155: Empty Nest Success Means Re-Evaluation, But There’s a Catch
Hello, my amazing friend.
I'm wrapping up 2021 with an announcement or two. I'll be busy with the C.E.O. Training Team to Empty Nest Success membership, curating content from these 155 episodes, creating videos for TikTok, and other things over the next six months. I will be back after June with a podcast series or two.
All the details are in this episode. Thank you for listening. I appreciate you!!

Coach Christine,
Your Empty Nest Coach



"So, my question to you now is why in the world do we spend so much energy protecting our physical world, while the majority of us - we don’t spend more than ten-seconds learning how to care for and protect our thoughts? Ugh. It pains me. it pains me!"
Take a listen or read the full transcript at the bottom of this post.
⇓⇓⇓ More goodies below, too! Scroll down ⇓, so you don't miss anything! ⇓⇓⇓
Listen to @emptynestcoach 's podcast episode: Empty Nest Success Means Re-Evaluation, But There’s a Catch
#emptynest #life #emptynestsuccess #newepisode #re-evaluation
This Episode is Brought To You By
Episode Topics & Their Minute Markers
- 00:47 Podcast intro
- 01:43 My wish for you today
- 02:11 New things (Podcast & Community Updates)
- 07:48 My Lessons Learned: Empty Nest Re-evaluations
- 14:06 Christine, Where are You?
- 15:30 Celebrating You and Your Wins
- 16:18 Two Questions for You
- 17:39 Bloopers
- 18:09 Still Listening?
Send audio feedback to Coach Christine now: voicemail/text to 920-LIFEWIN (920-543-3946).
Questions for You:
- What do you need to re-evaluate in your life?
- Will you be joining us in the C.E.O. Training Team?
First Time Here? Try This Order of Episodes
- The Your Empty Nest Coach Podcast Trailer
- Series 1: Empty Nest Prep - starts at episode #3
- Series 2: The C.E.O. of Your Life - starts at episode #64 (Protector is introduced)
- Series 3: The C.E.O. Toolbox - starts at episode #88
Episode Resources
- Last Episode: How To Disentangle Through Divorce In The Empty Nest (#154)
- Future-You
- Simmering
- Wellness While Walking hosted by Carolyn Cohen
- Listeners to Leads hosted by Alesia Galati
- Coach Christine Guest Appearances
- Celebrating You and Your Wins: TikTok
- Community
- What It is Like to Work With Coach Christine
* affiliate link to SupaPass - which powers our community! Should you purchase using the link, I make a commission.



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The Your Empty Nest Coach Podcast, Episode 155
FULL TRANSCRIPT
00:00:00
Christine: Hi, I’m Coach Christine. This is my podcast, it’s the Your Empty Nest Coach Podcast, and we’re on episode #155. Tap 30 seconds ahead if this isn't your first time listening and want to skip this introduction portion. I focus on mothers who are freaking out about the empty nest ahead - we'll take you from freaking out to feeling freaking awesome. No worries, though, all are welcome here, as I’m all about coaching you to become the C.E.O. of Your Life and in my world, C.E.O. stands for Conscious Effective Olympian. You’ll do this by leveling-up
[level-up music]
your life in small increments - those small wins add up to big changes.
I appreciate that you pressed play on this episode today. Here we go…
[up beat music]
00:00:47
This podcast is my gift to you: a parent adjusting to the idea of an empty nest, or possibly a student who’s wondering how your parents are feeling about you heading out on your own. These podcast episodes will have a base of life coaching infused with reminders to cheer yourself on, and maybe with a dash of may alter-ego, Sally, the hotline video operator popping in from time to time. I’m here to remind you that you should be your own biggest fan.
00:01:17
[computer game level up music (short)]
This episode has been months in the making through a tiny seed that was planted in my mind way back in May or June... it arrived as a thought-delivery for me almost out of thin air. Should I wrap up the podcast? OOOO, that was a tough thought-delivery. I'll say a bit more, shortly, but if you want to jump around in this episode, look for the time markers in the show notes.
