The Author’s Mic™: Lisa Barwise on Burnout, Midlife, and Letting Go of the Armor We Carry
There are some conversations that stay with you long after the microphone is turned off. This week's episode of The Author's Mic™ was one of them.
I sat down with author, coach, and wellness advocate Lisa Barwise to talk about her new book, Unarmored, but our conversation quickly became something much bigger. We talked about burnout, grief, midlife, menopause, identity, and the invisible weight so many women carry every single day.
Watch the full episode:
Lisa describes herself as someone who has always loved science fiction, fantasy, and strong female characters. That passion eventually found its way into her fitness career, where she created Warrior Goddess Kettlebell Training, helping women become stronger both physically and mentally.
For years she taught thousands of classes and built a thriving community. From the outside, everything appeared successful.
But underneath, something else was happening.
She began noticing that many of the women she worked with were reaching their physical goals while still carrying emotional burdens they couldn't seem to shake. Some struggled with confidence. Others carried shame. Many were simply exhausted from trying to hold everything together.
Then life forced Lisa to face those same questions herself.
Following the pandemic, personal loss, unresolved grief, burnout, and years of pushing through finally caught up with her. One morning she couldn't get out of bed.
As someone trained in health and wellness, she understood nutrition and exercise. What surprised her was realizing those things alone weren't enough.
That realization led her into studying nervous system regulation, emotional healing, somatic practices, EFT tapping, and the connection between emotional stress and physical health.
Along the way, she coined a phrase that became central to her work:
Armor weight.
She describes armor weight as the emotional, energetic, and sometimes generational weight we continue carrying long after it has stopped protecting us. Sometimes it shows up as physical weight. Sometimes it shows up as exhaustion, anxiety, people-pleasing, or simply feeling heavy all the time.
That idea eventually became the foundation for her book, Unarmored.
Our conversation also explored something many women experience but rarely talk about openly: midlife.
Lisa and I discussed how menopause isn't simply a medical event. For many women, it becomes an invitation to ask different questions about who they are and who they want to become next.
Instead of seeing this season as an ending, Lisa encourages women to view it as a new beginning.
She believes women enter a stage where they become guardians, using the wisdom they've earned to support not only themselves but also their families, communities, and future generations.
It was a perspective that really resonated with me.
Like so many women, I wasn't prepared for menopause. I found myself learning as I went, talking to other women, realizing that many of us were asking the same questions and experiencing the same changes without anyone ever really explaining what was happening.
That honesty is what made this conversation so meaningful.
By the end of our discussion, Lisa left us with one simple but powerful piece of advice.
Before chasing strength...
Choose safety.
She believes healing begins when we teach our bodies that they are safe enough to stop surviving and start living.
It's a reminder that sometimes growth doesn't begin by adding something new.
Sometimes it begins by letting something go.
Website
https://thewarriorgoddesssaga.com
https://www.instagram.com/lisa_barwise
- Burnout often develops slowly before we recognize it.
- Emotional health and physical health are deeply connected.
- "Armor weight" describes the emotional burdens we continue carrying long after they stop serving us.
- Midlife can become an opportunity to redefine identity rather than fear aging.
- Healing begins by creating safety before pursuing strength.
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