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Jama Pantel: Unfiltered

Jama Pantel

I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth.


Jama Pantel: Unfiltered is real talk for women who are done surviving and ready to actually figure out what comes next.


If you've spent decades being the dependable one, the overachiever, the fixer, the woman who figures it out while everyone else falls apart, this show is for you.


I'm Jama. I'm an Austin-based photographer, speaker, and 23-time marathon finisher who knows what it means to build something from nothing. I know what survival mode feels like from the inside. And I know what happens when life finally shifts and you don't know what to do with the breathing room.


Episodes are short, honest, and zero fluff. Because you're busy. And you deserve real.

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  • 21 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 8 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • S3 · E17
    August 25 · 2 min

    Taking A Break...Again

    Send us Fan Mail Seventy-nine episodes sounds like a number you can brush past, until you realize it’s almost two years of showing up every single week and telling the truth into a microphone. Today we slow down and finally let that land. I didn’t make a big deal out of 75 when it happened, which is honestly very on brand for me, but I’m making space now to say it clearly: I’m proud I kept going, even when I wasn’t sure I was ready to share what I was sharing. Then we get to the most honest part. I need a break. Not a dramatic reset, not a perfectly packaged “season finale,” just a real pause because my gut is telling me I don’t have anything left to give right now. If you’ve ever wrestled with creator burnout, pressure to stay consistent, or the fear that rest will derail your momentum, this conversation will feel familiar. We talk about why listening to your body is a skill, why pushing through can dull the work, and why stopping can be the most responsible move you make for yourself and your audience. We also leave you with a roadmap so you’re not stuck wondering where to go next. If you want to dive into the human design series, we tell you exactly where it starts, and if you’ve been following the health updates, we point you to that starting line too. The back catalog is still there, ready when you are, and when I come back, I want it to be with a full tank and something worth saying. If this resonates, subscribe so you don’t miss the return, share the episode with a friend who needs permission to rest, and leave a quick review telling me: how do you know when it’s time to take a break? Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E16
    August 18 · 4 min

    A Last Minute Escape To Lake Tahoe

    Send us Fan Mail Texas heat has a way of turning a normal week into a survival story, so I finally asked the most honest question possible: where can I go where it’s not 100 degrees? That late-night search sent me down a short list of cooler escapes, and I landed on a last-minute Lake Tahoe trip because it promised maximum relief with minimal planning. I share what the timing really looked like coming straight off a work trip, unpacking and repacking, and trying to feel human while living out of a bag. Tahoe delivered the reset I needed: 50 degree mornings that made my run feel effortless, sunny 75 degree afternoons for swimming and beach time, and the kind of fresh air that reminds you your body isn’t supposed to be tense all day. Along the way, I talk about why running and taking photos calm me, and how social media habits can quietly change what we choose to share and why. We also hit the practical travel highlights if you’re planning a Tahoe long weekend itinerary: the hike down to Sand Harbor, sunset at Inspiration Point near Emerald Bay, why I chose South Lake Tahoe for more food options, and a quick casino detour where I learned I’m still not a gambler. Then there’s the twist: my Garmin still flagged me as strained, which opened up a real conversation about sleep debt and how recovery doesn’t automatically happen just because you’re somewhere pretty. If you’re craving a true break, steal a few ideas from my Tahoe reset, then tell me what kind of weather you’re chasing right now. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a cool-down trip, and leave a review with your favorite quick getaway spot. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E15
    August 11 · 9 min

    Human Design Money Line: Control, Abundance, and Letting Go

    Send us Fan Mail I was parentified before I started school. Cooking meals for seven, getting my sisters out the door, reading the room before I could read a book. That pattern did not stop when I grew up. It followed me into every job, every relationship, every corner of my business. And it turns out it is written directly into my Human Design. This episode is about Channel 21/45, the Money Line. The tension between Gate 21, the control piece, and Gate 45, the Abundance Queen. And the night in 2021 when I finally opened my hands and let people in and something magical happened that I have never been able to replicate since. The more you grip, the less flows. You can only create the conditions and then get out of the way and let magic happen. Pull your free chart at Tracy Hill's site: abeautifulfix.com/pages/hdchart Apple Podcasts | Spotify Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E14
    August 4 · 10 min

