In part two of this conversation, Lara welcomes her brother Joel back to the podcast after his recent health scare. With Joel slowly feeling more like himself, they talk about recovery, parenting, childhood roles, divorce, emotional awareness, and how two siblings can grow up in the same family but have completely different experiences.

Lara shares more about how becoming the emotional glue in her family shaped her relationships and sense of self, while Joel reflects on resilience, raising emotionally aware boys, and why he tends to keep his eyes on the road ahead instead of looking back for too long.

It’s funny, honest, emotional, and full of the kind of sibling banter that can only happen when there’s a whole lifetime underneath it.

In this episode:

• Joel’s recovery update
• How divorce affected them differently
• The weight of being the “responsible” child
• Emotional awareness in parenting
• How childhood patterns can show up in adult relationships
• Sibling healing, humor, and hard truths

In Episode 14, Lara is joined by her brother Joel (newly 40 and officially “midlife”) to tell the story behind a sudden, terrifying health spiral that started with flu + strep and escalated into mastoiditis, meningitis, shingles, and even a “brain-adjacent” blood clot.

They talk about what it felt like to lose basic processing (including not being able to read a simple kids’ book), the reality of two hospital stays and heavy IV meds, and the part people don’t say out loud: the fear of surviving… but not fully coming back.

On the other side of it, Joel shares what’s changing now—getting healthier, showing up more for the people he loves, reconnecting with old friends, and parenting with more softness and clarity.

In this episode:

• How an ear infection turned into a full-body emergency
• Mastoiditis + meningitis (and what those actually mean in real life)
• The cognitive symptoms that scared everyone most
• Shingles, a blood clot, and the “throw everything at it” treatment plan
• Recovery: hearing loss, ENT follow-ups, and the slow return to “normal”
• The mindset shift: presence, family, marriage, and parenting differently

Note: This episode includes medical discussion (not medical advice). If you’re worried about symptoms, seek professional care.

This week’s episode is a real-time life update — recorded on a quiet Saturday night, alone, with a glass of wine and a lot of honesty.

Lara shares what midlife looks like in the in-between moments — when your child is at their other parent’s house, the weekend stretches long, and the silence feels louder than usual.

In this episode:

• A family update after her brother’s recent health scare
• The reality of solo parenting during busy seasons
• The frustration of wanting companionship but not wanting to settle
• The complicated comfort of wine
• And how binge-watching Bridgerton can make you both swoon… and spiral

This conversation explores:

• Relationship loneliness in midlife
• Self-worth being tied to partnership
• Wondering if you’re “healed enough”
• Watching others remarry while you’re still waiting

Midlife isn’t always empowering quotes and glow-ups. Sometimes it’s a valley. Sometimes it’s crying into a microphone on a Saturday night.

If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Tomorrow is another day.

Until next time… be your best mess.