Empty Nest Syndrome: Why You Feel Lost, Not Depressed

Your child just left home and now empty nest syndrome has you feeling lost, restless, and more anxious than you expected. Jay Ramsden, the Empty Nest Coach, explains why that emptiness is often not depression at all, and hands you the tools to reclaim your identity, passion, and purpose.

This episode is for the parent facing a quiet house, the retiree wondering who they are without a title, and anyone caught in the anxious space between one chapter of life and the next. If you're struggling with who will I be after leaving the military or law enforcement, or maybe your parents are struggling with an empty nest, this episode is for you.

Couples are roughly 40% more likely to divorce in the years after their children leave home, according to the Journal of Marriage and Family. A phenomenon known as gray divorce. Gray divorce is the demographic trend of couples aged 50 and older ending long-term marriages. Rates have doubled since 1990, driven by longer lifespans, shifting social norms, and a greater focus on personal happiness in later life, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Here's what Jay sees in the people he coaches: unallocated energy and focus, a nervous system still revving high with no target on the radar, a high-velocity engine just idling in the driveway. And we know what happens to an engine that idles too long. It runs out of gas, runs out of oil, and burns up.

Jay is a Certified Personal and Executive Coach and founder of This Empty Nest Life, ranked among Feedspot's Top 25 Empty Nester Influencers. His story is anything but ordinary: he lost his home to fire, overcame alcohol addiction, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and walked the Camino de Santiago as an empty nester.

Listen in to hear the move from Sage on the Stage to Guide on the Side, why going back to work can be purpose or escape, and the one honest first step you can take this week. Tune in to find out what Jay learned at 19,000 feet and on the trail.

Chapters:

• 02:52The Energy Crash
• 06:42Three Stages
• 09:32The ME Era
• 11:02Guide on the Side
• 12:38Back to Work
• 13:42Marriage After Nest
• 22:19Kilimanjaro & JOMO
• 27:09Your First Step

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Transcript

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Empty Nesting Is Unallocated Energy

SPEAKER_01 0:00

I think they misdiagnose it as depression because they see it as well, the family unit has changed. And I just see it as it is unallocated energy and focus. So, as you know, veterans and first responders, they understand this better than anybody else. When you go from like a high stakes 24-7 operational readiness to zero, your nervous system doesn't know how to idle. It's still revv high. But when when you have no place to channel that energy, then your body gets pumped with cortisol and adrenaline, and there's no target on the people say, well, it's sadness or depression. No, it's not this high velocity engine. It's just idling away in the driveway. And we know what happens there. If you leave a car just idling, eventually it's gonna run out of gas and it's gonna run out of oil and it's gonna burn up. And I think that's what happens for parents, much like veterans and first responders. They have no place to put it. They're focused.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

Hi friends, welcome to the New Normal Big Life Podcast. We bring you natural and integrative health information and stories about nature that we hope will inspire you to get outside an adventure, along with a step-by-step plan to help you practice what you've learned to create your own new normal and live the biggest life you can dream. I'm your host, Antoinette Berafato, the wellness warrior. Let's get into today's topic. Welcome to New Normal Big Life, Jay Ramson. Why don't you tell us who you are, what you do, and the one big idea you want to leave us with today.

SPEAKER_01 1:21

Hi, Antoinette. I am Jay Ramson. I'm a personal and executive coach who's known as the Emptiness Coach on TikTok and Instagram. And I have the honor of helping parents build and live incredible second acts once the kids launch and leave home. And if there's one thing I want people to remember, it's this is that people see empty nesting as just one moment in time, a transition point when the kids go to college or when they get their first apartment. But it's not just a point in time. It's literally a journey filled with highs and lows. And I get to help people understand that it's their time to shine. Once active parenting 24-7 and for 20-some years goes away. So I'm looking forward to our conversation today.

