Women Like Us, Lately

About Women Like Us, Lately

Women Like Us: Lately is a podcast about what it actually feels like to be a woman figuring out this season of life.

Publisher

Valerie Rice

Category

education · health & fitness · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

13 Oct 2026

Latest episode

4 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   4 Nov 2026

   Starting Over, Finding Yourself & Learning You Don't Need Permission | With Anissa Renae Kunda

   What happens when the life you've spent decades building starts to change, and suddenly you're left wondering who you are outside of all the roles you've played? This week on Women Like Us: Lately, Val and Monika sit down with Anissa Renae Kunda, an entrepreneur, author, and business mentor who's navigating a whole new chapter after losing her father, experiencing changes in her marriage, and stepping away from a career she spent 35 years building. We're talking about the identity shifts that come with major life changes, the pressure women feel to take care of everyone else, and what happens when we finally start asking ourselves what we want. Anissa shares how her father's passing changed her perspective on happiness, why starting over brought unexpected feelings of imposter syndrome, and how she's learning to recognize the small steps that add up to meaningful progress. We also get into parenting adult children, the joy of becoming a grandparent, finding your people, and the importance of making room for yourself along the way. Plus, we're grading self-care and setting boundaries in our Wellness Trend Report Card. And Anissa's answer to our signature question? You don't have to ask permission. ❤️ We want to know: Are you in a season of change right now? Are you rediscovering yourself or figuring out what comes next? Meet Our Guest: Anissa Renae Kunda Anissa is an entrepreneur, author, and business mentor with 35 years of experience in the tourism industry. After building an award-winning adventure tourism business, she's stepping into a new chapter, helping small and medium-sized tourism businesses navigate growth and big decisions. Connect with Anissa: Anissa Renae | Website, Business Mentoring & More (https://anissarenae.com/) Episode Chapters 00:28 | Meet Anissa: Finding yourself in a new season of life 02:11 | Navigating loss, career changes, and starting over 03:09 | How losing her father changed her perspective on happiness 04:20 | Finding peace and learning to quiet the mind 06:39 | The difference between how we appear and how we feel 07:39 | The strong woman needs support, too 08:37 | Rediscovering the parts of ourselves we've put aside 09:59 | Recognizing progress and celebrating small steps 11:47 | Looking back at motherhood and the memories we capture 12:58 | Parenting adult children and becoming a grandparent 17:06 | Starting over after 35 years and facing imposter syndrome 18:32 | The unexpected challenges of building something new 20:38 | Learning from life's unexpected adventures 22:18 | Finding the silver lining and surrounding yourself with positivity 24:39 | Wellness Trend Report Card 25:21 | Self-care: Helpful or another thing on our to-do list? 27:35 | Setting boundaries and learning to say no 29:05 | What Anissa wishes she knew 10 years ago 30:54 | What's next for Anissa? Keep the Conversation Going! ❤️ Share Your Story: Want to join the conversation or be a guest on the podcast? (https://form.typeform.com/to/elrGFobM)Tell us about yourself! (https://form.typeform.com/to/elrGFobM) Get in Touch: Have a question, topic suggestion, or something you want to share? Email us at womenlikeuslately@gmail.com. Follow Along: Come hang out with us on (https://www.instagram.com/womenlikeuslately_podcast)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/womenlikeuslately_podcast). Listen & Watch: Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/0nmQLBysVVPjqVDBykfOVU) Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-like-us-lately/id6822320139) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@WomenLikeUsLately) Because women like us don't all look the same. We're simply women trying to feel better and become more ourselves. ❤️

2. 