00:01:43
[computer game level up music (short)]
My Wish for You Today
My wish for you today is that you notice a thought-delivery - a thought that was placed in your mind. A thought that hasn’t been serving you. May you notice that thought, lovingly look at it and let it go. It isn’t your thought to keep, after all, and you, my friend, deserve better.
00:02:11
[computer game level up music (short)]
New Things. New Things. New Things!
My first new thing is that I'm going to put a fairly long pause on this podcast. I marked my calendar and will not release a new episode for at least six months. And, yes, I had to mark it on my calendar because I do tend to get excited and forget that I promised myself that I’d give myself time to process things. [giggle] and when I do return to podcasting, it will look a little bit different, too: I will be creating a focused series of episodes on topics and will release them when the content is ready.
My second new thing is that with the podcasting pause - thanks Lee Uehara for that term - I’ll be able to focus on the empty nest success membership, which I’ve renamed and changed a bit to something more fitting of what it really is. It is now called the The C.E.O. Training Team. C.E.O., of course, stands for Conscious Effective Olympian around here and my dirty little secret is that while I’m lucky enough to teach to empty nest mamas, it serves them in every area of their life- not just the empty nest - helping them to become the Conscious Effective Olympians of their life. It isn’t really about the empty nest but it certainly starts there for these amazing women. I love this work and the new name is a continual reminder, to me, how important my work is.
Can I be real with you for a moment, too? I know I’ve been using the term flock for quite some time. It felt like it fit with the whole empty nest concept but it did feel a bit gimmicky (and “off”) to me - I didn’t have a better solution though. With much contemplation I realized that what this membership community that I’m creating has more in common with is a team - let’s take a gymnastics team for example - or any team where you compete individually - that’s you, my friend - the individual - it’s your life, your work, your happenings in life that aren’t exactly the same as everyone else’s and ultimately you are the one that needs to put in the work to excel in your moments, in your life BUT you also have the support of a team - where everyone around you, while they may not have the same exact situation or circumstances, they “get it”, they get missing their kid, they “get” losing their identity, they “get” that taking care of yourself takes effort and you are supported in this team environment. Then there is the coach - yeah, that would be me. I’m there to provide you with training sessions, guidance, and encouragement. Ultimately, the work is yours. I know that, you know that, but it helps sometimes to have a coach to check-in with, who has been where you are - maybe not exactly the same way but enough to know how they’d look at the problem should they be presented with it today. As your coach, I’m there to spot you as you learn and tell you when you are ready to move to the next level.
00:05:28
So with that analogy...
I now think of this podcast as the open gym session. You can drop in, take a listen, try some of the equipment or tools that I mention and see if you like what I have to say, if you can stand how I say it, try some of the tools I mention and decide if you want to do more in this space.
If the answer is yes, in a gym, you’d sign up for a casual class - maybe a weekly recreational one. Our equivalent would be you choosing to register for the membership site where you’ll get access to some additional resources for free.
And then, if you like what you see in the space but find you are struggling without a team around you; if you are looking for a bit more guidance, accountability, and personal encouragement - then it’s time to join a C.E.O. Training Team.
I have a limit on the size of the roster and recruitment only opens periodically.
Once on a team, you’ll have weekly training sessions on Mondays, which we call Power Hours. In this space, we’ll run through some tools, resources and activities as a group - we’ll celebrate our wins together and share things that we found funny. You’ll have access to a monthly group coaching session as well. And resources... oh, well, of course, you have now have full access to the gym to level-up your skills whenever works for you. You’ll have access to workshops, affirmations, content that I will be creating, and more.
The team will always be reminded that we are in a safe space where we support one another. And of course, I’m always available for private coaching, as well.
All that was my second new thing!