SPEAKER_00 2:06

I'm so glad for this conversation because, you know, there's a lot of people in my sphere who are retiring, and there's a lot of anxiety

High Achievers And The Identity Shift

SPEAKER_00 2:16

out there. So you spent three decades inside America's top K through 12 schools watching high-achieving parents pour their entire soul and identity into launching their children into the world. Walk us through what you observed happening in these parents the moment that primary role went away.

SPEAKER_01 2:36

Yeah, I think it's an energy thing. So we the parents in the schools that I worked in, high-achieving parents, high-achieving families, they they can close deals and they can sell things and they can manage multi-million dollar budgets and they pour all of their time and energy into their kids. And I often say it's like, oh, they're trying to create the path for the kids instead of preparing the chids for the path. But when they spend all that much time focusing and helping and guiding and the school calendar and sports logistics and the family needs, when that stops and the house goes quiet, they suffer from a very massive identity shift. They lose track of who they are in that moment because all of their time and energy was focused on the kids. That's what I've seen, and that's what I'm trying to help people understand.

SPEAKER_00 3:26

Our audience has a lot of veterans and first responders. And when you talked about that loss of identity, it just really hit home, myself included. And, you know, my audience is very attuned to the fact that nervous system dysregulation shows up in a lot of different ways, not necessarily sadness. It can look like anxiety, insomnia, restlessness that nothing can fix. What's happening inside the body when a deeply held identity disappears overnight?

SPEAKER_01 3:59

Yeah, sure. For for the people I work with, it's I think they misdiagnose it as depression because they see it as, well, the family unit has changed. And I just see it as it is unallocated energy and focus. So as you know, veterans and first responders, they understand this better than anybody else. When you go from like a high-stakes 24-7 operational readiness to zero, your nervous system doesn't know how to idle, right? It's still reving high. But when you have no place to channel that energy, then your body is it gets pumped with cortisol and adrenaline and it's got no place to put it. And so there's absolutely no target on the radar. And so that friction, you know, people say, well, it's sadness or depression. No, but it's just this high velocity engine. It's just idling away in the driveway. And we know what happens there. It, you know, if you leave a car just idling out and eventually it's going to run out of gas and it's going to run out of oil and it's going to burn up. And I think that's what happens for parents, much like veterans and first responders. They have no place to put anything, like their focus.

Help Adult Kids Without Rescuing

SPEAKER_00 5:05

And how can a parent recognize in themselves that they're struggling? I I know some people have that initial breakdown at the airport or at the college or dropping their kid off at their first apartment. But beyond that, how can someone recognize that they may be struggling after that role has gone away?

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Yeah, I think it's it's almost like it's like an attention identity. It's like where do you put your attention and your focus? And if you are finding that you're you're focusing all of your attention, we'll call it an attention audit, if you will, if you're focusing all of your attention on your kids still, that is kind of a, we'll call it a yellow flag, not a red flag, right? As parents kind of hard to pivot out of a yellow flag to say, oh, is that really needed right now? Or can I just give them some space? Can I give them some leeway to figure things out? That I think is probably the very first indicator. It's like, where's my time and attention going once the kids have launched?

SPEAKER_00 6:04

And then you have parents who are on the other end of the spectrum. They have all of these plans for retirement and for their emptiness years. And the children or one or more children need them like a lot. You know, the constant phone calls, the constant, where are you? I needed you, you weren't around, why didn't you answer me? Meanwhile, you know, parents are trying to live their best lives, right? What can a parent do to help a child who's an adult? But they feel like they don't have the confidence to make those life choices without talking with their parents or without dumping their problem on their parent to solve the way they did when they were a teenager.

SPEAKER_01 6:46

Yeah, I think that's a great point, Antoine. One of the things that I've always remembered is it came from my son's college president when they have that big meeting with, you know, the families and the kids or in an auditorium. Ours happened to be outside because he went to school in Vermont. It was a lovely day. And that the president said, when they do that, when they call, when they're looking for you to fix their problems, just pause for a minute and say, hmm. Interesting. Thanks for sharing. How do you think you're gonna handle that? Oh, I love that. It's just a simple, right, turn of phrase. It doesn't mean you don't still kind of help them or guide them, but it puts the onus back on them to start thinking about, well, yeah, what would be my first step?

