1 Year Anniversary or Being Mary

One year ago, I nervously recorded my very first podcast episode with no real plan… just a head full of thoughts and a feeling that maybe I needed to start talking them out loud.

Honestly, I never imagined where this little podcast journey would lead.

This week’s episode is a reflection on the past year of Being Mary — the conversations, the laughter, the tears, the unexpected connections, and all the beautiful moments in between.

And truly… the biggest thing I want to say is thank you. 💛

Thank you for listening.
 Thank you for walking alongside me.
 And thank you for reminding me that none of us are alone in the things we carry.

“Well… look at us. We made it a year.” 😊

🎙️ Still Becoming — One Year of Being Mary

Transcript

Hi… it’s Mary.
 And welcome back to Being Mary.

Well… look at us.
 We made it a year. 💛

Honestly, when I recorded my very first podcast episode, I had absolutely no idea what I was doing.

I was nervous.
 Awkward.
 Overthinking everything.

And now that I think about it… not much has changed. 😄

But truly… a year ago, I sat down and recorded an episode called Why I’m Doing This.

At the time, I had just published my memoir, and I remember feeling like I still had so many thoughts sitting inside me.

Questions.
 Stories.
 Reflections.

Things I couldn’t quite organize neatly in my head.

And somehow… this podcast became the place where I could lay them all out.

Almost like talking while walking.

And if I’m being honest… I didn’t know if anyone would listen.

I truly didn’t.

I thought maybe a few friends.
 Maybe family.
 Maybe someone would accidentally click on it while trying to find a true crime podcast. 😄

But slowly… something beautiful happened.

People started listening.

And even more meaningful than that…
 people started relating.

Over this past year, we’ve talked about so many parts of life.

We talked about daughters and mothers.
 Marriage and expectations.
 Grief.
 Friendship.
 Aging.
 Retirement.
 Loneliness.
 Starting over.
 Pickleball tournaments…
 and even the smallest conversations with strangers.

Some episodes made me laugh while recording them.

Some made me cry.

And apparently… some made many of you cry too.

Sorry about that. 😄

But what surprised me most this year was realizing how many people are quietly carrying the same thoughts.

How many women wonder:
 “Who am I now?”
 “What’s next for me?”
 “Is anyone else feeling this too?”

And the answer is…
 yes.

Absolutely yes.

One of the greatest gifts this podcast has given me is connection.

Messages from listeners.
 Comments from women saying,
 “I thought I was the only one.”

Or people stopping me in Petrolia and saying:
 “I listened to your podcast.”

And every single time… I’m still surprised.

Because in my head, I still feel like I’m just walking around town talking into my phone. 😄

But somewhere along the way, this became more than a podcast.

It became conversations.

A little community.

A reminder that none of us are really as alone as we sometimes think we are.

And I think this podcast changed me too.

Over this past year, I’ve become more comfortable sharing my thoughts.

More comfortable being seen.

More willing to speak honestly — even when it feels vulnerable.

And maybe that’s part of aging too.

Not becoming perfect…

but becoming more yourself.

There’s something else I realized this year.

Sometimes healing doesn’t happen in huge life-changing moments.

Sometimes it happens quietly.

During a walk.
 A conversation.
 A podcast.
 A coffee with a friend.
 A message from someone who simply says:
 “I needed to hear this today.”

And I think that’s what Being Mary has really become.

Not advice.
 Not expertise.
 Not pretending to have life figured out.

Just honest conversations about being human.

One year ago, I said this podcast felt like walking with a friend.

And now, one year later…

it still does.

So thank you.

Thank you for listening.
 Thank you for encouraging me.
 Thank you for sharing your own stories with me.
 Thank you for walking alongside me this past year.

Whether you’ve listened from the beginning…
 or just found me recently…

I’m really glad you’re here.

And somehow, after a full year of talking…

I still feel like we’re just getting started.

This is Being Mary.

And the best chapters are still ahead. 💛