Healthy relationships require honesty, reciprocity, and the courage to stop self-silencing. In this episode of Life Happens, Barb and Michelle sit down with Alex Elle to unpack what it really means to outgrow people, rebuild trust, and tell the truth in your relationships before resentment takes over. 

They discuss her new book, “The Company We Keep” which just launched today and can be found here:

The Company We Keep -- Book link: https://bit.ly/4fe0kbw

The Company We Keep tour link: https://sites.prh.com/alexelletour 

This conversation will help anyone navigating changes in friendship, people pleasing, divorce, boundaries, and the painful reality that growth sometimes means letting go.

Together, Barb, Michelle, and Alex explore why saying yes when you mean no creates disconnection, how reciprocity shapes healthy friendship, and why “clarity is a radical act of love.” If you’ve been questioning your friendships, struggling to use your voice, or trying to understand what trust and alignment actually look like in real life, this episode offers both the emotional validation and the language to begin.

• Learn how to recognize self-silencing and people-pleasing patterns
• Understand the difference between growing together and growing apart
• Get language for hard conversations about friendship, trust, and capacity
• Reframe honesty as an act of love instead of conflict
• Build healthier, more reciprocal relationships without abandoning yourself

If you’ve ever stayed in a friendship longer than you should have because you didn’t want to be the one who left... this episode will meet you right there. Alex’s book, The Company We Keep, is available on May 19, 2026. Don’t miss it.

💗 Connect with Alex:

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

Substack: https://alexelle.substack.com/ 

💬 We’d love to hear from you! What insight or moment resonated most with you in this episode? Share in the comments—we truly read every one.

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

🎙️ Host 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.

What happens after the book tour ends, the championship is won, and the calendar goes blank? Michelle opens up about the unexpected emptiness she felt after her biggest accomplishment, and Barb reveals something she has never experienced: a void. This mother-daughter conversation uncovers why success can feel like getting fired, what it means to live like you are running out of time, and why the quiet after the loud season might be the most important chapter of all.

This episode dives into the generational divide between pushing through and pausing, the difference between rest and avoidance, and how two very different people navigate the same transition. Whether you just graduated, finished a big project, ended a season, or closed a chapter you poured everything into, this conversation will help you understand why the void is not a problem to fix but a space to fill on your own terms.

What you'll take away:

• Why achieving your biggest goal can feel like getting fired overnight
• The generational difference between 'keep moving' and 'feel your feelings' after a big moment
• How Barb's micro-transitions throughout the day prevent her from ever hitting empty
• The connection between running out of time, grief, and never allowing a void
• How to recognize when sitting in the void becomes productive reflection vs. staying stuck

Don't let the quiet after the loud season convince you that the best part is over. Learn how to make the space count.

💬 We’d love to hear from you! What insight or moment resonated most with you in this episode? Share in the comments—we truly read every one.

🎙️ 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

0:00 — Intro: Michelle's post-book-tour void

0:58 — Welcome to Life Happens with Barb and Michelle

1:14 — It's bigger than a book: any major milestone

1:45 — Indiana football national championship & the "now what?"

2:44 — Barb's reaction: the joy of the unexpected

3:51 — Michelle's book journey and the feeling of the drop-off

7:39 — Barb never felt a void — a generational contrast

14:35 — What is rest? Defining it differently for everyone

21:32 — Vulnerable question: does living like you're running out of time come from grief?

24:28 — How will you know when you've done what you came here to do?

38:32 — Barb's Italy trip: sometimes the transition is fast

41:01 — Closing reflections & takeaways

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

Mean people are everywhere right now and the data confirms it. In this episode, Barb and Michelle unpack why cruelty seems to be escalating, breaking down the different types of mean people we all encounter and what actually drives their behavior. Barb shares a raw, personal story about being screamed at in a parking lot while her mother was dying in hospice, and what that moment taught her about judgment, control, and the stories we never see.

This conversation goes deep into narcissism, spiritual bypassing, the difference between empathy and giving someone a pass, and how to stop carrying what was never yours in the first place. Whether you are dealing with a cruel stranger, a toxic family member, or your own tendency to absorb other people's behavior, this episode gives you a practical framework for protecting your peace without losing your compassion.