SPEAKER_00 7:30

I really like

Grief Relief Joy Plus Reclaiming Self

SPEAKER_00 7:31

that. And you've mapped out three distinct stages of empty nesting. Take us through each one and tell us where most people get stuck and what it costs them to stay there.

SPEAKER_01 7:41

Yeah, and to be clear, I didn't map them out. It's just kind of like the umbrella of empty nesting. And I kind of see it as the umbrella of any big transition in life. Could be retirement, could be changing careers, whatever it may be. But those are grief, relief, and joy. And there's two stages to the departure, right? That these things come up, the grief, relief, and joy. The first one is when they launch, whether they're going to college, whether they're going into the military. I know you've got a lot of people who listen that are in that as well. So we know folks have that as a path. And sometimes they just launch right from high school into the work world. Not everybody goes to college or goes to the military. So that's it. They're away, but they still come back sometimes, right? They come back for summer or breaks or to visit. That's stage one. And then stage two is kind of the permanent departure, like when they get their first out-of-state job and they start paying bills, they start, you know, they're truly full fully independent. But we go through the grief, relief, and joy in both of those. So the first thing is grief, right? It is you're grieving a change in energy in the house. Then there's some relief when you're like, okay, they seem like they have it. It's okay. And then joy is like, oh, we really see them like living their best life and doing what they need to do. Now, not everybody goes through all three stages, and not everybody goes from grief, relief, and joy in that way. It's not linear. Some people jump around, some people stay in grief longer, some people jump right to joy. But that's kind of the overall umbrella of what the stages happen in a life transition like empty nesting.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

And where do you see people most often getting stuck?

SPEAKER_01 9:13

Well, they get stuck between stage one and stage two, right? Because when the kids come home on summer breaks, it'll be September, October, and they're finally like, okay, they're doing okay, kind of feeling a little bit of relief because of that. And then the kids come home for break. They come home for Thanksgiving, and then they go back, and that's just a short break, and then it starts over again. For a lot of parents, the grief happens again, and then they got to get okay with it again, and then the the winter, the Christmas, the holiday break comes, that longer break, and then it happens again. And then they go back in January, and because they were home for longer, then the grief sets back in again, and then they gotta get to relief and then they gotta joy. And that's really just the first year of that transition piece, but that's where they get stuck, is between stage one and stage two, and then the grief and relief and like the bouncing around until it kind of settles.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

So you called this season of life the me era, the window of identity reclamation. I love how you phrase that. For someone who's been another person's full-time support system for two decades or more, what does that shift look like in the first 90 days and where does it most often fall apart before it ever starts?

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Yeah. And so I I think it's hard for folks to see it in the first 90 days of a child launching. It takes a little bit of time because of the three stages, grief, relief, and joy, but it's it's about reclaiming what I'll call your identity wealth. Okay. So think about it. You've you've put that on the side and it's like kind of pulling back on like, who am I now? And so what you I think is it starts with when you stop over-texting, you stop overmanaging, and then the habit of treating your adults' kid lives like your daily project. It falls apart before it gets started because of guilt. Like you feel like that's what you should be doing. And so they get this false sense of betrayal when they put all their time in the kids, and the kids go quiet when they're off at college. They give them just bits and pieces. And so the next step is like really just figuring out, okay, what comes next in your life, not your kids' life. And that's what the Nier are about. It's like we're not shining light outward anymore, we're shining it inward.

SPEAKER_00 11:20

Well, I love that. So your signature framework moves parents from being, and I love how you put this, the sage on the stage to the guide on the side. Break that down for us.

