In this episode, I talk with writer and yoga therapist Alex Lovell, whose essay “Delight: A Radical Invitation” caught me at just the right time. We explore what makes delight feel different from other emotions, how we can (maybe?) invite more of it into our lives, and why it matters, especially when the world feels heavy.

This is a conversation about delight, yes — but also about presence, burnout, bittersweet memories, emotional vocabulary, and squirrels. (Really.)

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Alex Lovell, Ph.D., is a Yoga Therapist, a Political Psychologist, and the Writer of the Substack publication, Life as I See It. Alex helps you reclaim that hidden space so that you can navigate life feeling anchored, renewed, and at peace.

IN THIS EPISODE:

- The difference between joy, happiness, and delight

- Why slowing down might actually start with noticing

- Presence as more than just “being in the moment”

- Emotional memory and why your body sometimes cries before your brain knows why

- The limits of control and the quiet power of choosing where our energy goes

- Delight as an act of resistance — and a path back to ourselves

Check out the full show notes for this episode here: https://loublaser.substack.com/p/236-alex-lovell

• • • • •

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Too often, we drift into the next thing simply because it’s familiar. In this conversation, Matthew explains how he avoided this drift and planned his post-retirement life after a long career in the Navy.

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Matthew Long spent 24 years on active duty in the Navy before retiring in 2024. His civilian life is all about being a reader, a writer, and spending a lot of time with his dog, Lola. He resides in Tennessee with Jannette, his wife of 22 years, and their 17-year-old daughter, while their eldest son is off to college.

IN THIS EPISODE:

- The challenges of transitioning from a structured career to an open-ended future

- How Matthew approached his retirement beyond just the financial side

- The blueprint process he used to get clear on his next steps

- Changes in family dynamics and household roles post-retirement

- How Matthew is putting his blueprint into action—and what his next chapter looks like

Check out the full show notes for this episode here: https://loublaser.substack.com/p/235-matthew-long

• • • • •

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ABOUT MY GUEST:

Yvonne Marchese is a former actress turned photographer, podcaster, author, age-agitator, and person who encourages us all to live and age playfully. On Instagram, you will often find her posting clips of her rollerskating or doing fun, playful things and just celebrating her midlife.

IN THIS EPISODE:

- How Yvonne’s “beginner’s mindset” keeps her excited about life

- Her leap into photography, roller skating, and even writing a book

- Overcoming fear, self-doubt, and the little voice that says, “You can’t”

- Why surrounding yourself with inspiring people is a game-changer

- And her plans to lean into playfulness in 2025

Check out the full show notes for this episode here: https://loublaser.substack.com/p/234-yvonne-marchese

• • • • •

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In this episode, I talk about rocks versus pebbles (you know that story, right?) and how that analogy has helped me define the future of this podcast. I also discuss how the podcast complements We’re All Getting Older (the main publication) and what you can expect from January onward.

• • • • •

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FOOTNOTES

• Slowing Down Time

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Thank you!

I am joined by writing coach and bestselling author Jen Louden. In this episode, we chat about the aspirations many midlife individuals have to write a book. Jen emphasizes the importance of recognizing the desire to write, distinguishing it from the desire to master the craft. We discuss the benefits and challenges of writing groups, finding the right mentors, and the emotional vulnerability of sharing one's work. We also talked about how to find and work with book coaches. Jen offers practical advice for aspiring writers, encouraging them to embrace their creative journey and find joy in the process.

GUEST LINKS

• Jen Louden's webpage: https://jenniferlouden.com/
• Why Bother: Discover The Desire For What's Next
• Jen Louden on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenlouden/
• Jen Louden on Substack: https://jenniferlouden.substack.com/

FOOTNOTES

• Author Accelerator: https://www.authoraccelerator.com/matchme
• Caroline Knapp memoirs: https://amzn.to/4fqtt0P and https://amzn.to/4frxmCY
• Tara Westover memoir: https://amzn.to/3WoBStb

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Thank you!

Grief is a universal experience, yet it is deeply personal and unique to each individual. In this episode, I continue the conversation about grief and explore the relationship and connection between grieving and liminal spaces, how our behavior about liminality applies to grieving, and the "tasks to be done" during this particular — often painful — liminal period. 

Find the essay version of this episode on We're All Getting Older: https://loublaser.substack.com/

FOOTNOTES

• Ep 229: Can we talk about grief? With Charlene Lam
• Ep 226: The Purpose of Liminal Spaces

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Thank you.

This is a wide-ranging conversation about "processing" our grief after the death of a loved one. We talked about the common feelings that show up during the grieving process, like guilt and regret. We discussed the topic of "moving on," what that even means, and how to differentiate between "normal grieving",  situations when you may need help, and the spectrum of care. Charlene also shared her unique approach to dealing with the belongings of our loved ones and how to reclaim the narrative and the stories we would like to remember and tell about them.

GUEST LINKS

• Charlene Lam's website: https://www.charlenelam.com/
• Charlene Lam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curating_grief/

FOOTNOTES

• The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

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Thank you!

As a follow-up to the previous episode with Yvonne Marchese (Ep 228: Can we slow down time?), I'm sharing further thoughts about time — why it feels like it's moving too fast, where this sense of time urgency comes from, and the three areas that I'm going to address in an attempt to "slow down time".

FOOTNOTES

• Ep 228: Can we slow down time? A conversation with Yvonne Marchese

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Thank you.

Do you feel like time's rushing by so fast? Do you wish you could slow it down, just a bit, so you can enjoy the days or even just catch your breath?

In this episode, my good friend and author of In Full Bloom, Yvonne Marchese, joins me to explore how we can slow down time — if that's even possible, given our busy lives. Both Yvonne and I have done a great job culling out our activities, carefully and deliberately choosing what we put on our plates. So, we're exploring how we can pause more and enjoy these things that we've chosen to put on our plates! Neither Yvonne nor I have THE answers, but we definitely came up with a handful to try and incorporate into our day-to-day.

GUEST LINKS:

• In Full Bloom: A Guide To Aging Playfuly
• Yvonne Marchese's Late Bloomer Living Podcast
• Follow Yvonne Marchese on Instagram

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Thank you!

In this episode, we discuss the concept of midlife portals and the importance of liminal spaces during life transitions. Inspired by Jen Berlingo's book "Midlife Emergence," I explore the metaphor of doorways marking the passage into new life phases, particularly focusing on significant transitional periods. I share reflections from my personal journey when I left my corporate life and the lessons I learned about the value of liminal spaces.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Midlife portals and the significance of the liminal space in life transitions
• Intentionality and purpose behind approaching life transitions
• Challenges and opportunities of liminal spaces
• My lessons learned about the value of liminal spaces
• The "jobs-to-be-done" in the liminal space

FOOTNOTES

• Midlife Emergence, by Jen Berlingo
• Ep 225: Finding Our Way Through Major Life Transitions with Jen Berlingo

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We explore the concept of emergence as a positive reframe of the midlife crisis, emphasizing the opportunity to unveil one's authentic self. Jen discusses the second individuation process, the challenges of embracing change while managing life's responsibilities, and the importance of authenticity. Our conversation reveals the complexities of midlife changes, the struggle with societal expectations, and the courage to pursue personal truth and growth.

Jen Berlingo, MA, LPC, ATR (she/her) is a coach, a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Nationally Registered Art Therapist, and a master-level Reiki practitioner. After two decades of "midwifing" hundreds of women through life’s major transitions and experiencing her own passage through a fiery midlife portal where she more fully stepped into her queer identity, she was inspired to write Midlife Emergence to accompany other women in traversing their midlife journeys. Upon its publication, Midlife Emergence reached #1 in several Amazon categories, including midlife management, divorce, LGBTQ+ memoirs, LGBTQ+ parenting and families, adulthood and aging, and self-help. 

GUEST LINKS:

• Jen Berlingo's website
• Jen's Substack: Prism
• Jen's book: Midlife Emergence

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Former award-winning television journalist and Emmy-Award-winning producer/writer/director Paul Long shares his midlife career transitions and his "new way forward" — one that is ideal for him, that takes advantage of the new realities of longevity and the new phase of life he calls "olderhood."

In this episode, Paul and I have a wide-ranging conversation about what it means to get older today, what "olderhood" means (and why he considers this a better moniker for this phase in life), retirement, and the stories we tell ourselves as we get older.   

GUEST LINKS:
Paul Long's Newsletter: Launch Yourself
Paul Long on YouTube
Follow Paul Long on LinkedIn

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In this episode, we talk about her previous role at the Holocaust Center, how she prepared to retire from a job that meant so much to her, and the questions she asked herself then.  

GUEST LINKS

• Merle Saferstein's website
• Living and Leaving My Legacy (Volumes 1 and 2) by Merle Saferstein

FOOTNOTES

• Ep. 214: Living Our Legacy with Merle Saferstein

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In this episode, he walks us through each step, and we explore various practical applications in our day-to-day lives. This is a mini-masterclass on managing ourselves. Sit back and grab a notepad.

GUEST LINKS:

• Vivek on LinkedIn
• The Kavi Group

FOOTNOTES

• A Case Study in Personal Growth and Transformation with Vivek Chakrabortty
• The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer

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(Spoiler alert: I don't think we do, actually.)

FOOTNOTES

• We're All Getting Older (and why I'm changing names)
• Hop on the WAGO wagon

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In this episode of Second Breaks, I explore ambition with Kathy Oneto, the founder of Sustainable Ambition and host of The Sustainable Ambition podcast. 

Kathy shares the results of her research and insights from numerous interviews on this topic. We explore the concept of maintaining ambition over time without self-sacrifice, the negative connotations of ambition, societal pressures, and the trap of ambition comparison. We talked about the application of ambition beyond a career and the shift from external to internal motivation.

Kathy also shares her personal connection to the topic and insights from her upcoming book, offering advice for those transitioning careers or nearing retirement. The episode highlights the need for intentionality in ambition and finding joy in life's small moments.

ABOUT MY GUEST
Kathy Oneto is a strategy executive and life-work coach who is passionate about helping people succeed on their terms at work and in life. Kathy champions being consciously ambitious and crafting fulfilling work from decade to decade without sacrificing your life or yourself.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Evolution of ambition
• Perception of ambition and societal attitudes towards it
• Unhealthy striving and its impact
• Broader scope of ambition beyond career goals
• Ambition in midlife and beyond
• Strategies for sustaining our drive and ambition

FOOTNOTES

• Kathy Oneto's website
• The Sustainable Ambition Podcast
• Follow Kathy Oneto on LinkedIn
• Becoming by Michelle Obama
• How Yo-Yo Ma Sustains His Creative Energy (WorkLife with Adam Grant)

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I follow Kathy on LinkedIn, where she regularly posts wisdom that she's gained from speaking with thousands of people in the last moments of their lives. One specific post caught my attention, and I thought the points she shared were brilliant reminders for us about what truly matters.

The episode delves into the impact of fear on life choices, the illusion of abundant time, and the need to prioritize personal life alongside work. We also touch on the transient nature of material possessions, the unpredictability of life, and the importance of holistic wellness.

You're going to want to listen to this a few times. 😉

ABOUT MY GUEST
Dr. Luyi Kathy Zhang is a certified life coach and hypnotist, hospice/palliative care doctor, and host of The Purpose Filter podcast, the show that shares deathbed wisdom and actionable shortcuts to live a full life. Her mission is to share the lessons of the dying to help us focus on what’s truly important so we can create better, happier, and more meaningful lives while we still have time to enjoy them.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Common regrets of the dying
• Role of fear in regrets
• Concept of time in setting priorities and goals
• Venting vs Ruminating
• Prioritizing holistic well-being for a fulfilling life

FOOTNOTES

• Dr. Kathy Zhang's website
• Follow Kathy on LinkedIn
• The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bronnie Ware
• How Our Definitions of Success Change as We Get Older

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I'm more excited than ever to tackle my life and work goals this year. 2023 ended up being about clarifying direction and intentions — although I didn’t know that back in January 2023! 

As I welcome 2024, I can feel the difference. I have a better understanding of where I want to move toward and a clearer path forward.

In this episode, I share my goals and plans for 2024. These are grouped in the following buckets:

• Health and Well-Being
• Work, Impact, and Relevance
• Growth and Learning
• Relationships

Please leave a comment here if you’d like to share your goals, or if you have a question, and let’s keep each other accountable this year. 

FOOTNOTES

• My Key Takeaways and Lessons Learned From 2023

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So, as we wrap up 2023, I'm excited to share with you some personal insights and lessons I've gathered this year.

