Ep #198: Why I Am Choosing to Pause and Listen Within

I am taking a pause from the podcast for the remainder of 2026, with the intention of returning refreshed in the new year. But this pause is about more than stepping away. It is also an invitation for you to get curious about where you might need more space in your own life.

Midlife gives us an opportunity to reevaluate our commitments, step out of autopilot, and listen more closely to what our bodies and souls are asking of us. Choosing to pause, reroute, or say no to something is not a failure. It can be an important act of self-trust, authenticity, and intentional living.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why I am choosing to take a podcast hiatus

• How to recognize where you may be living on autopilot

• Why reevaluating commitments can create needed spaciousness

• How listening to your body and soul supports self-trust

• Why pausing can be an empowered choice in midlife

During this break, I hope you'll explore the archives and continue listening inward. And remember, you are not alone. If you need support, reach out at hello@mikkigardner.com or DM me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mikkigardner/. I'm always here.

Listen to the Full Episode:

Download the Episode Transcript Here

Full Episode Transcript:

Hi. This is a very quick episode to just let you know that Led from within is taking a little bit of a hiatus. You can listen to episode 197 to hear the reasons behind why that I'm taking this break from the podcast. But I just wanted you to hear it from me here, that I am going to take a little bit of a break, and I anticipate that that break will be over and I will start fresh in the new year. And so for the remainder of 2026, I anticipate. We never know what tomorrow may bring, but I anticipate a pause.

And so during this pause, I really want to invite you to also get curious. Is there something that you need to say no to? Is there something that you need to say yes to? Are there commitments that need to be reevaluated? Are there areas that you've been living on autopilot that you're ready to hit, hit the pause button and reroute.

Every day is an opportunity to do this. Every day is an opportunity to get curious around what is my body and my soul requiring of me today, and then to create the spaciousness to be able to listen, to hear, and to respond to that. This isn't a failure. This is actually how we move through midlife, with more capacity, with more embodiment, with more authenticity, and we show up for ourselves and others in the most loving, respectful, empowered way.

So until the break is over, I'm always available. You can DM me over on Instagram, Mikki Gardner. You can send me an email, hello, Mikki Gardner.com or go back in the archives and take a listen.

But I just want you to know that you are not alone. You are not alone on this journey. And if there's anything I can do, all you need to do is reach out. Sending you so much love and many blessings until the break is over. I'll see you then.

Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. I hope that it spoke to you and you found something useful to take away from it. If you did, I would be so grateful if you would take 2 seconds to subscribe to the show, which will help you because you won't miss another episode. And it would help me because you would never miss another episode. And if you are in the giving spirit and would take 30 seconds to rate and review this episode, it would do wonders for the show and for me. Thanks so much for being here and I can't wait to talk to you again.