F*ck, I'm Nearly 50

F*ck, Let’s End the Year on Purpose! with Shannah Kennedy

• Dom Hind • Season 1 • Episode 16

Share episode

EPISODE 16: F*ck, Let’s End the Year on Purpose! with Shannah Kennedy

----------------------

In this episode of F*ck, I’m Nearly 50!, I’m joined (again!) by the brilliant Shannah Kennedy - master coach, best-selling author, queen of clarity and the most listened-to guest on the podcast so far.

Back by popular demand and in person, Shannah is here to help us close out the year with intention, not exhaustion.

We talk about how to actually feel good at the end of the year (instead of dragging ourselves to the finish line), why you need stillness more than another strategy, and how to build a 2026 that reflects you - not just your to-do list.

✨ And if you’ve ever felt like you’re running on empty, stuck in people-pleasing, or putting yourself last - this one’s for you.

----------------------

This episode gets into:

🧘‍♀️ Why stillness isn’t indulgent - it’s essential

💭 How to reflect on 2025 without spiralling into what you didn’t do

📅 The 3 things to ask yourself before the year ends

🥵 Why “busy” is burning you out and what to do instead

💫 How to reset your nervous system in 5 minutes (yes, in the car park counts!)

📈 How to plan a values-aligned 2026 that feels like a “f*ck yes”

🫶 Why midlife isn’t a crisis - it’s a reset

Shannah helped me redefine what success looked like after selling WiTH Collective. She helped me stop reacting to life and start designing it - based on what actually matters to me: health, family happiness, pleasure, adventure, and fun.

Now, she’s back to remind all of us:

✨ Clarity isn’t a luxury - it’s a tool.

✨ You don’t need a meltdown to make a change.

✨ Stillness is the place where real decisions come from.

----------------------

MYTH-BUSTING MINI-ROUND with Shannah Kennedy:

❌ “Burnout is just part of being successful.”

❌ “You need to hit rock bottom to reinvent.”

❌ “Saying no makes you selfish.”

❌ “Planning ruins spontaneity.”

❌ “If you’re not busy, you’re falling behind.”

----------------------

🎯 The “Try This Before 50” Challenge

Last time, Shannah dared us to define our values and start saying no to the things draining us. This time? She’s taking us even deeper…

If you’ve been meaning to stop, reflect, reset - or even just breathe - this episode is your invitation to do it.

Because f*ck, we’re nearly 50 and isn’t it amazing when we give ourselves permission to do it differently?

----------------------

🌐 Learn more: shannahkennedy.com

📲 Follow Shannah: @shannahkennedy

🎧 Listen now: https://fckimnearly50.buzzsprout.com

📺 Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@FckImnearly50

Let me know what you'd love to hear about next.


🔥 Let’s keep the conversation going! 🔥

📺 Watch the episodes on YouTube – Subscribe here!

💬 Join the community – Follow me on Instagram @fckimnearlyfifty and share your thoughts on this episode. Or connect with me on LinkedIn.

🎧 Never miss an episode – Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

📢 Spread the word – If you loved this episode, share it with a friend (or 10). Because midlife is better when we figure it out together.

Because f*ck, we’re nearly 50, and isn’t that amazing? 🚀

Dom Hind:

Hi, I'm Dom Hind, and f*ck, I'm nearly 50. Actually, I'm nearly 48 and charging towards the next chapter, like I mean it. And today's guest, you already know her. Shannah Kennedy was on this podcast earlier this year, and that episode quickly became the most listened to. Why? Because she doesn't just help you make vision boards or set fluffy goals. She helps you take control of your life on your terms. So as the year wraps up, I wanted to bring her back for a special in-person episode to talk about exactly that. How you close the year without regret and plan the next one with purpose. Because too often we roll into the new year, burnt out, reactive, and unclear, promising we'll figure it out later. But Shanna's here to remind us, tomorrow starts today. Saying yes to one thing means saying no to another. You are the asset. You need to protect it. And in this episode, we talk about how to reflect on the year that's been, honestly and gently. What questions to ask yourself before the year ends, how to stop people pleasing and start protecting your energy, or why clarity is your best friend going into 2026, what you can do in the next few weeks to close the year feeling proud, not panicked, and then make sure that the new one is set to perform its goals. What we really need is that clarity. And that clarity helps you make sure that you are not drifting into the next year. So let's get into it. Let's go. Because f*ck, I'm nearly 50, and isn't it amazing? Some guests just leave a mark. And for this show, that was 100% Shanna Kennedy. Her first episode was the most listened to of the series so far. And if you heard it, you'd know why. She's a master coach, best-selling author, and the queen of clarity. She helps people design their lives on purpose and not on auto autopilot. Shanna taught me to define my values, protect my energy, and stop saying yes to everything out of guilt. Although I'm being crap at that at the moment. And now she's back in person. Yes, in person, to help us close out the year with intention and set up the next one without the panic, pressure, or people pleasing. Shanna, welcome back to Fuck I'm Nearly 50.

Shannah Kennedy:

Oh, it's so good to be here in real life. In person. I'm like, oh, these people get to see you in person. I've got to come back in person.

Dom Hind:

Yep. And I'm so glad that you are here. Um, let's start here. What's the one thing you do at the end of each year to reset your mindset?