I would love to hear about your key takeaways from 2023. You can leave a comment here.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Importance of reflecting on experiences to gain wisdom
• Four takeaways from the past year
• My decision about my career

FOOTNOTES

• Ep 201: Gratitude During Periods of Uncertainty with Holly Bertone
• 21 Questions I Ask at Year-end

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So, of course, I wanted to have a chat about this topic with my good friend and frequent collaborator, Yvonne Marchese, who has grown in leaps and bounds since I met her roughly 4 years ago. We sat down and chatted about growth — what growth in midlife means for us, how we plan (if we plan) for growth, and how our relationship with growth has changed over time. 

This isn't a how-to episode; really, it's two friends exploring the word growth. We hope that by sharing our thoughts with you, it’ll re-enforce your own growth goals, or give you a different perspective. Or maybe, if we're lucky, inspire you to forge ahead, jump into new waters, expand, and grow.

ABOUT MY GUEST
Yvonne Marchese is the host of the Late Bloomer Living Podcast and the founder of Midlife Uprising Community for women.  She is also the author of In Full Bloom: A Guide to Aging Playfully. She’s a professional photographer, mother, and wife.  At the age of 48, she realized that she’d bought into a story about getting old that was adversely affecting her health and relationships.  Yvonne believes that midlife is filled with possibility, that it’s never too late to pursue a dream, and that the stories we tell ourselves have tremendous power.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Planned versus unplanned growth
• Measurable growth versus growth that's not easily measurable
• Are we growing even if we're not paying attention or measuring our growth?
• How time and distance can help us recognize our personal growth
• What growth in 2023 looked like for Yvonne and Lou

FOOTNOTES

• In Full Bloom: A Guide To Aging Playfuly
• Yvonne Marchese's Late Bloomer Living Podcast
• Follow Yvonne Marchese on Instagram

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Our first 'Dear Lou' episode takes us into a story about the complexities of transitioning from a demanding career to retirement. I recently received an email from a listener about her sister, who recently retired and has started to become deeply involved in her grown children's lives, causing some family tension. In this episode, I'll share my response to "Concerned Sister" and my suggestions for how the family can address the underlying issue together. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• Any transition, including retirement, can feel like a rollercoaster ride and bring up unresolved issues.
• Retirement can upend family dynamics, and it's important to discuss expectations and intentions within the family.
• Ambition and drive do not disappear upon retirement. It just shows up differently and will need to be channeled into meaningful and challenging activities.

FOOTNOTES

• 207. My Unplanned, Messy, and Chock-Full O'Lessons Retirement Story

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With this quote, Socrates implied that examining and understanding our lives is of utmost importance — essentially, for us to have the wisdom about ourselves and the life we choose to lead. Otherwise, we’re merely existing, acting in ways the reasons for which are unknown to us. And yet, to examine our lives is to turn the lens on ourselves. And it’s not easy to do in some respects. It’s far easier to look away and never truly examine. 

But to make the effort to continuously examine our lives has many benefits —  the best one being that we get to know ourselves really really well. And I think that’s the ultimate best thing in life: To get to the end of the road and know that I’ve done the best I could to know myself and to master myself and to try to live the way I’d be proud to have lived.

The easiest way to examine our lives, of course, is through journaling. And my guest in this episode, Merle Saferstein, is the best person to explore the practice of journaling. 

ABOUT MY GUEST
Merle R. Saferstein is an educator, speaker, author, and a pioneer in the field of legacy journaling. She has been journaling for 48 years and has amassed a collection of 380 journals, the majority of which are the basis for her legacy journal Living and Leaving My Legacy Vols. 1 & 2. After twenty-six years as a Holocaust educator where she worked with hundreds of Holocaust survivors helping them to leave their legacy, she retired and created Living and Leaving Your Legacy®. Through classes, workshops, and lectures, she has guided thousands of people in sacred legacy work, writing for wellness, and journaling. Her short story collection, Room 732, pays homage to the historic Hollywood Beach Hotel. Merle lives in Miami, Florida with her husband of fifty-six years and has two children and two grandchildren.

IN THIS EPISODE

• How journaling facilitates how we can live our legacy
• Journaling for ourselves versus journaling for others
• The many different purposes that journaling serves
• Why and how we can dispose of old journals
• Merle Saferstein's experience re-reading hundreds of her journals to create her books

FOOTNOTES

• Merle Saferstein's website
• Living and Leaving My Legacy (Volumes 1 and 2) by Merle Saferstein
• International Association for Journal Writing
• The Great Book of Journaling
• Randy Pausch's TED Talk 
• Episode 165 on Writing Our Memoirs

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Roberto Seif is a former innovation strategist who experienced forced retirement from his corporate career. Roberto's story is not uncommon in today's world, where companies frequently reorganize, cut positions, or even go under, often leaving employees without warning. This reality is particularly challenging as we get older, with the prospect of finding another job becoming increasingly difficult. This often necessitates a career pivot or complete reinvention to avoid retirement.

Roberto's story is a testament to resilience, adaptability, and the power of reinvention.

ABOUT MY GUEST
For over 20 years, Roberto Seif worked with top global corporations and consulting firms, including PwC, Unilever, Hyatt, and HDR, where he developed, launched, and managed multi-million dollar products and brands. Along the way, he reinvented his career nine times. At age 48, Roberto relaunched his career with a mission to help seasoned professionals reinvent the second half of their careers. As a Mid-Career Reinvention Coach, Roberto applies tools and principles from Design Thinking, Brand Strategy, and LEAN, to help his clients regain clarity, direction, and energy in their careers. He lives in Chicago with his wife and 2 daughters, ages 8 and 5.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Forced retirement and career reinvention
• The emotional transition of a career change
• The identity struggle following retirement (or leaving a successful career)
• Making a career change and playing to strengths in midlife

FOOTNOTES

• Connect with Roberto Seif on LinkedIn
• Roberto Seif's website
• Our Attention Needs Leading (Midlife Cues #65)
• Episode 198 with Stephanie Dethlefs
• Reinvention Insight Intensive

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In this episode, I discuss the six common examples of how our definition of success changes in retirement and as we get older. As you listen, I encourage you to reflect on how and in what ways your success definition has changed as well.

FOOTNOTES

• Episode 193: A Case Study in Personal Growth and Transformation with Vivek Chakrabortty

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I had the pleasure of chatting with Luke Mathers, a two-time retiree and successful entrepreneur. Luke shares his experience of retiring at a young age, after selling his lucrative practice, and initially enjoying the freedom it afforded him. Despite being able to do whatever he wanted, Luke soon realized he was missing something in his life. He eventually returned to work and built a successful business before retiring again in 2020.

We discuss what drives happiness in retirement. We talk about the importance of finding purpose and passion in retirement, beyond financial security. And we explore the role of curiosity and experimentation to discover new interests.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Luke's realization that retirement wasn't as fulfilling as he imagined and his return to his profession
• Luke's second retirement in 2020 and the importance of finding passion and purpose
• The privilege of retirement and the opportunity to prioritize intrinsic rewards
• The importance of finding purpose and motivation in retirement
• The process of figuring out what to do next

ABOUT MY GUEST
Luke Mathers knows a thing or two about stress and is here to help us embrace life's challenges. As one of the original directors of Specsavers in Australia and was part of the biggest retail roll-out in Australia's history, the Specsavers team opened 100 stores in 100 days and transformed the industry. Luke is adamant that stress can be good for you, and he believes that high performers need to become stress teflon. He is here to show you how to make stress not stick. The author of three books, "Stress Teflon", "RESET", and "Curious Habits," Luke will help you get curious about how to thrive when the pressure is on.

FOOTNOTES

• Follow Luke Mathers on LinkedIn
• Luke Mathers' website
• From Strength to Strength by Arthur C. Brooks
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

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Friends of the pod and readers of Midlife Cues contributed to this conversation. They highlighted, among others, the importance of finding fulfilling work in retirement and the need for purpose and belonging.

I often say we are the voice of a generation, and we have an opportunity here to influence the narrative about what it takes to retire in the 21st century. Our experience of modern retirement is something our generation will have to define and map out. Previous retirement maps aren't as helpful anymore as we experience retirement in a different era with new requirements and opportunities. And the themes that we talked about today certainly inform our new map.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Themes of modern retirement
• Shift in motivations and ambitions toward making a difference and leaving a legacy
• The reality of longevity and its impact on retirement
• Work-life integration and exploration of different parts of oneself
• Influencing the narrative around retirement

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS IN THIS EPISODE

• Mary Beth Simón on LinkedIn
• Paul Long on LinkedIn
• Bernie Borges on LinkedIn
• Kathy Bourque on LinkedIn
• Luke Mathers on LinkedIn
• Susan Bernstein on LinkedIn

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In previous episodes, we've talked about why reframing retirement is a necessary must-do. I've shared my messy retirement journey. And we've discussed the 7 skills we need to navigate retirement in the 21st century.

Today, I want to walk you through a framework that I've been working on. The Modern Retirement framework is not a rigid methodology but a loose guide that provides direction on what to consider and do while allowing for creative adaptation. It's the result of extensive research, including reading numerous articles and books, listening to relevant podcasts, and conducting interviews with individuals who have successfully navigated their retirement and those who are in the planning stages.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why a framework is useful when planning for modern retirement
• How a framework works, and how it's different from a methodology
• The 5 disciplines in the framework
• The Modern Retiree Manifesto

FOOTNOTES

• Stanford Center on Longevity
• Ep 206 What Even Is Retirement Anymore?
• Ep 207 My Unplanned, Messy, and Chock-full O'Lessons Retirement Story
• Ep 208 Beyond Financials: The Skills We Need to Navigate Retirement in the 21st Century

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This is the third episode in our series on Modern Retirement in the 21st century.

The traditional idea of retirement as a life of rest and leisure is no longer appealing to many people, and slogans like "Never Retire" have gained popularity. In previous episodes, we've discussed why we need to reframe retirement and actively reshape its definition and expectations to make it work for us.   

In this episode, I introduce the seven essential skills for navigating retirement successfully, including cultivating a positive mindset, embracing curiosity, mastering technology, managing time effectively, networking, and developing emotional intelligence.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Changing landscape of retirement in the 21st century
• Reframing retirement and reshaping its definition and expectations
• Importance of planning for retirement financially, skill-wise, and mindset-wise
• Seven essential skills for navigating retirement successfully

FOOTNOTES

• Episode 206: What Even is Retirement Anymore?
• The Skill it Takes to "Go Downhill"

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This is the "true" story behind my retirement story - i.e., what happened when (and why) I left my corporate career. It's recorded with the benefit of hindsight, of course, and only with some distance that enabled some reflection and connecting of dots.

My personal experience is the reason why I'm so driven to talk about retirement and why I urge corporate folks to think holistic, and not focus only on financial readiness.

I'm sharing my story as part of the month-long series on Modern Retirement in the 21st Century, and also because there are lots of lessons learned!

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why I really left the career I worked hard to build
• My initial plans and why they didn't work
• What finally helped clear the fog 

FOOTNOTES

Modern Retirement: Redefining the Experience for the 21st Century

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And while the loudest messages out there about retirement are all about financial security, investment strategies, and growing the nest egg, the truth is there’s more to consider than just dollars and cents.

So the question is, what now? What is our new relationship with the word? How should we think about retirement? Or should we, as many suggest, simply retire the word retirement altogether? 

You can find the written version of this episode here.

IN THIS EPISODE

• When and how did traditional retirement begin
• How did retirement become associated with a life of leisure and relaxation
• The single most important reason why we need to reframe retirement
• How generations are shaping different perspectives of retirement 
• The harsh reality we must accept
• A couple of not-so-bold predictions

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Are you concerned about your brain health and the risk of cognitive decline? Do you believe that memory loss is a natural part of aging? In this episode, I interview brain health professional Allison Liu, who shares practical steps to protect and improve our brain health. We discuss the importance of taking care of our brains, debunking the common belief that memory loss is inevitable as we get older. Allison expertly walks us through the 11 risk factors that affect brain health and the practical steps to address them. This episode marks the end of the Midlife Health and Well-being series. The podcast will be back in a couple of weeks with a new mini-series focused on retirement readiness.

ABOUT MY GUEST
Allison Liu a qualified Brain Health Professional and the creator of the "Stay Sharp For Life" program. She is a trained Health Coach, a Dr. Amen Brain Health Licensed Trainer, and an expert in helping women reclaim their mental sharpness and improve their energy and mood.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The 11 risk factors that affect the health of our brain
• How to mitigate the risk factors and practical steps we can do today
• The surprising (not!) relationship between the food we eat and our brain's health
• Why our brain is the most important organ in our body

FOOTNOTES

• Allison Liu's Sharp For Life program
• Connect with Allison Liu on LinkedIn
• 5 Steps to Protect Your Memory
• Dr. Daniel Amen

OTHER EPISODES IN THE MIDLIFE WELL-BEING SERIES:

• 202. Intermittent Fasting with Laurie Lewis
• 203. Stress Relief Principle with Shulamit Ber Levtov
• 204. Sexual Health with Dr. Alyssa Dweck, M.D.

