community! ⬇️

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@LifeHappensThePodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifehappensthepodcast/

Substack: https://lifehappensthepodcast.substack.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifehappensthepodcast

Listen to our podcast anywhere → https://michellemaros.com/podcast/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Overcoming Overwhelm: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World with Cory Allen Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

"People are walking around asking, 'Is it okay if I'm just me?'" – Cory Allen

In this week's episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle, Barb and Michelle are joined by Cory Allen, author of The Quiet Age: Creating a Calm Life in a Chaotic World, for an honest, relatable conversation about mindfulness and emotional well-being.

The mother-daughter duo and Cory explore what persistent digital noise is doing to our minds, bodies, and nervous systems. They take a deeper look into why the real problem isn't burnout, but rather losing connection with ourselves.

Cory shares practical mindfulness tools for overcoming overwhelm: from writing down a racing thought and shelving it for a week, to a "wine tasting" approach for getting curious about hard feelings instead of running from them. Barb ties it back to the idea behind Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life®, and how real change happens quietly, from the inside out. Make sure you stay until the end, where the conversation closes with a short mindfulness practice for you to try the second the episode stops.

In this episode, Barb, Michelle, and Cory also discuss:

Why thoughts are suggestions, not instructions, and how to read a racing heart as a signal instead of an alarm
How to get curious about hard feelings and why facing them is less scary than staying numb
What a quiet life really looks like, and why it doesn't mean slowing down or giving up your drive
Why so many of us outsource our power, and the permission we're all waiting for to live authentically

If you've ever wondered whether it's okay to just be yourself, this episode’s for you.

More on Kelly Rizzo:

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Dr. Shefali: “We are in a Cultural Parental Emergency” Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever found yourself thinking… I’m trying so hard to be a good parent, so why does it feel like I'm constantly struggling to connect with my child?

In today’s episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle, Barb and Michelle are joined by clinical psychologist, New York Times bestselling author, and founder of the conscious parenting movement, Dr. Shefali. Celebrating the launch of her two newest books, Raising Conscious Sons and Raising Conscious Daughters, Dr. Shefali breaks down how parents can move away from control, fear, and projection to build authentic, meaningful relationships with their children.

Dr. Shefali explores why raising children in today's digital age presents unique, unprecedented challenges for both boys and girls. She unpacks the specific pressures facing children today, and explains how parents can create healthy guardrails and boundaries. They also discuss the importance of healing your own emotional baggage, extending grace to your parenting mistakes, and showing up as a real, imperfect human.

Connect with Dr. Shefali and check out her new books available now!

Raising Conscious Sons available here

Raising Conscious Daughters available here

https://www.drshefali.com/

🎁 Special Offer for Our Listeners:

Want to become a certified Conscious Parenting Coach? Dr. Shefali is offering an exclusive $500 DISCOUNT on her 5-month Coaching Institute program! Learn more here.

CODE: 500OFF

In This Episode, We Discuss:

Conscious Parenting: What it Means and How to Raise Resilient Children
The Difference Between Raising Sons vs. Daughters
How to Stop Projecting Onto and Controlling Your Kids
Why Need to Stop Using Your Kids to Feel Better About Yourself
Owning Your Emotional Baggage

📅 Subscribe & Join Us Next Tuesday for another heartfelt episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle! 💕 🎙️

Hosted by:

💕Barb Schmidt https://www.instagram.com/peaceful_barb/

💕Michelle Maros https://www.instagram.com/michellemaros/

Join our community⬇️

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@LifeHappensThePodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifehappensthepodcast/

Substack: https://lifehappensthepodcast.substack.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifehappensthepodcast

Listen to our podcast anywhere→ https://michellemaros.com/podcast/ 🎙️ New episodes of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle are released every Tuesday

✨ Available Now✨ Order Michelle’s book, Dear Friend to receive daily doses of clarity, hope, and heartfelt encouragement.💌

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rewiring the Brain: The Power of Affirmations & Creating New Neural Pathways - Part 2 Sep 08, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever found yourself thinking—I’m stuck in old thought patterns, so how do I actually change my mind and heal from past trauma?

