Circle This

In this episode, Dre sits down with powerhouse actress/producer Constance Zimmer and filmmaker Abby Epstein, the collaborators behind The Midlife Monologues, for a conversation that goes straight to what's rarely said out loud and what needs to be heard. 
 
 
 
They talk about the reality of midlife as it actually lands: identity shifts, grief, hormonal changes, loneliness, and the disorientation of becoming someone new without a roadmap. And then, the flip side, how powerful women in midlife actually are and are taking matters into their own hands when it comes to representation.
 
 
 
What began as one shared truth has grown into a body of work that invites women to speak without performance or pretense. From Dressing Room Confessions to their expanding projects, they're creating spaces where honesty breaks the silence—and real information is shared. 
 
 
 
This conversation moves through what happens when we stop editing ourselves…
how shame dissolves when it's spoken…
and why even one person saying "I see you" can change everything.
 
 
 
It's not just about midlife.
It's about owning your voice, sharing your truth and what opens when we do it together. 
 
 
 
Follow:  @constancezimmer, @abbyepsteinxoxo, @midlifemonologues, @mlifecollective, @talkfiftytome
 
 
 
Learn More:  https://themidlifecollective.co/
 
 
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Stay connected with the Circle This team:
@andreabendewald @circlethispodcast
@emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace
 
For sponsorship inquiries, email: [email protected]

In this episode, Dre sits down with journalist and News Not Noise founder Jessica Yellin for a conversation about how to stay informed without losing yourself in the process.
 
 
 
From her time as Chief White House Correspondent at CNN to now speaking directly to millions from her living room, Jessica shares the real story behind her evolution and the isolation, pressure, and purpose that came with it. 
They get into the real impact of the 24/7 news cycle on the body, the mind, and the nervous system and why so many of us feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure what's even true anymore.
 
 
 
Jessica shares her concept of a "news diet," how algorithms are shaping our reality, and why uncertainty isn't failure, it's part of being awake in a complex world.
 
 
 
Together, they unpack:
 

-why "heart-centered news" is a radical shift
 

-how to build a news diet that supports your nervous system
 

-why local connection—not more information—may be the real antidote to the loneliness epidemic
 
 
 
Jessica offers a powerful reminder: you don't need to know everything in real time—but you do get to choose how you engage.
 
 
 
Follow: @JessicaYellin
Substack: https://newsnotnoisejessicayellin.substack.com/
Learn More At:  https://newsnotnoise.com/
 
 
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Stay connected with the Circle This team:
@andreabendewald @circlethispodcast
@emkratter @talkwithtrace @goodmessmedia 

For sponsorship inquiries, email: [email protected]

In this episode, Dre and Em follow the thread of signs, synchronicities, and the moments that feel too precise to be random.
 
 
 
From a spontaneous "Sing with Emily" exchange echoed  by a billboard, to ladybugs showing up at pivotal life and creative moments, to standing on the exact New York corner described in a voice note as it plays—they track the patterns that blur the line between coincidence and connection.
 
 
 
They break down the difference between signs and synchronicity (a term coined by Carl Jung), and explore insights from Laura Lynne Jackson on where these messages may come from—whether universal energy, spirit guides, or loved ones who have crossed.
 
 
 
Regardless of where the signs originate, they have a playful conversation about the meaning and the magic of it all.
 
 
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Stay connected with the Circle This team:
@andreabendewald @circlethispodcast
@emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace
For sponsorship inquiries: [email protected]

In this episode Monica Corcoran Harel, screenwriter, bestselling author and founder of PRETTY RIPE and author of the viral essay "The Women Quietly Quitting Their Husbands" joins for a conversation that goes straight to the truth many women have been living but not naming.
 
 
 
What happens when the life you've built no longer fits?
 
 
 
Monica shares how her popular essays tap into a larger cultural shift—where women are questioning endurance, redefining marriage, and choosing agency over performance. The conversation moves into parenting and the practice of letting go, the pull between external transformation and internal acceptance, and the desire to feel fully alive in your own life.
 
 
 
Together they circle around noticing where you've gone quiet… and what it might take to come back to your partnership and ultimately yourself.
 
 
 
Follow Monica: @prettyripe
Learn More At: www.prettyripe.com    
 
 
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Stay connected with the Circle This team:
@andreabendewald @circlethispodcast
@emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace
For sponsorship inquiries, email: [email protected]

In this episode of Circle This, Dre sits down with Jared Seide, Executive Director of Beyond Us & Them, a groundbreaking nonprofit bringing compassion, connection, and real tools for transformation into some of the most unlikely places—prisons, law enforcement agencies, healthcare systems, and policy spaces.
 
 
 
Through circle and council practices, along with mindfulness-based techniques, Jared and his team train individuals within these systems to develop self-awareness, emotional regulation, and authentic connection.
 
 
 
These programs go beyond "let's all get along" energy, this is deep, embodied work that is actively shifting how humans relate to themselves and each other inside systems that are rooted in separation and "othering."
 
 
 
Together, they explore what happens when we interrupt the "us versus them" narrative and create spaces where people are truly seen, heard, and humanized. From incarcerated individuals experiencing profound connection to themselves and one another, to police officers learning resilience and relational intelligence, to communities finding their way back to belonging—this conversation reveals what becomes possible when there is an invitation to see beyond the mask and connect on the soul level.
 
 
 
Jared shares the science behind circling and council, including measurable physiological changes that occur when we practice real listening and authentic expression. They unpack why social connection is as vital as food and water, and what it takes to bring this work into environments built on survival, hierarchy, and division.
 
 
 
This is a conversation about re-humanization, choosing connection over contraction and remembering that we were never meant to do this alone.
 
 
 
This conversation is filled with evidence of hope, that real change is possible through practical tools of connection and it all starts with sitting in a circle. 
 
 
 
Learn more and support the work at beyondusandthem.org
Use code CIRCLE20 for 20% off their merchandise and help spread the message.
 
 
 
Explore Jared's book Where Compassion Begins for deeper practice.
 
 
 
Sign up for the Beyond Us & Them newsletter and follow them on social media @beyondusandthem
 
 
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Stay connected with the Circle This team:
@andreabendewald @circlethispodcast
@emkratter @goodmessmedia @talkwithtrace

For sponsorship inquiries, email: [email protected]