And my final new thing, that is worth mentioning, is that I will be curating content. With over 150 episodes, I have a tremendous amount of content that is always available, and I keep having great plans to curate it in a useful way for you, but haven’t had the time to do it because there is always another episode to create. Well, with this pause, the C.E.O. Training team will reap the rewards because I’ll be curating content each week for the team. They’ll be able to request topics too. I’m super excited to have the time to do this, as what good is great content if it’s really hard to find it?
00:07:48
[computer game level up music (short)]
My Lessons Learned
Empty Nest Success Means Re-Evaluation But There’s a Catch
Why are you doing the things you do?
Is it because it is what you said you’d do? Is it because you’ve always done it that way? Is it because you are comfortable? Is it because you have a routine? Is it because —— maybe you don’t even know.
The empty nest brings huge change into our lives. Some expected. Some unexpected. Strong emotions when you least expect them. Freedom - freedom that may be welcome or unwelcome. Of course, I could go on for days about the changes. There are times we hold onto people, routines, traditions, keepsakes, furniture, plans because they were brought into our lives in a singular moment.
In case you need to hear this, something ( or someone) amazing doesn’t need to stay in your life forever for it to have been good for your life. Maybe you learned what you needed to learn. Maybe you grew the amount you needed to grow. Maybe you grew and someone else didn’t. Maybe you’ve changed and that thing you said yes to three years ago, doesn’t serve you any longer.
The empty nest is a fantastic opportunity to declutter our lives. Yes, it can be scary. But it also could be freaking amazing. You won’t know until you start to look at it all. And you won’t know what to re-evaluate and declutter until you’ve done some cleaning up. And, if you’ve listened to me for more than one episode, you are going to know that I always start with ... our thoughts. Yes, our thoughts are powerful. Our thoughts can change our lives. 100% I couldn’t believe anything more. Are they the answer to everything? No they are not, but I haven’t seen successful change happen in someone’s life without them first decluttering their thoughts around the thing. You, yourself, may not even realize how much power you’re handing over to others in your life - in this very moment.
You’ve probably heard me say this before, but I like to say that our thoughts are thought-deliveries - and our mind is like a house. Would you EVER leave your house - where you live physically - real-life - unlocked with the door open and the lights on allowing ANYONE to enter without giving it a second thought? Would you allow someone to drop off a box in your unlocked home, and never look inside to see what is there - I mean - it could be a million dollars - but it could also be a bomb. Think about this - imagine, you head off to work (outside of your home), you leave your windows and doors open, the lights are on, allow anyone to come in with no rhyme or reason - “welcome!” and you have no cameras to monitor - things just happen in your home while you aren’t there. How does that feel?
So, my question to you now, is why in the world do we spend so much energy protecting our physical world, while the majority of us - we don’t spend more than ten-seconds learning how to care for and protect our thoughts? ugh. It pains me. it pains me!
Let me say it again, thoughts are only the beginning. But we have to start somewhere. And thought-deliveries - noticing them, questioning them, being curious about them, are a really good place to start. It’s difficult to understand becoming the C.E.O. of your life when you can’t see past the darkness cluttering your mind of thought-deliveries that you haven’t cleaned out for your ENTIRE LIFE.
Oh, my friend, I began this work over three years ago for myself and if you’ve listened to this podcast, you’ve heard me along the journey. When I started, I thought thought-deliveries and what those does to us was enough. I discovered, it really is so much more, but until you get that concept, none of the rest will make sense. None of it will be illuminated until you can declutter. And then, and only then, with a decluttered mind, will you have the freedom of more time, more energy, making everything in your life easier to re-evaluate.
