Life Happens with Barb & Michelle

Living with someone you love is supposed to be easy — until it isn't. In this episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, hosts Barb Schmidt and Michelle Maros pull back the curtain on the two years they spent living together after a sudden condo flood turned a two-week crash pad into an unplanned life arrangement. What started as a temporary inconvenience became one of the most challenging — and unexpectedly transformati...

What if the thing you've been told will set you free is actually keeping you stuck? What if forgiveness isn't even the goal?

In this episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, our hosts challenge everything we've been taught about forgiveness. Not the textbook version we learned as kids, but the real, messy, evolving kind that shows up after serious trauma, toxic relationships, and years of bypassed emotions. This...

Have you ever found out someone you love wasn't telling you the whole truth, and even though it wasn't malicious, something inside you shifted? That quiet crack in trust can change a relationship more than any dramatic betrayal ever could.

In this episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, this mother-daughter duo gets deeply personal about dishonesty. Not the headline-grabbing kind, but the everyday white lies, the w...

What happens when the person you trusted completely becomes the source of your deepest wound? And what does it mean when you're the one who caused that kind of pain for someone else?

In this episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, our hosts go deep on one of the most universally painful human experiences: betrayal. This is a raw, honest conversation about what betrayal actually does to us, how it lives in our bodies, a...

Have you ever been knocked down so hard you weren’t sure you could get back up?

Have you ever felt the weight of the world and wondered how to keep moving forward—with strength, dignity, and hope?

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we explore why resilience can feel so hard, especially when you're exhausted from carrying so much. Inspired by Maya Angelou’s powerful poem Still I Rise, this conversatio...

Have you ever cared about someone so much that you slowly disappeared?

Have you ever been the strong one, the helper, the fixer — only to wake up exhausted, resentful, or unsure where you went?

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we explore the hidden cost of overgiving in relationships and how codependency, people-pleasing, and emotional overfunctioning quietl...

What if when things fall apart… that’s actually where healing begins?

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re diving into the wisdom of Pema Chödrön and her transformational book When Things Fall Apart — a powerful guide for navigating hardship, fear, failure, and suffering.

When life feels overwhelming, our instinct is often to escape the discomfort. But what if leaning into fear is actually the path t...

What if being “selfish” is actually the key to healthier relationships?

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re answering your questions about navigating difficult relationship dynamics — without guilt, overexplaining, or abandoning yourself in the process.

From unrealistic expectations and gossip to setting boundaries for the first time, we’re diving into th...

Confrontation isn’t easy — but it’s one of the clearest ways we honor ourselves and the people we care about. If we’re not honest about our feelings and needs, how can our relationships truly grow?

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re diving into loyalty and betrayal — including our own experience of being unexpectedly ghosted by a friend. From healthy communication to redefining what loyalty really...

Have we become so independent—and so focused on self-care—that we’ve forgotten how much we actually need one another? With relationship deficits at an all-time high, this episode is a powerful guide to rebuilding connection and creating healthy dependency—without losing yourself.

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re joined by New York Times bestselling author, therapist, and bound...

Hard truth: Staying because it’s comfortable might be the loneliest choice you make. Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop ignoring the red flags and choose to end a toxic or misaligned relationship.

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re unpacking the pressure around relationships, singleness, and breakups — and what it really means to choose yourself. From re...

Divorce breaks a million hearts — including your own.

But sometimes, choosing yourself is the bravest and most healing decision you can make.

What if all it took to change your life was the courage to trust yourself again?

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re joined by NYT bestselling author Jen Hatmaker for an honest, compassionate, and deeply moving conversation about life after divorce, listening t...

You don’t need to reinvent yourself this year 💫

With all the pressure to “fix” your life overnight and become a brand-new version of yourself, we’re taking a different approach to the new year—one that feels grounded, compassionate, and sustainable.

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re answering your questions on how to start the year with clarity and confidence—without stress, overwhelm, or unreali...

Step into a year that loves you back 💫 You deserve your own friendship—kindness, care, and compassion included. You are worthy of the same love you so freely give to others.

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we continue our conversation on daily practices by exploring one of the most powerful tools for resilience and confidence: affirmations. We talk about how intentional self-talk can shift your mind...

With the New Year comes pressure to become the “best version” of yourself but true transformation starts with intention, patience, and compassion. 💫

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re digging into a modern epidemic fueled by entitlement, comparison, and our fast-paced culture: impatience. We explore why slowing down is not a weakness, but the pathway to confidence, alignment, and ease as we enter...

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” Change isn’t something to fear—it’s an invitation to grow, evolve, and step into what’s possible. 💫

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we close out the year with a powerful conversation about the one constant in life: change. Instead of viewing impermanence as something negative, we’re flipping the script and exploring how chang...

Growth doesn’t happen all at once. It happens in honest moments, hard conversations, and small shifts we make every day. If you’ve been feeling disconnected, uncertain, or like you’re never quite enough, this conversation is for you.

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re reflecting on some of the most meaningful moments from our podcast this year. Together, we revisit ...

What if a “successful” holiday wasn’t defined by perfect traditions, packed schedules, or being surrounded by family? What if this season could feel lighter—rooted in ease, presence, and honoring yourself? 💫

In this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re answering your holiday questions and talking openly about navigating loneliness, grief, unwanted traditions, and disappointm...

The holidays don’t need to be perfect to be meaningful — here’s how to release the pressure and enjoy the season 💫

On this week’s episode of Life Happens with Barb & Michelle, we’re diving into holiday stress, perfectionism, boundaries, and the real reason so many of us feel overwhelmed this time of year. With 62% of people reporting elevated holiday stress, this conversation will he...