Mid-Life Mayhem; A guide to functioning in your 40's & beyond

• From Panic To Purpose: Rewiring A Life And Career Through Nervous System Care

  Send us a textA suitcase collision in Orlando, a hawk eating a dove on the wing of a plane in New York, and a body that finally refused to push through—this is the moment a career story turns into a nervous system story. We pick up after 2015’s “Owen’s legislation” milestone and follow a series of visceral wake‑ups that reframe anxiety as physiology, codependency as conditioning, and healing as a set of daily, trainable skills. The path runs through panic, a father’s steady presence, and a decisive vow to never have another attack—and then into months of breathwork, outdoor yoga, journaling, grounding, and co‑regulation that reset baseline from the inside out.That personal rebuild becomes professional fuel. A homegrown workbook and a yoga partnership evolve into Holding Space, a nonprofit teaching six- and twelve-week programs for women navigating stress, overwhelm, anxiety, and depression. A social impact incubator sharpens the model while underscoring a key truth: information doesn’t regulate; practice does. Along the way, PSYCH‑K enters as the missing piece, a subconscious change modality that dissolves the roots of triggers and reshapes attachment without white‑knuckling. The result is surprising ease—behavior changes because the beliefs beneath it change. During the pandemic, virtual Coffee Talks and Fireside Chats bring community, regulation, and relief when the world needs it most.We land in a full-circle moment, teaching mindfulness and parenting at the Family Sleep Institute while running a one‑on‑one and couples practice focused on nervous system care, codependency recovery, and subconscious rewiring. If your body is shouting no while your mind keeps saying yes, consider this your invitation: practice the tools, borrow calm until you build your own, and watch the story of your life reorganize around safety and choice. If it resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who needs hope today, and leave a review to help more people find their way back to calm.You can reach us here:Katie:Website: KatieKovaleski.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/coach_katiek/Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiekovaleski/Wavier & Release of Liability and Disclaimer: The information provided by the therapist(s) is not intended, nor is implied to be a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. The listener is advised to always seek the advice of their health care practitioner or other qualified health care provider with questions regarding medical conditions, or the mental health and welfare of the listener. I (listener) accept that Kathryn Kovaleski is not liable for any injury, or damages, to person or property, resulting from listening to this podcast.

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• From Detroit Roots to Private School: My Real Money Story

  Send us a text*This is an unedited episode I recorded with my Dad <3*A mentor/colleague's offhand comment—“you must have a trust fund”—opens a raw, revealing conversation about money myths, private school optics, and what wealth actually feels like from the inside. We trace the route from exposure to wealthy circles to the lasting sense of being “other,” and how that friction shaped a career, a value system, and a stubborn commitment to fairness over flash.We dig into the practices that build real security: paying off a mortgage early, cutting up credit cards, resisting lifestyle creep, and treating debt aversion as resilience rather than fear. Then we put numbers in their proper place. Is wealth a net worth target or a lived experience of time freedom, repair money, and steady breathing when the unexpected happens? We bring three lenses—financial, lifestyle, and emotional—and test them against messy reality, including why almost no one with means admits they’re rich.The story isn’t just about money; it’s about identity and ethics. We talk impostor feelings, undercharging to avoid scrutiny, and the late epiphanies that come from seeing peers up close and realizing you belong at the table. We examine leadership styles—the axe swingers who break things versus the builders who align people first—and how pace and consent turn change into progress. We also interrogate generational wealth: why many fortunes fade, how structure and stewardship matter, and why character beats optics when choices get hard, whether that’s skipping an unnecessary loan or telling a 14-year-old the limo can wait.If you’ve ever felt mislabeled by your background, hesitant to charge your worth, or unsure where prudence ends and fear begins, this conversation offers tools and language to reset your money story. Listen, reflect, and share your take: what’s your working definition of “enough”? If this resonates, subscribe, leave a review, and pass it to someone rewriting their own narrative.You can reach us here:Katie:Website: KatieKovaleski.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/coach_katiek/Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiekovaleski/Wavier & Release of Liability and Disclaimer: The information provided by the therapist(s) is not intended, nor is implied to be a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. The listener is advised to always seek the advice of their health care practitioner or other qualified health care provider with questions regarding medical conditions, or the mental health and welfare of the listener. I (listener) accept that Kathryn Kovaleski is not liable for any injury, or damages, to person or property, resulting from listening to this podcast.

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• Choose Yourself: The Entrepreneur’s Quiet Rebellion