SPEAKER_01 11:31

Yeah, and you know, I love it because there's actually another stage in there too. The jump is like sage on the stage, which typically happens like you want that basically trying to keep your kids from you know doing anything tremendous to themselves. Like your main job is to keep them alive. And that's like from birth until like fifth or sixth grade. And then there's another stage in there called mentor in the center. You still have a lot of influence, but you're trying. This is all ideal, by the way, Antoinette. This is like an ideal, like an ideal pattern. So, like sixth grade to 10th grade, mentor in the center. You're saying, okay, what do my kids need? How can I allow them to make some mistakes and still be there? You still have a locus of control, but it's not as much as the sage on the stage. And then the mentor in this, or the guide on the side happens. Ideally would happen in 11th, 12th grade, but parents don't come to it till a little bit later, but 11th, 12th grade through when they launch. And so the guide on the side is really just stepping back and open and asking your kids open-ended questions about what's going on. So that one we talked about before. Hmm, that's interesting. How might you handle that? Perfect open-ended question. And that's what it is. Like here you stand on this boundary line, you're there when you're called upon. You're not trying to put yourself in in your kids' lives constantly. And then you liberate a lot of mental bandwidth when you're not focusing on your kids 24-7

Buffering Work And Resetting Marriage

SPEAKER_01 12:56

anymore.

SPEAKER_00 12:56

So we see a consistent pattern in our audience, people returning to work after the next is empty, not necessarily for financial reasons, but because they don't know what to do with themselves. Talk about that and how can people work through it?

SPEAKER_01 13:11

Yeah, you know, I call that I call that buffering. Okay. And buffering are things we do in place of things that we should be doing or want to be doing. If you're just going back to work, if it's not financial, if it's not to embrace the wisdom of your life where you are right now, then you're just buffering going back to work with escaping from focusing on your kids. Right? Unless it's an intentional choice to either you need more money, you need to make money, you want to do something, or you're pivoting into a job that uses your wisdom, then you're buffering. You're trying to outrun the identity vacuum. And the identity vacuum is that piece of, I don't know who I am anymore. So if I go to work, then I'll have an identity again.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

So empty nesting has a documented impact on marriages, and the divorce statistics are striking. Couples are 40% more likely to divorce after their children leave home. Why is that? And what can people do to prevent it?

SPEAKER_01 14:13

Well, if if you think about it, and you're right, it is gray divorce is the number one rising type of divorce. So they call it gray divorce. You know, got some gray in my hair, right? When you get to be 50 or older. And that is the number one rising divorce, right? And so the way that it works is right, well, for 20 years-ish or more, a couple is operating kind of like world-class business partners, if you will, right? They coordinate drop-offs and finances and paying bills and calendars and sports logistics, but rarely do they sit down and look each other in the eye, right? They don't spend a lot of time together. They live parallel lives inside of the family. So when the kids launch, right, that noise, the busyness levels, it all vanishes. And they're kind of left wondering, okay, who is this stranger across from me? It happens all the time. But rebuilding that requires shifting from co-parenting to co-authoring. So you're gonna co-author what your life looks like for you in the next 10 or 20 or 30 years, but it also means asking, who am I now? Who's the person across from me now? Are we walking this life together? And do we still want to walk this life together?

SPEAKER_00 15:22

And how can one person who's starting to feel like, boy, we're spending a lot more time together and you're kind of getting on my nerves, but I love you and I want this to work out. How could someone gently bring up the discussion about it without it blowing up into a finger pointing situation?

SPEAKER_01 15:43

Exactly. It it ends up being open-ended questions too, as it is with the kids. But what happens when it does blow up? I call that emotional clumsiness. The person on the other end hasn't developed the skills to understand what's being asked of them. And so trying to keep baby steps, not being like, who are we now? Like, what's gonna life look gonna look like is like, well, what do you want? What do you want life to look like? What do you need from me? Here's what I need from you. And you just take it slow. You don't jump to, all right, let's plan the next 30 years. You plan with like, what do we want next week to look like? What would you like next week to look like? Then it's almost becomes like this is like, here are the things where we connected, here's the things that are missing. And if that gap becomes too big, well then yeah, that's a different conversation. But if it's pretty close, then you keep having a conversation around it.