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In this episode, Dr. Alyssa Dweck, MD, discusses these misconceptions and provides valuable insights into managing vaginal health during and after menopause. She explains the impact of decreased estrogen levels on vaginal health and the importance of being proactive in managing it. She also addresses the misconception that sex after menopause is always painful and emphasizes the importance of individual choice in engaging in sexual activity.

Overall, this conversation highlights the importance of understanding and managing vaginal health, as well as the need to dispel myths surrounding sex after menopause. This episode highlights the need for reliable information and the importance of addressing menopause comprehensively.

ABOUT MY GUEST
Dr. Alyssa Dweck is a practicing gynecologist and the Chief Medical Officer of Bonafide. She is an Ob/GYN for over 25 years with a special interest in menopausal health and female sexual health. Dr. Dweck is the co-author of three books and has appeared on The Today Show and Good Day LA. She contributes regularly to multiple prints and online media outlets. She has been voted “Top Doctor” in New York Magazine and Westchester Magazine. When she’s not helping women improve their health, Dr. Dweck enjoys time with her husband, two sons, and “girly” English Bulldog. She is an avid runner and sports car enthusiast.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The three main misconceptions about sex after menopause
• Main reasons that lead to painful sex after menopause
• Products, tools, and practices that can help maintain vaginal health
• Complexities around women's libido after menopause

FOOTNOTES

• Bonafide
• Follow Bonafide and Dr. Dweck on Instagram

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In this episode, we're continuing our midlife health and well-being series, focusing on stress management. I'm joined by mindset and resilience consultant Shulamit Ber Levtov. She shares her insights on the definition of stress, how our bodies respond to it, and the three principles of stress relief. Shula emphasizes the importance of proactive stress management and self-care routines, including the daily practice of stress resilience tools. Throughout the episode, we provide practical tips and strategies for managing stress and building resilience.

ABOUT MY GUEST
Shulamit Ber Levtov is a mindset and resilience consultant. She uses her background as a trauma therapist to help women entrepreneurs stay sane and care for their emotional health as they ride the emotional rollercoaster of running a business. Shula helps her clients discover what affects their mental and emotional well-being and create a plan to care for it in an era of relentless stressors.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The physiology of stress — what is happening inside our bodies when we are under stress
• The most important thing to remember about chronic vs acute stress
• The three principles of stress relief: Soothing, Discharge, and Nourish
• Examples of how these principles look in practice
• Why it's important to develop our personal stress relief tools ahead of time

FOOTNOTES

• Shula's website 
• Follow Shula on LinkedIn

For all the links and show notes, head on over to https://www.secondbreaks.com/

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I am joined by Laurie Lewis to discuss the benefits of intermittent fasting for midlifers and particularly for women going through menopause. As an expert on the topic, Laurie shares her personal experience with menopause and how intermittent fasting helped her. We also delve into the challenges of maintaining a healthy weight as we age, the impact of processed foods on our health, and the benefits of fasting beyond weight loss, such as improving energy levels and managing health conditions like diabetes. Throughout our conversation, we emphasize the importance of listening to our bodies and finding a fasting routine that works for us, as well as establishing a healthy relationship with food and our emotions.

ABOUT MY GUEST
Laurie Lewis is an Intermittent Fasting Coach, Author & CEO of Fast Forward Wellness. Laurie’s Intermittent Fasting is the antithesis of dieting, and she has made it her mission to help other women find their way out of the typical traps of diet culture and into a dream come true -- eat the foods you love and enjoy the rest of your life feeling vibrant and well.

Laurie is passionate about changing the conversation around IF and sharing all the incredible benefits fasting can have for people outside of the realm of weight loss. Utilizing the fasting principles of Gin Stephens, Dr. Jason Fung, and Dr. Bert Herring, Laurie takes on individual clients - both celebrities and everyday people, as well as leading her group programs live online and is the author of the acclaimed book Celebrating Your Vibrant Future.

IN THIS EPISODE

• We talk about the relationship between aging, menopause, and weight gain.
• Laurie discusses the benefits of fasting beyond weight loss, such as improving energy levels, managing health conditions like diabetes, and optimizing the body's natural design.
• Laurie outlines the basic elements of a "clean fast" and explains what an eating window is.
• Laurie suggests a way to ease into an intermittent fasting practice.
• I share my own experience and my main challenge with IF.

FOOTNOTES

• Laurie Lewis' website: Fast Forward Wellness
• Delay, Don't Deny by Gin Stephens
• Fast. Feast. Repeat. by Gin Stephens
• The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung
• Dr. Bert Herring

For all the links and show notes, head on over to https://www.secondbreaks.com/

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However, I must confess that I struggle with maintaining a consistent gratitude practice. I find it challenging and often forced, which makes it difficult to stick with it. Moreover, there are times in life when feeling grateful seems impossible, such as during times of difficulty or after experiencing a loss. It's easy to throw our hands up and ask, "What is there to be grateful for?" 

But I do believe that cultivating a state of gratitude can help us navigate through curveballs and periods of uncertainty. To explore this topic, I am joined by Holly Bertone, the host of the Gratitude Builds Fortitude podcast. Together, we discuss how to cultivate a gratitude practice that feels authentic and effective, even during challenging times. We offer practical advice on how to embrace gratitude as a powerful tool to help us navigate through life's ups and downs.

ABOUT MY GUEST
Holly Bertone, PMP, CNHP is a #1 Amazon.com bestselling author, sought-after speaker, and gratitude coach. As a breast cancer and autoimmune survivor, she helps women view their diagnosis as a gift so that they can unwrap resilience to build fortitude with gratitude. Holly spent 25 years rising through the ranks of consulting and federal government service before her failing health shattered her corporate dreams. Since then, she has leaned into her path of true purpose as the President and CEO of Pink Fortitude and founder of Fortitude Academy by helping women go from being Grumpy Worriers to Grateful Warriors.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• The typical practice of listing 3 things we’re grateful for does not work for everybody and may even be making it difficult for some to get into a gratitude practice.
• Being in a state of gratitude is less a matter of listing things we’re grateful for, and more about actually feeling grateful
• Each person’s gratitude habit must take into consideration their natural personality or tendencies to make it ‘stick’.
• We can find our way to a state of gratitude even during times of stress or difficulty.
• Gratitude builds fortitude.

FOOTNOTES

• Gratitude Builds Fortitude, a podcast hosted by Holly Bertone
• Fortitude Academy
• Find Holly Bertone on Instagram
• Difficult Gratitude by James Altucher
• The Science of Gratitude (some studies that may explain why gratitude can be naturally difficult for some people)

For all the links and show notes, head on over to https://www.secondbreaks.com/

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But I don't want to just celebrate reaching a specific number. I want to mark the progress that I've made in life since I started this show.

We all know change is the one thing that's constant in life, and in this episode, I want to reflect on that. Specifically, the change we go through intentionally or naturally over time. It's those small, incremental changes that often go unnoticed, but can lead to big transformations.

To help me with this reflection, I've asked my dear friend to join me, Yvonne Marchese, who hosts the Late Bloomer Living podcast.

We chat about how important it is to zoom in and zoom out to get different perspectives, and how that helps us recognize both specific and broader changes. We use the start of our respective podcasts as a mile marker to reflect on our journeys and to acknowledge how far we've come.

I hope this episode inspires you to take some time to reflect on your own journey and recognize the progress you've made, no matter how small.

Remember, it's not just about the destination. It's about the journey and the changes we make along the way.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• We go through incremental change all the time, which we often don't realize until we take the time to reflect.
• It's important to zoom in and zoom out to get different perspectives on our lives and recognize both specific and broader changes.
• Choosing relevant markers to zoom out can help us recognize broader changes, and reflecting on our journey is time well-spent.
• Reflecting on our progress is essential to recognize our own progress, not as how others see us, but how we witness it in ourselves.
• It's important to mark and celebrate our progress in our journey, no matter our age or where we are in life.

FOOTNOTES

• Yvonne Marchese's Late Bloomer Living Podcast
• Follow Yvonne Marchese on Instagram
• Clubhouse
• The Obstacle Is The Way, by Ryan Holiday

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Well, folks, it’s hard to ignore the big news these days about ChatGPT and AI. Although we’ve been using AI for a while now, many of us have thought it was still a ways off from becoming truly disruptive.

But now, with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 and GPT-4 in March 2023, we’ve entered a new phase of development where AI outputs are virtually indistinguishable from human outputs, and some are hailing, are even better than what humans can do. For those of us in the working midlife crowd, this presents both an opportunity and a risk. We can’t bury our heads in the sand and pretend it’s not happening.

In this episode, I talk about why we need to pay attention and take action now to reposition ourselves for what’s coming. Stay tuned for some practical tips you can implement right away to stay ahead of the game.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE

• The unrelenting march of AI development is a monster curveball that will affect midlifers in the workforce.
• The worst thing we can do is to stick our heads in the ground and ignore what’s happening.
• But don’t worry, there are certain things we can do to prepare, plan, and reposition ourselves. So let’s get to it!

FOOTNOTES:

Global Economic Report, Goldman Sachs, March 2023

“GPTs are GPTs: An Early Look at the Labor Market Impact Potential of Large Language Model”, OpenAI, March 2023

Digital Ageism: Challenges and Opportunities in Artificial Intelligence for Older Adults, The Gerontologist, Oxford Academic, January 2022

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We don’t always recognize a curveball when we get hit by one. We don't see that we need to change and make some adjustments. Instead, we ignore it, deny it, or fight to keep things status quo. That is until it becomes glaringly obvious that some change is required.

In this episode, I chat with Stephanie Dethlefs, whose curveball resulted in a change in her career and the identity that came along with doing that work. But these changes didn’t happen as soon as her curveball hit. She spent many years fighting to maintain a balance until she couldn’t anymore.

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Stephanie Dethlefs is a writer, certified book coach, teacher, and lifelong avid reader. She has spent decades working with writers of all ages in the classroom as a teacher and now as a book coach, where she’s finding her own voice and holding space in which others can find their own. Stephanie is the author of the middle-grade novel Unspoken and the host of the Let’s Write Your Novel! podcast. She lives in Pacific NW Washington with her family, two cats, and a spunky pup.

FOOTNOTES:
Stephanie’s website: Hello Writers (make sure to grab her freebies)

Let’s Write Your Novel podcast

Unspoken

Ep 197: When Curveballs Hit

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You can read the full text of this episode at http://secondbreaks.com

FOOTNOTES:
Life Is In The Transitions, by Bruce Feiler

Ep 195: Midlife Is A Call To Action: The Case For Change (Part 1)

Ep 196: “When” is Midlife with Bernie Borges

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This week's guest is Bernie Borges, Producer and Host of the Midlife Fulfilled podcast. Bernie shares his perspective on what (and when!) midlife is — which is quite non-traditional, bordering on controversial! I expect it will generate some reactions, no doubt. I’m also sharing my own thoughts and definition of midlife. Although not dissimilar from Bernie’s, it has minor differences.

It’s important that we adopt a broader definition of midlife because how we view midlife has significant implications on how we live the second half of our lives.

ABOUT MY GUEST, BERNIE BORGES:
In addition to producing and hosting the Midlife Fulfilled podcast, Bernie is Vice President, Global Content Marketing at iQor, a leading BPO. He’s an Advisory Board member at Vengreso and at the University of South Florida Digital Marketing Certification Program. Bernie resides in Florida with his wife Jean. They're empty nesters with two adult children living up north. Bernie's favorite title is "abuelo" which is what his grandson calls him.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Bernie’s perspective on what midlife is and isn’t
• We talked about the benefits of thinking broadly about midlife seasons.
• The importance of taking a broader perspective on how we define midlife
• We discussed the difference between happiness and fulfillment
• Bernie shares his observations about midlife fulfillment, from interviews from his podcast

Footnotes:

• Follow Bernie Borges on LinkedIn
• Check out his podcast, Midlife Fulfilled
• What is Midlife? Who is in Midlife?
• The episode on Midlife Fulfilled, where I joined Bernie to share my story

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You can read the full text of this episode here. 

Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to Midlife Cues, a weekly newsletter about intentional living in midlife. 

FOOTNOTES:

Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn.

Subscribe to Midlife Cues, a weekly newsletter about intentional living in midlife. 

It is the act of sitting down and reflecting on our own experiences that creates wisdom.

And one powerful exercise we can do to capture that wisdom is to reflect on the lessons we're taking away from our experiences in the past year.

Before you get too busy with your 2023 goals and plans, take a pause to consider the lessons you learned from last year. A slight variation to this is to ask what you learned ABOUT yourself last year.