Shannah Kennedy:

I think the end of the year is a silly season for everybody, and everybody is limping, got that limping to Christmas feeling. And that's where I take a whole day off. Like one day. And go down to the beach, or I call it like Soaks Day, where you're soaking rather than drinking soaking. You're soaking maybe in a hot spring, or you're gone to a health center for the day or some massage for the day. To just press pause for a moment. Just give yourself one day to reflect.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

To actually sit down with a pen and paper and reflect on wow, how am I feeling? What went well, what didn't go some well, maybe lessons I might have learnt. What was my word of the year? Did I stick to it? What am I learning about myself? Because we keep evolving. And right in the middle of the craziness, when everyone thinks they can't take a day, I bet if I booked a day out for you, you'd do it.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, wow. That's a great thing, isn't it? Yeah. Because you do, you literally do.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah. It's like stealing a day for yourself and everyone's finishing up at school or whatever. And um, yeah, it's it's luxury. That's what I call luxury.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, it is luxury. Well, time is actually luxury. So having that day to yourself to just sit there. See, even as you said that, I'm like, oh, Camp Cove Beach in the sun, with your little chair, with a pen and paper, yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

Maybe with some nice music, not a podcast music. Yeah. Like just be a human being for one day out of the 365 to just be you and to just maybe even be grateful for the year.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. I think it's important. I think it is, yeah, to be grateful. We don't, we're not grateful enough. Even just the little things, even just giving yourself that time is a good thing to be grateful for.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah, and and grateful for being healthy or maybe not visiting a hospital or grateful that, you know, my family's healthy, or you know, it's not how many clients did you have and how many books did you sell? And it's actually not about that. When you sit still, you go a lot deeper.

Dom Hind:

Yes. What's the first thing you recommend people to do, honestly, when they reflect on the year?

Shannah Kennedy:

Is not focus on what I didn't do so well. Because a lot of people say, Oh, it's another year and I didn't lose weight, or I didn't pay off the mortgage, or I didn't do what I said I was going to do. None of that's helpful. So maybe focus on a couple of the wins that really resonate in your heart that you're proud of and sit in that, sit in and bathe in that for a little while first. But I find a lot of people just say, Well, I didn't do that and I didn't do that. The win might be a work win, but maybe think about yourself because we work for the business of self.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. And even if it is the holiday or, you know, last week I got to spend my Nan's 93rd birthday with her in Tasmania. And it was amazing. And you know, like for me, reflecting, that is a win. That's a huge win. It's a huge win. It's a real human win. It is a human win. Yeah. Okay. Good. Yeah. How do we close out the year without focusing only on what we didn't do?

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah, which was said, yeah, focus on what you did, but also maybe how you're feeling. Yeah, okay. You know, because we have to get out of our head and into our body. And I find that I get in my head very quickly, like all of us.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

Um, the head's pretty foggy also because of, you know, menopause at the moment. But when I allow myself stillness, it's like sitting the glass of water down. Yeah. And you know, if you stop stirring it and let it sit, the sediment drops to the bottom and we have clarity. And all of a sudden we're like, well, why am I doing that? And why did I say yes to that? And yep, I'm just gonna back off a little bit. So yeah, stillness, stillness first.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, okay. I I think that is yeah, a nice thing to think about too. Just being still. When were you still last?

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah. Like with nothing, like not with Netflix, not with you know. I often one of my little hacks is I sit in my car. So I'm in the supermarket, car park, and I might stay there for 15 minutes, just still, perfectly, because no one can bother me there.

Dom Hind:

No, unless someone touched me. Are you okay? Are you okay?

Shannah Kennedy:

But no one's gonna bother you there. So I can actually sit there and just let go and just breathe and just be still and just feel what's going on in my world rather than just what's on the to-do list. Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.

Dom Hind:

It's also um one of um uh guests on here, Dr. Craig, he said not only is being still great for your mind, but it's also getting you to feel what's going on in your body as well. So, you know, that stillness actually allows you to listen to your body.

Shannah Kennedy:

It means the body can catch up to the brain. It's like the Gatorade Station. It's that stopping, it's taking a few beautiful breaths for yourself. I've got this amazing app, which is free by the way, called the breathing app. Funny that.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

And I set it for five minutes to do five by five, five in, five out, which is very hard for people to do, slow breathing. And it's the one breath pattern that regulates your whole nervous system. Yeah. I'm like, oh, surely I can do that in the car park. Yeah so I've got I love it. I just do it all the time, and nobody knows I'm doing it. So the breathing app. They're my brain, there my brain breaks and it lets my body catch up. And it's like stopping at the Gatorade stations in a marathon because we run a marathon every day. Yes. We're all athletes of life, as we talk about. We're athletes of, you know, leading the family, leading the job, leading everything. We need to stop at the Gatorade stations and just take a breath. And that breath is beautiful, it's so beautiful. And you might make a different decision after you've taken the breath.

Dom Hind:

Yes, where you're coming from a a different place where it's probably a little bit calmer than one of reaction.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah, it's a response rather than a reaction. And it's it's is this good for me? Does this serve me? Is this what I need to put on my plate right now? Why am I doing this? For a pat on the back? Or am I doing this because I truly feel it's really important to me?

Dom Hind:

Yep. Okay. I've had two people now this week say to me, you need to be honest and actually be really clear on is this serving me and is this not? Because stop saying yes to things. Yes. Yes. And it's on a day. It's unease. Yeah. Sease to please. Yes, that is it. Um, how do you know when it's time to say no and protect your energy, which is a good lead-on?

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah. Well, if you're an athlete and you're feeling a sore knee coming on or your calf is cramping and you don't address it, um, it gets worse and worse and worse. So as we have that disease to please, it's just that tank, that oxygen tank is just going down and down and down and down and down, and then all of a sudden you're burnt. Yeah. So that burnout becomes a health scare, usually a health scare. It's if you don't listen to your body, your body will make you listen. Yes. So there's people with, you know, lumps in their breasts, there's people with fatigue, there's people with now presenting autoimmune diseases. That's all happening in midlife. Yeah. Because we're addicted to achievement and we're addicted to the to-do list. And we need to learn to pace a little bit more. Yeah. And breathe. And breathe. And stop. So I did study breathing all year this year. That was my goal. Is what is something that I can study that's actually going to help me for the rest of my life in any situation, whether it be to fire myself up or to calm myself down. Because the breath is like a remote control. And it's the only system that you can override in your whole body is the breath. So I thought, wow, that's the most powerful tool. I think I'll study that. So just doing some breath work this year has really helped my energy a lot. Really? Yeah. No burnout.

