Midlife Mayhem is the unfiltered podcast that dives headfirst into the beautiful chaos of midlife. Hosted by Kim Branum—RN-BSN, Wellness Coach, midlife mama of three, and founder of Thin Space Wellness—this show is your go-to space for real talk about wellness, family life, travel, and everything in between.
From hormone shifts and family drama to travel hacks and midlife glow-ups, we’re bringing you honest stories, expert advice, and a whole lot of humor. No filters, no fluff—just the real-life mayhem (and magic) that comes with this wild ride called midlife.
If you're navigating hot flashes, teenagers, career pivots, or just trying to feel like yourself again—you’re in the right place.
New episodes weekly. Tune in, laugh loud, and let’s thrive through the mess—together.
Send us a text We explore holiday fractures—grief, family rifts, and the pressure of the “shoulds”—and how midlife wisdom helps us set boundaries, loosen control, and rediscover joy. Faith, flexibility, and simple wellness steps create space for peace in a blended-family season. • naming internal fractures and honoring grief • setting calm, clear boundaries around plans • flexibility with blended-family schedules • redefining Christmas beyond the calendar date • stepping back from one-sided ...
3 Dec 2025
Heartbeats, Boundaries, And Midlife Clarity
Send us a text We explore how to protect energy, set boundaries, and choose relationships in midlife using a simple measure: heartbeats. From blended family stress to bucket-filling habits and clearer communication, we share stories and tools to invest where it truly counts. • the heartbeat lens for time and relationships • cutting leeches and honoring healthy boundaries • choosing communities that value you • people-pleasing pitfalls and acceptance • bucket fillers, self-care, and keystone ...
28 Nov 2025
From Grief To Grace: How Thin Spaces Shaped A Wellness Practice
Send us a text What if the most meaningful parts of life show up in the in‑between—airport curbs, hospital breezeways, snow-blown roads at 2 a.m.? We explore “thin spaces,” those moments when heaven feels close and the world goes quiet enough to hear what matters. From caring for Nana through pancreatic cancer to a last-minute flight that arrived just in time, we open up about the decisions, neighbors, and small miracles that held us together. We talk about how a single image—a dad gripping ...
19 Nov 2025
How A PA, A Nurse, And A 3:30 A.M. Idea Grew Into A Patient-First Wellness Practice
Send us a text We trace Stephen’s path from emergency medicine to orthopedics and entrepreneurship, and we share how those experiences shaped Thin Space Wellness. We dig into food as medicine, aesthetics done thoughtfully, and the practical support that helps people change for good. • gratitude for listeners and how sharing has been therapeutic • Stephen’s training, ER stories, and the decision to pursue the PA path • Wake Forest’s hands-on learning and trauma rotations • pivot from ER to or...
13 Nov 2025
How Compassionate Care, Tirzepatide, And Tiny Habit Shifts Helped Me Lose 60 Pounds And Feel Young Again
Send us a text Ever felt like your body changed overnight and the scale stopped listening? We get real about midlife weight gain, stress, and hormones—and what it actually takes to feel strong and confident again. Carrie opens up about gaining 60 pounds in her 40s, trying every diet, and finding traction only when medical support, mindset work, and daily habits lined up. Together, we walk through her plan using turzepatide, how GLP‑1s quiet food noise and delay gastric emptying, and why patie...
6 Nov 2025
Midlife, Narcissism, And Taking Back You
Send us a text Ever left a conversation feeling smaller, confused, or like you might be the problem? That uneasy signal matters. We open up about the hidden mechanics of narcissistic abuse—how love bombing morphs into devaluation, why hoovering is so persuasive, and the neuroscience behind trauma bonding that keeps smart, capable people stuck. This is a grounded, stigma-free guide to recognizing patterns, reclaiming clarity, and making choices that protect your peace. With Kerry Rasenberger,...
29 Oct 2025
How Strategic Aesthetics And Small Wellness Shifts Can Resolve Midlife Tension
Send us a text Ever feel like the person in the mirror isn’t the one you are inside? That unresolved tension is what musicians call dissonance, and it shows up in midlife as fatigue, heaviness, and a face that reads tired or stern no matter how hard you try. I just returned from Allergan’s MD Codes training with Dr. DeMaio, and I’m breaking down how a strategic, artistry-meets-anatomy approach can restore structure, lift the midface, and deliver natural results people notice without guessing ...
