What happens when the life you carefully built no longer feels like your own? In this emotional and inspiring episode of Words of Wisdom from Kick-Ass Women, hosts Liz Brohan and Mary Olivieri welcome therapist and holistic wellness advocate Monica Sharma for a candid conversation about identity, burnout, intuition, and starting over. Monica shares the pivotal moments that reshaped her life across three decades — battling depression while outwardly successful, walking away from relationships and expectations that dimmed her spirit, becoming a mother on her own terms at 42, and ultimately making the painful decision to close the thriving practice she spent years building. Along the way, she reveals how grief, exhaustion, and uncertainty pushed her toward deeper self-awareness and healing. This episode is a powerful reminder that sometimes the moments that break us open are the same ones that guide us back to ourselves — stronger, wiser, and more aligned than before.
In this deeply personal episode of Words of Wisdom from Kick-Ass Women, hosts Liz Brohan and Mary Olivieri sit down with therapist and holistic mental health advocate Monica Sharma for a powerful conversation about reinvention, resilience, and learning to trust yourself. Monica opens up about the defining challenges she faced across three decades of her life — from struggling with depression in her 30s despite appearing “successful” on paper, to navigating heartbreak and choosing single motherhood in her 40s, to confronting burnout and self-preservation in her 50s after building and ultimately closing her thriving therapy practice.
Throughout the conversation, Monica shares how cultural expectations, perfectionism, and the pressure to always “do the right thing” left her disconnected from herself. She explains how intuitive decisions — including enrolling in a life-changing holistic health program and later becoming a mother at 42 — helped her reconnect with purpose and joy.
The episode also explores the emotional toll of caregiving, entrepreneurship, grief, and productivity culture, while highlighting the importance of making space for healing, reflection, and self-trust. Monica’s recurring theme of “lost, found, and flow” becomes a moving framework for understanding personal growth at every stage of life.
Liz and Mary bring warmth, humor, and vulnerability to the discussion as they reflect on their own experiences with depression, relationships, and self-discovery. Together, they remind listeners that reinvention isn’t a one-time event — it’s an ongoing practice of choosing yourself, listening inward, and having the courage to step toward what feels true.
Resources Mentioned
Highlight Quotes
“Sometimes the bravest thing a woman can do is stop living by everyone else’s expectations and start listening to herself.” #WordsOfWisdom #KickAssWomen
“You are the main meal. Everyone else is a side dish.” — Monica Sharma on learning to date herself and reclaim her identity. #KickAssWomen
“Reinvention isn’t a one-time event. It’s a lifelong practice of getting lost, finding yourself again, and learning to trust the flow.” #WordsOfWisdom