Dom Hind:

None.

Shannah Kennedy:

Zero.

Dom Hind:

Right. How often do you give yourself that time to breathe?

Shannah Kennedy:

Well, I don't have time to meditate. Yes. I'm not going to meditate if I'm honest with myself. Really, really honest. But I can afford three times a day, morning, noon, and night, to do five minutes.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

Okay. And that could be before your school pickup. Yes. It could be, you know, after school pickup. It could be when you wake up, when you go to sleep. I put it on to go to sleep, that pattern. Yeah.

Dom Hind:

Right.

Shannah Kennedy:

Okay. And that's all I'm going to do. Yeah. I know myself. Yeah. I'm not going to sit there for 20 minutes. It's not going to happen.

Dom Hind:

See, it's funny. Like I'm three quarters of the way through a 66-day meditation challenge. And I'm supposed to meditate twice a day. And I can get the first one in, but I just can't like the second one. It's just tricky. And I try and commit to it, but it's hard. But every time I do it and just have a you know that time to be still and breathe, it's amazing. But it's the time.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah, it's the time and it's the commitment when you're in a really busy time of life.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

Um, unless you're really obsessed. If you're really obsessed by that's your thing, meditation, but your thing is also exercise and being social. And if it's just your thing, you can do it. But if you've got multiple things, I think it's a bit, it's a bit much. Yeah. Um, and you've got to also think about your personality.

Dom Hind:

Yes. What are you saying now? Um, you uh you always say tomorrow starts today, and it's one of my favorite things in the world. How does that apply as we enter into 2026? Oh my goodness.

Shannah Kennedy:

I know. I think it's focusing on your nighttime routine. You know how everybody talks about your morning routine and you get up and you win the day. And we do that with the three M's, the make your bed, move your body, mindfully breathe. Then we pace the day, the marathon with the breath work in between. Yes. But then how do you finish? It's actually how do you set up tomorrow to win? So, what are the structures you put in place? So, you know, after dinner I brush my teeth because then otherwise I'll eat on the couch. Yeah. You know, for sure. It'll be 8:30 and I'll be looking for some morsel of something. So I already feel good that I'm not going to do that. And then a bit of stretching, a bit of legs up the wall while I'm watching Netflix, because that's what I want to do. Yeah. I want to watch Netflix. I love it. Yeah. Um, so how can I make my routines get me ready for tomorrow? And part of it is we have to honor recovery. So if we're going to be these really fast super duper achievers, we have to build in a little bit of recovery that's a doable, not time out. Yeah, yeah. That's actually on top of what I'm already watching TV. So I can stretch and put my legs up the wall.

Dom Hind:

Double track it.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah. Yeah.

Dom Hind:

How how can you make the nighttime routine stick when every night is different? And you know, in the mornings we've got our alarms that set us to wake up, which we then can go through and m make the day work. Yeah. But what is how can we do it at night? Is it the same thing? Set an alarm.

Shannah Kennedy:

Like we all we all have dinner. Yes. Right? So anything that you can tie into your dinner routine. So when you have dinner, you might be doing the dishes. Um, what do you do after the dishes? So I would prep my breakfast, soak my oats tomorrow, brush my teeth, might write in my gratitude, might put my face cream on so that when I'm finished watching TV, you're ready. Stay to bed. I don't want to start all that stuff. Yeah, yeah. It's too hard. So tie it with something that is already done all the time.

Dom Hind:

See, it's interesting for me because with kids still needing to be, you know, I put them to bed, like you know, put them to bed, do a meditation with them, all that stuff. It's every night is different because sometimes they finish at different times and you know, there needs to be that flexibility.

Shannah Kennedy:

But I think maybe asked to dinner, you do you first.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, okay. And then the kids.

Shannah Kennedy:

So yeah, uh it's finding what your recipe is. And I think for next year that's a challenge for people is to not only win the morning, but if athletes don't do their nighttime stuff correctly, they can't show up the next day well anyway. So I'd love people to stop doing what's sabotaging them. Yes. Which is maybe ladylike couch. Yeah, yeah. Watching the fifth episode I've been watching. Like have a time where you do stop, like nine o'clock, and then do what you need to do. It's not starting to do more, it's actually dropping off things that are not serving you as well.

Dom Hind:

Okay. Yeah, I think that's a good thing. Um, why is it important to plan life, not just goals or resolutions?

Shannah Kennedy:

Because goals are just a little map for the brain. Life is the big picture. Life is, but how do you want to feel? Yeah. Do you want to feel connected to people? Um, how do you want to feel physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually? It's bigger. It's so much bigger than a goal. So the life thing is, you know, when you do a vision board or something, you're putting up pictures of how you want to feel.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

Oh, that that woman up there, she's 20 years older than me. I'm 55. So I always think of my 65-year-old self, 75-year-old self. What am I doing for her? That's bigger than just a goal. Goal is short term for me. You set a goal every season, as we talked about last time. Yeah. One goal per season every 12 weeks. That's it. That's enough.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. Um, I I love how you always say, what does my I use my 80-year-old self because I always do that. And even at the gym when we're lifting weights and we're asked, do we want to do another set? I'm like, uh no, but my 80-year-old self really wants to. So let's do it. Isn't it amazing?