In this bonus episode, I share the five lessons I learned and am taking with me into the new year.

Footnotes:

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This is a question that I ask all my guests on the podcast. And I’m always blown away by the thoughtfulness of their answers.

In this short bonus episode, I’ve compiled the responses of my guests this year so you can listen to all of their thoughts back to back.

I’ve found myself in their words. I’ve found so much strength and inspiration as well.

And I think you’ll feel the same way.

Oh, and I’ll share my own answer to this question as well.

Footnotes:

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My process has evolved a lot over the years, but I’ve been sitting down to do an annual review religiously since my corporate years.

I’m always looking for ways to keep my process relevant to wherever I am in life. I also work to spice it up so things don’t get boring and I can look forward to the exercise toward the end of December.

During the last few years, I’ve picked up a handful of new questions that aren’t the usual kind you frequently hear about. And these have added a new dimension to my assessment of how my year went.

If your year-end review process has gotten stale or a bit ho-hum,  consider adding these to change things up.

For the written version of this episode and all the links, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Vivek Chakrabortty is the CEO and Founder of The Kavi Group, a crisis management and business continuity consulting firm that supports some of the largest firms in the world today. He is a husband and a father to 3 young adults. You’ll hear him say later that home is wherever his family is, so let me just say, today, he and his family reside in Florida.
 
IN THIS EPISODE:

• How Vivek slowly but surely, discarded the rule books and constructs that he had previously lived his life by;
• The philosophies — or his North and South stars — that guide his work and life;
• How these philosophies show up in his work and his parenting style;
• What he views as his responsibility is to his employees;
• How his ambition expresses itself today (versus how it was 20 years ago).

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

This is a time in our lives when we can pause and really review where we are and think about how we want the second half of our lives to work out, and then really refocus our energy toward that. For many of us, that means choosing to change areas of our life.

Sadly, as much as the vision of our future can be exciting, many of us would rather look away from that vision because we’re not willing to go through the pain of rocking our world as it exists today.

In this episode, I bring you the story of Lori Saitz who did not look away and went through a major life makeover of her own making.

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Lori Saitz is the Founder of Zen Rabbit and host of the podcast “Fine is a 4-Letter Word.” She’s an award-winning writer, speaker, and broadcaster. She guides business professionals who are finished living in a dumpster fire, to a place of unprecedented clarity, peace, and productivity. Using a collaborative approach, she teaches people to be grounded and centered, which leads to improved relationships, increased sales, and better overall health.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why Lori says “fine” is a 4-letter word.
• The thing about commiserating with friends.
• Why our friends may not always like the changes we’re making in our lives.
• The question we should really stop asking others.
• And how to respond when we do get asked that question!

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

Often, we do so because we don’t have the tools — we don’t know where and how to begin. We don’t have the words or the vocabulary to discuss an important topic. Sometimes, it’s because we’ve been burned in the past when a difficult conversation went awry.

I also feel like the older I get, the need to have these difficult or sensitive conversations aren’t decreasing. They feel like they’re multiplying!

And just because we’re older doesn’t mean we’ve mastered the art of conducting difficult conversations. Sure, we have loads of experience under our belt. And some of us really have done massive work on this and have some tools to help navigate the fear in difficult conversations.

But we can always use more tools in this space.

ABOUT MY GUEST: 

Nancy Burger is a communications strategist and coach who guides executives and teams to foster emotionally healthy cultures. A certified leadership coach, author, and seasoned researcher, Nancy brings her 10+ years of communications expertise and research in psychology to elevate workplace connections. Nancy also delivers workshops and talks to universities, leadership organizations, and networking groups, all with the aim of cultivating clear, effective, and productive communication dynamics.

In this episode, Nancy and I peel back the curtain and explore the challenge many of us face when having difficult conversations.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How fear complicates difficult conversations
• Why we don’t always catch the fear-based thoughts that are driving our decisions and actions
• Setting the expectations of ourselves going into sensitive conversations
• How to prepare for these sensitive conversations

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

Recently, a good friend did one of these challenging public-facing projects. I had front-row seats and witnessed her move from idea to full execution and was so impressed that I asked her to chat about it when it was over

I wanted to learn from her experience, not so much the technical “how did you do it”. Rather, it was more about the mental and emotional “how did you do it” aspects of it.

If there’s a project you’re thinking of undertaking and you’re somewhat paralyzed with fear or wondering if you have what it takes or why in the world you even think you can do it, this episode is for you.

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Yvonne Marchese is a photographer and the host of the Late Bloomer Living Podcast. Early this year, she hosted the Midlife Uprising Summit – a gathering of women committed to busting through their Midlife Funk and rocking the next chapter of life.

The summit consisted of 30 speakers and was attended by over 300 participants. Today, she has transitioned that initial gathering to a community of midlife women who continue to inspire and cheer each other on, share stories and take bold action together.

In this conversation, Yvonne and I deconstructed her experience – from the initial seed of an idea to the finish line. We talked about some of the challenges she faced, where and how she got support, and some of her lessons learned.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

Sadly, my well-being did not show up on my list of priorities when I was in my 20s, 30s, or even early 40s. In fact, I had previously confessed that the stupidest thing I ever said was, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.

Thankfully, some level of wisdom prevailed and I no longer think that way. Somewhere along the way, I learned the importance of self-care and about putting my well-being on my list of priorities

That’s why I’m so excited to host this conversation with Ellen Kocher and Dominique Ben Dhaou here on the podcast.

Ellen and Dominique are the powerhouse duo behind Wake-Up, Shake Up, Thrive and the co-authors of the book, “Wake-Up, Shake-Up, Thrive! How to Lift Up your Life in Your 50’s and Beyond”

Ellen and Dominique met at a conference where Dominique was a featured speaker. They hit it off, with their mutual love of good food and fine wine, and most importantly, their passion for supporting individuals and organizations to conquer age 50+ demographic challenges.

In this episode, Dominique and Ellen gave me a preview of their book and walked me through the five dimensions of well-being in midlife and beyond.

ABOUT MY GUESTS:
Dominique Ben Dhaou is a Swiss National who has been working in Human Resources leadership roles in international organizations for over 30 years. She has experience in 12 different industries across continents. As the Founder and Managing Director of PointNorth International, she helps professionals and executives reinvent a career that truly fits their experience, values, skills and purpose. Her passion for untapped potential goes far beyond conventional human resources practices.

Dominique's co-founder for Wake Up, Shake Up, Thrive is Ellen Kocher. Ellen completed her undergraduate work in Economics and Finance and began her career as a Management Consultant. As a seasoned executive and senior manager, she faced the challenges of a busy working lifestyle, sprinting between responsibilities, deadlines, and travel. In 2003, Ellen decided to slow down her hectic job to care for her three children, giving her the opportunity to reassess her career-driven lifestyle. She lost weight and discovered her best new self through nutrition and lifestyle change.

DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Why it’s important to think of these dimensions as gears
• The five dimensions of well-being: physical, emotional, intellectual, financial and spiritual
• Quick actionable steps to incorporate these dimensions into our lives today
• Why it’s literally “never too late” to start

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

Following the extensive research he conducted, Feiler concluded that, on average, we go through three to five of these events in our lives. And the average length of a life quake is 5 years.

What happened to Karen Randall is one of those life quakes that Feiler was talking about. A huge change event made up of a series of events that touched all areas of her life and pushed her to redefine her self-image.

Karen is a transition life coach. She helps people in midlife who have experienced a significant life event that has left them wondering who they are to create and manifest a life that is full of Purpose, Meaning, Passion and Joy. She is multi-passionate and is also an Energy Psychologist, Creative Arts Facilitator, college professor, yoga teacher, and recovering CPA.

In this conversation, Karen walks us through the series of events that overhauled her life. We go into the many challenges that she faced during that time.

I often say that reinventions are not always “easy and smooth” the way they are portrayed in social media. One of the things I really appreciate about this conversation is that Karen talks about the “messy” parts. We talk about how she coped, what help she received, and how she got herself to the other side.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

As my guest, Dara Goldberg, pointed out, "It's as though once we hit midlife, all growth has stopped." 

But by not marking and celebrating milestones, we are, in effect, supporting the prevailing narrative out there that we disappear as we age, that it’s all downhill from here, and that everything good is in our past — all these narratives that, of course, we are rebelling against.

We are inadvertently helping keep those narratives alive by not marking, not celebrating, and not even talking about our milestones.

We have a chance and a role to play here, so we can change that.

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Dara Goldberg is a proud middle-aged entrepreneur, writer, speaker, and Founder of the Lovin’ Midlife Movement for Women. She’s known for her passion and work to dispel the misconceptions about women’s experience of midlife and beyond.

She’s also well known for her work with pro-age beauty brands to get the rest of the beauty industry to stop pushing the false notion that a woman’s beauty declines with age and has an expiration date.

In this episode, Dara explains what milestones she is specifically referring to, the difference between event milestones and developmental or growth-based milestones, and how we can support ourselves and others as we get older in celebrating our milestones.

This was such an eye-opening conversation for me, and I know you will find it insightful as well.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

But the way Ronna Detrick talks about our stories — those stories that have shaped our lives — is in a different category altogether.

Ronna is a coach, writer, and speaker who focuses on the stories that have shaped women’s lives. She helps women reimagine our stories and tell them in ways that invite beauty, wisdom, and the sovereignty that we desire and deserve.

Ronna says it’s not the stories per se but the way the stories have been told to us that have had a profound impact on our individual lives and in women’s lives collectively.

Stories like Eve, Cinderella, or Snow White. And, of course, yes, the stories that are more unique to our family of origin.

In this episode, Ronna dissects these stories and decodes what about them have such profound impact, how we can begin to recognize and hear how they show up in our lives today, and what we can do to begin the process of reframing and reclaiming our stories.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How stories passed down from generation to generation, like Eve and Cinderella, have profoundly shaped our lives today
• How to “listen” to the underlying story
• The way the story is told versus the story itself
• Why reframing works
• How we can begin to reimagine and retell our stories

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

But the interesting step she took after that was the equivalent of going to the train station and seeing what trains were available. Serendipity stepped in, and she found herself a new career, learning new skills and discovering a few things about herself she didn’t know about.

If you’re thinking of making any kind of change in your life, this conversation will inspire you and maybe even help you find some courage to go with the unknown to find what’s truly possible.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

In this episode, I talk with transitions life coach Karen Herbert to explore how parents can best manage themselves during some of the most challenging feelings of empty nesters, and most importantly, how to focus on the most important thing — the relationship they have with their young adult kids.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How to manage the many different emotions and feelings that you may be going through during this period
• The most important objective or goal parents should have, particularly as they guide their children to young adulthood
• How best to continue to be in your children’s lives even as they leave the nest and go on their own
• The two things young adults hate the most from their parents and how you can avoid these traps

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

There has been an explosion in the field of coaching over the last few years. And the result of all these newly-minted coaches is that getting coached, in all aspects of life is now relatively accessible for more people.

So, the upshot is professional help is more accessible, and more people are getting help. If there’s an area in your life that you are having difficulty with, chances are, you’ll be able to find someone who can help you address or overcome the issues.

The challenge with more options is that we now must decide what kind of help we need. Who do we see for what kind of problem? How do we select, and what can we expect from the experience?

All that is the subject of today’s episode and to help me understand the landscape, I’ve invited Nicole Lewis-Keeber who is just the perfect person to chat with about these things!

Nicole is in a unique position to shed some light here because she is a licensed clinical social worker - who worked for many years as a therapist. Then, she went on to get different kinds of coach training and became a mindset coach. So today, she is both! Although she’s directed her professional work toward the business landscape and her clients call her the “business therapist”.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How therapy differs from coaching
• What kind of help you can expect from a therapist vs a life coach
• The intersection of life coaching and business coaching, and where the lines get blurred
• The limits within these fields
• Nicole’s tips for selecting the right professional help

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

Some of these changes we deliberately introduce into our lives, such as when we intentionally change our lifestyle or eating habits, for example. Many of the changes are externally driven. But often,  we know about these ahead of time such that we can plan and ease into the changes over time.

But sometimes, the changes are sudden. Or they happen sooner than we thought, and we are caught unprepared. 

What do we do then? That’s what I talk about in this episode.

For the full show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

I sat down with Mary Beth to chat and compare notes about life post-retirement. Since both of us did end up starting small businesses of our own, we talked a little bit about the experience of launching our businesses. But most of the time, we were talking about the kind of people we’ve become after we left our corporate life.

ABOUT MY GUEST
After 30+ years in corporate financial services, Mary Beth Simon now uses her strategic talents as a keynote speaker and to coach entrepreneurs and individuals on creating their contingency plans to empower their second-in-command to keep business and life flowing smoothly in an emergency.