What you'll take away:

• Why the shift from "thinking it" to "saying it" is fueling a cruelty epidemic
• The grocery store moment that reveals how we all judge without knowing someone's story
• How to shift from asking "why are they like this" to "what can I do right now"
• What a real narcissist looks like and why they genuinely cannot change
• The practical difference between forgiving someone and simply being done with them

Don't let someone else's cruelty become the story you carry. Learn how to set it down.

💬 We’d love to hear from you! What insight or moment resonated most with you in this episode? Share in the comments—we truly read every one.

📅 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

📘 Go Deeper with Dear Friend

If this episode resonated with you, you may also love Michelle’s USA TODAY bestselling book, Dear Friend, a daily reflection companion designed to help you reconnect with your inner voice, honor your needs, and find clarity and strength one day at a time.

Because resilience doesn’t begin with changing your circumstances.

It begins with strengthening your relationship with yourself.

And that may be the most important relationship you’ll ever build.

👉 Order your copy: https://amzn.to/3Us9eqg

🎧 Listen to the audiobook and step into a year that truly loves you back: https://amzn.to/459zSdt

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

Comparison is the one emotion everybody feels and nobody admits to — and Barb Schmidt and Michelle Maros of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle were scared to record this episode for a reason. In this raw, unfiltered conversation, they unpack the jealousy, resentment, and quiet self-destruction that comparison leaves behind — and make a case that might surprise you by the end.

From Michelle comparing her book sales to her friends' mid-tour, to Barb owning up to something she projected onto Michelle for years, this episode goes places most podcast conversations never do. If you've ever felt something ugly creep in while watching someone else win — and then felt ashamed of it — this one is for you.

What you'll take away:

• Why 85% of your daily thoughts are negative — and how comparison supercharges the loop
• How jealousy and envy are signals, not character flaws — and what they're actually pointing to
• The self-talk method for catching comparison before it turns into resentment
• Why "be better than yesterday" might be quietly doing more damage than good
• How to let comparison fuel action instead of shame

Don't risk letting comparison keep stealing your joy without ever asking what it was trying to tell you. Learn how to read it instead.

Episode Breakdown ⬇️

0:00 Introduction

0:36 Where Does Comparison Come From?

0:52 The Science of Negative Thinking

7:07 Barb's Personal Story: Childhood & Comparison

9:19 Comparing Yourself to Yourself

11:23 Comparison, Jealousy & Envy

25:09 Michelle's Story: Visiting a Friend's Family

28:22 Self-Talk as the Key Tool

39:17 Can Comparison Actually Be Helpful?

40:50 Takeaways & Closing

💬 We’d love to hear from you! What insight or moment resonated most with you in this episode? Share in the comments—we truly read every one.

📅 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

📘 Go Deeper with Dear Friend

If this episode resonated with you, you may also love Michelle’s USA TODAY bestselling book, Dear Friend, a daily reflection companion designed to help you reconnect with your inner voice, honor your needs, and find clarity and strength one day at a time.

Because resilience doesn’t begin with changing your circumstances.

It begins with strengthening your relationship with yourself.

And that may be the most important relationship you’ll ever build.

👉 Order your copy: https://amzn.to/3Us9eqg

🎧 Listen to the audiobook and step into a year that truly loves you back: https://amzn.to/459zSdt

Our Sponsors:

* Check out Time4Learning: https://www.time4learning.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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

You've read the books. You've tried the meditation. You've done the journaling, the breathwork, the therapy. So why do you still feel stuck?

In this episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, master well-being educator Devi Brown joins the conversation for one of the most honest discussions about healing we've ever had. Devi spent years teaching wellness to athletes, executives, and thousands of students through her Deeply Well podcast and her work at Chopra Global. Then her own life fell apart... and she discovered that everything she'd been teaching wasn't enough to save her.

What she built from that breaking point became her book Living in Wisdom... a completely different approach to healing that doesn't start with fixing yourself. It starts with being brave enough to actually meet yourself. This conversation goes beyond surface-level wellness and into the real, messy, uncomfortable process of becoming whole.

