Turning 40 and Breaking Free from Childhood Narratives

Forty Drinks: The Podcast About Turning 40

Marina Theron-Monnery opens up about her journey from growing up during apartheid in South Africa, through challenging romantic relationships that reflected the toxicity of her childhood home, to the eventual embrace of self-love after an aha moment in the bath. Marina details her escape from an abusive family, the struggles of adjusting to a new country with young children after divorce, and her battles with poverty and depression. A pivotal moment in her early forties led her to introspection, culminating in a deep understanding and acceptance of herself. This journey included journaling, meditation, and adopting new self-expectations, which ultimately guided her to a fulfilling marriage and a strong blended family.

Guest Bio

Marina Theron-Monnery, is a RTT practitioner, Clinical Hypnotherapist and Coach guiding people to overcome the pains of childhood trauma, abuse, poverty, weight issues, cancer and many more. Her professional expertise through years and many clients is complemented and enhanced by her personal experience with many forms of the same pain, abuse and disease, and overcoming them.

Using Rapid Transformational Therapy and coaching, Marina has a tremendously positive energy and an approach with all her clients of “if I could do it, so can you”. She feels called to do this work and thrives on helping people live their full potential every day. With the gift of intuition, Marina helps people see who they want to be, and then she guides them to rehearse that role, until it feels natural.

After a life that felt to her as if she was living in a bubble of perpetual failure and not being worthy and good enough, Marina battled with depression and the burning desire to find out why she is here, living this life. Slowly life unraveled and when she hit rock bottom after a cancer diagnosis, the right teachers showed up in her life. Through training from Natalie Ledwell to Mary Morrissey and finally Marisa Peer, Marina found her purpose. Today Marina truly knows success. In love, business, singing, parenting and life. She is in love with life and it radiates to her clients.

As an author, speaker and podcast host, Marina’s mess became her message. She lives in gratitude today, as everything she had to overcome, also makes her relatable to a variety of clients. She is a living example of the success of the work she does.

Marina believes that every person has the potential to live the life of their dreams. She knows first hand that our mind dictates to our body, and if we can harness our thoughts, we can change our reality. The best part is that she does not just say that, she lives it.

Turning 40 and Breaking Free from Childhood Narratives

In this episode of the Forty Drinks podcast, Stephanie is joined by Marina Theron-Monnery, a woman with a powerful story of resilience and transformation. Growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, Marina faced challenges early on, including a difficult family dynamic. She moved to Canada, started over as a single mother, and navigated the heartbreak of difficult relationships in addition to poverty and depression. But it wasn’t until she reached her 40s, after a particularly abusive relationship, that she had a life-changing “aha” moment—realizing that she had never learned to love herself. This realization set her on a path of self-discovery, which eventually led her to finding the kind of love she had always wanted.

Episode Highlights:

• Marina’s early life in South Africa: Growing up in a strict religious household during apartheid shaped her sense of justice and personal struggles.
• Moving to Canada: At 32, Marina left her home country, bringing her two young children to a new life, but soon faced divorce, poverty, and depression.
• Career transformation: From being an opera singer in South Africa to starting over with no work experience in Canada, Marina rebuilt her career and found strength as a single mother.
• Love and loss: Her tumultuous romantic life included the sudden death of a partner and later escaping an abusive relationship in her early 40s.
• The turning point: A profound moment of clarity came when Marina realized she hadn’t been standing up for herself like she did for her children, leading to her journey of self-love.
• Two years of self-discovery: Marina isolated herself from dating and focused on understanding and appreciating who she really was, which led her to the loving relationship she enjoys today.
• Finding true love: Marina ultimately found her “movie-like” marriage after doing the inner work necessary to love herself first.

In this episode, Marina’s story highlights the importance of self-love, resilience, and the journey to finding peace and fulfillment in midlife. Her transformation from a life of hardship to one of love and contentment is an inspiring reminder that it’s never too late to rewrite your story. If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate, follow, and review the Forty Drinks podcast!

Guest Resources

Marina’s website

Connect with Marina on Facebook

Do you have the Midlife Ick?

Download Stephanie’s guide to the Ick to diagnose whether you or someone you love is suffering from this insidious midlife malaise. www.fortydrinks.com/ick

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The Forty Drinks Podcast is produced and presented by Savoir Faire Marketing/Communications