SPEAKER_00 16:30

You know, if I were in this position, I think I would be looking for, we've reclaimed all this time and energy. It's an opportunity. What are we gonna do with it? How can we enjoy the next chapter in our life? What would that look like for you? If you didn't have to worry about what I would think, hence creating your new normal. If you don't have to worry about how to afford it, what anyone's gonna think, all the logistics, what would your life be like? And then what would my life be like? I would communicate that, and then together they can decide what their collective lives would be like moving forward.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

I absolutely love that. Yeah, it is a new normal or a new now, right? And what does that look like for them? But I think it's having the the courage to have an open-ended conversation about it, is where people I think have the best success.

Loneliness And Conscious No Contact

SPEAKER_00 17:26

And there's another sort of disturbing trend. There's an epidemic of loneliness, and one of the things that's fueling it is that there's this idea of conscious no contact. And of course, no one would fault you for not having contact with family members if they were abusive or brought some kind of negative result into your life that is harmful. Absolutely. I can understand why you would not want to have contact with them. But what people are finding is that some young adults in their 20s and 30s have decided not to have contact with family members over social issues, social issues that will change over time, social issues that you care about today. In five years, you may not care about it at all. Meanwhile, you've blown up your relationship with your family, you've missed out on all of these experiences, and none of us know how many years we have. What are your thoughts about conscious no contact and the family dynamic changing in a very destructive way?

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Yeah, you know, Anton, I I saw this happen. I posted a video on TikTok once that just asked about kids going no contact with parents, right? And just to learn a little bit more about it, because I wanted to see if I could provide resources for it. And what I quickly found is that it is such a complicated matter that I could never do that. But the other side of that is like it has probably been one of the most viewed, most liked, and most commented videos I've ever created just by asking, have this happened? And it continues. I want to say it was 18 months ago that I posted this video, and people still chime in from time to time. And it has a lot to do with relationships more than anything else. It's like parents seeing that they did everything they could for a child, and the child seeing they missed some portion of something they wanted from their parents, and because communication never took place or nobody saw it, then the kids go conscious, no contact with their parents. Yeah. And the kids and the parents are left wondering what happened, and the kids are wondering, well, how can I explain this to you better? And it happens, I've seen it happen over and over and over again. And it's it's it's disconcerting, but it's also I can see it. Right. Kids today are a little bit more emotionally cognizant, if you will, of how they live life. Where me and the parents that went before, maybe not so much. We didn't really talk about emotions or how to handle them or what does life look like, you know, from an emotional regulation point of view. So it's yeah, it's a pretty weighty subject for sure.

SPEAKER_00 20:04

Yeah. Was there anything that stood out for you in terms of when people talked about the reason they've chosen not to have contact? Were there some threads that kind of resonate with you and in your work?

SPEAKER_01 20:18

Yeah, the threads that came up the most were how they were raised, right? And the the attention paid to them. I think that had a lot to do with it for a lot of people, or maybe rules around how life was led for them. Those were kind of the top three or four things. And what I found most interesting is like the parents didn't see it. And the kids did. The parents only saw that I did the best that I could. And the kids said, Yeah, it's gotta be better.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

Is there a way forward that you can offer if someone is going through this right now?

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Yeah, I think it's just trying to open the door to conversation without feeling like you're on the defensive side, especially if you're a parent. Right? If it's happened to you as a parent, your kids have gone conscious, no contact, it's not being like I was in the right, you're in the wrong. It's just like, what can I do? How can I make this better? Like, what do you need from me? And leave the again, leave the questions open-ended more than anything else. But you can't just do it once. And you have to figure out other ways to say it and other avenues in because in the child's mind, it is a huge hurt, right? And a huge drama to them where we might not see it as parents. So it's like taking the time to keep coming back to it and back to it and back to it.

SPEAKER_00 21:41

I think that's really good advice.