In this episode, you'll learn:

- Why "doing the work" can still leave you stuck... and what's actually missing

- The difference between surface-level wellness and true well-being

- What "Complex Lived Experience" means and why it changes how you think about your pain

- Why Devi's 8-step healing process starts with grief, not gratitude

- What it looks like to live in wisdom on an ordinary Tuesday... not just during a retreat

If you've ever felt like you're doing everything right and still not feeling better... this episode is going to change how you think about the entire journey. Devi's book Living in Wisdom is available now in paperback (as of TODAY).

📍0:00 Introduction & Wellness Industry Overview

1:11 Welcoming Devi Brown

2:11 Healer Burnout & Passing the Torch

10:17 Creators, Art & Living for the Work

17:31 Music, Consciousness & Cultural Roots

18:13 Bridging Generations & Staying Curious

26:10 Navigating Uncertainty & The Shift from Hope to Faith

33:36 Freedom After Divorce

39:20 Surface Wellness vs. Real Healing

40:47 The Wellness Industrial Complex

59:38 Truth Telling & The Personal Healing Path

1:05:38 Closing Reflections & Where to Find Devi

Connect: @DeviBrown @DeeplyWellPodcast

Read: "Living in Wisdom" DeviBrown.com Now Available!

Substack: https://substack.com/@devibrown

The Deeply Well Podcast is available on:

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3n5hEIV…

Youtube: @devibrownwell-being  

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

Living with someone you love is supposed to be easy — until it isn't. In this episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, hosts Barb Schmidt and Michelle Maros pull back the curtain on the two years they spent living together after a sudden condo flood turned a two-week crash pad into an unplanned life arrangement. What started as a temporary inconvenience became one of the most challenging — and unexpectedly transformative — seasons of their relationship.

From laundry wars to a 20-year high school reunion that felt like stepping back in time, Barb and Michelle get honest about the moments that nearly broke them and the practices that kept them together. This conversation is for anyone who has ever loved someone deeply and still needed serious space from them.

What you'll take away:

• Why trying to control small things (like dryer settings) is almost never actually about the small thing
• How to survive cohabitation with someone you love without losing the relationship
• The real emotion hiding underneath anger — and how to get to it
• Why your role as a parent fundamentally shifts when your adult child moves back in
• A practical starting point for building self-awareness through journaling and reflection

Don't risk letting conflict quietly damage a relationship you can't afford to lose. Learn how to find the baseline of love — even when you want to pull your hair out.

Episode Breakdown ⬇️

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:34 - Moving In

00:07:38 - Early Adjustment

00:09:00 - Tension Builds

00:14:06 - The Laundry Wars

00:21:16 - Learning to Pause

00:25:08 - Finding the Lessons

00:39:40 - Love Coexists

00:41:35 - Parent Role Shifts

00:43:50 - Closing Wisdom

💬 We’d love to hear from you! What insight or moment resonated most with you in this episode? Share in the comments—we truly read every one.

📅 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

📘 Go Deeper with Dear Friend

If this episode resonated with you, you may also love Michelle’s USA TODAY bestselling book, Dear Friend, a daily reflection companion designed to help you reconnect with your inner voice, honor your needs, and find clarity and strength one day at a time.

Because resilience doesn’t begin with changing your circumstances.

It begins with strengthening your relationship with yourself.

And that may be the most important relationship you’ll ever build.

👉 Order your copy: https://amzn.to/3Us9eqg

🎧 Listen to the audiobook and step into a year that truly loves you back: https://amzn.to/459zSdt

Our Sponsors:

* Check out Time4Learning: https://www.time4learning.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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

What if the thing you've been told will set you free is actually keeping you stuck? What if forgiveness isn't even the goal?

In this episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, our hosts challenge everything we've been taught about forgiveness. Not the textbook version we learned as kids, but the real, messy, evolving kind that shows up after serious trauma, toxic relationships, and years of bypassed emotions. This is a raw conversation about what happens when you stop forcing yourself to forgive and start focusing on what you actually feel.

💬 Barb opens up about replacing forgiveness with acceptance after her divorce, her history of sexual abuse, and why at 69 years old she's done pressuring herself to forgive people who caused real harm.

💬 Michelle gets vulnerable about being a self-described "sucker" who forgave a major trauma too quickly because the person said the right words, and how she's learning to sit with her own feelings before letting anyone else influence her process.

✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Why Barb swapped the word "forgiveness" for "acceptance" and how that shift changed everything
• The danger of forgiving too quickly and bypassing the emotions that actually need to be felt
• Michelle's experience of forgiving a severe trauma as a kid because the person said all the right things, only to realize decades later she'd never actually processed it
• How other people's apologies and influence can cloud what you truly feel and need
• Why taking accountability doesn't mean someone gets a pass or gets let back in
• The connection between premature forgiveness and the inability to set boundaries later in life
• Nedra Glover Tawwab's quote on forgiveness and releasing the power harm has over you

"I don't wanna wait that long. And also, is that really even the goal?"

If you've ever felt the pressure to forgive before you were ready, or wondered if forgiveness is even what you need right now, this episode is going to feel like permission to breathe. Barb and Michelle aren't here to tell you what to do. They're here to sit with you in the mess and remind you that healing doesn't have a deadline. Come listen.

📘 Go Deeper with Dear Friend

If this episode on Forgiveness and Acceptance resonated with you, you may also love Michelle’s USA TODAY bestselling book, Dear Friend, a daily reflection companion designed to help you reconnect with your inner voice, honor your needs, and find clarity and strength one day at a time.

Because resilience doesn’t begin with changing your circumstances.

It begins with strengthening your relationship with yourself.

And that may be the most important relationship you’ll ever build.

👉 Order your copy: https://amzn.to/3Us9eqg

🎧 Listen to the audiobook and step into a year that truly loves you back: https://amzn.to/459zSdt

Episode Breakdown ⬇️

0:00 – Intro / Teaser clip

0:58 – Welcome & introducing the forgiveness topic

7:18 – Barb shares where she is today with forgiveness (2026)

8:04 – Barb opens up about childhood sexual abuse

10:15 – Is forgiveness even the goal anymore?

18:57 – Why we put the onus on the person who was harmed

23:24 – Should you remove the other person from the equation?

24:44 – The danger of being easily swayed by an apology

25:18 – How being a "sucker" affects your healing process

41:01 – Walking through what actually works: staying in your own essence

46:21 – Closing thoughts: accountability ≠ forgiveness

49:55 – Outro & Nedra Tawwab quote on releasing forgiveness

💬 We’d love to hear from you! What insight or moment resonated most with you in this episode? Share in the comments—we truly read every one.

📅 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

Our Sponsors:

* Check out Time4Learning: https://www.time4learning.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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

Have you ever found out someone you love wasn't telling you the whole truth, and even though it wasn't malicious, something inside you shifted? That quiet crack in trust can change a relationship more than any dramatic betrayal ever could.

In this episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, this mother-daughter duo gets deeply personal about dishonesty. Not the headline-grabbing kind, but the everyday white lies, the withheld truths, the stories we tell ourselves about "protecting" the people we love. From family secrets revealed years later to the small manipulations that slowly erode trust, Barb and Michelle unpack what honesty really costs and what it makes possible.

💬 Barb shares how she navigated telling Michelle about her bulimia, a family affair, and the alcoholism in their lineage, and why she trusted life to present the right timing rather than forcing the conversation.

 💬 Michelle opens up about what it felt like to learn major truths about her family as a young adult, how those revelations triggered a "what else don't I know?" spiral, and why her mom's non-judgmental space made all the difference.

✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:

• The difference between withholding truth to protect versus withholding to manipulate and control
• How Michelle learned about her dad's affair through a Facebook message years after his death, and how Barb handled the fallout
• Why Barb believes "life will present the timing" for hard conversations with your kids
• The real damage of small, repeated white lies versus big one-time revelations
• How calling someone a "liar" or "gaslighter" can short-circuit a conversation, and what to say instead
• Creating a safe space where your child (or anyone) can tell the truth without being punished first
• Why trust can be broken in a moment but takes patience and intention to rebuild

"I truly believe the truth will set you free. I become tethered to lies."

Whether you're a parent wondering what to share and when, or someone rebuilding trust after it cracked, this episode will make you feel less alone in the mess of it. Barb and Michelle don't pretend to have perfect answers. They just show you what it looks like to keep choosing honesty, even when it's uncomfortable. Pull up a seat and listen in.