Mary Beth founded Niche Partnership Consulting because her clients’ transformations inspire her. She believes that the combination of continuous learning, growth, and change is the fountain of youth and recently became a certified Les Mills BodyFlow instructor.

In this episode, Mary Beth and I compared notes about how life after our corporate jobs “matched up” with our plans, the personal changes we’ve gone through since we’ve left the structured life of corporate America, and Mary Beth’s plans for the future.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

I say this not to discourage anyone but to highlight the importance of doing our homework and walking into this new adventure with eyes wide open — even if the thing we want to do are the stuff of our dreams!

Converting those dreams into reality requires research and planning so that the dream doesn’t turn into a nightmare.

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Diane Tarshis is the Founder and Principal of Startup Distillery, a global consulting firm that has been helping entrepreneurs launch successful businesses and secure funding for more than 20 years.

She works with clients who want to reduce their overall risk and compress their startup timeline so they don’t waste time when it comes to replacing their income. It’s about getting it right from the start.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

• Why preparing a business plan is REALLY important, regardless of business type
• Different kinds of business plans (it doesn’t have to be a 30-page document!)
• The most important form of research you can do (and it’s free!)
• Key questions that you want to be able to answer in your business planning

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

Damion Lupo is a bestselling author in personal finance and money thinking, host of the Financial Underdogs podcast, owner of 30+ companies, and founder of his own martial art – Yokido®.

If there was one thing I remembered about our conversation, it was that Damion explained why he hated the word retirement. As I revisit this episode now, in the context of the Un-retirement series, I see how it’s even more relevant than ever and his points even more urgent for us midlifers to consider.

In this episode, Damion and I talked about the problem with the traditional retirement mindset, what wealth is and isn’t, and the idea of “booking it” or how not to postpone doing things until someday when we retire.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

Autumn Witt Boyd is an award-winning intellectual property lawyer who works with online business owners to protect their brand, content, and business.

When it comes to intellectual property and business strategies, Autumn is known as a thought leader in the online business community. She speaks frequently at conferences, seminars, and workshops and appears as a guest on podcasts hosted by other experts and business owners.

In this episode from the vault, Autumn gives tip after fabulous tip about the basic things we need to implement and consider when we're starting a new business. Especially for folks retiring from their corporate careers, this episode is an essential primer for any post-retirement business they may want to begin.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

Michael Zipursky is the CEO and co-founder of Consulting Success. He’s kinda like a consultant for consultants.

He helps business people run their businesses more efficiently and effectively. But more importantly, he specializes in helping people transition into a successful consultancy (or simply find more success as a consultant) by leveraging and marketing their expertise in an enormously crowded field.

He is the author of five books, including The Consulting Success System: How to Become a Successful Consultant and The Masters of Consulting Interviews. Michael also hosts the podcast The Consulting Success Podcast. Clearly, he is the person to talk about building a consulting practice!

In this episode from the vault, Michael and I talk about what differentiates a consultant from a coach or another service provider, and he shares the six principles for running a successful consultancy.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

Mary Beth Simon retired from her long corporate career in December 2018. As planned, she started a consulting company in early 2019. Mary Beth is part of many Generation X and Boomers who aren’t interested in putting their feet up and playing golf all day post-retirement. She considers herself 100% retired from her corporate career, but that only means she now has all the time to devote to the next chapter in her professional life.

One of the things that struck me with Mary Beth’s experience was how she could make a smooth transition with little stress because she carefully planned for life after retirement long before she packed up her office.

In this episode from the vault, Mary Beth shared what sparked the idea for her unique consulting practice, how she fined tuned that idea so that it aligned with her vision for her next chapter, and where she focused her energy as she got it off the ground.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

• How Paula Adler discovered a path to a new career, following a rich and fulfilling corporate career
• The whole process - from the decision, to working through her fears, to facing the guilt and planning for her new life
• What it meant to leave a career she worked hard to build
• Her life and priorities after retiring from her corporate career

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Paula Adler is a certified life and leadership coach. She is a force for positive transformation, enabling clients to explore both their current realities and potential for future success. She leverages her achievements and personal growth to support others in navigating life’s trenches and transitions.

Paula retired from her long, fulfilling career at PwC to start a new career as an executive coach. But her post-retirement career is, one might say, accidental. Paula wasn't looking for a new career. She wasn't even thinking of leaving the one she had at the time. She was on a different quest — one of self-discovery. While she was on that quest, she discovered a new calling that ended up being her post-retirement career.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

Lisette Smith is the Chief Operating Officer and a senior advisor at The Advisory Group of San Francisco, an independent financial advisory firm that manages $1BN in assets.

Lisette is a pioneer of the Midlife Gap Year concept as part of the financial planning process. She wrote the educational guide, The Midlife Gap Year: How to take a break and still feel financially secure to help others take a long-term view of their career and life fulfillment.

Today we talk about how we can use a midlife gap year to figure out our next act (if we want a new act!), how to effectively use our gap year so that we don’t end up simply wasting that valuable time, and what we can do if we’re cannot be away from work for a solid year.

IN THIS EPISODE:

• How midlifers can benefit from a midlife gap year
• The different things we can do during a gap year
• How to creatively plan for a gap year, even if cannot afford to take a full year gap
• People’s changing views around retirement

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

Are you itching to start a project but you’re hesitating because it’s filled with uncertainty and there are so many questions you haven’t got answers for?

I’m quite familiar with that scenario.

Recently, I published the 100th edition of Midlife Cues.  This milestone is a big deal for me because Midlife Cues is one of the most personal projects I’ve ever undertaken. AND it’s one that I started without a clear blueprint in mind. It was a decision made at the heels of another major life decision and was 100% a result of a series of “what if” questions I was exploring at that time.

I celebrated this milestone by reflecting on what I’ve learned through the experience.

What I realized quickly was that my lessons aren’t unique to this experience. The lessons are applicable to any kind of project where I may be feeling a little vulnerable, and when I’m not entirely sure about what I’m doing or how I’m going to make it work.

In this episode, I share these lessons with you. I figure you may find something here that could apply to your situation as well.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

But before she found this new path, Donna was near the top of her chosen career ladder in marketing. She had worked long and hard to attain that success and so it was not a small matter to deliberately leave it for something else new and so totally different from her career path.

So in this episode, we talk about letting go — of job titles, of existing metrics of success, and of identities.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

• About what it takes to let go so we can make space for new experiences and new identities
• Donna shares what she did to bridge where she was to where she can be. This is a great approach, especially if you don’t know exactly where you want to be and you’re in the experimentation stage.
• Donna said, “every step we make changes the landscape”, and so instead of tight plans, she talks of a having compass instead. This idea that every time we take action, it changes the landscape really struck me and I’ve been thinking about it ever since. What we do and how we do it affects what happens next. We are co-creators of our world, as long as we are taking action and not simply being bystanders.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

For the full backlist and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

James and Claire Davis are the husband and wife team behind the coaching and fitness company 38 Degrees North and the host of The Midlife Mentors podcast. Leveraging their backgrounds in psychology, coaching, and NLP, they have been helping midlifers make positive changes in their lives.

I began the conversation with Claire and James with their personal love story in mind.  James and Claire were both married — to other people I mean. They both got divorced in midlife then found each other, fell in love, built a business together, all the good stuff. 

But it became obvious very quickly that what we were talking about was the most important relationship in our life — our relationship with ourselves. And the quality of that relationship affects all the others.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN:

• The steps that James and Claire took separately and together to give their new relationship its best chance.
• James said the question to ask isn’t whether it’s too late or not but rather, “If I don’t start addressing this now, what would it look like for me in 10 years in 20 years?” This question can be applied to so many areas in our life where we may be thinking of making a change — our relationships, our health, our goals. Anytime we’re hesitating and wondering if we can take the next step, we can ask ourselves what the cost of that inaction may be.
• Claire pointed out that midlife can bring about stress in the relationship too. She said, “In midlife, we’re often growing, reevaluating, and reinventing. this can either bring you together or pull you apart.” The person in the relationship who may not be going through as much change may start feeling threatened. But this does not necessarily signal the end of the relationship and this is when communication is extremely crucial.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

• The reasoning and principle behind “stop fixing yourself”
• How to recognize the programming that leads us to think we are broken and need fixing
• What attachments are and how to spot them
• How to identify the conditions that we sub-consciously impose on our happiness

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Don Joseph Goewey is the director of the Center for Spiritual Exchange, the official archive for the works of Anthony De Mello. De Mello was a Jesuit priest and psychotherapist and was regarded as one of the great spiritual minds of the 20th century, influencing the likes of Eckhart Tolle and Thomas Moore.

Don is the author of  End of Stress/Four Steps to Rewire Your Brain. And recently, Don edited the book Stop Fixing Yourself: Wake Up, All is Well based on Anthony De Mello’s practical spirituality.

De Mello’s message is to stop fixing ourselves. That we’re OK just as we are. No need to interfere or fix anything. It’s enough for us to simply watch and observe. We will see that these things we struggle to fix just need to be understood. And that once we understand them, they will simply drop.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

In this episode, I've distilled five principles for a well-lived midlife, gathered from my own research of midlife's twists and turns and deep conversations with other midlifers on the podcast.

For the written transcript and all the links, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

• How Nancy Davis Kho executed her year-long project of writing one letter of gratitude a week
• What was hard, easy, and surprising about the project
• How we can start a similar gratitude project
• The project’s lasting impact on Nancy
• Nancy’s observations from her experience interviewing mid-lifers on her podcast

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Nancy Davis Kho is a speaker, author, and podcaster whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, and Salon.com. She is the author of The Thank You Project: Cultivating Happiness One Letter of Gratitude at a Time, published by Running Press in December 2019.

On her podcast Midlife Mixtape, Nancy covers “the years between being hip and breaking one”. Midlife Mixtape won a 2020 Iris Award as Podcast of the Year and was included in Wall Street Journal’s list of 8 Podcasts for Anyone Nervously Facing Retirement.

Nancy and I talked about her experience and takeaways from the year-long project that was the basis of her book. She offers such practical tips about how and where to start, and why she encourages midlifers especially to undertake a similar project.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

• What does it look like and how does it feel when we have our own back
• The three internal voices that we have
• Why the third voice – our biggest fan – is the one we really want to strengthen
• The role that self-loyalty plays when dealing with our inner critic
• Why Nancy avoids thinking “I deserve this” and how this thought-process may lead to false self-loyalty

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Nancy Jane Smith is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Coach specializing in High Functioning Anxiety and has spent 20+ years working as a counselor/coach. Nancy first joined me on this podcast back in 2018 when we talked about her book, The Happier Approach: Be Kind to Yourself, Feel Happier and Still Accomplish Your Goals, and specifically the three voices that we have in our heads: the Monger, the BFF, and the Biggest Fan.

I invited Nancy to join me again so we can have a follow-up conversation about these internal voices/characters, and to talk about self-loyalty. We explored how true self-loyalty sounds and looks like in practice and how we can strengthen it.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

• What stress really is and how our body responds to stress
• Chronic vs Acute stress
• Three principles of stress relief
• Why Shula prefers to talk about principles rather than specific techniques for stress relief
• Examples of what these principles may look like in practice

ABOUT MY GUEST
Shulamit Ber Levtov is a mindset and resilience consultant. She uses her background as a trauma therapist to help women entrepreneurs stay sane and care for their emotional health as they ride the emotional rollercoaster of running a business. Shula helps her clients discover what affects their mental and emotional well-being and create a plan to care for it in an era of relentless stressors.

GUEST LINKS: 

• Shula's website 
• Follow Shula on LinkedIn

• Dr. Mickey Barber explains the phrase “successful aging” and how we can achieve it
• Why it’s important to look for a physician who specializes in age management and what we should look for
• Why she believes in a shared responsibility of the patient-doctor team
• How to talk to our doctors to have a better chance that our health concerns are heard
• The most important factors to staying healthy as we get older

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Dr. Mickey Barber is on a mission to spread the word that you can look and feel great at any age. Her philosophy for successful aging includes preventing age-related diseases while maintaining energy, health, and sexual vigor through the shared responsibility of the patient-doctor team.

Dr. Barber has been featured on television and in publications including Shape Magazine, Vogue, and Harpers Bazaar. She is a Maria Shriver “Architect for Change” and a sought-after lecturer on age management and hormone replacement.

In this episode, we talk about how we can successfully navigate the aging process and stay healthy as we get older – so we can continue to do and enjoy the things we want to do… and why it really is never too late to start.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

• Level-setting definitions: what is peri-menopause (and how long it can last); what and when is menopause; and what and when is post-menopause
• Strategies for making the peri-menopause and post-menopause years “easier” on ourselves & our bodies
• The truth about common perceptions and “truths” about menopause 
• Why Lorraine believes our post-menopausal years can be a magical time of our life and how we can make it so!