Shannah Kennedy:

It overrides your brain. It overrides your brain. I know. I do the same. I'm at, I don't feel like going for a walk in Melbourne today because it's raining sideways. And my 75-year-old self says, Move. You need to move for me. You need agility, you need to be out there, you need to constantly be moving. Um, take the stairs. She gives me a pat on the back. So when you really focus on it, it sounds quite weird, but psychology, you have a new best friend, which is your 10-year-old self. And that's who you're working for and serving and deciding why you're not going to waste that money because she wants that either for her personal trainer or whatever she might want. So it makes the brain just think a lot bigger than next year.

Dom Hind:

Yes. Yeah. I like that. What does a values-aligned year actually look like in practice?

Shannah Kennedy:

I think knowing your values is always number one, which we've always talked about, which is asking yourself, what is the most important thing to you in the world today? Yeah. And it's usually your health, your family, achievement, in harmony, freedom, creativity, something like that. But and where are you going to say no? Where are you going to protect your boundaries this year? Yes. Where are you going to shut the gate and stop giving the we talked about the tomato plant before? I'm going to write a book about tomato plants. And people just keep giving away their tomatoes. Yeah. And there's none left. Yeah. For the right people. The people that really matter to you get the worst side of you because you've just been trying to do too much on your to-do list. And yeah, I think it's really important. If you want to be values aligned, you have to create a structure or a guidelines for yourself for the year ahead.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, I I think that that is very important. Um, what's the biggest mistake people make when setting goals for the new year? They're not committed.

Shannah Kennedy:

So say you with your meditation for example.

Dom Hind:

Yes, thanks. Just pick up me for that. Yes.

Shannah Kennedy:

Um try. Trying means I'm going to try and do it, but I'll maybe allow some excuses to come into play. So I've had to pick up the kids or I'm a bit tired. So I'm not going to do it. Too busy, not going to do it. But when you commit to something wholeheartedly, you just do it. And what people do is maybe come think they're committing to things that they're not really committed to. So if you're going to write a goal or set an intention, only set one. But make sure you're real. Because what happens to your confidence when you don't do things? Yeah. You get angry at yourself. Yes. It does. So I'd rather set one. So I said, I'm going to learn how to breathe this year. Yes. That's it.

Dom Hind:

Okay.

Shannah Kennedy:

Signed up for a 20-week immersive. Oh, wow. I had to show up every week. Um, I had to go and live in gingerbine for four days, in the bush, and become certified and master it. So I only had one goal. Yes. For the year. That was it. So if you have one goal for the year and you create a structure to support it, your confidence goes through the roof because you're winning all the time.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. How did you feel at the end of being certified?

Shannah Kennedy:

Oh, amazing. I'm like, I'm 55 and I'm still learning. This is so exciting. What can I study next? And it was connection with like-minded people also interested in it.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

Um, it was very community focused. I can now go and teach it at schools to kids. Oh, wow. I can go to hospitals and teach it. I can teach all of my clients, which I already sort of do anyway. Um, but I could take it into prisons, I can take it anywhere now. So women in domestic violence who may not have taken a breath for 10 years.

Dom Hind:

Yes.

Shannah Kennedy:

A safe breath.

Dom Hind:

Yes.

Shannah Kennedy:

To be able to hold space for them and teach them how to breathe. Um just be incredible for me in the future. So there's so much opportunity. So only commit to things that really light you up.

Dom Hind:

Yes.

Shannah Kennedy:

Okay.

Dom Hind:

Good. Um, how do you plan for things that don't fit into a spreadsheet? Like joy, connection, and rest.

Shannah Kennedy:

Oh, yeah.

Dom Hind:

I love those.

Shannah Kennedy:

Well, if you have a spreadsheet.

Dom Hind:

Or a diary. Or a diary diary. Or a plan. Right, yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

You should be free to be joyful and creative and spontaneous. So a lot of creative people that I coach balk at. I don't want to do a plan or a 12-week plan or a life plan or a 10-year plan. But when we get them into it and they do it, they actually find that there's so much less in their head that they become more creative, more joyful. Yeah. Because they're not worrying about anything. It's all on paper. Yeah. And our job as humans on the planet is to collect, I call them balloons or day of gratitude, let go of the dark ones. Yeah. We've got beautiful water, you know, we've got amazing equipment here. We've got lovely lady over there producing. Thanks, Mario. Thank you very much. Um, and we've got this opportunity to have a conversation, to share it globally. I mean, there's so much to be grateful for. That we have a car, a pillow, yeah, a bed, food, a refrigerator, a kettle. So I go around just collecting my balloons all day. I'm so joyful.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

So lightness and joy are two words for me that are very important every morning. Approach today with lightness and joy. Yes. Just show up. Yeah. For a plate aid on the planet.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. Plate aid on the planet.

Shannah Kennedy:

And we're not surviving, we're not, we're not, you know, miracle workers healing people and doing heart surgery.

Dom Hind:

No.

Shannah Kennedy:

I'm not saving lives. No. But I think what we can do is enjoy this day on the planet and spread joy and be creative and let go of some of the black balloons.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. Do you know what? I think it it's um so when we first met was in 2017 and just sold with collective. And even then it was so much of the unknown. And back then, I think I was wearing so much black and navy, and just because that was the uniform, that was what you had to do. But I think by you introducing the light and joy is when I started wearing colour and just making sure that it's fascinating how colour does bring joy. But not only joy, it also makes people come and talk to you if you're wearing colour. And it's fascinating because you have so many interesting conversations that you would normally not have had.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah, and you're such a role model for that. Like you are this colour. But it's all it looks like joy. Yeah. It's creative. Yeah. It's expressive. It lightens you up. Yeah. Completely. Yes. If you put it on, you feel good. Yeah. Um, it's exciting.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. Yeah. It is.