0:00 - Cold Open

0:57 - Welcome to Life Happens with Barb & Michelle

1:15 - Introducing Today's Topic: Truth & Dishonesty

2:12 - Truth Used to Be a Core Value — What Changed?

11:21 - Parent-Child Honesty: When & How to Share Hard Truths

13:45 - The "True Hat" Rule: A Family Trust Agreement

19:41 - Finding Out About Dad's Affair Through Facebook

22:18 - Letting Life Present the Right Moment to Tell the Truth

28:38 - Are White Lies More Harmful Than Big Ones?

29:33 - Work Colleague Story: When White Lies Become Control

34:01 - Lying About Drinking as a Teen & Creating Safe Spaces

41:09 - "Raised by Cave People" — Extending Grace to Our Parents

47:07 - Don't Use "You Are" — Use "I Feel" Language

49:27 - Creating Safe Spaces & Repairing Broken Trust

51:16 - Closing & Thank You

📘 Go Deeper with Dear Friend

If this episode on Dishonesty and Trust resonated with you, you may also love Michelle’s USA TODAY bestselling book, Dear Friend, a daily reflection companion designed to help you reconnect with your inner voice, honor your needs, and find clarity and strength one day at a time.

Because resilience doesn’t begin with changing your circumstances. It begins with strengthening your relationship with yourself.

And that may be the most important relationship you’ll ever build.

👉 Order your copy: https://amzn.to/3Us9eqg

🎧 Listen to the audiobook and step into a year that truly loves you back: https://amzn.to/459zSdt

💬 We’d love to hear from you! What insight or moment resonated most with you in this episode? Share in the comments—we truly read every one.

📅 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

Our Sponsors:

* Check out Time4Learning: https://www.time4learning.com

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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

What happens when the person you trusted completely becomes the source of your deepest wound? And what does it mean when you're the one who caused that kind of pain for someone else?

In this episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, our hosts go deep on one of the most universally painful human experiences: betrayal. This is a raw, honest conversation about what betrayal actually does to us, how it lives in our bodies, and what it really takes to move forward (hint: it's not just forgiving and forgetting).

💬 Barb opens up about how betrayal has quietly shattered her sense of safety and belonging over the years, including within family relationships, and shares what she's learning about the difference between repairing a relationship and repairing yourself.

💬 Michelle gets real about a time in her younger years when she found herself cast as the villain in a messy web of loyalty, secrets, and broken trust. She reflects on how she eventually made peace with it, even without resolution from the other people involved.

✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Why betrayal isn't just disappointment and why it activates the same regions of the brain as physical pain
• The difference between a mistake and a betrayal, and why that line matters
• What it looks like to "clean up your own side of the street" after you've hurt someone
• The pressure of "blood is thicker than water" and why family loyalty doesn't obligate you to stay in unsafe relationships
• How to know whether a broken relationship is worth repairing or whether it's okay to let it go
• The sneaky way gossip can be a gateway to bigger betrayals
• What self-betrayal has to do with all of it (and why that's a whole other episode)

"What society thinks and what other people are telling you is true... blood is thicker than water, you have to forgive and forget... none of that applies. How do you feel about it?"

If you've ever felt like you had to choose between protecting someone and protecting yourself, this episode will meet you right there. You'll walk away with a clearer sense of what you actually owe other people and what you owe yourself. Come sit with us for this one.

📘 Go Deeper with Dear Friend

If this episode on Loyalty and Betrayal resonated with you, you may also love Michelle’s USA TODAY bestselling book, Dear Friend, a daily reflection companion designed to help you reconnect with your inner voice, honor your needs, and find clarity and strength one day at a time.

Because resilience doesn’t begin with changing your circumstances.

It begins with strengthening your relationship with yourself.

And that may be the most important relationship you’ll ever build.

👉 Order your copy: https://amzn.to/3Us9eqg

🎧 Listen to the audiobook and step into a year that truly loves you back: https://amzn.to/459zSdt

💬 We’d love to hear from you! What insight or moment resonated most with you in this episode? Share in the comments—we truly read every one.

📅 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

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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

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Have you ever been knocked down so hard you weren’t sure you could get back up?