JOMO Adventures And A First Step

SPEAKER_00 21:43

So I would normally take an adventure break to share a micro story about an adventure that I had, but I'd like to talk about your adventure. You climb Mount Kilimanjaro, you walk the Camino de Santiago as an empty nester. Those are not typical coaching stuff. What did those experiences teach you about rebuilding identity?

SPEAKER_01 22:04

Yeah. So there were two components. One, for Kilimanjaro, like for rebuilding my identity. I was never a hiker. It was literally the first hike I ever did. And you know, that's you know, people hear that story and they're like, are you kidding me? Like you climbed one of the world's tallest mountains for your very first hike. And I did. But what I learned about it there is like the in Swahili, they say pole, which means go slowly, slowly, which I think is a great way to approach life. But more importantly is like when you get to the top, 19,000 plus feet. It's like if you try to force your sea level pace there, the mountain will break you. You can't. You have to go slowly, slowly throughout the entire climb. So when the nest empties out and I call it you're in this high altitude environment, you can't force your way through. You can't, right? The only way out is through and by taking your time and going slowly and figuring out what comes next for you, not for your kids. But the other part of that was a Camino Santiago. You know, we talk about FOMO, the fear of missing out, and people want to be doing things with their kids and they want to be involved. It's like, no, there's another side to that. It's Jomo, the joy of missing out. And it's like, well, what do I get to do if I'm missing out on what my kids are doing? Like it's an intentional choice to kind of clear the noise, to step off the performance wheel, to protect your own white space so you can discover what your energy deserves, not what your kids need. People hear that all the time, and they're like, I'm not sure if I can do that, but let me tell you like Jomo, the joy of missing out, is one of the most amazing things that you can add into your life.

SPEAKER_00 23:36

Tell us more about that.

SPEAKER_01 23:38

Yeah, so Jomo, for instance, when I was doing the Camino, I was with a this might be a good example to kind of put it in into perspective for folks. We walked with, there were seven of us, and the and the group kind of stayed together from segment to segment to segment. But the people that I were with are all former marathoners, so they're like, they had a start and an end, like they had a pace to it, right? They wanted to go. And what and I would had FOMO in the beginning because I want these were people I just relatively started to get to know, and I wanted to make sure that I spent time with them. It was about day four of the journey where I was like, but what am I missing out on by constantly having a fear of what I was missing out? It's like, whoa, if I take some time and do things on my own, where can I find joy? And in that, right, they took off, I left and like did my own thing for a little bit, and here's the piece. Like stopped by a river. I had lunch, they were already at the next town, right? They were like, Oh, we're already here, where are you? I didn't even explain, I didn't text back. I just sent a picture of myself having lunch by the river. Then they texted again and said, Our rooms are ready, you know, we're going to dinner. And I just sent back another picture of like my dessert, which was like a little cookie by the side of the river. It was like, I'm doing my own thing right now and I'm having so much fun and joy in it, and I'll catch up with you later. And it's such a good barometer indicator to say, hey, for for parents, you can do the same thing in your own life, right? Once the kids launch. So Jomo is like what I can have joy in what I'm doing on my own, even though I might be missing out on what my kids are doing.

SPEAKER_00 25:15

Wow, that's such a great way to look at it. And I I might have to use that.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

Yeah, for sure. And I would imagine like you do a lot of things on your own, adventure-wise, right? And so think about how much joy that brings you, as opposed to chasing things, doing things with other people all the time.

SPEAKER_00 25:32

Right. And you know, one of the things that I love most about doing something on my own is that my husband is an adventurer also, and sometimes he'll have his own adventures or adventures with friends or family, and I'll have my own adventures or adventures with friends and family, and then we come back together and get to show photos and videos and talk about it, and we never have run out of things to talk about. In fact, we like to watch campfire TV, I like to say. Either we're outside with an actual campfire or we have the wood-burning stove going, and instead of the TV, we're talking. We're planning our next adventure, we're talking about an adventure we had together or solo, and it's a lot of fun and it keeps a lot of good connection.