And if you had told me three and a half years ago that my 2021 would consist of a move, a marriage separation and pending divorce, speaking at an event, and looking at pausing my podcast, all in the midst of a pandemic that had been going on for multiple years, I wouldn’t even know how to respond. But guess what? Right here, now, in the moment, I’m pretty peaceful about it all - it feels amazing to have that level of control over my life - even when things I can’t control come barreling in full force. What I get to do is control how I respond. I get to control my thoughts about it. I was able to look at that thought-delivery that arrived months and months ago: yeah that one, “Should I wrap up the podcast?” I was able to consider it lovingly, let it simmer, and frame it in different lights and ultimately find the answer within myself that works for me, right now.
I hope, my friend, that you discover this for yourself. It’s amazing. It isn’t a perfect life - whose is? - and it takes continual work but it is life-changing and since our lives aren’t over, and we have years on this earth (hopefully - fingers-crossed) to spend here, why not make the most of it and really get to know your amazing self? Future-you is waiting.
00:14:06
[quirky music under segment]
Christine? Christine? Christine, where are you?
Alright, well, you’ll find me in the C.E.O. Training Team, the Empty Nest Success community, in new videos on TikTok, for sure, and taking a lot of local walks. That should all keep me busy through the first quarter of 2022, along with my day job and there’s a slight chance I might have another move in store for me in 2022, so I’m buffering a little extra time in there in case I need to pull that off.
In the podcasting world, I will be a guest on some upcoming podcast episodes. Two that I have already been recorded are Wellness While Walking hosted by Carolyn Cohen where I shared a bit about how much walking has helped me over the last year...and in the spring, you’ll find me on an episode of Listeners to Leads hosted by Alesia Galati where we talked about the fun I have on TikTok. I had a great time speaking with both of these amazing women, and you can always find all of the episodes I’ve guested on, on my website - scroll all the way down to Coach Christine appearances to see them all on the audio page.
And while I won’t be releasing my own episodes for the next six months, I am very happy to be a guest on your show. If you’ve been waiting to ask me, now’s the time.
00:15:30
[computer game level up music (short)]
Celebrating you and your wins
This is an amazing way to to wrap up celebrating your wins. Let me tell you why. I did not release my usual video on Instagram and TikTok asking for people to celebrate their wins. So, I haven’t done that in quite some time, but I did release other videos and in one of them - right in my TikTok comments someone left the microphone emoji and their win! I love this so much. So my listener, I invite you to celebrate with Layla.and.Dabo who got into three colleges this week and still are waiting to hear back from their dream school. I hope you hear back soon and it is a “Yes!” All of us here are cheering you on Layla.andDabo! Thank you for sharing. You’re amazing.
00:16:18
Two Questions for You
Question 1: What do you need to re-evaluate in your life?
and Question 2: Will you be joining us in the C.E.O. Training Team?
[I’d] love to have you there.
As always, I provide content to make you think, my empty nest friend.
My HOPE is that I’m able to provide you with thoughts that positively impact your life.
If you enjoy this episode please don’t forget to share it with others, it’s the best way to allow it to reach a wider audience. And, even, if I’m not releasing content right now, I have 150 episodes for someone to binge.
As always, you'll find a ton of information, resources and more on my website: YourEmptyNestCoach.com. A special thanks to SupaPass, my current employer and what powers our Empty Nest Success community. You can join today to gain free resources.
As for me and this podcast, I’ll be back in mid to late 2022 with a series of topics that rise organically from our C.E.O. Training Team sessions.
Now, at the end of the year, I’m happy I can say I’ve enjoyed the journey in 2021 - the ups and the downs. I was able to level-up my life as I was stretched in ways I never would have expected. You can do this too - if you haven’t already - I believe in you. And don’t you dare forget that YOU ARE AMAZING!
Chat next time!
[end music]
[00:17:39]
[bloopers]
00:18:09
Are you still listening?
Take a deep breath in, my friend. Let the air out. Take another deep breath in and as you do, imagine good thought-deliveries entering your soul. Let that breath out and let go of thoughts that aren’t serving you. Let’s do it again.... deep breath in (good thought deliveries) and out (let those go - they’re not yours). Repeat this as necessary.
[end music]
[end]