Shannah Kennedy:

You need a plan for that. No, just show up with it. Show up and do it. So I every morning I'm like, okay, I've got to collect balloons. Because last night I put them all away. Yeah, right. Every day is a new collection. Every day. So how many did I collect today? Oh, not many. Oh, that's not good. You weren't you weren't living a grateful life then. Yeah, right. So part of my passion is to live a grateful life because I think we live in an incredible country. Yes. So incredibly safe. We have a lot of opportunity. So to live a grateful life, you have to constantly be collecting moments of gratitude. So the visual for me is just the girl running around with the balloons who's light and joyful and colourful. No black one means.

Dom Hind:

Are they all the same colour balloons or are they different colours?

Shannah Kennedy:

Different. And so I even painted a picture this year in I saw that. Yes. I do paint by numbers because it has to look good. So paint by numbers, this girl running through the fields with all of her balloons. And even painting that made it be a part of me. Yes. Really a part of me. Every stroke was, yep, this is what I'm really committed to, living a life of gratitude. And so, you know, I'm in the taxi, I'm on the plane, there's a metal tube that's taking me into the sky. And don't know how to be grateful for, right? Yeah. A lot. Yeah. So when you really um wake up and live wide awake like that, you don't need to set big goals.

Dom Hind:

No. No, yeah, you get the joy and the small sum. Okay, I like that. Um, what does your personal 2026 plan look like? And can you share a sneak peek?

Shannah Kennedy:

Well, it is a year of big change because my husband is finishing his job after 24 years. Yes. And we will have a bit of another gap sabbatical, which is always very hard because they're scary where you actually don't work for a period of time. Yes. Um, so he is committed to at least six months to a year. Wow. Um, to fully recover, to restore, to come from a place of overflow, to see what unfolds and not plan it. Um, so I'm very excited for him, and I will go on lots of trips with him. Yeah, um, as I will. So it is a year to not be super focused for me. Yes. It's actually going to be a year of spontaneous. Yeah, right.

Dom Hind:

So you're living in flow.

Shannah Kennedy:

I'm gonna just flow wherever it takes me, which is really unusual because every year it is quite structured, and but that's all been because I've had school kids and now my both of my kids have finished school. Yes. I want to run around and collect balloons and be free. And then that next decade, what will that be about? And and I think you need a bit of stillness and a bit of joy, and then you create again. Yeah, you probably need a break. It's a little bit like athletes after the Olympics. Yeah. They don't sit down the day after the Olympics and plan the next four year schedule. No, they go and be free for a bit. You know, all the footballers are overseas now being free because football's finished before they come back. And I think everyday people don't allow themselves to do that.

Dom Hind:

I think you're right. Even between like when you are between jobs, you have minimal amount of time. Or if you do, it's panic. Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

So the gift of the gap is to give yourself space to create stillness, to find joy, to come home to self and then create from there. Yeah, okay. And not panic. And you you've been through this. Yes. Don't panic. There's a lot of rides in the playground. Yeah. There's a lot of jobs out there, there's a lot that we can create. We don't have to do it all this year. No. We think we do. We've got 20 years to achieve a lot. We don't have to try and do everything all at once.

Dom Hind:

Yes.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yes.

Dom Hind:

Pace the race. Pace the race. Okay, good. Um, what rituals or habits help you reset at the end of the year?

Shannah Kennedy:

Well, it is taking that day off to really sit down and just be a human and feel my body. And am I, you know, I'm still here.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

Um, I like to um definitely do an end-of-year sort of summary for myself in the journal.

Dom Hind:

Yes.

Shannah Kennedy:

I also like to look what Chinese year ahead it is. So this year was Year of the Snake. Yep. Shedding. Yes. Next year is the horse, which is embodying.

Dom Hind:

Okay, I am a horse. Okay.

Shannah Kennedy:

Right.

Dom Hind:

So what's uh what does the embodying mean?

Shannah Kennedy:

Well, I have to do a bit of research about that. But it's about you've you've this year was a year of pruning and tidying up and shedding. It was, you know, stop doing things that don't serve you anymore and sabotage you, or people, you know, like just gently moving away from some people that don't serve you.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

So next year it's like really being your true self. So I'm looking forward to it. I'm really looking forward to it.

Dom Hind:

Well, that'll be good if you're in flow in that state as well.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah. And I think we can't be in flow all the time. No.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

It's a gap. It is the pause part because if you're in flow all the time, you sort of don't know where you're going. Yes. And the brain does need a map. So when you are having a stop at a big um town on the map, it's like, let's just stop and enjoy the town a bit. Let's not drive through. So give yourself time sometimes. And there are pivotal points in life. Midlife. Midlife is the chrysalis. Yes. Caterpillar. Uh no more. I'm not a school mum anymore. Yes. We have to dissolve that part before we become the butterfly. So there are certain points in life where it is good to flow and let go and then reset.

Dom Hind:

Are you mentally prepared for not being a school mum? Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

I am. Because I have a life plan, remember? Oh, yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. So probably five years ago at 50, or even before 50, I think it was maybe nine, 10 years ago when I was going, okay, I'm 45, I'm going to be 50. By the time I'm 55, I have no kids at school. Yes. So my mind was already seated. So I was already talking to women who had no kids at school. Yes. What do you how did how was that for you? How did you do that? What did you do? I was talking to women who were going through menopause because nobody was talking about it.

Dom Hind:

No, not back then. No.

Shannah Kennedy:

Back then. Even five years ago, it was 50. Nobody talked about it. So I was at health retreats asking Chinese doctors about it. I was I was preparing. I was really preparing myself. So I've actually really enjoyed the whole thing. Yeah. The whole transition because I did quite a bit of research.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. Because it's interesting. There's so many women that I know that when their kids finish school, they just fall off a cliff. Because they have invested so much of themselves in their kids and need not do the work that they don't know what to do. Send them to me.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yes. Yeah, yeah. We need a plan. So, so but for that, I think is yes, it is very normal for our identity to be in our title, which is the school mum that does everything or your job, but that's not, that's really dangerous. So we need to be a whole person who also is a school mum. Yes. Um, or also goes to work, but we need to come back to self, really come home to self.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. And I think that's that is something that we tend to forget at times is that you have to be happy with you before you can actually be giving.

