Take the Turn with Maryanna and Jay

About Take the Turn with Maryanna and Jay

Take the Turn with Maryanna and Jay is a real-life podcast about choosing a new direction in midlife and beyond. Through honest conversations, personal stories, faith, humor, and lessons learned, Maryanna and Jay explore marriage, family, parenting older kids, aging parents, health, purpose, career, and what comes next. It’s an invitation to pause, reflect, laugh, grow, and move forward with intention.

Publisher

Maryanna Thornton and Jay Thornton

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

6 Jun 2026

Latest episode

4 Aug 2026

Latest episodes

11 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   4 Aug 2026

   Emotional Eating Isn’t About Willpower with Kim Hynes

   Why do we turn to food when we feel stressed, anxious, bored, overwhelmed, or emotionally exhausted? In this episode, we talk with certified nutritional health coach Kim Hynes about the real causes of emotional eating and why simply starting another diet rarely creates lasting change. Kim explains how hormones, blood sugar, stress, perfectionism, diet culture, and lifelong coping patterns can shape our relationship with food—particularly during perimenopause, menopause, and the midlife years. We discuss sugar cravings, overeating, after-dinner sweets, procrastination eating, portion sizes, protein and fiber, strength training, and how parents can encourage healthy habits without creating shame around food or body size. Kim also shares practical steps anyone can begin using today, including slowing down during meals, pausing to assess fullness, taking short walks, staying hydrated, intentionally nourishing the body, and creating new patterns when cravings arise. This conversation is a compassionate reminder that emotional eating is not simply a failure of discipline. The food may only be the final car in a much longer train—and lasting change begins by understanding what is driving it. Learn more from Kim by following Emotional Eats Kim and listening to the Emotional Eats Podcast.

2. 

   29 Jul 2026

   Why You Feel So Different After 40: Perimenopause and Menopause with Karla Jones, RN, MSN

   Why are you suddenly exhausted, anxious, forgetful, unable to sleep, struggling with your weight, or simply not feeling like yourself? In Episode 10, Maryanna and Jay sit down with Karla Jones, RN, MSN—known as the Perimenopause Nurse—for an honest and eye-opening conversation about perimenopause, menopause, and the changes many women experience after 40. Karla is a nurse, mental wellness educator, and digital entrepreneur who helps women understand the connection between stress, gut health, hormones, and how they feel. Her practical approach focuses on helping women stop chasing isolated symptoms and begin supporting the systems underneath them. Karla explains how to recognize perimenopause, the symptoms women commonly experience, why anxiety and sleep problems may suddenly appear, why weight loss can become more difficult, whether hormone testing is helpful, and what treatment and support options may be available. This episode is not only for women. It is also an important conversation for husbands and partners who want to better understand what the women they love may be experiencing. Knowledge is powerful. You are not imagining these changes, and you do not have to navigate this season feeling confused or alone.

3. 

   22 Jul 2026

   AI Is Moving Fast. Are We?

   AI is already here, moving fast, and changing the way we work, learn, create, communicate, parent, and think about the future. In Episode 8 of Take The Turn, Maryanna and Jay look back at the major technology shifts Gen X has already lived through — bag phones, dial-up internet, MapQuest, BlackBerrys, iPhones, GPS, streaming, and more — and ask whether AI may be the next big shift we need to understand and embrace. We talk about how AI started as a novelty, why it now feels bigger than just another app, how it may level the playing field for individuals and small businesses, and how we can use it wisely without fear, hype, or losing what matters most. Plus, we close with our Top 10: Gen X Tech Problems Our Kids Will Never Understand.

4. 

   22 Jul 2026

   Midlife Questions - What We Got Right, What We Got Wrong & What's Next

   What would we do differently as parents? How has our approach to health and fitness changed as we have gotten older? And what season of our marriage was the hardest? In this episode, we pull questions from a jar and talk honestly about parenting, marriage, fitness, aging, and the lessons we have learned in midlife. We share what we believe we did well as parents, what we would change, how our health priorities have shifted, what helped us through difficult seasons in our marriage, and the advice we would give our younger selves. It is a candid conversation about looking back with honesty while still choosing how we want to move forward.

5. 

   7 Jul 2026

   New Season, New Habits

   In this episode of Take The Turn with Maryanna and Jay, we talk about building new habits for a new season of life. By midlife, many of us have spent decades developing habits, routines, and systems — some helpful, some not so helpful, and some we barely notice anymore. But as life changes, the habits that carried us through one season may not be the habits we need for what comes next. Inspired by ideas from Atomic Habits by James Clear, we discuss why goals give us direction, but systems create progress. We also talk about how identity shapes real change and how we can be more intentional in marriage, parenting, faith, health, work, relationships, and planning for the future. Plus, we close with a fun round of Would You Rather… involving sharks, bears, coffee, chocolate, haunted houses, elevators, roller coasters, and the big question: would you rather have a rewind button or a pause button for your life?

