Midlife Overwhelm | Midlife Women | Picture: Women sitting on a couch

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MIDLIFE RECLAIMED COMMUNITY

A Compassionate Space for Overwhelmed, Stressed-Out, Burnt-Out Midlife Women Ready to Reconnect with Themselves

A Quiet Revolution in Healing: Rest, Reflect, Reclaim

Midlife Reclaimed is a warm, supportive online space created to gently interrupt the isolation, pressure, and self-doubt that burnout brings.

This is not a place to hustle or fix yourself — it's a place to be.
Through weekly support circles, reflective practices, and lived-experience connection, we make space for slow, meaningful change — together.

Come as you are. Leave with more of you.

Join Midlife Reclaimed

What makes our Midlife Reclaimed Membership so special?

Midlife Reclaimed is a gentle alternative to spaces that ask you to fix, improve, or push through. Here, you’re not expected to be anything other than who you are. It’s a place to exhale and feel held.
This community was shaped by real conversations with women navigating burnout. Everything here reflects what they told us they needed — less pressure, more care, and connection that doesn’t overwhelm.
Our weekly live gatherings are at the heart of this community. They’re not workshops or lessons — they’re grounding support circles where you can gently check in, reflect, and feel the quiet strength of being alongside others who understand.
You’re not alone here. You’re surrounded by women who get it — who know what it means to be burnt out, stretched thin, and longing for a deeper connection with themselves and others.
There’s no pressure to show up a certain way or follow a strict path. This is slow, sustainable healing — where your presence is enough, and your journey is honoured just as it is.

Navigating Burnout, Together

Midlife Reclaimed is a softly held online community hosted by Shannon Swales, a midlife woman, mental health professional, and burnout survivor with over 20 years of experience in the mental health field.

Drawing on professional expertise, post-graduate training in psychology, and her own lived experience of burnout in midlife, Shannon has created a space where you don’t have to walk this path alone.

This community is for those ready to reconnect with themselves in a supportive, stigma-free environment — one grounded in compassion, reflection, and gentle growth.

What You’ll Find Inside:

The Heart Space (Weekly Support Circles)

The heartbeat of the community. These weekly live, guided circles are a place to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and be gently held in a space of shared humanity.
There’s no pressure to share—just come as you are. Each circle includes a mindful arrival practice, a reflection or prompt, optional sharing, and a soft closing. You don’t need to be “ready”—you only need to arrive.

The Couch (Ongoing Connection Space)

In between our live circles, you’ll find an open, relaxed space to connect with others, reflect on what’s come up in circle, or simply witness and rest.

The Library (Our Resource Hub)

A growing, collection of practices, tools, and inspiration.
Organised into gentle spaces:
• Reflective Practices
• Insights & Education
• Book Nook
• Podcasts & Blog Picks
Each section invites you to explore in your own time, in your own way.

The Welcome & Feedback Corner

Where we begin—and where your voice is always welcome.
Introduce yourself (only if you feel called to), find your footing, and offer feedback at any point. This is a co-created space, always evolving with your input.

Who Created This Space?

Hi, I’m Shannon Swales—your host, guide, and fellow traveller in midlife.

I’m a trained mental health professional with a Master’s in Clinical Psychology and nearly two decades of experience supporting emotional and psychological well-being across crisis services, health settings, and private practice. I’m also someone who knows burnout from the inside out—having walked through it more than once, most recently during my own midlife reckoning.

In Midlife Reclaimed, I don’t show up as your therapist. I’m here as your facilitator and companion—holding space for reflection, offering gentle practices, and nurturing connection in ways that honour your pace and your pain.

Through my work in Burnout Psychology Support, I offer 1:1 therapy within my clinical role, but this community is something different. It’s a calm, compassionate space where midlife women can come home to themselves—free from pressure, perfectionism, or performance.

My approach weaves together evidence-based modalities like ACT, CFT, mindfulness, and CBT, alongside a deep belief in rest, self-compassion, and sustainable healing. I’m also the author of Nothing Left to Give: A Psychologist’s Path Back from Burnout, and host of the Midlife Reclaimed podcast, where I share stories and conversations on burnout, midlife, and what it means to reclaim your life with integrity.

This community is born from both professional insight and lived experience. After hitting my own burnout wall in 2021, I stepped back to reimagine how I wanted to live and work. That turning point didn’t just change my life—it became the foundation of everything I now offer.

Midlife Reclaimed exists to support women who are ready to reconnect—with themselves, with others, and with what matters most. I’m so glad you’ve found your way here.

Benefits of Being Part of Midlife Reclaimed

Feel Less Alone
Burnout in midlife can be deeply isolating. This space offers a quiet kind of belonging—where you're seen, heard, and gently supported by others walking a similar path.

Restore Self-Connection
Through regular moments of reflection and compassionate guidance, you'll begin to feel more in touch with yourself—your needs, your values, and your inner wisdom.

Reduce Emotional Overload
The gentle practices and weekly support circles help you regulate your nervous system, ease mental clutter, and find moments of calm amidst the chaos.

Shift from Survival to Renewal
This community isn’t about fixing yourself—it’s about reclaiming energy, meaning, and self-worth in midlife, at your own pace and in your own way.

Grow with Support, Not Pressure
Benefit from the guidance of a seasoned psychologist who understands burnout both professionally and personally. You’re held with care, not expected to perform.

Make Space for Rest Without Guilt
Let go of the pressure to be constantly productive. Here, rest is honoured—not as laziness, but as a vital part of healing and reclaiming your life.

Be Heard Without Having to Explain Everything
You don’t need to justify your exhaustion or prove your worth. This is a space where burnout is understood, and your story is met with compassion, not judgment.

Rebuild at Your Own Rhythm
There’s no checklist or finish line here. Just small, meaningful steps toward feeling more like yourself—with space to pause, reflect, and return as needed.

Access Insight Without Overwhelm
Receive supportive resources drawn from evidence-based care—offered in digestible, non-demanding ways that respect your capacity and focus.

Join Midlife Reclaimed Today