Miracles and Mentors with Staci McCormack (S6 | E249)

Miracles and Mentors with Staci McCormack (Season 6 | Episode 249)

Empty nest marriage transition

Finding purpose after kids leave

Changing friendships in midlife

Midlife spiritual growth

Staci McCormack author

Trudging Through the Muck

During our conversation, Staci beautifully articulated a feeling that I know so many of us can relate to: the realization that we’ve spent decades caught in a relentless cycle. She described this early phase of adulthood as a treadmill of running, striving, struggling, and searching. Staci shared a poignant memory of standing in her living room in her mid-forties, looking at a rather dull Christmas tree while her teenage son entered his “grunt stage,” and realizing she was merely playing out a theatrical script. It was a powerful awakening to the fact that we cannot fully experience the “new” until we are willing to trudge through the “muck” of our established, often exhausting routines.

The universe has a funny way of forcing us to pay attention when we ignore the signs that it’s time for a change, and for Staci, that wake-up call came in the form of actual snakes. She shared a truly wild situation that manifested in her life: her home became infested with hundreds of them! At first, they were a terrifying nuisance that sent her running for the hills, but as she deepened her spiritual understanding, she realized they represented a vital metaphor. Just as a serpent must shed its skin to unfold and grow, we too must shed our outdated identities and the protective layers we’ve built up over the years to truly become ourselves.

Navigating this massive shedding process is rarely something we can do alone, yet Staci highlighted a critical gap in our modern culture: a stark lack of mentors for this specific season. When she found herself surrounded by snakes and overwhelmed by the shifting dynamics in her marriage and parenting, she realized she desperately needed navigational tools and a wise female guide. Unfortunately, she couldn’t easily find a mentor to help her understand why her voice suddenly felt different or why she couldn’t remember what used to bring her joy as a child. This gap is exactly why we have these conversations—to build a community where we can share wisdom and support each other through our personal evolutions.

Sometimes, when we finally surrender control and admit we are in over our heads, the universe delivers exactly what we need—even if it’s not the traditional mentor we envisioned. For Staci, her miracle arrived in the completely unexpected form of a puppy. After neighbors gifted her teenage son a new dog, Staci and her husband were initially resistant, questioning their capacity to take on a pet during such a chaotic transition. Ironically, this very puppy turned out to be a natural hunter that methodically cleared the snakes from their property, one by one. It was a beautiful, humorous lesson in releasing our grip on how we think our problems should be solved and remaining open to unexpected forms of grace.

With the snakes gone and the metaphorical air cleared, Staci and her husband were able to embark on the crucial work of coming “home” to themselves. They recognized that after forty years together, they were two completely different individuals than when they first met, and they needed to intentionally redesign their relationship. This meant giving each other the literal and emotional space to reconnect with the girl and boy they once were, taking time apart for personal discovery, and establishing a new commitment to communicate openly. Returning to our authentic selves requires a willingness to step off the treadmill and give our partners the freedom to do the same.

Embracing the Wide-Open Life

Our conversation with Staci was a vibrant reminder that this stage of life is not a closing chapter, but a wide-open door. As we open ourselves to better relationships with our adult children, our partners, and most importantly, ourselves, we invite endless vitality into our days. If you are feeling lost in the muck or overwhelmed by the shedding of your own skin right now, please know that it is entirely okay to pause, take space, and figure out what lights you up. We are all in this beautiful, messy process of aging and evolving together, and I am so grateful to share this open nest with all of you.

Resources for You

We want to provide you with support and many many resources for your own Open Nesting Journey. Our resource page has so much to offer as does our private discussion group on Facebook about queerness and other topics of interest:

Open Nesters Resource Page

The Open Nesters Private Facebook Group

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