ABOUT MY GUEST:

As a certified health and hormone coach as well as a post-menopausal woman herself, Lorraine Miano discovered her passion for offering menopause advocacy, support, and resources to women in all phases of menopause through health coaching, proper nutrition, and preventive lifestyle choices.

She is the author of "The Magic of Menopause: A Holistic Guide to Get Your Happy Back!" The book helps guide women through the struggles they face as they begin menopause and helps tackle the daily changes such as balancing hormones holistically, getting a better night’s sleep, and reducing or eliminating hot flashes, to name a few.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

• How to craft the "best story" for your midlife reinvention
• How to tell the story that you want to tell, with authenticity and vulnerability
• Why Hillary does not encourage the typical "hero's journey" format
• Selecting the "right" stories to include in your overall narrative
• Why you'd want to have a prepared story in your back pocket

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Hillary Rea is the founder of Tell Me A Story, a communication consulting and coaching business that teaches multi-passionate entrepreneurs, mission-driven leaders, and committed change-makers how to use the art of storytelling as a powerful communication tool.

She is an award-winning storyteller (NYC Moth StorySLAM winner and 2019 Rad Award for Storyteller of the year), has been telling her own stories on stage for 12 years. In addition to running her own business, Hillary is the producer and host of Rashomon, a long-form narrative storytelling podcast where one family tells every side of the same story.

In this episode, Hillary and I talk about how we can compose and tell the story that we want to tell about our life and our midlife reinvention, how to keep vulnerability and authenticity in our "prepared" stories, and how we chose the stories that we want to include in our overall narrative.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

• Strategies for returning to your previous career after a long break
• Strategies for career pivots in midlife
• What to do when you’ve been let go in midlife
• How to approach networking when you haven’t been keeping in touch with your contacts
• How to address the “years and years of experience” in your resumé

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Sarah Baker Andrus is the founder and CEO of Avarah Careers, a career coaching business. She’s worked on all sides of the hiring equation, serving as a career counselor, a recruiter, and a hiring manager. After twenty+ years in recruiting and PR with the same company, she got the itch to make a change and jumped to a shiny new “dream job.” Within weeks she knew she had made a huge mistake. 18 months later, she received a gift in the form of a layoff. She started Avarah Careers in 2014 and hasn’t looked back.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

• How memoir-writing can be a transformative and healing process
• Why Janelle Hardy tells her students to be open to being "wrong" about their life patterns
• Writing versus thinking about our past stories
• The good and bad about "reframing" past stories
• Janelle's writing prompts to get us started

About My Guest:

Janelle Hardy is a writer, artist, and host of the Personal Mythmaking Podcast. For the past 5 years, she has integrated her expertise and training into supporting people in their creative healing work via the alchemy of transformational memoir-writing.

According to Janelle, writing our life stories allows us to tap into guidance that’s greater than ourselves. The process helps us make sense of our traumas and rewrite the narrative into an empowering, meaningful story.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

• Why our midlife can be the most powerful years of our life
• Strong habits that we can develop so we can not just enjoy but thrive in midlife
• Practical applications of these habits in our day-to-day
• Common situations where we can feel resistance as we apply these habits

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Sara Smeaton is a certified coach, writer, workshop and group leader, and creator of the interview series, Power Profiles: Redefining Midlife. She is determined to challenge the narrative that in midlife, and beyond, we are too old to have new adventures, romance, vitality and health, and to make meaningful contributions.

For all the links and highlights of this episode, head on over to http://secondbreaks.com

• Gail Gensler's pro-aging stance and philosophy
• Why and how she prioritizes fitness and a healthy lifestyle
• The legacy that she wants to leave behind
• How we too can embrace fitness in our midlife — even if we've never been "athletic"

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Gail Gensler is a 60-year old pro-aging fitness enthusiast living in Miami. Gail's goal is to change the narrative about aging through fitness and a healthy lifestyle and to inspire younger generations to not fear the years. In this episode, we talk about her pro-aging stance, how she stays fit physically and mentally, and the message she wants all of us to hear about what we can do as we get older.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to https://secondbreaks.com/podcast.

- Why self fragmentation occurs and why it shows up at work and home

- What is a “wholeness journey” and what is its end goal

- Self-advocacy: what it looks like and how it sounds

- The idea behind small brave YESes

- Where to begin our wholeness journey

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Shawn Fink is the founder and host of The Brave Yes Show and a coach for Gen X women who want to redefine themselves or their careers for the next half of their lives. In this episode, we explore what leads to self-fragmentation, how we can recognize it, and how we can begin the journey to our whole self. We also talk about a very important thing – self-advocacy – and how this is such a critical skill to learn and hone.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• Why we all need a personal contingency plan
• What goes into our plan
• Analog vs Digital
• Where to start — the basics

ABOUT MY GUEST:

After 30+ years in corporate financial services, Mary Beth Simon now uses her strategic talents as a keynote speaker and to coach entrepreneurs and individuals on creating their contingency plans to empower their second-in-command to keep business and life flowing smoothly in an emergency. 

In this episode, Mary Beth and I talk about who needs a contingency plan, why we need to have one, that no one is "too young" to have a plan together - this has nothing to do with age. And where we should start and the bare minimum that we should have in place. 

For all the links and show notes, head on over to https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• It's easy to rationalize our way OUT and convince ourselves we don't need a career change.
• Asking for help at the outset can make all the difference.
• The transition to a new career can take different forms; there isn't one way to do this.
• A midlife career change doesn't mean starting from Square 1. We take with us all the experiences, skills, and perspectives that can only enrich our new role.

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Annie Schuessler is a business coach and the host of the podcast Rebel Therapist® Podcast. With her Rebel Therapist®Programs, she helps therapists, healers, and coaches make an impact beyond a traditional private practice.

Annie had thought she was having her version of a midlife crisis when she started to feel the strong pull to reinvent herself and her career. And in this episode, we talk about all that happened after that one beautiful weekend when she finally realized that this successful career that she had painstakingly built? The truth was she dreaded returning to it the following Monday.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• The concept of “Body Peace” and how we can achieve it
• The diet culture: how to recognize it, name it, and create healthy boundaries
• How we can approach weight loss, if that is our goal, and increase our chances of achieving what we really want
• Embracing our bodies in midlife
• Listening to our bodies

ABOUT MY GUEST:
Nina Manolson is a board-certified health and wellness coach. She helps women end the war with food and body so that we can finally feel at peace and at home in our bodies. The kind of home where we can run around naked and not worry about what is “good enough” or what others will think.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• Limiting Beliefs: where they come from and how they develop
• The limiting beliefs that are most damaging
• Why Lana doesn’t say that we “overcome limiting beliefs” and what she teaches her clients instead
• When fear and limiting beliefs intersect
• How to reframe old narratives

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Lana Hernandez is a Mindset and Empowerment Coach who guides her clients through the mindset triggers of the entrepreneurial journey. Using her intuitive gifts and 20+ years of corporate knowledge, Lana supports her clients as they navigate their mindset barriers so they can not only experience breakthroughs but also sustain empowered growth as they plan for success.

For all the links and show notes, head on over to https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

The podcast has also changed over the years, in terms of frequency and the stories we cover here on the show. And now, the world itself has changed dramatically. 

As I began planning for Season 7 of this podcast, I realized something. This podcast has to evolve — just as you and me and the world have evolved.

• Why and how Shara’s search for natural solutions for her husband led to her plant-based diet and lifestyle change
• What’s been easy/hard about her transition
• How the initial decision to stop eating meat led to other lifestyle changes
• Various tricks she learned and adopted to stick to her plant-based lifestyle

Former teacher, Shara Haberman began her diet and lifestyle change somewhat accidentally. Her plant-based health journey began after her husband, Tom, was diagnosed with diabetes and prescribed meds. Shara was, in her words, on a mission to help her husband fight diabetes with natural solutions.

The more she researched, the more she realized how important it was for her to change her own diet in order to prevent potential health issues that may be ahead of her and to be an example for her husband.

The positive benefits that Shara experienced from her plant-based health transformation fueled her to earn an M.S. in Health Psychology and become a certified health and wellness coach.

In this episode, Shara shares her transition to a plant-based diet, the challenges she had to navigate around, and how she's been able to stick to this new healthier lifestyle.

For the highlights of this conversation and all the links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• Making ourselves small doesn’t help anyone, least of all, ourselves
• What ‘living small’ looks and feels like in real life
• The internal changes when we work on ourselves do affect how we show up in the world
• The concept of borrowing someone else’s belief in you
• How 2020 became the catalyst for Mara to finally do the work that allowed her to step out and take up space

Mara is an intuitive coach who helps perfectionists and people-pleasers reclaim their sovereignty. Her superpower is saying what you need to hear when you need to hear it and she is here to help you believe in yourself as much as she believes in you.

But the ability to do this for others did not mean that she had this mastered for herself. She has always been able to read a room well and sense what's needed... which is a great skill in a professional capacity. But this also meant that in a personal sense, she was always contorting herself trying to please - something that she has been doing for most of her life.

For the highlights of this conversation and all the links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• How does living and working "on the move" actually work
• Unique challenges and benefits of living in a really small space
• Where they park, what they do for electricity, internet access, water, among others!
• How this experience is changing her and how she engages with people
• The responsibilities of traveling during a pandemic

Brigitte Lyons is the founder of Podcast Ally, a podcast booking agency that has lined up 100s of podcast interviews for their clients. 

Brigitte has spent her entire career working in the PR industry, but she believes podcasts are a special medium that impacts the lives of everyone who produces, guests, and listens to a show, and she’s thrilled to have come into this specialization.

And here's the kicker, she runs the agency while traveling the United States in a 21 ft fiberglass travel trailer, where she lives and works with her husband and gets out to hike as often as she can.

For the highlights of this conversation and all the links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• Why and how podcasting is a natural fit for Yvonne Marchese
• How her personal experiences and passion drove her transformation
• The steps she took to fully embrace her new role and be “all in”
• How being a storyteller is always a part of who she is
• Where Yvonne sees her podcast growing

ABOUT MY GUEST:

Yvonne Marchese is a professional photographer and a former actress. She’s also a mom and wife, and since 2020, a podcaster. She is the host of Late Bloomer Living, a weekly podcast that delivers fresh perspectives on midlife-living through candid conversations with people who have busted through their midlife doldrums by stepping into the unknown.

Yvonne calls herself a serial pivoter. And my recent chat with her focused on this latest reimagining as a podcaster, how it came about, why it came about, and what her experience has been so far, through this transformation.

For the highlights of this conversation and all the links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• The real reason behind Tara McMullin’s decision to start a new fitness habit
• How Tara was able to maintain her motivation and stick to her fitness habits
• What Tara was tracking at the beginning of her journey to track her progress
• How and when she realized she had become a different person
• Tara’s fitness routine now

Tara McMullin is a business leader. She is the founder of the What Works community and the host of the What Works podcast. About four years ago, she decided to adopt a new set of fitness habits that have resulted in a remarkable and visible physical transformation.

She is today a different person than the one I first met in 2015. I’m not just talking about her physical appearance. Something about her and the way that she shows up has changed. And I wanted to get to the bottom of it and understand it all.

It was as if the physical changes brought about other changes as well. Or was it the other way around? And as it turned out, it was both-and.

Tara’s reimagining of herself was beyond her physical fitness. In fact, it was never the main driver.

In this episode, we talked about the genesis of her fitness habit and physical transformation, how she maintained motivation and stick to her new habits, and when she figured out she had become a different person. We also talked about what her fitness routine looks like now in the time of the pandemic and social distancing.

For the highlights of this conversation and all the links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Many would point out though that there’s nothing magical about a new year. It’s simply another day on the calendar. And we can decide to change ourselves and set out for new directions at any time in the year.

This is true, of course. Still, I feel the special spirit and energy that only a new year brings. I can sense the renewed hope for and focus on bettering ourselves. I can feel the collective drive of so many people committing to being who they want to be.

For some of us, “being the person we want to be” may mean minor tweaks and simple improvements from how we’ve already been operating. For others, it means setting out for a new direction. It’s a choice for reinvention.

No matter where you may be in that spectrum, it’s all about reimagining ourselves — seeing ourselves acting the way we want to act, living the life we want to live, being the people we want to be.

It is in that spirit that the new season of Second Breaks will highlight stories of people who have dared to reimagine living and working differently and transformed themselves along the way.

You will hear from folks who dared to step out from their shell, who dared to embrace who they really are, and who dared to show up differently.

