Life on the B Side

Episode 19: Factory Reset Friends: What they are and why we all need one

There’s a saying - "What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while". But sometimes, what you do once in a while can have a profound effect on what you do every day.
It can be hard to reset yourself but if you’re lucky enough, you might have a Factory Reset Friend who comes along and pushes the right buttons to get you back to what was normal before normal was this.
Make sense? It will. 

Episode 18: Moments of Disconnect: Uncertainty, going back to bed and the root cause of a lack of purpose

Moments of disconnect happen to everyone, right?
Join Maria as she takes on a little exercise to identify why she can’t create a vision for her life and what the biggest barrier to discovering her purpose is.
The 5 why’s exercise: https://www.oakland.edu/Assets/upload/docs/Pawley/Lean-Enrichment-Activities/LEA---5-Whys.pdf
Good ol’ Bob Proctor for a bit of woo woo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=3w4OIypyneo&t=0s

Episode 17: Midlife: Crisis or Rebrand? Some dos and don'ts for switching it up. And how to avoid the Meghan Markle scenario.

Once the journey into midlife gets underway, one town you might visit is Crisis-ville. It’s situated somewhere near Parent Village and Invisibility Central.
Navigating your way through Crisis-ville isn’t as tricky as you might think though.
Just remember, that YOU are your map. And if you change yourself entirely en route, you are 100% bound to get lost.

Episode 16: Five Subtle Signs You’re Living Life on the B Side.

Show name change! Why?
Because I refuse to talk to myself, or a wall.
Because actually, this is just Life on B Side.
And some B sides have been known to be better than the A sides.
Not sure if you’re on the B Side? Well, if you know what a B Side is then tag, you’re it.
But just in case, here’s 5 subtle clues to help you recognise your B Side status.
You’re welcome :) 

Episode 15: The 3 things that prove I am a bad daughter, including confirmation from beyond the grave.

There’s not much I don’t feeling guilty about.
Being a sh*tty daughter is near the top of the list though.
I’m not always sh*tty. Only when it matters.
And just when I learned to live with the weird warmth of accepting that I could have done better, my Dads diligent note-taking came back to haunt me...

Episode 14: All You Need Is Love…plus maybe these 10 pieces of relationship advice.

ME: Valentine’s Day is utter horseshit, yes? Can we agree on that?
THEM: OK, so what’s really important in a long-term relationship?
ME: Earplugs, distance, a good solicitor?
THEM: *unimpressed*
ME: OK, so after 20 years of marriage, here’s what I think…

Episode 13: Why the f*ck do I say sorry all the time? The Anatomy of an Apology

When Maria finds herself apologising to food, it sparks a few questions…
Why do we say sorry so much? How do our past experiences of apologising shape why we say sorry?
And why, oh why, did she apologise for her boobs and a work colleague’s punctured testicle?

Episode 12: Why the f*ck are the small things in life so overwhelming?

Lists, lists and more lists. Apple watch notifications.
And the world’s most annoying app.
The constant stream of tiny things to do, questions to answer and general background noise can be a f*cking nightmare…
Send help!
(Here’s a link to a bunch of suggestions on how to handle ‘overwhelm’:https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/jan/01/make-a-much-shorter-to-do-list-15-quick-simple-ways-to-avoid-overwhelm
Please Note: I haven’t tried any of these….yet)

Episode 11: How do you know when to quit?

It might be a New Year thing or an age thing, but quitting things is definitely a topic of discussion at the moment.
Maria looks at how you know when it’s time to quit something and how it’s better to reframe the decision for the positive.

Episode 10: The Dating Game: A Quick Guide to the Updated Rules

Maria has unlocked a new level of parenting – guiding your children through their first broken hearts.
Listen as Maria examines her own break up CV (she has plenty of experience) and provides her guide as to how she sees the new rules for today’s dating game.
Good luck kids! This game is getting more complicated every day...