Shannah Kennedy:

And my daughter finished year 12, and within three weeks, she said, I think I'm going to do a gap here, and moved out. Oh, and I thought, oh, hang on, hang on. You're supposed to be home to your 26, remember? 27. And she said, No, no, I've got an opportunity to go and live on the Gold Coast. So I'm I really want to take it. Mum, what would you do if you were 19 years old? Was her question. Very smart girl.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

I said, Oh, honey, I would have already gone.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

So off you go. Um, but that would that was hard for me because it was extra quick. Yes. Whereas my son, who's 21, still lives at home, but he's hardly ever home. He's so it's really my husband and I. But it happened overnight rather than a I thought it was gonna take four or five years and it didn't. Yeah, it was quick. And she's thriving. So that's good. Healthy birds leave the nest, they say. So I must have raised independent, adventurous kids. But that that was tricky for me, but I brought I took a lot of breaths.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, yeah. Well, you were trained in it. Yeah, so it was a perfect.

Shannah Kennedy:

It was a good distraction. So I think for a lot of women who are experiencing this change, yes, study is an incredible distraction to all of the emotions that you're feeling that you don't want to ruminate in for too long. Yeah. So just by focusing on the study, I had a new purpose that was fresh and new and different. Yeah. So I didn't have a lot of time to feel sorry for myself.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. Okay. That's a great tip. What are you saying yes to in the new year? And what are you leaving behind?

Shannah Kennedy:

Oh, that's a big one. I'm definitely saying yes to more adventure. So more trips, more going away, because I can now. Yeah. So my all my old excuses don't stack up anymore because my husband likes to travel a lot. Um, I do have to look after my dad, though. He's 85. So that's the other position that women find themselves in in their 50s, is also looking after the parents. So that's a consideration. But yes, to a lot more a lot more spontaneous fun because we're in our year of flow. Yeah. And just saying, well, why the hell not? Yes. Um and no, I'm going to let go of probably just being the good girl all the time, you know. I have let go of a lot of that, but I still do a bit of that.

Dom Hind:

What as in the people pleaser? Yeah, right. It's it is hard. Doing what's right. It is hard to let go of that. Even though you know you should be doing what's right for you, it's still hard.

Shannah Kennedy:

But you still want to see you're still pleasing your parents.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

Right? It's it's and they seem to lose their filter a little bit. I know my dad will never listen to this. So but they do lose their filter a little bit, yes, and and need you more, and it can be quite brutal. It can be quite brutal. And I I think we just get this freedom of not being a school mum, but then you've got the you've got the other side. So it's a tricky time to navigate. So just to flow a little bit and ease up on yourself having to achieve all of this stuff right at this minute. Yeah, that will come later again. I think. I think post-menopause, which nobody talks about, is when we can come into our great wisdom. We can achieve enormous things, incredible things in our 60s. Um, and I'm really excited for that to come.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, that's good. It's it's funny. Um you say that the parents uh remove their filter. I've totally removed my filter from my parents now, and I'm just like, no, that's just not good enough. No, no, no. I don't think I know how to handle it, but it's it's you know, good. I think I need it too.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah, sometimes you need to. You have to set your boundary. You have to set the boundary, which is really important. Um, but yeah, it's a tricky time to navigate the 50s, I think, in so many different areas. There's so much happening, there's so much change happening. Your body, you get a new brain with menopause. Yeah. You've got aging parents, you've got kids trying to be adults, and who am I without the school system?

Dom Hind:

Yes.

Shannah Kennedy:

Which is a really big transition for them where they have to find their identity. Very tricky. The first year out of school, very tricky for kids until they find, oh, I don't see my friends every day at school.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

It's all taken away, the structure's taken away. So everybody is going into that cyclone at the same time. Um, but that's what I really prepared myself for.

Dom Hind:

Okay. Get ready for the cyclone. I've still got a few years. Yeah, flow, flow. Um, okay, a few true or false questions. Yeah. Burnout is just part of being successful. Oh, totally false.

Shannah Kennedy:

Totally false. You know, I'm gonna say false around that because that means you haven't cared for yourself properly. Yeah, and you haven't had boundaries, and that means you're not a high performer. Because athletes have boundaries, they don't burn out, they're quite selfish. Yeah, but that's why they're great. So we need to take a little bit of that.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, okay. Uh yes. Uh, you need to hit rock bottom to reinvent your life.

Shannah Kennedy:

Disagree. That's false. Yeah. Yes. I think we can reinvent every 12 weeks, every season, like nature. And I love, I really love taking nature into account when we're thinking about ourselves and how transitions are slow, but seasonal. Yes.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. It is it's a great way to think about it. Saying no makes you selfish.

Shannah Kennedy:

No, saying no makes you um self-empowered. Okay, good. I like that. Yeah.

Dom Hind:

Good reframing.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah, yeah.

Dom Hind:

Self-care is not selfish. Yes. Midlife is too too late to start over.

Shannah Kennedy:

I think we're just beginning. Yeah. You know, I it's funny. I said to someone the other day, I feel like, you know, I've written eight books. I've taken women walking around the world, I've raised my kids. That was the runway. And I'm about to do my best work. It actually feels like that's bubbling inside me. That this was all like the pre-run, the warm-up. Yeah. The best stuff's coming. So yeah, no, I think midlife is it's incredible.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, I do too. Um, if you're not busy, you're falling behind.