You’ll hear from Yvonne Marchese who dared to use her voice and lean deeper into who she is – a storyteller – and became a podcaster. And from Brigitte Lyons who dared to live the freedom that she’s always wanted, and so in 2020, she and her husband took off to live in a mobile trailer and became truly location independent. 

You’ll hear from Shara Haberman who dared to live a healthier life and became a vegetarian and Tara McMullin who embraced the power of moving her body and became the person who ran and climbed, and worked-out every day.

My hope is that, by bringing you these stories in Season 6, you will find the inspiration to go forth and take a step toward the life that you’ve reimagined. And if you’re already on that path, that these stories will keep you motivated and strengthened, especially during the rough times when the doubts sneak in.

• Dr. Nayla Bahri and Lou Blaser chat candidly about their 2020 and how they are approaching 2021
• Why and how, in the year that made things so complicated, many things also became simpler
• Lessons learned and surprising insights about themselves
• New habits to incorporate, old habits to re-enforce in 2021
• How they are planning for a year of continued uncertainty and hope

Dr. Nayla Bahri is a leadership and career development coach who focuses on our relationship with work. She co-hosts the Inside Job podcast and teaches at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia Business School, and Teachers College.

For all the links and highlights of this episode, head on over to https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

I'm not going to pretend that I can imagine what kind of year you had. I have this sense that we're in this situation where we're all experiencing the same thing - but we're having different kinds of experiences.

I will hazard a guess though that the kind of year you had was quite different from what you had planned for back in January 2020. Maybe you had to change your goals because of what's happening. Lots of people certainly had that experience. Maybe you kept the same ones - but there's a good chance the way you executed those goals was different from the original plans.

Regardless of how your year panned out, I think you can take a pause here and give yourself a pat on the back. You adopted, you accommodated, you adjusted. You did the best you can! And that's all we can really ask of ourselves.

In the spirit of "we're all in this together," I wanted to reflect and share with you the five most memorable interviews - the specific ones that really struck a chord for me.

For the highlights and the links, head on over to https://secondbreaks.com/podcast.

I have had many mentors and heroes over the years, but he is the one single individual who has had the most impact on my work ethic, how I navigate my career, how I think about relevance and making an impact. Every now and again, I still catch myself thinking what would Don do? We haven’t worked with each other for more than a decade and yet his is still one of the voices I hear in my head. Talk about impact.

In this episode, we talked about how he defines and measures success, the habits that have helped him the most in his career, the principles that guide his choices, and how he stays relevant in a changing marketplace.

For the highlights of this conversation and all the links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

While all these achievements are impressive, what I really admire about Joanna is the way she’s been able to reinvent herself and build a successful writing career. For me, she demonstrates intention and focus. She knows where she wants to go and then steadfastly moves in that direction.

She sets challenging goals – I know because she shares those goals with her listeners and readers – and then, she actually takes action on those goals such that by the end of each year, we can see her progression. Frankly, if there’s one person I’d like to model for focus, drive, grit, and courage, it’s Joanna.

There’s something she said to me about longevity being a key factor to success in any field. I think what you’ll hear throughout this interview is just how Joanna works — the processes and habits she follows — to create that longevity in her career.

For the highlights of this conversation and all the links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

She writes, coaches, and teaches on enoughness and cultivating an empowering mindset for our chosen journey. Bonnie has been featured on Good Morning America, BBC, Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, among others.

For me, Bonnie is the epitome of a woman who is comfortable in her own skin, someone who continuously stretches herself and graciously shares her journey. I definitely consider her one of my role models. And I’m beyond thrilled she was game to come to the show.

We covered many things in this interview. But two things I truly appreciated were (1) the bits about rejection, which is my personal life’s work, and (2) the bits about enoughness, which is, in a way, related to rejection. Bonnie and I also talked about how she maintains positivity, how she uses compartmentalization, focusing on the right results when measuring success, and the importance of celebrating every step of the way.

For the highlights of this conversation and all the links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Graham Bell is the Chief Executive Officer of World of Books Group. He assumed this role in September 2019 after being the company’s CFO/COO. Prior to World of Books, he was the Managing Director at Countrywide. And before that, he led a Corporate Finance team at PricewaterhouseCoopers, which is where we met and became good friends.

In this episode, we talked about how and why his career goals changed over time, how he measures success these days, his views around the common sentiment “follow your passion”, and his approach when things aren’t turning out the way he might have liked.

For the highlights of this conversation and all the links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

My guest today is Jacquette Timmons. Jacquette is a financial behaviorist and the CEO of Sterling Investment Management. She is the author of Financial Intimacy: How to Create a Healthy Relationship With Your Money and Your Mate. She speaks, writes, and coaches about our relationship with money, integrating psychology, financial management, and emotions into the discussion, because of course money is an emotional topic.

Jacquette brings decades of experience into her work and has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, Bloomberg Radio, Women of Power TV and has been quoted on several journals and blogs. She is a New Yorker and an avid runner. You may just catch her running around Brooklyn in the mornings. She is definitely one of my heroes and one of the people whose work inspires me.

For the highlights of this conversation and all the links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

These days, when our attention can easily be hijacked by negativity and pessimism when the news can bring us down feeling overwhelmed and powerless, we need a strong counterbalance. We need heroes.

Read the full transcript at https://secondbreaks.com/thepodcast

To check out the 46th edition, head on over to http://thebriefingnotes.com

The podcast returns on November 12th with Season 5.

The podcast returns on November 12th with Season 5.

We explore the role of the podcast host with Jerod Morris, co-host of 7 Figure Small and The Assembly call, and a number of shows that he has created or hosted over the years.

For the show notes, highlights of this conversation, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

To explore this role, I’m joined by Sean McMullin. Sean is the co-founder of Yellow House Media, a podcast production company that produces many shows including What Works, Break the Ceiling, Happier Approach, among others.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

In this episode, we’ll lift the hood a bit and explore the world of virtual assistants with help from Janice Dalager.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

In this fourth episode of Season 4, we’re looking at the role of the WordPress designer. Helping me peek behind the curtains is Susanna Perkins, who has been working in this space since 2008.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

I'm joined by Facebook Ad Specialist, Julie O'Hara, who recently transitioned to this role. It's not a job for everyone. But if you've got the right disposition and the interest to learn the skill set, becoming a Facebook/Instagram Ad specialist can be a lucrative career opportunity to pursue.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

In this episode, we are exploring social media management with help from social media strategist, Andréa Jones. Andréa helps businesses and podcasters build profitable online communities through simple social media solutions. She hosts the Savvy Social Podcast and is the creator of the Savvy Social School, a digital platform designed to teach its members how to implement organic social media strategies.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Marie Poulin is a digital strategist and workflow designer. She helps entrepreneurs level up their systems, workflow, and productivity, so they can spend more time on what matters. Marie Poulin shares how she ‘accidentally’ created a unique role for herself while simply leveraging her love for a new app.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Read the full transcript at https://secondbreaks.com/thepodcast

This is the final episode for Season 3.  For the full transcript and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Aenslee Tanner is a certified leadership coach with a focus on Vertical Development. She works one-on-one with high achievers and high performers to help them become more conscious leaders. In this episode, Aenslee shares what she’s seen work during times of sustained unpredictability, what we can do, and what models – if any- we can use to guide our decisions and actions.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

And to dig into this question, I’m joined by business coach, Michelle Ward. Since 2008, Michelle has been guiding creative women to bridge the gap between an unfulfilling career and their dream business. Her programs include helping women clarify their business goals, launch their idea, and grow their business.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

I'm joined by Tanya Geisler, a leadership coach, whose body of work is all about helping us recognize these patterns of thoughts that stop us from taking action so that we can recalibrate our behaviors and do the work we’re called to do.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

My guest today, Kristen Girard, is one such person. Her story shows us we can find new paths when things decide to proceed in the opposite direction of what we wanted.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

I am joined by Alethea Cheng Fitzpatrick to explore the role our personal values and preferences play during times of disruption. Alethea runs Co-Creating Inclusion, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm that’s focused on helping companies drive equity and shift culture.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Mary Beth Simon retired from her long corporate career in December 2018. As planned, she started her project management consulting company in early 2019. In this episode, Mary Beth shares what sparked the idea for her unique consulting practice, how she fined tuned that idea so that it aligns with her vision for her next chapter, and where she focused her energy as she got it off the ground.

Highlights of Episode 122

• How Mary Beth prepared for her post-retirement career while she was still at Vanguard
• The surprising areas where she felt challenged initially
• Why she felt sharing her initial ideas were important, even if she were not sure about them yet
• Letting go of attachments to old career identity
• What helped her the most during her transition

For the transcript and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Highlights of Episode 120

• The results of FreshBooks 2019 Annual Self-Employment Report
• Specific steps you can take to de-risk your transition to self-employment
• Effective ways to price your services
• The mindset for successfully transitioning to self-employment
• Processes to overcome initial obstacles faced by new business owners or first-time freelancers

For the transcript and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the full transcrtip and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Highlights of Episode 118

• The single most important thing you have to do when starting a side business, or starting a freelancing/consulting career
• What to consider when starting a project with a colleague or a friend
• What you need to put in place if you’ve created a website, even if you’re not selling anything yet
• Why a contract is important even when you’re offering your services for free
• Do you tell your boss/employer about your side gig

 For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Highlights of Episode 117

• The three situations that the people Nayla studied fell into post-recession
• The behaviors that differentiated people who remained stuck from those who were able to move forward and thrived
• Why resilience isn’t all about being positive or optimistic
• The inner and outer work that we can do strengthen our resilience muscle
• Why changing careers isn’t a requirement to bouncing back
• How experimentation helps and how we can benefit

 For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Highlights of Episode 114

• The side-project that started Michelle Mazur’s side hustle
• Some of the challenges she faced when transitioning from corporate employment to self-employment, including money-mindset blocks
• How she developed her approach to marketing and selling her services in a way that feels aligned with who she is
• Why developing your “three-word” message can help you create and initiate change

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• Key actions that Kim and her husband took to achieve financial independence
• How they were able to pay their 15-year mortgage in 3 years
• Why insurance coverage holds people back from self-employment and how Kim and her husband manage their family’s insurance
• How Kim took advantage of inexpensive and free resources to help build her freelance career
• How Kim mitigated the risks of leaving corporate employment to transition to a freelance career

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• How a side-hustle got started by raising her hand when someone asked for help on Facebook
• How this seemingly insignificant work grew into something bigger and became the basis of her new career
• Justine’s approach to channeling the skills she mastered in one field of work into another
• The idea that we can be headstrong about our goals but flexible about the way we will achieve these goals
• The principle of ‘ruling things out’ when considering a new career

 For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• How John started his side hustle and his initial foray into Clickbank
• The difference between network marketing, multi-level marketing, affiliate marketing, and online marketing
• The major change Google implemented that closed his account and shut down his revenue source
• How John recovered from Google’s changes and how he manages the risk of similar occurrences in the future
• Why affiliate marketing is a good place to start for newcomers to the online marketing space

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• Althea’s practical approach to following her passion
• How she arranged her schedule with her then-manager to allow her time to build her floral business
• What steps she took to build her client-base from the ground up while she still had her full-time job
• How Althea prepared for the day when she would go ‘all in’ on her business
• It’s not all arranging flowers! What it really means to run a seasonal business
• Sacrifices and challenges, but it’s all worth it!

For the transcript and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• The main difference Susan experienced starting an online consulting business versus their previous brick-and-mortar businesses
• What she focused on when she initially got going with Scale Spark
• Susan’s methods for maintaining the balancing act between her day job and her side consulting business
• The role of their side businesses versus the role of their day jobs on their long-term plan
• How Susan talks about her day-job and her side business in social and networking events

 
For the transcript and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• The challenge that goes with transitioning from employee to owning your own business
• Letting go of the old identity and embracing the new one as you make a career change
• The 3 Ms (Mindset, Meaning, and Mindfulness), what each one means, and how they show up and influence our careers and personal lives
• Separating the ‘work’ from the desired results
• Aligning career choices with our core values

For the full transcript and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

In this final episode of our series on work-life balance, I explore why and when it’s helpful and why/when it’s not. I also share my thoughts on what we can do to keep technology on the useful side.

For the full transcript and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• Why maximizing the use of time with your young kids starts with reframing expectations
• What play looks like for an infant or a toddler
• The impossible parenting standards that social media create
• Does ‘screen-babysitting’ work?
• Finding the tiny moments to support your baby in the most valuable way

For the full transcript and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• When is busyness a good thing and when is it not
• The questions you want to be asking yourself
• Why is conquering busyness not about time management or being productive
• The self-created situations that feed our busyness addiction
• Tips for conquering busyness

For the full transcript and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• Preview of the next 3 upcoming episodes around balance
• Questions to ask ourselves to figure out what balance means to us
• Why work-life balance is relative and personal, a conversation of one
• How we can connect – because I want to hear from you!

