Listening to the Life Beneath the Life You’ve Built

When “fine” doesn’t feel true anymore...

Author

Darcy Neumann
May 22, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

What we don’t say outloud

There’s something I’ve noticed in so many conversations with women in midlife:
We’re smart, capable, and often deeply grateful for the life we’ve built…
And still, there’s this quiet ache inside.

Not quite sadness. Not quite burnout.
More like a whisper from within saying,
“This isn’t the whole story.”

But because no one talks about this part of life—the fog, the restlessness, the invisible unraveling—we begin to wonder if it’s just us.


We second-guess the desire for more.


We push through. Smile. Stay busy.

And yet… something inside us is trying to be heard.

When I knew something had shifted

It wasn’t one big moment for me.
There was no breakdown, no dramatic turning point.
It was quieter than that—more like a persistent, unshakable feeling.

A deeper knowing that I hadn’t fully stepped into me.

I was living a good life—loving my family, showing up, doing what was expected.
But beneath it all, I could feel something unexpressed… like a part of me was waiting just under the surface.

I wasn’t falling apart. But I wasn’t fully alive either.

And if I was honest with myself, I knew I was holding back—careful not to disrupt the flow, not to upset the balance, not to ask for too much.
But that quiet part of me kept whispering:

There’s more of you to discover. And she’s ready.

That’s the energy behind this work.
It’s what I speak to in The Silent Struggle of Women in Midlife,
and it’s why I create spaces—retreats, emails, videos—for you to listen to that whisper too.

“The Silent Struggle of Women in Midlife”

That’s why I made this:


🎥 My latest YouTube video is called The Silent Struggle of Women in Midlife
It’s a conversation I wish we all heard years ago. It’s honest, tender, and real.
And if you’ve been feeling “off,” I want you to know:
You're not broken. You're being called inward.

This is more than a video. It’s a mirror.
A chance to see yourself, not as someone who’s lost,
but as someone on the edge of remembering.

Following are a few Profound Reflective Questions - seek deeper connection to you:

  1. What have you been quietly longing for… but haven’t yet said out loud?

  2. If nothing outside of you had to change, what would you choose for yourself right now?

  3. What’s one part of you that’s been waiting patiently to be seen, heard, or reclaimed?

  4. Where in your life have you been “fine”… but not fulfilled?

  5. What truth keeps rising up—no matter how often you try to quiet it?

I’ve sat with these questions in my own journey.
They’ve helped me reconnect with what matters most—
and I hope they do the same for you.
If anything resonates, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

You're Not Behind—You're Becoming

There’s a version of you waiting on the other side of this season—clearer, softer, stronger.
And she’s worth listening to.

If this speaks to you, here is a gentle way we can stay connected:

🌿 Join My Retreat Waitlist [Wander More Retreats]


This is where the real transformation happens—in sisterhood, in sacred space, in nature.

I am currently creating “Unravel to Rise” a retreat for women like you, for YOU.


Women on the waitlist get early access to dates, locations, and rooms—plus an invitation to help shape the experience.