Have you ever felt the weight of the world and wondered how to keep moving forward—with strength, dignity, and hope?

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we explore why resilience can feel so hard, especially when you're exhausted from carrying so much. Inspired by Maya Angelou’s powerful poem Still I Rise, this conversation is about finding the courage to rise again—even when life feels overwhelming.

💬 Barb candidly shares her personal experiences with trauma and how Maya Angelou’s wisdom helped her build strength and resilience in her own life.

💬 Michelle opens up about what it feels like to be tired of always having to be resilient—and how she continues to rise above life’s challenges with honesty, grace, and self-compassion.

✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:

• How to find your voice and strength after trauma
• Becoming the author of your own life story
• The healing power of literature and storytelling
• Why resilience doesn’t mean ignoring your pain
• Holding onto one powerful truth: Still I Rise
• Finding balance between growth, healing, and rest

As Maya Angelou reminds us:

"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."

If life feels heavy right now, this conversation is a reminder that you are stronger than you think—and you can rise again.

💗 Mentioned in today’s episode:

Maya Angelou’s Still I rise: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise

Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings-maya-angelou/1100392955

📘 Go Deeper with Dear Friend

If this episode on rising above life’s hardships and practicing self-compassion resonated with you, you may also love Michelle’s USA TODAY bestselling book, Dear Friend, a daily reflection companion designed to help you reconnect with your inner voice, honor your needs, and find clarity and strength one day at a time.

Because resilience doesn’t begin with changing your circumstances.

It begins with strengthening your relationship with yourself.

And that may be the most important relationship you’ll ever build.

👉 Order your copy: https://amzn.to/3Us9eqg

🎧 Listen to the audiobook and step into a year that truly loves you back: https://amzn.to/459zSdt

💬 We’d love to hear from you! What insight or moment resonated most with you in this episode? Share in the comments—we truly read every one.

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

🎙️ Host 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.

Have you ever cared about someone so much that you slowly disappeared?

Have you ever been the strong one, the helper, the fixer — only to wake up exhausted, resentful, or unsure where you went?

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we explore the hidden cost of overgiving in relationships and how codependency, people-pleasing, and emotional overfunctioning quietly lead to burnout.

Inspired by Codependent No More by Melody Beattie, this conversation shifts the focus from controlling others to caring for yourself. We talk about boundaries, emotional exhaustion, self-worth, detachment, and how to stop losing yourself in relationships.

If you struggle with:

• Overgiving
• feeling responsible for everyone else’s emotions
• difficulty setting boundaries
• relationship burnout
• or constantly putting others first

…this episode is for you.

💬 Barb shares how she began recognizing her codependent patterns during addiction and divorce — and how healing started when she stopped trying to manage everyone else’s experience.

💬 Michelle opens up about losing herself in past relationships and how she rebuilt trust with her own voice, needs, and intuition.

✨ In This Episode, We Discuss:

• How overgiving leads to resentment and emotional fatigue
• The difference between love and codependency
• Why healthy relationships require boundaries
• How to stop controlling others and start caring for yourself
• Acceptance, detachment, and emotional resilience
• Rebuilding self-worth after toxic dynamics

You cannot pour from an empty cup. Healthy love is mutual. Boundaries are not selfish — they are necessary.

If you’re ready to stop overextending, start honoring your needs, and build balanced, lasting relationships, press play.

💗 Mentioned in today’s episode:

Melody Beattie’s When Things Fall Apart: https://bit.ly/4rBjmvX

📘 Go Deeper with Dear Friend

If this episode on overgiving, boundaries, and rebuilding self-worth resonates with you, you may also love Michelle’s USA TODAY bestselling book, Dear Friend — a daily reflection companion created to help you reconnect with your inner voice, honor your needs, and build emotional clarity one day at a time.

Because healing codependency doesn’t start with changing someone else.

It starts with strengthening your relationship with yourself.

And that may be the most important relationship you’ll ever build.

👉 Order your copy: https://amzn.to/3Us9eqg

🎧 Listen to the audiobook and step into a year that truly loves you back: https://amzn.to/459zSdt

💬 We’d love to hear from you! What insight or moment resonated most with you in this episode? Share in the comments—we truly read every one.

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

🎙️ Host 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.