6. 

   27 Jun 2026

   Marriage in Midlife: Are We Still Connected?

   Marriage changes through every season of life, and midlife can be one of the most important turns couples face. In this episode, Maryanna and Jay talk honestly about marriage in midlife, the slow drift that can happen when life gets busy, and how couples can stay connected before they start feeling more like roommates than husband and wife. They reflect on what marriage looked like in their 20s, how responsibilities change over time, and why friendship, communication, humility, repair, and small daily habits matter so much in long-term relationships. They also discuss the Gottmans’ Four Horsemen — criticism, contempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling — and how couples can recognize unhealthy patterns without turning the conversation into blame. This is not a conversation about having a perfect marriage. It’s a conversation about staying curious, staying connected, and continuing to grow together through midlife and beyond. Plus, Maryanna and Jay wrap up with a fun Gen X Top 10 game: Finish the Gen X Line. Website: https://www.taketheturnshow.com (https://www.taketheturnshow.com/) Email: podcast@taketheturnshow.com (mailto:podcast@taketheturnshow.com) Follow us: @taketheturnshow

7. 

   20 Jun 2026

   College Dorm Tips: Boxes, Beds, and Goodbyes

   Moving a college freshman into a dorm is part packing list, part construction project, part decorating challenge, and part emotional goodbye. In Episode 5 of Take the Turn with Maryanna and Jay, we share what we learned from moving two kids into college dorms — one boy and one girl. We cover dorm room must-haves, what we bought, what we built, what we would do differently, and the emotional side of helping your child take this next big turn. We talk raised beds, storage, bedding, desk hutches, fans, air purifiers, medical kits, move-in day tools, thoughtful things to leave behind, and the custom bedside shelf Jay built to save money. Download the full dorm move-in checklist at http://www.taketheturnshow.com (http://www.taketheturnshow.com/)

8. 

   13 Jun 2026

   Stress, Midlife, and “Why Are You Breathing Like That?”

   Stress hits different in midlife. Between marriage, parenting older kids, work, aging parents, hormones, overstimulation, and the never-ending mental load, it can feel like your brain never fully shuts off. In this episode, Maryanna and Jay talk honestly about stress in midlife — how it shows up differently for each of them, how it affects marriage and family life, and what they’re learning to recognize, release, and stop carrying into the next season. It’s an honest, funny, and relatable conversation about the mental load of midlife we are anxious to leave behind.

9. 

   6 Jun 2026

   Stronger, Smarter, and Slightly Sore

   Fitness and nutrition in midlife can feel different than they used to — but that does not mean we stop trying. In this episode, Maryanna and Jay talk about getting stronger, making smarter choices, staying consistent, and giving yourself some grace along the way. From food habits and workout motivation to soreness, discipline, and real-life setbacks, this conversation is about finding a healthier rhythm that actually fits this season of life. It’s not about perfection. It’s about taking the turn toward better health, one step at a time.

10. 

    6 Jun 2026

    The Long Way Around: Detours, Disappointments, and Finding Purpose

    Sometimes life takes us the long way around — through detours, delays, disappointments, and unexpected turns we never would have chosen for ourselves. In Episode 2 of Take The Turn with Maryanna and Jay, we share personal stories about the roads that did not go exactly as planned, but still helped shape who we are today. We talk about family, marriage, Olympic dreams, faith, perspective, and how even the hard turns can lead to growth and purpose. This episode is for anyone who has ever looked back and wondered why life unfolded the way it did. Sometimes the long road still leads exactly where we needed to go. 🌐 https://www.taketheturnshow.com 📧 podcast@taketheturnshow.com Follow us everywhere: @taketheturnshow

11. 

    6 Jun 2026

    The Turn Is Coming… Are You Ready?

    The turn is coming… but are we ready for it? In our first episode of Take the Turn with Maryanna and Jay, we share why we started this podcast, what this season of life looks like for us, and why we believe midlife and beyond can still be full of purpose, growth, faith, laughter, and new direction. We talk about marriage, raising older kids, shifting priorities, aging parents, and the realization that life does not slow down just because the road ahead looks different. Instead of ignoring the turns that are coming, we want to face them with intention—and invite you to come along with us. Whether you are in midlife, approaching it, or simply wondering what comes next, this episode is our starting point. Take the turn with us.

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

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