Shannah Kennedy:

That's that's a wonderful society sort of word that we're addicted to, busy. Yeah. Um, I think slow and steady rins the waste, and we need to pace ourselves, and we'll do great things. Because just because you've ticked more off your list, it doesn't matter. No one cares. No one cares.

Dom Hind:

What do you what do you think? Because whenever I uh say to anyone, how is your Weekend or busy. Like, I don't care. Like, everyone's busy. Like, what is a better response than saying terrific? Yeah, terrific. I had a great time.

Shannah Kennedy:

You're in charge of your diary and booked all of those things in, correct? So you're the creator of your life, you're the creator of your list. So could you find a new word for describing how you have created your life? So I always say terrific. Yes. That's terrific. It was great. Yeah. Because I chose that. Yes. I booked that in. I said yes to that. So when you say busy, you just told your whole body that it's exhausted. Yeah. Okay. So be careful what you train the brain with. So whatever words that we're saying has a direct impact into your energy and your health. So I'm very protective of that. I do not want that in my body.

Dom Hind:

No, busy equals exhausted.

Shannah Kennedy:

And it's it is. So think of all the supplements everybody's taking. Yes. And then you say you're busy, you just undid all of those supplements. Yeah, right. So just be careful of language. Language is really powerful. Yeah.

Dom Hind:

Okay. Planning takes the spontaneity out of life.

Shannah Kennedy:

Well, we know that's not true.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. It allows it in. I agree with that. I do agree that it I could, and I I think I was probably one of the people that said, what? I'm not going to write down my 10, 20 year plan, but it does because you can actually go, okay, when are the kids going to be in their year 10, year 11, 12? Okay, can't do big trips on those in those years, or if I do need to be at this times, when are they going to stop wanting to come on holiday? And it does give you that structure of what you can do and what you can plan for.

Shannah Kennedy:

So imagine if you didn't have a plan.

Dom Hind:

Yes.

Shannah Kennedy:

And you're driving along. Yeah. And you just want to stop wherever you feel like. In the long term, you wouldn't be going anywhere. You wouldn't get anywhere. So we sort of need a bit of a plan for the brain, a bit of a structure, because the brain needs a roadmap. And once we've got our plan plotted out in the GPS in the car, you can relax and drive. You're relaxed. Yeah. Because you're not thinking about where to turn. It's going to tell you. So if you're relaxed, you're going to notice the scenery and you're going to notice that great donut shop over there. And you're going to stop. Yes. And be spontaneous because you're not worried about the rest moving forward. So people live with an enormous amount of underlying worry. Am I going to have enough money to retire on? Yes. What's going to happen to my health? When am I starting that diet? Because if I'm 60 and I'm still carrying lots of weight or I'm not fit, it's not going to be great. But I haven't got a plan, so I live in worry. So when we have the plan, we can be spontaneous. And you know, our radars out there looking for things to add to our plan. Yes. So it becomes really exciting.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, okay, good. I like that. Your worth is tied to how much you do.

Shannah Kennedy:

You know, I think the worth is tied on how you impact others. Yes. You know, even the barista.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

You know, you might smile at the barista and say, I always say thank you. I love, I love your coffee. I love how you make my coffee. And it's like I'm the first person that's spoken to them for a week. Yeah. Because I just see disgruntled people who are tired, angry, hurry up with my coffee. Coffee. I'm busy. I'm and I just take a moment to say thank you. And that's when we talked about goals, living a life of gratitude. It's just being kind. It's maybe doing some random acts of kindness and those kinds of things is better than being busy. Yeah. Because it's soulful and you have to lie down with yourself every night. Yeah. I I agree. I think that's a good thing.

Dom Hind:

Okay. So the last question. Um, try this before you're 50. So last time you came on, yeah, your uh thing was to create a life plan, but also to try something and push yourself a little bit harder. Yeah. Define the values, get clear on what you actually want, and start saying no to the things that drain us, which I I just I work on that every day. I try to work on that every day. Um what do you think, now that you're back here in person for the second time, what do you think a try this before I'm 50 challenge should be?

Shannah Kennedy:

I think stillness, because I think it's the one thing that's missing. And it's causing autoimmune issues for people, cancer in people, disease in people, it's all gotten very fast. Um everything's at our fingertips now, except for stillness. And the minute that anyone is still, they reach over their phone. Yeah, absolutely. So I've been challenging myself to be like the dog a bit and just sit still. And maybe just look at the garden or notice the plant, or I think if we're a little bit still occasionally, we're going to make much better choices and plan better things for ourselves because we're not going to react. We're going to sit there, get out of the head, into the belly, through the breath. What does it feel like in my gut to commit to this? Yes. In my belly.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. But I think it's it's interesting. The the stillness for people, like even for me, I know that uh being still can be uncomfortable at times because it makes me start thinking. And you know, at times I would much prefer to have a hundred things on my to-do list than to sit in the stillness.

Shannah Kennedy:

It's very uncomfortable.

Dom Hind:

It's very uncomfortable being still.

Shannah Kennedy:

So Louise Hay, you know, beautiful Louise Hay, who started Hay House Publishing at 60, by the way. Yeah. Right. Um, she said you're growth only happens when you're uncomfortable. So get comfortable with being uncomfortable. So when I sit still and it's really uncomfortable, yes, I challenge myself for another minute to sit in the uncomfortable and everything starts settling. Yeah. It's really strange. And that's where the gold is, and that's where I make better decisions.

Dom Hind:

I know, I I do, yes, it is something that I need to start doing. And I mean, even with the meditation, it is it's different than being still.