On today’s episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle, Barb and Michelle continue the conversation in Part 2 of their Rewiring the Brain series, diving deeper into brain health, trauma, and the science of rewiring your mind. Opening up about personal experiences, including Barb navigating the traumatic emotional aftermath of a 33 year marriage and divorce, the mother daughter duo explores how unaddressed life trauma physically impacts the brain and how we can preemptively build resilience

Barb and Michelle break down how self-talk, Claude Steele's self-affirmation theory, and positive repetition physically create new neural pathways in the brain. They unpack why the nervous system prefers familiarity even when it's painful and why positive change can sometimes feel like a threat. From moving out of survival mode into creative growth to practical daily habits that keep the brain sharp, this episode serves as an empowering guide to taking control of your internal narrative, building confidence, and rewiring your brain through repeated practice.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

✨ How unaddressed trauma impacts the brain and how to build resilience through life's biggest changes.

✨ The power of self-talk and self-affirmation theory to physically rewire neural pathways.

✨ Why the brain prioritizes protection in survival mode and how to move into thriving.

✨ How taking action and building confidence creates new evidence for your mind.

✨ Simple daily practices and repetition tools to keep your brain sharp and healthy as you age.

📅 Subscribe & Join Us Next Tuesday for another heartfelt episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle! 💕

🎙️ Hosted by:

https://www.instagram.com/peaceful_barb/

https://www.instagram.com/michellemaros/

Join our community⬇️

YouTube: www.youtube.com/@LifeHappensThePodcast

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifehappensthepodcast/

Substack: https://lifehappensthepodcast.substack.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifehappensthepodcast

Listen to our podcast anywhere→ https://michellemaros.com/podcast/

🎙️ New episodes of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle are released every Tuesday

✨ Available Now✨ Order Dear Friend to receive daily doses of clarity, hope, and heartfelt encouragement.💌 https://amzn.to/3Us9eqg

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How to Rewire Your Brain - Mindfulness & Neuroplasticity: Part 1 Sep 01, 2026

Show notes

Have you ever found yourself thinking, I’m getting older, but what can I actually do right now to protect my memory and keep my brain healthy?

On today’s episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle, Barb and Michelle dive into a deeply personal conversation about women's brain health, cognitive aging, and the fear of losing your mind. Inspired by turning 70 and navigating a major life transition, Barb shares her recent obsession with brain research, highlighting why it’s critical for women to start taking care of their brains long before older age. Together, the mother-daughter duo explores the vital connection between emotional wellbeing, trauma, and physical brain health.

Barb and Michelle look at some surprising statistics, including why nearly two thirds of Alzheimer’s diagnoses are in women, and explore how hormonal changes during perimenopause, postpartum, and aging can affect brain health. They explore neuroplasticity and the idea that the brain is always changing, looking at how resilience, mindfulness, and other healthy practices can help strengthen positive neural pathways, support brain health, and shape the way we respond to stress and trauma. Ultimately, they offer practical, empowering strategies to help you pause, settle your mind during life's adversity, and choose how you respond so you can keep your brain sharp and thriving at any age.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

✨ Why women are uniquely affected by brain health issues and cognitive decline.

✨ The impact of unaddressed trauma and major life transitions on the brain.

✨ What neuroplasticity is and how resilience actually rewires your brain.

✨ Practical tools to settle the mind, practice mindfulness as choice, and build brain health early.

📅 Subscribe & Join Us Next Tuesday for another heartfelt episode of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle! 💕 🎙️

Hosted by: https://www.instagram.com/peaceful_barb/ https://www.instagram.com/michellemaros/ Join our community

⬇️ YouTube: www.youtube.com/@LifeHappensThePodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifehappensthepodcast/

Substack: https://lifehappensthepodcast.substack.com/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifehappensthepodcast

Listen to our podcast anywhere→ https://michellemaros.com/podcast/ 🎙️ New episodes of Life Happens with Barb and Michelle are released every Tuesday

✨ Available Now✨ Order Dear Friend to receive daily doses of clarity, hope, and heartfelt encouragement.💌 https://amzn.to/3Us9eqg

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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