    Human Design Sacral Authority: When You Know, You Know

    Send us Fan Mail When you know, you know. Five words. That is the whole definition of Sacral authority in Human Design and I could not explain it better than that. In this episode I am getting into one of the most personal pieces of my chart. My inner authority. Specifically what it actually feels like when your gut is right, what it costs you when you override it, and why choosing the feeling over what looks good on paper is one of the hardest things a Sacral being will ever do. We are talking about a parking lot moment that proved my gut right in the worst way, a dark morning run that I believe saved me, the jobs and people I stayed with way too long, and the gut health connection I still think about. When you know, you know. The work is learning to trust it. Pull your free chart at Tracy Hill's site: abeautifulfix.com/pages/hdchart Apple Podcasts | Spotify Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E13
    July 28 · 10 min

    The Power Of Quiet Connections

    Send us Fan Mail Almost 27 years ago I landed my first job out of college at the Texas Capitol. I stayed human with the people I met. About twelve years ago I needed a job badly and one of those old relationships became eleven or twelve years of employment. My current job came the same way. I did not even apply for it. Someone who knew me and my work asked me to come on board. Every significant opportunity in my career has come through someone I already knew. That is not luck. That is my Human Design 2/4 profile at work. In this episode we go deep on the Hermit and the Opportunist, the two sides of my profile that should not be able to coexist and somehow do. We talk about the gifts you cannot see in yourself, why big networking events drain you, how sports became my secret relationship strategy, and what it actually means to build a career quietly through people who already know you. Pull your free chart at Tracy Hill's site: abeautifulfix.com/pages/hdchart Apple Podcasts | Spotify Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E12
    July 21 · 10 min

    Human Design for Beginners: Why I Can't Just Pick One Thing

    Send us Fan Mail You're always so busy. I have heard that my whole life. Not as a question, more as a statement. And for the longest time I did not have a good response. I just knew one thing would never be enough for me and I genuinely thought something was wrong with me for not being able to just pick one thing and stick with it. And then I found Human Design. And it finally explained everything. This is Episode 1 of my Human Design series. I am not an expert. I am someone who discovered this relatively recently and is still unpacking it. But what I found described me so specifically and so accurately that it kind of made a believer out of me. In this episode I am sharing what Human Design actually is in plain language, the first thing I read that stopped me cold, and how it completely changed the story I was telling myself about doing multiple things. We are also getting into the gut health and alignment connection and why I do not think it is a coincidence that my gut issues disappeared when I finally stopped overriding my Sacral authority. Want to pull your own chart? It is free. Go to my friend Tracy Hill's page at abeautifulfix.com/pages/hdchart and all you need is your birth date, birth time, and birth location. Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E11
    July 14 · 9 min

    Why Portrait Photographers Don't Need One Signature Style

    Send us Fan Mail I photographed a client in 2022 who said something offhand that stuck with me for three years. This week she showed back up in my inbox out of nowhere. I do not believe in coincidences. This episode is about why I have never been a one style photographer and why I never want to be. Thirty years behind the camera means I can shoot studio, natural light, editorial, motion blur, bluebonnets, Capitol staircases, and everything in between. I am a Manifesting Generator, more on that soon, and doing the same thing on repeat would drain me to death. A challenge energizes me. A client with a vision is my favorite kind of session. We are talking about the Pinterest board process, the Laguna Gloria and Capitol session that inspired this episode, and why range is actually a brand strategy, not a lack of one. Links in the show notes for senior portrait and headshot inquiries. Senior Portrait Photography: jamapantel.com/senior-photographer-austin Editorial Seniors: jamapantel.com/editorial-senior-portraits-austin Headshots: jamapantel.com/headshot-photographer-in-austin Listen and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E10
    July 7 · 12 min