  Send us a textWhat if the most important career decision you ever make is refusing to play by rules that don’t help people? I share the unvarnished path from a shaky start in college to a high-achieving grad career, then straight into the harsh reality of public mental health—where stabilization trumped healing and paperwork stood in for progress. Leaving that system a few hundred hours short of licensure felt reckless, but it opened the door to a different kind of impact: entrepreneurship with a mission.A mentor’s blunt truth steered me away from corporate consulting and into pediatric sleep coaching, a nascent niche that blended science, psychology, and coaching. I went all in—certification, hundreds of families, and the unsexy backbone of business growth: a hand-coded website, SEO, and 323 research-driven blog posts. The work was intense and deeply human, meeting parents at the edge of exhaustion and guiding them toward steadier routines and calmer minds. And then a single blog post changed everything.After writing about a baby named Owen who died due to unsafe daycare practices, I connected with his mother and helped mobilize consultants to push for change. Missouri passed safe sleep legislation the following year. That moment reframed my purpose: yes, sleep matters—but safety, advocacy, and parental regulation matter just as much. Today, I teach as faculty with the Family Sleep Institute and direct safe sleep education, turning updated AAP guidance into practical training for consultants and practical protection for families.This episode is for anyone who wants to build something real without a safety net. We talk mentorship that tells you the truth, niche selection that actually differentiates you, marketing that compounds over time, and why your nervous system is your most important business tool. If this story resonates, subscribe, share it with someone who’s on the edge of a pivot, and leave a review to help others find it. What rule are you ready to stop following?You can reach us here:Katie:Website: KatieKovaleski.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/coach_katiek/Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiekovaleski/Wavier & Release of Liability and Disclaimer: The information provided by the therapist(s) is not intended, nor is implied to be a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. The listener is advised to always seek the advice of their health care practitioner or other qualified health care provider with questions regarding medical conditions, or the mental health and welfare of the listener. I (listener) accept that Kathryn Kovaleski is not liable for any injury, or damages, to person or property, resulting from listening to this podcast.

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• From Mold And Migraines To Marriage: A Year Of Healing, Home Makeovers, And Hard Truths

  Send us a textThe year I vanished didn’t disappear me—it rebuilt me. What started as “I’ll tough it out” turned into a full-body audit: why my knee kept swelling, why my cycles stole weeks of my life, and why I was sick four times after moving into a new house. The answers weren’t motivational quotes; they were mechanical facts. A misaligned patella had ground down cartilage for years. My iron tanked under constant blood loss. Our HVAC and guest bath hid mold that kept my immune system stuck. Once I stopped normalizing pain, I could change the structure around it.We tell the whole story, from repainting a bachelor pad into a supportive, organized home to scheduling a hysterectomy that finally promises relief. I share the MRI that made everything click, the small win of beef organ capsules when iron wouldn’t budge, and the jaw work that gave me my first relaxed shoulders in memory. There’s romance in here too—the almost-proposal over insurance, my candlelit “Will you marry me on Sunday?” and his kitchen re-proposal with a diamond once the chaos settled. It’s messy and funny and deeply human, the way midlife tends to be when you stop apologizing for needing care.If you’re navigating chronic pain, hormone storms, home health, or the myth that “it’s all in your head,” this conversation offers practical hope: peptides and HRT as tools, mobility training to unwind compensation, mold remediation that actually matters, and the courage to seek surgery when it restores quality of life. I’m also bringing two co-hosts aboard—my husband, who beat 20-year migraines with peptides, and my best friend—so we can keep unpacking healing, relationships, and the science behind feeling good. Subscribe, share this with someone who’s been told to “just keep an eye on it,” and leave a review with the one change your body is asking for right now.You can reach us here:Katie:Website: KatieKovaleski.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/coach_katiek/Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiekovaleski/Wavier & Release of Liability and Disclaimer: The information provided by the therapist(s) is not intended, nor is implied to be a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. The listener is advised to always seek the advice of their health care practitioner or other qualified health care provider with questions regarding medical conditions, or the mental health and welfare of the listener. I (listener) accept that Kathryn Kovaleski is not liable for any injury, or damages, to person or property, resulting from listening to this podcast.

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• Your Body Knows When a Relationship Is Over Before Your Mind Does

  Send us a textHave you ever felt your body tense up the moment your partner walks into a room? That unconscious physical reaction might be telling you something crucial about your relationship's health. I'm diving deep into the challenging question so many couples face but rarely discuss openly: "Has too much happened for me to stay in this relationship?"The truth is uncomfortable but important - yes, relationships can reach a point of no return. For many couples, certain patterns become so deeply ingrained that their bodies enter a stress response at the mere presence of their partner. This physiological reaction isn't just uncomfortable; it literally shuts down the parts of your brain needed for healthy communication. When your nervous system perceives your partner as a threat, productive conversation becomes neurologically impossible.What's fascinating is how many couples are trying to solve complex relationship issues without having mastered the fundamentals. As I explain in this episode, it's like attempting to sprint when you haven't even learned to crawl. The foundation of relationship repair requires two essential skills: recognizing when you're dysregulated and knowing how to practice active listening. Without these basics firmly established, couples find themselves trapped in damaging cycles that eventually create what I call a "zone of chaos" - where the accumulated damage becomes irreparable.This episode provides a clear framework for understanding whether your relationship challenges are temporary hurdles or signs of fundamental incompatibility. If you're struggling in your relationship or know someone who is, this conversation offers both validation and practical guidance for moving forward. Listen now to understand the science behind relationship breakdown and discover if repair is still possible for you.You can reach us here:Katie:Website: KatieKovaleski.comInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/coach_katiek/Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiekovaleski/Wavier & Release of Liability and Disclaimer: The information provided by the therapist(s) is not intended, nor is implied to be a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice. The listener is advised to always seek the advice of their health care practitioner or other qualified health care provider with questions regarding medical conditions, or the mental health and welfare of the listener. I (listener) accept that Kathryn Kovaleski is not liable for any injury, or damages, to person or property, resulting from listening to this podcast.

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