Hella Good Livin

About Hella Good Livin

Hella Good Livin is a lifestyle + podcast + community brand for women 35+ who are done sleepwalking through the messy middle and ready to explore their more – more joy, more energy, more honesty, more life they actually want.

Publisher

Hella Good Livin

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

1 Mar 2026

Latest episode

3 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

15 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   3 Sept 2026

   Navigating the Sandwich Generation: Balancing Caregiving & Life

   Erin and Tonya discuss caring for aging parents while still raising kids, sharing Tonya’s experience managing her mom’s dementia, overwhelming paperwork, and getting her into care. They cover burnout stats, menopause and caregiving stress, guilt, sibling conflict, and the need for early uncomfortable talks about wills, power of attorney, passwords, and planning. They also address work risks, documenting everything, using community/hospice resources, therapy, and even AI to build caregiving plans. RESOURCES: Your employers HR office should have your states information https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla/employee-guide (https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fmla/employee-guide) DOL.gov (http://dol.gov) Department of Labor Medicaid Self-Directed Services Guide (https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/long-term-services-supports/self-directed-services): The official federal landing page explaining budget rules, employer models, and participant rights. Family Caregiver Services by State Tool (https://www.caregiver.org/connecting-caregivers/services-by-state/): An interactive directory from the Family Caregiver Alliance. Select the specific state to find the exact local Medicaid waiver programs that pay family members. USA.gov Disability and Caregiver Resources (https://www.usa.gov/disability-caregiver): A government portal to locate the nearest Area Agency on Aging (AAA) or local Medicaid intake offices to start an assessment. In your own local doctors offices: Social Workers / Medical Social Workers (MSWs): These are your best overall resource. Care Managers / Care Coordinators: These professionals track your parent’s entire care plan across multiple specialists.

2. 

   26 Aug 2026

   I learned something, but not what I was expecting!

   Erin and Tonya discuss Tonya’s solo drive to Alabama/Orange Beach and a secluded Airbnb in Jamestown, Tennessee, hoping for career clarity but gaining confidence instead. Tonya navigates a broken Dexcom sensor, no cell service, flat tires, a cash-only tire shop with little communication, ominous hikes, and fear of being alone. A supportive text from her son and journaling help her reframe obstacles, romanticize small joys, and realize she can do hard things before heading home.

3. 

   19 Aug 2026

   What are we talking about? Womens celebrations & challenges-Ep. 13

   Erin and Tonya discuss how women need to pause and celebrate their own wins, no matter how small, instead of focusing only on stress. They note that many women instinctively credit their kids’ or husbands’ achievements rather than their own, asking, “Me?” They talk about learning to celebrate themselves because otherwise no one will, and share how empty nesting forces a shift toward focusing on themselves and discovering a “new self.”

4. 

   12 Aug 2026

   Dementia prevention: How to take action now

   Erin and Tonya discuss dementia risk reduction in midlife, noting loneliness raises risk 31% and social isolation 26%, with up to 45% of cases tied to modifiable factors. Tonya reflects on her mother’s dementia and how caregiving, isolation, and lack of exercise may have contributed. They emphasize exercise (including intensity), consistent sleep, treating depression and chronic stress, staying socially engaged, quitting smoking, reducing alcohol, and checking hearing, blood pressure, and more.

5. 

   5 Aug 2026

   Rebuilding in midlife: Starting over without starting from zero

   Erin and Tonya discuss midlife “rebuilding,” tying identity and confidence to taking action and keeping promises to yourself. Erin shares plans for a solo road trip to find peace, clarity, and rebuild. They explore why many women 35–55 face midlife crisis feelings, especially after divorce, career disruption, hormones, and shifting parenting roles. They stress learning finances (taxes, credit, retirement) and not avoiding money. Erin describes losing a job during health and family crises and worries about ageism, AI hiring, and career direction, while both encourage breathwork, journaling, intentions, and “just do” steps.

6. 

   29 Jul 2026

   Hype Women: The power of female support

   Tonya and Erin chat over mocktail margaritas about being a “hypewoman” and why women supporting women matters emotionally, psychologically, and physically. They share small moments—complimenting a waitress, encouraging a nervous friend in a new role—and discuss why many women were raised to keep praise and vulnerability internal. Erin explains research contrasting men’s “fight or flight” with women’s “tend and befriend,” noting that bonding during stress can trigger oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin and help regulate the nervous system. They connect strong female friendships with health benefits and longevity, reflect on loneliness in midlife and how caregiving and cognitive decline can disrupt social ties, and emphasize reciprocity, honest friendship, and reinvention through divorce, career change, and empty nesting. They end with a two-part challenge to text specific encouragement and use social media to counter negativity with supportive comments.

7. 

   22 Jul 2026

   Bare minimums and non-negotiables - Dating in midlfe

   Tonya and Erin talk over margaritas about dating in your 50s, focusing on bare-minimum expectations, non-negotiables, and protecting your peace after divorce and healing. They discuss how younger generations feel less pressure to marry, why therapy and personal work matter, and how unhealed patterns show up as red flags like speaking poorly about an ex, love bombing, or dysregulating your nervous system. They share lived experiences of carrying the load in marriage, the emotional toll of divorce, and how standards evolve over time. They also unpack why dating apps feel like “window shopping,” common app frustrations (photos, bios, ghosting, misleading ages), and offer ideas for meeting people organically through hobbies, the gym, coffee shops, and “third places,” while building a full life without settling.

8. 

   15 Jul 2026

   Who am I when no one needs me?