   27 Oct 2026

   Episode 13 Bloodwork 101 — What Your Labs Are Actually Telling You

   Bloodwork 101: What Your Labs Are Actually Telling You Ever gotten your bloodwork results back, stared at all those numbers and abbreviations, and thought... what the heck am I looking at? This week on Women Like Us: Lately, Val and Monika are breaking down the basics of bloodwork, from where to start and what to ask your doctor to understanding what those results actually mean. We're talking about common lab tests like CBC, CMP, thyroid panels, cholesterol, blood sugar, and hormone testing. Plus, why timing matters, what those reference ranges mean, and why feeling good involves looking at more than just numbers on a page. We also get into the importance of advocating for yourself, building sustainable habits, and finding a balance between being informed about your health and becoming overwhelmed by all the data. And of course, we're grading some popular health trends in our Wellness Trend Report Card: ordering your own labs, tracking results over time, and the full-body testing craze. We want to know: Do you actually look at your bloodwork results, or do you just wait for your doctor to tell you everything is normal? Resources Mentioned Monika's Free Lab Guide: The Labs I Wish Every Woman 35+ Knew to Ask About (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iqWzrEj3a_sMNQmoXwMTYFAp2R8-o5af/view) At-Home Blood Testing: Tasso+ (https://www.tassoinc.com/tasso-plus) These resources are shared for informational purposes. Blood tests and their results should be discussed with a qualified healthcare professional. Not everyone needs the same tests, and additional testing isn't always better. Episode Chapters 00:28 | Why understanding your bloodwork matters 02:39 | Where to start and how to request labs 03:41 | At-home testing and other options 04:39 | Recognizing symptoms and knowing what to ask for 06:38 | Preparing for bloodwork: Fasting, coffee, and cycle timing 07:56 | Understanding your results and reference ranges 09:07 | Common lab tests: CBC, CMP, cholesterol, and blood sugar 10:35 | Thyroid, iron, and hormone testing 12:11 | What if your results are normal but you still don't feel right? 14:31 | Lifestyle habits, foundational health, and follow-up testing 18:40 | Turning health information into practical changes 22:52 | Monika's lab guide and resources 23:51 | Wellness Trend Report Card 24:14 | Ordering your own labs 24:41 | Tracking your results over time 26:21 | The full-body testing craze 28:01 | Taking a more active role in your health Keep the Conversation Going! ❤️ Share Your Story: Want to join the conversation or be a guest on the podcast? Tell us about yourself! (https://form.typeform.com/to/elrGFobM) Get in Touch: Have a question, topic suggestion, or something you want to share? Email us at womenlikeuslately@gmail.com (mailto:womenlikeuslately@gmail.com). Follow Along: Come hang out with us on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/womenlikeuslately_podcast). Listen & Watch: Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/0nmQLBysVVPjqVDBykfOVU) Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-like-us-lately/id6822320139) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@WomenLikeUsLately) Because women like us don't all look the same. We're simply women trying to feel better and become more ourselves. ❤️

3. 

   25 Oct 2026

   Episode 12 Gift Registries, Birthday Parties & The Etiquette Nobody Agrees On

   Are birthday gift registries actually helpful, or are we making gift-giving way more complicated than it needs to be? This week on Women Like Us: Lately, Val and Monika are discovering just how differently two people can approach birthdays, gifts, and celebrations. Monika comes from a world where showing up to a birthday party without a gift is practically unheard of. Val? She's just happy everyone showed up! And apparently, the differences between Miami and North Carolina go a little deeper than we expected. We're talking kids' birthday registries, adult wish lists, gift-giving expectations, and whether celebrations have gotten a little out of hand. Plus, what happens when the meaning behind a gift matters more than the gift itself? And of course, we're grading birthday registries for kids, adult gift registries, and no-gift parties in our Wellness Trend Report Card. We want to know: Are birthday registries helpful or tacky? And do you expect people to bring gifts to an adult birthday party? Episode Chapters 00:28 | Birthday registries: Helpful or tacky? 01:08 | Kids' birthday registries and avoiding unwanted gifts 03:26 | Sharing gift lists with family and friends 05:55 | Do adults actually expect birthday gifts? 07:07 | Miami vs. North Carolina: Different gift-giving expectations 10:18 | The unwritten rules of birthday gifts 17:47 | Buying clothes and other unexpected presents 18:30 | Have birthday celebrations gotten too elaborate? 20:36 | Social media, Pinterest, and party planning pressure 22:55 | Wellness Trend Report Card 23:08 | Grading kids' birthday registries 24:02 | Adult birthday registries: Practical or tacky? 25:20 | No-gift birthday parties 26:25 | Celebrating connections instead of spending money Keep the Conversation Going! ❤️ Share Your Story: Want to join the conversation or be a guest on the podcast? (https://form.typeform.com/to/elrGFobM)Tell us about yourself! (https://form.typeform.com/to/elrGFobM) Get in Touch: Have a question, topic suggestion, or something you want to share? Email us at womenlikeuslately@gmail.com. Follow Along: Come hang out with us on (https://www.instagram.com/womenlikeuslately_podcast)Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/womenlikeuslately_podcast). Listen & Watch: Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/0nmQLBysVVPjqVDBykfOVU) Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/women-like-us-lately/id6822320139) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@WomenLikeUsLately) Because women like us don't all look the same. We're simply women trying to feel better and become more ourselves. ❤️

Contact Women Like Us, Lately

Guest appearances

Books guests

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