    The 11th Percentile

    Send us Fan Mail My mom told me to get my bone density checked. I did. And when the results came back, I understood exactly why she said it. The 11th percentile. That is where my bone density landed. In this episode I am sharing what the DEXA scan actually found, why it probably did not start with perimenopause, and what I am doing about it right now. We are talking about the vitamin D piece nobody told me about, the thread that goes all the way back to college, and the connection between RED-S and bone health that I am still piecing together. I am also giving you the most current update I have, one month on HRT, second iron infusion, and what I am actually noticing and not noticing yet. This one is still unfolding. I am sharing it anyway. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E9
    June 30 · 10 min

    Perimenopause Weight Gain: Why I Was Gaining Despite Doing Everything Right

    Send us Fan Mail I gained fifteen pounds in roughly ten weeks. Not over a year. Ten weeks. And I was logging nearly a thousand miles of running, hundreds of miles of walking, and over a hundred hours of strength training during that same stretch. The math made no sense. So in this episode, I am breaking down what was actually happening in my body and why everything I thought I knew about weight management stopped working almost overnight. We are talking about RED-S, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport, and why active women in perimenopause are almost never told this is a thing. We are talking about hormonal fat redistribution and why sizing up does not actually solve the problem when all the weight goes to one place. And I am being honest about where I am right now, because I do not have a tidy resolution for you yet. If your body is doing something that does not match the math, this one is for you. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E8
    June 23 · 9 min

    When Running Stopped Feeling Like Me

    Send us Fan Mail Running was the first place I was ever truly free. In college I had nothing. I ran everywhere...to class, to work, everywhere. Not because I was training. Because it was how I got through. And when you are sweating hard enough, it is easier to hide the tears. This episode is about what happens when perimenopause threatens the one thing that has always been yours. The unpredictability nobody warns you about. The 7 minute mile days that make you feel alive. The quarter mile days where the freedom just is not there. And why that goes so much deeper than paces and miles. Honolulu, December. I am going back. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E7
    June 16 · 8 min

    Ferritin At Ten

    Send us Fan Mail I am 48, I have run 23 marathons, and I did everything right. My doctors kept telling me I was fine. So I stopped waiting and got comprehensive bloodwork that tested 125 biomarkers instead of the usual handful. The results finally told the truth, ferritin at 10, bone density at the 11th percentile, an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of nearly 10 to 1, and a genetic cardiac risk factor called Lp(a) that nobody had ever told me about. I also share what changed when I finally found a menopause specialist who actually listened. If you have ever been dismissed, told you were fine, or felt like you were fighting alone...you are not. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E6
    June 9 · 11 min

    Something Was Wrong and Nobody Could Tell Me Why

    Send us Fan Mail For four years, something kept going wrong. Knees in 2022. Shoulder in 2023. Both feet in 2024. A gut crisis in 2025. Every provider gave me an isolated answer. Every single one said the same thing: normal wear and tear, normal for your age. I was 44. This is the story of what my body was trying to tell me for four years, and why nobody, including me, was connecting the dots. Until Valentine's Day 2026. Next week I tell you what we actually found. This week is the mystery. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E5
    June 2 · 9 min

    The Moment I Realized I Was Building a Business I Didn't Actually Want

    Send us Fan Mail You've built the business. You've done the work. But what happens when you realize the business you built isn't actually the one you wanted? This episode is about the exhaustion of explaining your value to people who've already decided it isn't worth it, the moment a cancer diagnosis made everything reorder itself, and what it actually looks like to slowly build toward the right thing instead of sprinting toward the wrong one. If you've ever felt like you were building something that looked right on paper but felt completely wrong in your body...this one's for you. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E4
    May 26 · 8 min

    What Scarcity Does to Your Brain Even After You're Not Struggling Anymore

    Send us Fan Mail You can completely change your circumstances — and your brain will still act like you haven't. That's what this episode is about. The low hum that keeps running in the background even after life gets more stable. The scarcity wiring that doesn't retire just because the actual scarcity is gone. If you've ever felt guilty resting, checked numbers obsessively, or wondered why success still doesn't feel like enough, this one is for you. This is the third episode in a series. If you haven't listened to the last two, go back. They build on each other. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E3
    May 19 · 9 min

    The Story Behind the Hustle: What Growing Up with Nothing Actually Does to Your Brain

