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Pursue Your Spark: Midlife Fitness & Mindset for Women Feeling Stuck

Pursue Your Spark: Midlife Fitness & Mindset for Women Feeling Stuck

Heike Yates 100 Episodes Oct 1, 2026

Pursue Your Spark is a midlife fitness and mindset podcast for women who feel stuck in the in-between seasons of life—when old routines and habits no longer fit. Each week, it explores patterns like people-pleasing, perfectionism, self-doubt, and body changes, offering a fresh perspective instead of just telling you to try harder. Hosted by midlife fitness expert, author, and coach Heike Yates, the show blends honest conversations with practical wisdom drawn from over 40 years of coaching experience. It aims to help listeners rebuild self-trust, move through midlife with confidence, and fully embrace the next chapter of life. Every episode provides one new perspective, one practical step, and encouragement to keep going.

Episodes

269. Who Said Midlife Had To Look Like This?
269. Who Said Midlife Had To Look Like This? Oct 1, 2026 30:14 What if you're not stuck in midlife—you've just been following rules you never chose? Act your age. Slow down. Don't expect too much. Be grateful for what you have. Put everyone else first. No one officially hands us these rules. Yet somewhere along the way, they can become midlife expectations we accept without ever asking whether they're actually true. And that's when something important starts
Pursue Your Spark - Podcast Trailer
Pursue Your Spark - Podcast Trailer Sep 17, 2026 02:07 For more than 40 years, Heike Yates has worked with women who know what to do but still find themselves stopping, starting, and wondering why it feels so much harder now. On Pursue Your Spark, Heike gets into what really changes in midlife—and how to get stronger, stay consistent, and move forward without trying to reinvent yourself.
268. How Small Acts of Courage Build Midlife Confidence / Katherine Leamy
268. How Small Acts of Courage Build Midlife Confidence / Katherine Leamy Sep 17, 2026 46:26 You've spent years taking care of everyone else. But somewhere along the way, you may have stopped asking, "What about me?" In Episode 268, How Small Acts of Courage Build Midlife Confidence, we explore why midlife confidence doesn't always come first. Sometimes, you have to take the small brave step before you feel ready. I talk with Katherine Leamy, The 5 Kilo Traveler, about how small
267. Why Midlife Progress Doesn't Happen in a Straight Line
267. Why Midlife Progress Doesn't Happen in a Straight Line Sep 3, 2026 25:48 Some weeks, you feel strong, motivated, and like you're finally making progress. Then, seemingly overnight, it feels like you've taken ten steps backward. Nothing dramatic happened. You didn't quit. You didn't stop caring. So why does it suddenly feel like you're working twice as hard for half the results? In Episode 267, Why Midlife Progress Doesn't Happen in a Straight Line, I want to o
266. You Took Care of Everyone Else… But Lost Yourself | Denise Drinkwalter
266. You Took Care of Everyone Else… But Lost Yourself | Denise Drinkwalter Jul 23, 2026 31:13 Losing yourself in midlife can happen so gradually that you don't even notice it. One day, you realize you've spent years taking care of everyone else, but you've lost touch with yourself. In Episode 266, You Took Care of Everyone Else… But Lost Yourself, Denise Drinkwalter joins me for an honest conversation about why so many women reach this point and how they can begin finding themselve
265. The Midlife Body Disconnect No One Talks About
265. The Midlife Body Disconnect No One Talks About Jul 9, 2026 34:48 What if the problem isn't your body? What if the real reason you feel frustrated with your changing body has nothing to do with motivation, discipline, or getting older? In Episode 265, The Midlife Body Disconnect No One Talks About, I explore why so many women lose touch with their bodies during midlife—and why reconnecting with the body you have today may be the missing piece to rebuilding
264. Why People Pleasing and Perfectionism Keep You Stuck in Midlife | Cindy Payne
264. Why People Pleasing and Perfectionism Keep You Stuck in Midlife | Cindy Payne Jun 25, 2026 38:08 You say yes when you want to say no. You take care of everyone else first. And no matter how much you accomplish, it never feels like enough. Sound familiar? In Episode 264, "Why People Pleasing and Perfectionism Keep You Stuck in Midlife," I sit down with therapist Cindy Payne to explore why People Pleasing in Midlife keeps so many women exhausted, disconnected, and feeling stuck. For
263. You Know It Doesn't Work: Why Women Keep Repeating the Same Habits in Midlife
263. You Know It Doesn't Work: Why Women Keep Repeating the Same Habits in Midlife Jun 11, 2026 20:38 Have you ever caught yourself going back to the same habit, routine, or plan even though you already know it doesn't work? If so, you're not alone. In Episode 263, You Know It Doesn't Work: Why Women Keep Repeating the Same Habits in Midlife, I explore one of the most frustrating patterns I see in women today: knowing what isn't working yet continuing to return to it. In this episode, I take
262. Midlife Anxiety: Doing All the Right Things… and Still Feeling On Edge| Dr. Nicole Cain
262. Midlife Anxiety: Doing All the Right Things… and Still Feeling On Edge| Dr. Nicole Cain May 28, 2026 41:35 You're eating well and exercising, trying to stay positive, and holding everything together. Yet somehow, you still feel anxious, overstimulated, exhausted, or emotionally on edge. If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you. In Episode 262. Doing All the Right Things… and Still Feeling On Edge, I sit down with Dr. Nicole Cain to talk about why anxiety often changes during midlife and w
261. Why You Keep Starting Over and Still Feel Stuck in Midlife
261. Why You Keep Starting Over and Still Feel Stuck in Midlife May 14, 2026 18:25 Do you keep telling yourself, "I'll start Monday again," only to end up frustrated, overwhelmed, and stuck in the same place a few weeks later? In this episode of the Pursue Your Spark Podcast, 261. Why You Keep Starting Over and Still Feel Stuck in Midlife, I'm unpacking one of the biggest hidden reasons women in midlife struggle with consistency, healthy habits, midlife wellness, and motiv
260. How Good Girl Rules Keep Women Feeling Stuck in Midlife / Sue Willoughby
260. How Good Girl Rules Keep Women Feeling Stuck in Midlife / Sue Willoughby Apr 30, 2026 41:49 You've gotten really good at being the one who adjusts—and in midlife, you start to feel the cost of it. In Episode 260, How Good Girl Rules Keep Women Feeling Stuck in Midlife/ Sue Willoughby, I sit down with Sue to explore how good girl rules in midlife quietly shape how women think, act, and show up—often through patterns such as being agreeable, accommodating, and always putting others
259. Why Your Midlife Fitness Routine Stopped Working (It's Not Discipline)
259. Why Your Midlife Fitness Routine Stopped Working (It's Not Discipline) Apr 16, 2026 25:31 Why does it feel like no matter how many times I reset my routine… nothing sticks anymore? In this episode, Why Your Midlife Fitness Routine Stopped Working (It's Not Discipline), I dive into a pattern I see again and again—and one I know personally: the reorganization loop. I keep trying to fix things by organizing better. Moreover, I adjust my schedule, rebuild my routines, and create new

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