What if the discomfort you’re feeling isn’t a midlife crisis, but a chrysalis—an invitation to become who you were always meant to be?

In this episode, airing just after her 46th birthday, Meghan Telpner explores how midlife isn’t about decline, but about designing your next chapter from the heart rather than from obligation or fear.

Learn why your body’s whispers are getting louder, how to distinguish between what’s truly yours and what you’ve been performing, and why the chrysalis stage requires dissolving old versions of yourself to make room for what wants to emerge. If you’re ready to stop living from the outside in and start designing from your deepest knowing, this episode offers both permission and a path forward.

Essential listening for anyone in their 40s and 50s who’s ready to pivot from who they think they should be to who they actually are.

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Covered In This Episode

• Why the so-called “midlife crisis” is really a midlife chrysalis—a sacred stage of transformation, not collapse

• The signs your body is done being polite about misalignment—and how physical symptoms can signal spiritual truth

• Why so many women in their 40s and 50s are no longer seeking youth, but authenticity, alignment, and depth

• The powerful metaphor of the chrysalis stage, where every cell transforms—mirroring our inner evolution in midlife

• How to recognize when your body is whispering (or shouting) that something in your life needs to change

• The difference between aging and awakening—and why this season of life can be your most vital yet

• The connection between chronic illness, burnout, and living out of alignment with your true self

• How to rebuild trust in your body’s ancient intelligence—your original “AI”—as a guide to every pivot

• A simple, daily chrysalis practice to design your next chapter from the heart, not your to-do list

• Meghan’s reflective “Questions of the Chrysalis” to help you release old patterns and step into who you’re becoming

• Why growth in midlife requires learning to dissolve, not just add on—and how to stay present through the messy middle

• How to make “body-first” decisions that bring more vitality, joy, and freedom to your next chapter

• A reminder that this isn’t a crisis—it’s a conscious transformation, a return to wholeness, and your most authentic becoming yet

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to the Courageous Pivot Podcast
00:27 Personal Reflections and the Concept of Chrysalis
01:25 Challenging the Midlife Crisis Myth
03:26 Understanding the Midlife Chrysalis
07:05 Body Wisdom and Physical Symptoms
10:42 The Connection Between Physical Illness and Spiritual Misalignment
14:43 Reclaiming Connection and Designing Your Next Chapter
20:48 The Chrysalis Practice and Final Thoughts

Special Offers

• Free Heart Coherence Masterclass – A complimentary session with Meghan Telpner exploring how to create alignment between your heart and mind, access inner calm, and live from your most authentic self.

• Click here to get 30% off Rise & Shine: A Guided Approach To Heart-led Living and Leadership. (Click here if you reside in Canada)

Links + Resources

• Episode 018 – The Silent Grief of Growth: Letting Go of the Life You Built – A companion episode exploring the emotional process of releasing old identities and making peace with transformation.

• Episode 019 – The Fear of Being Seen – Connects to this week’s theme of visibility, authenticity, and letting go of external expectations.

• Bessel van der Kolk – Psychiatrist and author of The Body Keeps the Score; his research explores how trauma and unprocessed emotions are stored in the body and how reconnection supports healing.

• Tom Knowles – Vedic meditation teacher and philosopher; known for his teachings on consciousness and the mind-body connection, including the idea that “today’s body is a printout of yesterday’s mind.”

This Week’s Exercise: The Midlife Chrysalis Practice

Purpose:

To help you reconnect with your body’s wisdom, design your next chapter from the heart, and learn to trust the subtle guidance that leads you toward deeper alignment and authenticity.

Step 1: Ground Yourself in Stillness

• In the morning, before doing anything else—before your phone, your email, or your to-do list—place your hand on your heart.

• Take three slow, intentional breaths.

• With each exhale, release a little more tension. Let your awareness drop from your head into your body.

Step 2: Ask the Chrysalis Question

Gently ask yourself:

“What do I need today to feel most alive?”

• Listen closely. Don’t analyze—sense.

• Your body’s answer might be movement, rest, creativity, quiet, nourishment, or connection.

Step 3: Choose One Need to Honor

• Whatever rises first, trust it.

• Choose one small, doable action that honors what your body asks for today.

• This is your micro-pivot—a single shift toward greater alignment.

Step 4: Reflect with the Questions of the Chrysalis

Pick one or more of these reflective prompts and journal freely:

• What if I stopped trying to be who I think I should be and started becoming who I actually am?

• What if this season of my life isn’t about declining, but about refining?

• What if my body’s symptoms aren’t signs of breaking down, but signs of breaking through?

• What if I trusted my own experience as much as I trust external experts?

• What if I designed my days around what brings me alive rather than what’s expected of me?

• What if the discomfort I’m feeling isn’t something to fix, but something to listen to?

Step 5: Notice Expansion vs. Contraction

• Throughout the week, observe your choices.

• Does this thought, action, or commitment make your body feel open, light, and expansive, or tight, heavy, and constricted?

• Expansion is your body’s quiet “yes.” Contraction signals that something may be out of alignment.

Step 6: Reflect on the Process

At week’s end, ask yourself:

• What shifted when I listened to my body first?

• What surprised me about what it asked for?

• Where did I feel more freedom, ease, or peace?

• What does my heart want me to keep doing—and what might I be ready to release?

A Perfect Pairing With This Episode: Rise & Shine: A Guided Approach to Heart-Led Living and Leadership

If you’ve been feeling the nudge to lead your life from a more heart-led place—but aren’t quite sure where to start—Rise and Shine was made with you in mind. I created this course as a companion to the Courageous Pivot journey, to offer a gentle and practical way to reconnect with your inner knowing.

It’s not about fixing anything—it’s about remembering what you already know, building trust in your own inner guidance, and learning how to recognize and respond to that quiet wisdom that lives in all of us. With simple tools, reflective practices, and heart-centered meditations (including 5-, 10-, and 15-minute options), Rise and Shine is here to help you move through your days with greater clarity, intention, and yes—joy.

You can dive in at your own pace—with audio options for listening while folding laundry, walking in the park, or baking a fresh batch of cookies. The course is designed to be as practical as it is profound, bridging the gap between self-awareness and inspired action.

Click here to get 30% off and start straight away (click here if you reside in Canada)