SPEAKER_01 26:15

Yeah, yeah. And I I always say to people, like, when you become more interested in your own life and do adventures, you become super interesting to your kids.

SPEAKER_00 26:24

Yes, exactly. Yeah. So there's a listener right now who is absolutely frozen. The house is quiet, the career's behind them, they have no idea where to begin. What's the most honest first step they can take today?

SPEAKER_01 26:39

Yeah. Well, first stop trying to figure out the next 10 years by this coming Friday, right? Like you're not gonna do that in a week. So just do what I think I mentioned it before, an intention inventory. It's like look at your week and identify the exact moments where your unallocated energy is leaking into either anxiety or overmanaging your kids or trying to invent trivial busyness to fill the time of the identity gap. And just write down one thing that you could completely park the bus on in the driveway 20 years ago is like was it a project? Was it a health goal? Was it an interest? Was it something you were curious about and never got back to? And then just spend 30 minutes on that this week. And so you're giving your energy a new focus and a new track.

SPEAKER_00 27:25

I love that. I I also like reminding people that, you know, you have this hobby, why not turn it into some kind of entrepreneurial opportunity? Or you've never had a hobby. What about starting one today? And you could start with some kind of outdoor sport. And that serves a number of purposes. It it regulates your nervous system, it gets you moving, it gets you out doing things with other people who have a shared interest. So finding your people, purpose, and passion in a hobby or an entrepreneurial pursuit or even adventuring is something that I like to remind people are options for them.

SPEAKER_01 28:07

Yeah, I love the people, the purpose and the passion. It's so good.

SPEAKER_00 28:11

Thank you. What more do you want listeners to know about you, your programs, anything that you offer?

SPEAKER_01 28:17

Yeah, I think the thing I want people to leave with is like it is your time to shine now. It's your time to take the next steps in your own journey, your own adventure. I love that you use the adventure piece. I know it feels a little scary to think about like putting yourself first after your primary identity has been apparent for so long, but it's so important for your next chapter. And if you're worried about it, right, let's connect. They can have a strategy call with me. They can come to me and help figure out what comes next. They certainly can find me on Instagram and TikTok, the.emptinest.coach, or they can come to thisemptinesslife.com, or if it's easier for folks, they can just Google Jay Rams and Coach and pop right up.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

We'll put all of that in the show description, Jay. Thank you so much for joining me today and uh enjoy all your adventures. I'll be thinking about you on my next one.

SPEAKER_01 29:06

Thank you so much for having me, Antonia. It was a pleasure

Resources Tea And Medical Disclaimer

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seeing you again.

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Hey wellness worries, you might be wondering what's in my teacup. It's Janey Wellness Medicinal Herb Tea Mix. This is an affiliate link. I only share things aligned with what our experts discuss on the show. It contains mint, moringa, lemongrass, ginger, turmeric, and hibiscus. For me, this blend has become a cornerstone of my day. I turn to this blend for the benefits that are well backed by science. It's rich in antioxidants and amino acids, and supports healthy blood flow, reduces inflammation, supports digestive comfort, and supports your metabolism. It's a high-quality, enjoyable way for me to incorporate these herbs before I start my day, whether I'm preparing for homestead tours or sitting down to work. What sets this blend apart is its doctor-formulated recipe and transparent sourcing. Every herb can be traced from field to cup. Grown and harvested by the doctor's own sisters in Cameroon, West Central Africa, this level of traceability and care is something I truly value. At home, we use the Daily Wellness Medicinal Herb Tea Mix with six herbs combined. But if you want to avoid certain ingredients or customize your blends, Dr. Stella Indee, a sponsor of this show, offers each blend individually as well. Their products are homegrown, handpicked, and shade drive to preserve maximum bioavailability. I'll include my affiliate link and a 5% discount code just for you. The information in this podcast is not medical advice and should not be treated as such.

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Always consult your physician or healthcare professional before pursuing any health related procedure or activity.