474: From Empty Nest to New Beginnings
The Adult Chair Podcast with Michelle Chalfant
Michelle Chalfant
4.9 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 4 September 2025
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
When our kids leave the nest, we're left with a house that feels quieter, emptier, and sometimes unbearably still. This transition can stir up grief, loss, and confusion about who we are without the daily role of being "mom" or "dad" at the center of our lives.
In this episode, I'm talking about the very real experience of empty nest syndrome and how to navigate it with compassion and consciousness. No one prepares us for this season of life, but it can also be an opportunity to reconnect with ourselves, process our emotions, and step into a new chapter with purpose.
In this episode, I cover:
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Why grief is a natural and necessary part of the empty nest transition
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How to process and metabolize your emotions instead of avoiding them
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The importance of letting go of control and trusting your kids' journeys
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Ways to validate yourself as a parent and give yourself grace
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How to begin exploring your "Act Two" and discover new purpose in this season of life
Resources from this Episode:
The Adult Chair book is NOW AVAILABLE!
Join me LIVE in Boone, NC, at The Art of Living Retreat Center. Click here to learn more!
Get 20% off at Aquatru.com with promo code: MCSHOW
MORE MICHELLE CHALFANT
Website: https://www.michellechalfant.com
Membership: The Academy of Awakening
https://www.theacademyofawakening.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themichellechalfant
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMichelleChalfant
The Adult Chair® Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theadultchair
Transcript
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| 1:27.7 | I don't know who I am without these children anymore, |
| 1:30.6 | and I am losing myself, and I'm having a very, very hard time. |
| 1:34.4 | I don't know if I can go in that house. |
... |
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