   Tonya and Erin discuss how motherhood builds corporate-relevant skills and then shift to the emotional whiplash of kids gaining independence, especially when 16-year-olds start driving. Tonya describes crying and feeling less needed as her schedule opens up, while both reflect on being constantly “on call,” the loss of car-ride conversations, and the resentment and guilt that come with trying to do everything. They emphasize setting boundaries with kids, partners, and employers, and note workplace double standards around pregnancy and perceptions of women’s dedication. The conversation turns to midlife reinvention, perimenopause brain fog, and rebuilding structure, suggesting listeners write down three things that used to “light you up,” start small, use a village differently, and choose achievable goals to avoid disappointing yourself.

9. 

   8 Jul 2026

   Keys to the mindset you crave

   Erin and Tonya talk about curating mindset in midlife, especially after Tonya stops an antidepressant and feels overwhelmed by situational stress, perimenopause, money scarcity thinking, and self-doubt. They distinguish optimism from toxic positivity, focus on control and identity shifts like empty nesting, and discuss tools: regulate the nervous system, limit negative inputs (including self-talk and social media), build self-trust by keeping promises, take micro risks, pause and reframe, and surround yourself with growth-minded people. Tonya commits to 21+ days of daily journaling with gratitudes and self-appreciation.

10. 

    1 Jul 2026

    Your Dr may not know either: The perimenopause info gap

    Erin and Tonya discuss how many women learn about perimenopause from social media rather than doctors, and how symptoms are often dismissed or treated separately instead of hormonally. They share their experiences finding relief with a menopause-trained specialist, cite gaps in medical training, and warn about misinformation and risks like assuming you can’t get pregnant. They recommend tracking symptoms, seeking second opinions, and using menopause.org to find certified providers, noting growing policy efforts to improve education. Resources: The Menopause Society (menopause.org (http://menopause.org)), ACOG (acog.org (http://acog.org)), and the NIH Office on Women's Health (womenshealth.gov (http://womenshealth.gov)).

11. 

    24 Jun 2026

    Midlife Friendships: Finding Deeper Connections

    Midlife Loneliness: Rebuilding Friendships After Kids, Divorce & Busy Life | Tonya & Erin Tonya and Erin discuss a statistic that 4 in 10 adults 45+ are lonely and unpack how empty nesting, raising kids, work, proximity, couple-friend dynamics, divorce, moving, and financial changes can erode friendships over time. They talk about how hard it is to make new close friends in midlife, including the idea that it can take 200 hours to build real closeness and that 58% feel no one truly knows them due to a lack of depth. They connect loneliness to health risks like heart disease, cognitive decline, and mortality, and share practical takeaways: prioritize depth over head count, create recurring meetups, lower the bar to reconnect with simple texts, use tools like Marco Polo, join places where repetition happens (classes/leagues/volunteering), be the initiator, practice vulnerability, and audit your circle. They each commit to reaching out more and trying new activities to meet people.

12. 

    3 Jun 2026

    Rage Bait: Where rage comes from and how to handle it

    Over wine, two friends discuss feeling unusually ragey—possibly from perimenopause, aging, or accumulated unmet needs—and swap pet peeves like Dollar General checkout lines, commuting, loud trucks, mouth breathing, bad driving, and kids loading dishwashers wrong. They connect rage to grief, scarcity, and carrying invisible labor, and describe setting firmer boundaries with kids, exes, and others (including consequences for a lost school laptop). They share tools like therapy language, pausing conversations, and breathing to regulate the nervous system.

13. 

    21 Mar 2026

    Aging, Confidence, and Living Alively

    Tonya and Erin unpack how “anti-aging” instantly signals products, wrinkles, and procedures—especially for women—while men are praised as “distinguished.” They argue the term is an impossible, anxiety-producing goal fueled by a massive industry and decades of exclusionary beauty marketing. Instead, they reframe anti-aging as aging well: movement (even walking), sleep, hydration, body check-ins, budget-friendly habits, and flipping negative self-talk toward gratitude, strength, mobility, and mental health. They end with a prompt from Jen Hatmaker’s “Awake”: recall a time you felt beautiful that didn’t involve a mirror.

14. 

    19 Mar 2026

    Let’s Talk About the Dreaded P Word. Yep. Perimenopause.

    Perimenopause is the dreaded “P word” no one warned women 35+ about, and Tonya and Erin break down why it can feel like you’re losing your mind when it’s really your hormones shifting for 4–10 years before menopause (which is officially 12 months without a period). They share their own wake-up calls—hot flashes, night sweats, 3 a.m. wake-ups, rage, anxiety, brain fog/word loss, body changes, GI issues, joint pain and even frozen shoulder—plus how often doctors dismiss it as stress and how little training and research exists. This episode is a table-talk reality check that you’re not broken, you’re not “just dramatic,” and you don’t have to white-knuckle it: track patterns, advocate for yourself, adjust expectations, consider women’s health specialists, and start finding what actually helps.

15. 

    1 Mar 2026

    Is This It? What the Hell is HGL?

    Tonya and Erin kick off Hella Good Livin, a podcast for women 35+ who feel exhausted, emotional, a little ragey, and like they’re questioning everything, and they remind you you’re not broken, you’re probably just in the hormone-and-life-shift years. Both 52 and longtime friends since kindergarten, they share what life looks like now: divorce, dating (or trying), kids (teen boys and empty-nest daughters), aging parents, long-term relationships, work, health scares, grief, and that “what’s next?” feeling. They’re here for the messy middle, think perimenopause, boundaries, relationships, and the stuff no one warned us about, with honesty, humor, research, and real tools. No toxic positivity, no guru energy, just short, manageable episodes that feel like you’re sitting at the table with them.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Contact Hella Good Livin

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.