LifeTwo's 'Basics' Podcast, Episode 1: What is LifeTwo?

Hi I’m Nina Boski of LifeBites, and I’m here to tell you about LifeTwo – that’s life t-w-o – dot - com. LifeTwo is a new website aimed at increasing understanding about midlife.

In this Podcast – our first -- we’re going to tell you what LifeTwo is and what you’ll find there.

But first, let’s back up a bit. What exactly is “midlife?” It used to be that you were “middle aged” if you were between forty and sixty. In both psychology and pop culture it was seen as the boring time after youth and before the long downhill slide of old age. Not much was supposed to happen.

Those views have changed dramatically in the last fifteen years. Middle age is now seen as a distinct, important, and dynamic part of life. People can and do undergo dramatic change during midlife. And the very definition of “middle age” or “midlife” has expanded. Now it might start in your thirties but last for decades.

But still … are you wondering “Why have a site only about midlife when so much information is already available on the Internet?”

That’s a good question, but it’s also the problem. No one has time to find, evaluate, and process all that information, even for an area as underserved as midlife. That’s why there’s LifeTwo. We strive to bring you important and useful information about middle age, with the LifeTwo community making it even more valuable.

OK, so LifeTwo is about midlife … but covering thirty or more years of life is a big task. We had to ask ourselves “what’s different about midlife? -- what’s of particular concern to someone between their late thirties to early sixties?”

We came up with seven areas for LifeTwo to focus on. They are midlife crisis, midlife careers, brain health and physical health, money, midlife relationships, and living life to the fullest. And we also have a section we call “midlife observed” that covers fun and interesting stories that don’t fit anywhere else.

Let me tell you a little more about each one.

(By the way, if you’re listening to the iTunes version of this podcast, you’ll see clickable links in the “artwork viewer” where you usually see album covers.)

Our first major area is midlife crisis. We’ve spent a lot of time building up our midlife crisis content because, frankly, there isn’t too much out there on the web. We help you identify what type of midlife crisis you or a loved one may be going through – and yes, there are several kinds! For instance, many people go through a midlife re-evaluation. It’s not a “crisis” but it can cause people to wonder “what’s wrong with me?” LifeTwo’s goal is to help people understand what’s going on, then help them make it a transition to something better. We would like men and women to exit the experience with a renewed focus on their life-defining decisions -- especially what they want to accomplish with the rest of their lives.

Our next major section is midlife careers. These days, many middle-aged people have either made a midlife career change, or are thinking about it. After all, shouldn’t your work life be in alignment with your long-term goals, your family life, and even your happiness? In this part of the LifeTwo site, we cover midlife career change and work-life balance. We also look at issues such as when to quit your job, and the increased difficulty of job searches after forty.

Next up are brain health and physical health, diet and exercise. Do you want to be mentally alert and sharp at eighty? Midlife is the time to change your behavior to make that happen. LifeTwo also provides information on the changes our bodies are going through and the effects of lifestyle on our health and longevity.

Money cares don’t go away at midlife – far from it. Middle age is financial crunch time: there are large expenditures for health care, child rearing, and elder care … and we need to save for retirement or launching a second career. The financial pressure can be extremely stressful. In the Money section, LifeTwo provides information, tips, and resources for helping you through.

Another area that seems to get complicated at midlife is relationships. You probably have more important relationships in midlife than at any other time – with spouses or significant others; with your children; and with your parents. LifeTwo’s Relationships section covers marriage, divorce, dating, elder care, and raising children.

Living Life to the Fullest is the capstone of all these other topics. Why do you care about being healthy, or having a rewarding career, or saving a financial cushion, or maintaining close relationships? Isn’t so you can be happy and live without regrets? In Living Life to the Fullest we talk about how to do this. For instance, you can work through an exercise called “To do before I die,” or read about the latest developments in the science of happiness.

Lastly, the section we call “midlife observed” covers information that is fun, interesting and relevant … but that we can’t fit anywhere else! Pro-baby boomer and anti-baby boomer websites, midlife trends spotted in the media, and just stuff we think is cool – they’re all in “Midlife Observed.”

That wraps up what you’ll find at LifeTwo. Please visit us at life-T-W-O.com. You’ll find everything we talked about in this podcast, plus discussion groups, interviews, links to other resources. Please stop by and tell us your story, ask for advice, give advice, or leave comments and tell us how we’re doing.