Who Is On Your Wellness Bus?
You've been figuring it out on your own. Googling symptoms. Researching when the labs came back confusing. Picking yourself back up when a new routine fell apart. You're good at managing things. What you might not have noticed is how tired you are of it. In this episode, Shari Biery introduces the Wellness Bus — a framework for thinking about who belongs on your support team in midlife and names the one seat women say they need most.
Key Takeaways
- Most midlife women have been managing their health alone for years — not because they chose to, but because they assumed that's how it was supposed to work.
- You are the driver of your wellness bus, not a passenger. You decide the direction. The people on your bus help you get there.
- Who belongs on the bus depends on your season: a doctor who actually listens, a health coach, a therapist, nutritionist, physical therapist, spiritual guide, massage therapist, or anyone who moves with you, prays with you, or holds you accountable.
- A health and wellness coach sits in the gap — between your doctor's visit and real life, between what you know and what you can actually do consistently in your specific life. Think of a health coach as the bus monitor: asking questions along the way, helping you figure out which road to take.
- The most-requested seat on the bus is accountability. Not cheerleading. Someone who knows what you said you were going to do and genuinely cares whether you did it.
- Sometimes someone needs to get off the bus. If a provider isn't serving your wellbeing in this season, finding someone who will isn't disloyalty — it's information.
- People want to change. What gets in the way is not having the right people around them. When women have the right support, they do things they genuinely believed were no longer possible.
- What midlife women need most is to feel seen, supported, and not alone in it.
Resources
- π Book a free 15-minute Clarity Call — a real conversation about where you are and whether coaching is the right next step
- π― Take the free Midlife Spark Type Quiz — Shari will be discussing the three types over the next three episodes
- π Explore Shari's coaching and programs
- π It's Your Turn, Shari's book
- π Follow Shari on Substack
- ποΈ Listen on all platforms
Transcript
You Were Never Supposed to Drive Alone
[00:00:03] Shari Biery: I want you to picture yourself behind the wheel of a bus.
Your bus.
And I want you to look around and notice who's on that bus with you?
Because most women in midlife have been driving alone for a long time.
And nobody ever told you you didn't have to.
Welcome and Series Intro
[00:00:28] Shari Biery: You're listening to It's Your Turn with Shari Biery. I'm Shari, a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, bestselling author, speaker, and creator of the C.A.L.M. Method. Each week, this show is about taking your turn in midlife, embracing new purpose, new passions, and new possibilities. New episodes drop weekly, so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss one.
[00:00:57] If you're just joining us, this is part of the Coming Home series, a Midlife Spark series. It's Episode 3 of 7 episodes on finding your way back to yourself in midlife. Each one stands on its own, so wherever you're starting, you're in the right place. We've been talking about what kind of support actually helps midlife women make changes that stick. And today, we're going to take that even further.
Managing Everything on Her Own
[00:01:30] Shari Biery: I had a woman come to me who had been managing her health the same way she managed everything else. On her own. Quietly. With a lot of research, and not a lot of backup.
When something felt off, she Googled it. When her labs came back and she had questions, she did more research. When she started a new health routine, she tracked it herself and adjusted it herself. And when it fell apart, she picked it back up by herself.
She was good at figuring things out. She'd been doing it her whole adult life.
What she hadn't noticed in all of this was how tired she was of it.
[00:02:22] When I asked her who she had in her corner, she paused for a long time.
She said, I guess I just assumed this was something I was supposed to do by myself.
And I wonder if this is true for you, too.
The Wellness Bus
[00:02:40] Shari Biery: With school back in session, we're seeing school buses everywhere. And there's an image I go back to time and again in my coaching practice.
Imagine that bus. You're the driver. This is your wellness bus.
You are not a passenger waiting to be told where to go. You're the driver.
That bus is your health, your body, your energy, your life in this season.
And the question that I think changes everything isn't what we tend to lean into — how do I fix myself? It's: who do I need on this bus with me?
[00:03:34] Because we've been trained to hand the wheel over to experts. Ma
ybe doctors who can only give us 15 minutes and a prescription, or programs that tell us exactly what to do, or social media influencers who seem to have it all figured out.
And when things don't work out, we blame ourselves for not following the directions well enough.
But you were never supposed to be a passenger in your own health.