Shannah Kennedy:

No, being still is nothing to do. You might be in the cafe instead of standing in the queue with your phone swiping, you could be just being still. And you could just be absorbing the world and noticing what's around you. And I actually find that more people come and talk to you and want to be near you when you're calm and you're confident and you're grounded than when you're hyped up. Being a crazy overachiever. And I'm addicted to achieving, as you know. Yeah, yeah. I achieve a lot in my days and in my months, but it's doing it like Roger Federer.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

Calm pace, confident pace, just being in control of myself. It's a nice place to be. It's actually a really nice place to live inside. Yeah. And when we get out of the head and into the belly, the only way we can do that is through the lung. The lung opens the door and says, I've been waiting for you. Take a breath, please. Um, that's why I gave you the sticky notes. Yeah, yeah. You know, even three beautiful breaths, beautiful sticky notes.

Dom Hind:

Beautiful sticky notes that say stop one minute reset, stop and pause, take three breaths, open your awareness, proceed with calm clarity, breathe.

Shannah Kennedy:

There's Gatorade stations. So I've got them in my car. I've got reminders, visual reminders, because we need signposts. Yeah, we do. Without the signposts, we keep driving past everything all the time. So, yeah, it's been a really interesting year this year for me of change. Yes. But really soulful and exciting.

Dom Hind:

That's good. Um, is there anything that we didn't cover that you wanted to cover?

Shannah Kennedy:

I think that rather than being afraid of the 50s, lean in. It's beautiful, it's deep, it's soulful, it's coming home to self, it's a little bit messy. Yes. And it's okay because it's actually in that time when you sit still that you come home to self. I think it is a remarkable time of life that nobody tells you about.

Dom Hind:

Okay. Yes. I know, and and they're only just starting to talk about it.

Shannah Kennedy:

And a lot of them are, you know, it's going to be terrible. It's not.

Dom Hind:

Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

It's not if you do some of the pre-work, you know, if you do a bit of a warm-up and you do a bit of research for yourself and you do a bit of a plan of how you want to feel during those transitions and what your promise is to yourself. It's a magnificent time of life.

Dom Hind:

Yes. I think, yes, I think it is. But you do, you have to take the time. You have to take the time. You have to take the time. Yeah.

Shannah Kennedy:

If you don't, you will be walloped.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. Yes.

Shannah Kennedy:

And forgotten. And forgotten. And walloped. And it might be really messy. So yeah, take your time, do the thinking, do the stillness. Yeah. Take a day off occasionally just to be unbelievably uncomfortable. And go and sit on your chair at the beach or whatever.

Dom Hind:

And I do think, yeah, don't have your phone. Just don't have your phone. My phone. Have a notepad, pencil.

Shannah Kennedy:

Yeah. And just be. Yeah. It's unbelievable what will pour out of you if you give yourself space, safe space. I can already feel the sun.

Dom Hind:

No. Thank you. Thank you again. Thank you for being here in person. Um, lovely to see you.

Shannah Kennedy:

We could talk for hours. You know that. I know, I know. Hours and hours. But I think for the listeners, it is an exciting time. You know, there's so much to learn. We we've got our brain fog and all those things going on, but we do take in a lot. And I think be very careful who your role models are and and and how you want to show up in the future.

Dom Hind:

And who you spend the time with as well.

Shannah Kennedy:

I think big one. It's a good time for pruning.

Dom Hind:

Yeah. Yeah. Tomato and look after the soil. And look after the soil. Um, so thank you for coming back and reminding us that midlife isn't a crisis and that it is a choice, and a choice that we can make an amazing next few decades. Um, I do love thinking about the future self, and I always will make a decision based on my future self. It's why I stopped running because my future self would just not like it. No, the joints, just not at all. Exactly. Um, and it was a powerful reminder that clarity isn't a luxury, it's a tool. Same with taking the time and the space that you do actually need.

Shannah Kennedy:

And clarity only comes in stillness.

Dom Hind:

Clarity only comes in still message. Okay, good. Uh, and if it's one, if it it is one thing that we can close the year out on, it's making sure that we do make that time for ourselves and sit and be still. So even in the supermarket car park.

Shannah Kennedy:

Like just stop. Yeah. Just sometimes my kids say, they used to say, Mum, you're so long at the supermarket. I say it's so busy. It's so busy down there, but it wasn't. I spent 20 minutes in my car just being still. Oh, taking a breath, you know, just letting my body catch up to my crazy brain. Yes. It's it's my stolen secret moments.

Dom Hind:

They're beautiful. And I I even when I went to pick up my kids from school, I can always remember you saying, take the moments before you pick them up to settle yourself. Because as soon as they get in the car, it's going to be crazy. It's crazy, too. It's crazy. So you need, I used to steal, well, I still do. I think I did it three weeks ago, that I stole the moments when just before I picked them up, I had 10 minutes and I was like, that's it. I'm just gonna do I did a 10-minute meditation, but I thought great. That's yeah, good.

Shannah Kennedy:

And then when the kids get in the car, don't ask them any questions. No, wait. Yeah, let them have some stillness, settle into the car, drive off. Hi, kids. 10 minutes later I'll say, How's your day?

Dom Hind:

Yeah, I think that is a big one too. It's too much for them. They don't well, you're the safe space, and then they're in there and they don't really want to talk to you right away.

Shannah Kennedy:

No, they don't want 25 questions when they've just survived the school playground. Like, just give people space and teach them stillness.

Dom Hind:

Yeah, yeah. Amazing. It is a good skill to have to have. Okay, so as we close out 2025 and the snake, we've shed we're shedding. We've shed it this year into the year of the horse. Um, if you do want to learn more about Shanna's work and the books and the amazing things that she's doing, all the links will be in the show notes. Uh, if you've enjoyed this episode, hit subscribe, share it with your friends, and just take a moment to be still and even just have a day to yourself. Just for you. No one else. No one else. Just for you. Because f*ck, I'm nearly 50, and isn't it amazing?