    Send us Fan Mail Three weeks ago I bought a couch. And what happened in my brain when I bought that couch tells you everything you need to know about what scarcity actually does to a person, even long after the circumstances have changed. I had a budget in my head. The couch was over it. But the second I sat in it I knew. It was down. I had never sat in a down couch before and I did not know I needed one until that exact moment. And I still sat there running every scarcity thought my brain has ever had. I can't afford this. What if something comes up. What if. What if. What if. Even though I could afford it. Even though I had done the math. That moment stopped me in my tracks. Because I realized the circumstances had changed. The brain hadn't. In this episode I get honest about where that scarcity brain actually came from. Growing up watching money cause pain. Leaving for college with almost nothing. Walking and running everywhere crying, telling myself it couldn't be like this forever. Losing everything in an apartment fire. Making a vow with nothing but sheer determination to back it up. That vow saved me. But it wired me in ways I'm only now starting to understand. In this episode we talk about: — The couch that made me realize my scarcity brain hadn't gotten the memo — What it felt like growing up with money causing constant pain — Running and crying to multiple jobs in college just to survive — Losing everything in an apartment fire and starting over with nothing — The vow I made to never depend on anyone for anything — What scarcity wires into your nervous system even after you're safe — Why pushing things way down is my superpower and what it costs you — Learning that money flows and taking care of that younger version of yourself "You don't have to keep living like she's still in danger." If this one hit home send it to someone who needs to hear it. Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E2
    May 18 · 2 min

    Why I Changed the Name — and What Jama Pantel: Unfiltered Actually Means

    Send us Fan Mail If you've been here a while you may have noticed things look different. New name. New cover art. New energy. In this episode I'm telling you exactly why. This isn't a rebrand for the sake of rebranding. It's what happens when you finally stop hiding behind a concept and just show up as yourself. After Living the Whole Picture and Midlife Reset, I asked myself one honest question: what if my name was the brand? That question changed everything. In this episode we talk about: — Why I changed the name from Midlife Reset to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered — What unfiltered actually means and why it matters — Why I spent years building things under other names instead of just showing up as Jama — What this show is really for and who it's really for — Why Season 3 is the season I stop performing and start telling the truth "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth." That's the show. That's the season. That's what's coming. Welcome to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S3 · E1
    May 15 · 52 sec

    Jama Pantel: Unfiltered — Official Trailer Season 3

    Send us Fan Mail This is Jama Pantel: Unfiltered — real talk for women who are done surviving and ready to figure out what actually comes next. I'm Jama. Portrait photographer, speaker, and 23-time marathon finisher who knows what it means to build something from nothing. I know what survival mode feels like from the inside. And I know what happens when life finally shifts and you don't know what to do with the breathing room. This podcast exists because I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth. No fluff. No performance. Just honest conversations for women who are done performing their lives. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

  • S2 · E7
    May 12 · 9 min

    Survival Mode: What Happens When You Finally Don't Have to Hustle Anymore

    Send us Fan Mail I Googled something last week that I'm mildly embarrassed to admit: "what do people actually do when they're not stressed?" And here's the wild part. I garden, I read, I hit 10,000 steps a day, and I've run 23 marathons. By every external measure, I'm someone who takes care of herself. And I still felt like I had no idea how to actually rest. In this episode of Midlife Reset, I'm getting honest about what happens when you've spent your entire adult life in survival mode, always working two jobs, always hustling, always carrying something, and then life shifts and suddenly you don't have to anymore. If you're an overachiever who built her entire identity around productivity, you know the feeling: the moment things slow down, your nervous system panics. Rest feels risky. Quiet feels suspicious. And stopping, even for a week, feels like it could cost you everything. This episode is for the women who grew up knowing what it meant to have nothing, who learned to hustle not because it was trendy but because the alternative was terrifying. And it's for anyone who has ever wondered: who am I when I'm not just surviving? In this episode we talk about: — Why overachiever burnout doesn't look like doing nothing (and why rest can actually feel unsafe) — How survival mode rewires your nervous system around constant urgency — What happens when you turn things you love into a brand, and lose the joy of them — The difference between ambition and chaos with a calendar — Learning to want things for yourself again, not for the algorithm "Rest isn't the opposite of ambition. It's just ambition without an audience." — Jama Pantel If this episode hit home, share it with someone who's carrying more than anyone around them realizes. Follow Midlife Reset with Jama Pantel wherever you listen to podcasts. Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S2 · E6
    May 5 · 7 min