The people on your bus are there to support your journey. Not to drive it. You decide where you're going, and they help you get there.
Who Gets a Seat
[00:04:24] Shari Biery: So, imagine there are seats on this bus. If you are the driver, who else gets to be on it with you?
One seat is a doctor who actually listens. Not one who dismisses your symptoms or tells you your labs are normal and sends you home with a wait-and-see approach — but a practitioner who looks at your whole picture and is willing to have a real conversation.
[00:05:01] Some people ask, what's a health coach? Because that's my role.
A health and wellness coach is someone who sits in the gap. A lot of times it's the gap between your doctor's office and home — actually making changes. But we're also able to take what you already know and help you act on it in the context of your specific life.
I think of a health coach as the bus monitor. I'm asking you questions along the way. I'm asking which path you want to go down, what direction you want to go, what's the view you want — all of that.
[00:06:04] Depending on where you are and what this season is asking of you, your bus might also include a therapist, a nutritionist, a physical therapist, a spiritual guide, a massage therapist. Someone who moves with you. Someone who prays with you. Someone who holds you accountable.
That last one — accountability — is the seat I hear about the most.
It should be someone who doesn't judge you. Not someone who just cheers you on from a distance, but someone who knows what you said you were going to do and genuinely cares whether you did it. Someone who helps you see when you're getting stuck or in your own way, and helps you move through it instead of around it.
That seat matters more than almost any other.
Sometimes Someone Needs to Get Off
[00:07:14] Shari Biery: Here's something that surprises people when I say it.
Sometimes, someone needs to get off your bus.
Maybe it's a practitioner you've seen for years, someone you trusted. If they're not serving your wellbeing in this season, it isn't being disloyal to find someone who will. That's information.
You want a provider who isn't just telling you, this is just part of aging, or just part of stress, or just what happens at your age. That's information, too.
[00:07:56] And I want to push back on something I hear in the healthcare space more than I should. The idea that people don't really want to change. That patients just want a quick fix.
I even had a client once who said, I just want the McDonald's version, where I drive through and I
get it.
But what I see is something so different.
What I see is women who have been trying to change, often for years, without the right people around them. Change is hard. Not because women are resistant. Because change requires the right environment, the right support, and someone in your corner.
And when those things are in place, I watch women do things they genuinely believed were no longer possible for them.
I believe people want change. And the way we go about helping is this: you need to be seen, supported, and not feel like you're alone in it.
One Small Step and Coming Up Next
[00:09:18] Shari Biery: So here's the one thing I want to invite you to try this week.
Think about your bus. Who's on it right now? And which seat is empty that you most need filled right now?
You don't have to do anything with that answer today. Just let yourself be aware of it.
[00:09:45] Next week, we're going to get more specific. We're going to talk about one particular type of woman in midlife and what the one small move back to herself actually looks like for her. I think for many of you listening, you'll recognize her.
Clarity Call and Close
[00:10:06] Shari Biery: If the health coach seat on your bus has been on your mind, and you're curious about what that conversation would actually look like, I offer a free 15-minute Clarity Call. There's no pressure. It's just a real conversation about where you are, what you want to feel differently, and whether coaching is the right next step for you right now.
The link to book that call is in the show notes and also on the website on the programs page: https://calendly.com/s-biery/15minuteclaritycall
[00:10:46] Thank you for spending time with me today. If something in this episode resonated with you, think about the women in your life who may be stuck, or talking about these same issues of not feeling supported. Share this episode with them.
The Midlife Spark Type Quiz is always in the show notes — take it if you haven't yet, because I'll be discussing the three types over the next three episodes.
Until next time. Keep taking your turn.
Where to Go From Here
Ready to explore who belongs on your wellness bus? Book a free 15-minute Clarity Call — a real conversation about where you are and whether coaching is the right next step for you right now.
Not sure where to start? Take the free Midlife Spark Type Quiz — Shari will be discussing the three types over the next three episodes.
Keep Taking Your Turn
New episodes of It's Your Turn with Shari Biery drop weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Substack. Subscribe so you don't miss one.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical or mental health advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional with any questions about your health.
This show notes page was created with the assistance of AI based on the recorded episode transcript. All content has been reviewed for accuracy and reflects what was shared on air.