15 Oct 2025
Divorce’s Ripple: Midlife Healing, Blended Families, and Finding Your Tribe
Send us a text A confession, a catharsis, and a roadmap for anyone who’s ever felt the ground disappear beneath their feet. Kim opens up about growing up around divorce, losing her mother, and how those early stories planted a vision of love she chased into adulthood—through a too-fast first marriage, a second marriage defined by control and narcissism, and finally a partnership that feels like home. Along the way, she tells the unvarnished truth about shame, smear campaigns, and the exhausti...
8 Oct 2025
From People-Pleasing to Peacekeeping: How Midlife Resets Our Relationships
Send us a text When the 3 a.m. thoughts won’t quit, the truth gets loud: relationships can save us, stretch us, and sometimes break us open. I’m talking about the raw middle—where childhood trauma still hums under the surface, where people-pleasing used to run the show, and where midlife finally hands us permission to protect our peace without apology. This conversation moves through the tender parts: learning I’m not for everyone, choosing boundaries that keep my family’s nervous system calm...
30 Sept 2025
How Childhood Trauma Shapes Our Adult Lives: A Conversation with Grief Counselor Bridget Caletka
Send us a text Surrounded by golden aspens on the porch of Seven Keys Lodge in Estes Park, I sat down with grief counselor Bridget Caletka for what became one of the most powerful conversations I've had about loss, healing, and the spaces between. "Say their names," Bridget encourages as we discuss those we've lost—her mother Alice and my mother Susan. This simple act of naming brings tears to both our eyes, highlighting how rarely we hear the names of loved ones who have passed. We explore ...
23 Sept 2025
When Loss Becomes Legacy: A Mountain Man's Story
Send us a text What happens when unimaginable tragedy strikes in childhood? For Tim Resch, losing his father, grandfather, and younger brother to a drunk driver at age 13 became the catalyst for an extraordinary life journey that led him to become a real-life mountain man in the Colorado Rockies. In this deeply moving conversation with host Kim Branham, Tim shares his remarkable story of resilience with raw honesty and surprising humor. Days before the accident that claimed his family member...
16 Sept 2025
The Day My Life Changed Forever
Send us a text Kim Branum shares the defining moment of her life—losing her mother in a tragic accident at age seven when her mom stopped to help a stranger on the side of the road. This childhood trauma has shaped every aspect of her life since that day. • How the accident happened when Kim was seven and her brother was 18 months old • Memory gaps that protected her from the trauma as her mother was killed helping a stranger • The painful innocence of wanting to replace her mom's sweet tea ...
9 Sept 2025
From Restriction to Freedom: One Woman's GLP-1 Journey
Send us a text Kim Branum welcomes her patient-turned-friend Kim from Estes Park, Colorado, who shares her remarkable 60-pound weight loss journey using GLP-1 medications over the past 14 months. • Starting Weight Watchers at age 10 led to a lifetime of yo-yo dieting and trying countless fad diets • After decades of struggle, Kim had resigned herself to remaining overweight in middle age • Initial disappointment when no weight loss occurred during the first month of GLP-1 treatment • By mont...
31 Aug 2025
Silencing the Food Noise: How GLP-1 Medications Are Changing Lives
Send us a text Feeling stuck in your body despite your best efforts? You're not alone. The buzz around GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro has reached fever pitch, but separating fact from fiction can feel impossible. As a nurse and midlife woman who's been there myself, I'm pulling back the curtain on these "medications heard around the world." The magic of GLP-1 treatments extends far beyond weight loss. Yes, they slow digestion to keep you fuller longer, but their most remarkable ...
25 Aug 2025
From Restriction to Freedom: My Wellness Journey Through Midlife
Send us a text Kim shares her personal wellness journey from childhood weight awareness to finding freedom from restriction and true comfort in her skin after losing 45 pounds in midlife. • First became aware of weight during summers with grandparents, fluctuating between "plumping up" and slimming down • Developed food restriction habits in elementary school after a cafeteria worker's comment about going for seconds • Experienced a pattern of restriction followed by binge eating throughout ...
6 Aug 2025
Welcome to the Mayhem – Sleepless Nights, Eye Patches, and Big Decisions
Send us a text Welcome to Midlife Mayhem—where we embrace the beautiful chaos that comes with life in the messy middle. I’m your host, Kim Branum, RN-BSN, wellness coach, co-owner of Thin Space Wellness, and boy mom x3. In this very first episode, recorded during a sleepless night in a bathrobe and eye patches (because midlife skin care waits for no one), I give you a real, unfiltered introduction to what this podcast is all about. You’ll get a glimpse into my world: splitting time between No...
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