    Why You Feel Fine One Week… and Completely Off the Next

    Send us Fan Mail Last week I was exhausted… couldn’t recover, couldn’t sleep, everything felt off. This week? Energy is back, workouts feel strong… and then I hurt my back moving weights around at the gym. So yeah… how do you make sense of that? If you’ve ever felt completely off one week and totally fine the next, this episode is for you. In this episode, I’m talking about something that doesn’t get explained enough… how inconsistent everything can feel in midlife. From low energy and poor recovery to suddenly feeling strong again, it’s not always a steady pattern you can “fix.” I share what this has looked like for me in real time, including a week of exhaustion, a bounce back into feeling normal again, and then hurting my back doing something as simple as moving weights around at the gym. We’re also talking about how tools like Garmin can reflect what’s happening in your body, even if they’re not perfect, and how metrics like sleep score, HRV, and recovery can line up with how you actually feel. This episode is about learning to recognize the difference between something being broken and something fluctuating… and how that changes the way you approach your body, your workouts, and your expectations. If you’ve ever thought, “why does my body feel different week to week?” this episode will help you make sense of it. WHAT WE TALK ABOUT – Feeling exhausted one week and completely normal the next – The frustration of not knowing what changed – Why inconsistency is harder than being “off” all the time – Workouts feeling heavy vs suddenly strong again – Real-time example: hurting my back moving weights (not lifting) – Why setbacks don’t always mean something is wrong – Running and workout inconsistency – The “oldest daughter control” mindset and wanting to fix it – Garmin data: sleep score, HRV, and recovery patterns – Feeling “unproductive” for the first time ever – Dexa scan vs day-to-day experience – The shift: broken vs fluctuating – Why your body doesn’t follow a predictable pattern anymore – Reframing inconsistency in midlife KEY TAKEAWAYS Feeling good one week and off the next is common in midlife Inconsistency can be more frustrating than constant fatigue Your body is not broken, it’s fluctuating Data tools like Garmin can reflect patterns, even if they aren’t perfect Setbacks don’t always mean you did something wrong Awareness matters more than control in this phase Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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  • S2 · E5
    April 28 · 9 min

    I Don’t Feel Like Myself Lately: Perimenopause, Fatigue, and Weight Gain in Midlife

    Send us Fan Mail I don’t feel like myself lately… and I didn’t know how to say that out loud. Nothing is technically wrong, but my energy, my body, and even my emotions don’t feel like me anymore. If you’ve been feeling off lately but can’t quite explain why… this episode is for you. I’m sharing what this has actually been like navigating brain fog, constant hunger, weight gain, sleep issues, hot flashes, and emotional shifts… all at the same time. As someone who has always been disciplined and consistent, this has been one of the most confusing phases I’ve experienced. We’re talking about what it really feels like when your body starts changing in midlife, especially during perimenopause, and why doing everything “right” doesn’t always give you the same results anymore. And this is just the beginning of what I’m unpacking in this next phase of the podcast. If you’ve ever thought, “something is off, but I can’t explain it,” you’re not alone. KEY TAKEAWAYS Feeling “off” in midlife is often a combination of physical and emotional changes, not a single issue Perimenopause can affect energy, hunger, mood, sleep, and focus all at once You are not losing discipline, your body is changing The routines that used to work may not work the same way anymore Awareness is the first step before trying to fix everything Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to Jama Pantel: Unfiltered wherever you listen to podcasts and leave a review — it helps more women find the show. 🎙️ Listen and subscribe: https://www.jamapantel.com/jama-pantel-unfiltered/ 📸 Photography: https://www.jamapantel.com/ 📩 Work with Jama or book her to speak: https://www.jamapantel.com/contact/ Follow along: https://www.instagram.com/jamapantel/ "I decided to stop performing and start telling the truth."

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