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• My goals for the podcast going forward. Accountability folks!
• You can change your life from your own podcast, as Joanna Penn said.
• Proof that we can do hard things, even those we never thought we’d be able to pull-off
• The seven episodes that stood out for me because these struck a chord, something clicked in me, and I changed something in my life as a result.

For the full show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• How Joanna Penn realized that writing is her next career
• Her initial block around fiction writing and how she overcame it
• Where she focused on getting validation/feedback from her early work
• Structure and discipline required to establish herself in a new writing career
• How she maintains positivity through all the ups and downs and industry changes

For the full show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• What drives Tara McMullins’ pivots
• How she validates her idea before moving forward with a change
• Why and what she shares with people during periods of change
• How she’s able to move forward despite not knowing enough
• How she stays resilient when things are in flux and don’t go as planned

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

We talked about financial freedom and planning for the future, and the things that we can do today — what Christina referred to as good money habits — to get us in a position to have choices tomorrow.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Doing this podcast was on that list for a long time. I dreamt and talked about producing a podcast for 2 years before I managed to pull enough mojo to do it in 2017.

As I’m officially planning for the 100th episode of this podcast (!) I wanted to share a bit of the behind the scenes.

What exactly happened back in 2017? How did I (finally) manage to pull this together? What did I do, and most importantly, what didn’t I do!

• What a consultant is, how it’s different from a coach or from a contractor
• What makes for a successful consultant
• Why true expertise is critical to a successful consultancy practice
• The 6 principles for running a successful practice
• Why asking the quality and meaningful questions is super important (and what are the “right” questions)

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Highlights of Episode 92

• How to recognize what Dara refers to as the “zombie” work-life.
• Three common misconceptions around burn out
• Being a workaholic doesn’t mean you’re heading to burnout. Conversely, burnout happens even to non-workaholics.
• How to recognize the telltale signs of burnout
• Small steps are the key to recovering from or preventing burnout

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

But that it came up after a 10-year championship drought. After a series of personal problems – some quite public – and some pretty serious health issues. After he’s been written off, for all intents and purposes, by the industry where he’s staked his career. After a very public fall from the highest pedestal and hitting his rock bottom, which was also quite public.

To be able to get back on his feet, get back in the game, and win. That’s a totally different feat, in a league of its own.

Fortunately, few of us will suffer the kind of setback that Tiger experienced. I can only imagine the kind of grit, determination, and mental stamina to overcome such adversity. But we do experience our own defeats, instances when we feel we failed, or have been handed a blow that feels like the biggest setback in our lives.

For this episode, I want to talk about rising up, about getting back up on our legs when we feel we’ve failed or fallen down, and about never ever giving up on ourselves. I share 3 things that have helped me the most to get back on my feet when I’ve experienced my own setback.

In this episode, we talk about the pros and cons of the independent work path and how you can decide if this is the right career path for you. We also explored what it means to run a business designed to leverage gig workers, busted some employment myths, and explored what employers find important traits when considering independent workers.

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

A Few Takeaways from Episode 82:

• The skills we learned from school or previous jobs will always be useful even if we were to change careers.
• The feeling of jealousy is a signal that we can harness to our advantage (instead of feeling bad about ourselves or others).
• Just because our college education might lead us down one career doesn’t mean we are “stuck” with this path for the rest of our professional life.
• We may not feel 100% confident or have all the skills when we’re starting something new. Surrounding ourselves with the right people could be the difference between making it and quitting.

 Highlights of Episode 80:

• How Amy Lippmann created a unique career path for herself
• Following her instincts and exploring where it could take her
• How Amy started her health coaching business while keeping a 9-to-5 job
• What she did to get her first clients
• What helped her during her many career pivots and transitions

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• What your Big Picture is for
• Why you want to paint a persuasive Big Picture
• The three ingredients of a meaningful and persuasive Big Picture
• Putting the 3 ingredients together to articulate your Big Picture

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• Why Martha Keith decided to change careers
• The challenges she struggled with as she made the intentional decision to change course
• What it means to veer away from one professional identity and build a new one
• The different reactions and responses to her career change; what matters and what doesn’t
• The most important thing she learned about herself through the transformation

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

Highlights of Episode 77:

• Why making a career pivot is simple “in theory” and what “really” makes it challenging
• What getting brave enough is and is NOT
• The three things you can do to help you get brave enough
• The four kinds of support that you’ll need when making a career move
• Why having a big picture career vision is important

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

• Why writing a book is still a worthwhile goal even with today’s shortened attention span
• Your first steps after coming up with your initial book idea
• The different kinds of editors to help with your book
• What a book proposal is and why it’s super important to do one, even if you’re going the self-publishing route
• The strategic elements of the book writing process

• What it’s like to leave a successful corporate career in Hospitality and Entertainment and pursue a career as a DJ
• Amani’s main concerns and fears when he left the corporate world and how he addressed those.
• How a career transition can surprise you and teach you things about yourself you never knew
• How Amani addressed skeptics
• How to remain creative even when working a ‘non-creative’ 9-5 corporate job
• A truly fun and unique team-building experience

For the show notes, highlights, and links, visit https://secondbreaks.com/podcast

 Highlights of Episode 72

• The most important (professional) concern for moms returning to work
• Three things to do and consider as you re-enter the workforce
• Networking tips while away on maternity leave
• Accommodating professional development, retaining or acquiring new skills while on leave
• How to address the “gap” in your resumé

Topics Discussed in Episode 71

• In the intro: How to plan for your career move and an invitation to join the Plan Your Pivot in 5 Days challenge
• The underlying beliefs and thoughts that drive our desire to get assurance about our career decision or choice
• The best way to get comfortable with your career choice
• Alternatives for evaluating your career choice, if the ‘best way’ isn’t feasible
• The most important thing to remember and to do!

• How Meg Casebolt expanded her role and skillset by identifying new opportunities within the organization and raising her hand
• Starting a new career by leveraging her existing strengths in graphics design and understanding of the non-profit world
• Finding initial clients through her network and word-of-mouth
• The simplest way to understand SEO and why it’s so important in today’s world
• What’s exciting and unique opportunities in a digitally-connected world

• In the intro, I discuss why work is one of the most important parts of life
• I also talk about one movie that’s made such a big impact on me 🤓 and how it relates to my attitude toward work
• Why many of us, despite how much we want to make a career move or a career change, are unable to do so
• Stephen Covey’s second habit (Begin with the end in mind) and what this means for your career plans
• How to effectively plan for your career move and what to focus on
• The three kinds of resources you need to make your career move happen and how to plan for each

Highlights of Episode 68

• How Strength-in-Words got started
• Common misconceptions new parents have about how their babies learn/play
• Recognizing impossible standards that are spread through social media like Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook
• How to feel less guilty about the time you spend with your new baby when you’re a working parent
• How to maximize your limited time with your baby or toddler

Highlights of Episode 67

• How “playing” with Lego blocks can help with problem-solving and strategic planning
• Avoiding perfectionist tendencies
• Addressing the fear of the “blank page”
• Being open to exploring options (instead of shutting down everything right away)
• Proceeding with your idea when you’re overcome with dread

 My goals for sharing my experience in this episode are:
 1) To remove the stigma and shame associated with having mental health challenges or asking for professional help. There’s nothing wrong with seeking professional help. You’re just taking care of yourself. And there are so many people who have the same issue. You are not alone.
 2) To share my personal self-care routine. While I am not at all suggesting that what I do will work for you (I don’t have medical training!), hearing about how other people are keeping depression in check through their daily normal routines can only help.
 3) To emphasize that you can still be successful in spite of, or in addition to, your depression or other mental health challenges that you may be going through right now.

• What is a career setback?
• Examples and impact of career setbacks
• Two things to keep in mind when planning for your next steps
• How to start from a place of strength when your confidence level is low
• Approaching the setback from a place of curiosity

• Setting intentions (and boundaries) around your desired career
• Finding and being open to new opportunities
• Testing and tweaking to align opportunities with your career objectives
• Technology requirements for being a VA
• How you could explore and where you can start if you want to become a VA

• Amy’s take on what it’s like to work online 100% of the time and what she misses from her previous ‘in-person/in-office’ work.
• The role of social media in her work and business; how she uses social media to reach her audience
• Amy’s career as an artist and teacher; what it’s like to pursue a career based on her passion and interest
• Why she had to make a career pivot
• How she incorporated her true passions into her business and created a career path that is uniquely hers

• The role of your Big Picture in your career move
• Why you’d want to start your career move by understanding your long-term vision or Big Picture
• What happens when you don’t have a clearly defined Big Picture
• Why it’s difficult to find the words to describe your vision
• What to do if defining a Big Picture is a challenge for you

• Creating your unique path, especially if you have multiple interests
• Prioritization and making the time to do the things you want to do
• Mia’s season of pitching and experimentation phase
• Her process of paring things down, building pause points, and finding her through lines
• Learning to say “yes” to the right things and “no” to the wrong things
• Catching yourself

Highlights of Episode 60

• The problem with retirement
• The idea of ‘booking it’ and how not to postpone everything until ‘someday’
• What wealth is and isn’t
• How to view competition in the workplace
• Breaking the ‘golden shackles’ problem
• Damion’s process change that allowed him to manage his fears

• Four good practices that can turn into bad ones that will stall your progress
• Why pointing to fear as the main culprit isn’t a good idea
• The right and the wrong way to share your plans with others
• What’s the minimum to-do, especially if you hate planning
• Planning landmines
• The deal with comfort zones

• What it means to bootstrap a venture
• The challenges of bootstrapping
• The factors that Kat considered when deciding to leave her consulting career to join her husband full-time in their startup venture
• What helped Kat the most during her transition
• Factors to consider if you’re thinking of developing an app or an automated tool

• The parts pieces of Kristen Runvik’s portfolio career
• Why this work arrangement suited her career goals
• Kristen’s favorite (and effective) way of finding job opportunities
• How Kristen determines if a side project fits within her bigger picture
• Why Kristen’s business doesn’t feel like overwhelming work
• The importance of time management to prevent burnout when you have a portfolio career

Highlights of Episode 56

• The benefits you gain by teaching your expertise
• Topics that make for good course subject matters
• How to compete with all the information that’s already out and available in the internet
• Where to start if you’re thinking about teaching your expertise
• The importance of putting the learner first and foremost

Nancy and I talk about the happier approach, a simple way to quiet our Mongers, be kinder to ourselves, while also achieving our goals and intentions. We also talk about the mistake we make when we attempt self-compassion, and the more productive approach we can take instead.

Highlights of Episode 55

• The 3 voices (Monger, BFF, and Biggest Fan) that are in our heads
• Why and when does the “Monger” talk loudest
• How to recognize the “BFF” and your “Biggest Fan”
• What you can do when the Monger has taken over
• The typical mistake we make when we attempt self-compassion

Highlights of Episode 54

• In the Intro: I talked about a recent “sign-of-the-times” article from Wired magazine affecting the auto industry and how one company is preparing for the wave of change
• Yana Banzen’s catalyst moment that changed the direction of her career
• Leaning into her inner wisdom to guide her career and life decisions
• How she’s now using her skills and training in a different capacity providing her with better balance
• Reactions about her career transformation from friends and colleagues, and her approach for dealing with it all

Thank you for being here. I so appreciate that you’ve made the Second Breaks Podcast part of your week. I don’t take that for granted. I know how busy you are and to be able to reach you like this is such an honor.

5 Takeaways from a Year of Podcasting

• We can move forward even if we’re scared sh*t.
• We can start small and grow from there.
• We can and will figure things out along the way.
• You can teach old dogs new tricks.
• We can and will have more fun when we share our goals with others.

Highlights of Episode 52:

• Why Dave Pidgeon left a “family legacy” career
• How a hobby turned into a new professional and career opportunity
• Bringing previous experiences and skills into new roles and jobs
• The best way to network in today’s digitally-connected world
• Why self-awareness becomes even more critical during a career pivot or a career change
• And a bonus: a sneak peek at the book that Dave is writing

Highlights of Episode 51

• Why we need to pay attention to the stories we tell ourselves
• Common fears that people face when thinking about making a pivot
• The truth about how and what others “hear” when we talk about our career transitions
• How storytelling can help others understand our career change
• How to use storytelling when looking for a new job
• How to identify our strengths

• Why we need to approach our careers differently
• What it takes to successfully navigate the changing work landscape
• The key change that happens when you adopt a career owner’s mindset
• Why continuous learning is even more important now
• The difference between a career path and a career horizon
• How to remain relevant and always marketable

Highlights of Episode 49

• What is an accountability group and what it’s not
• What makes for a good accountability partner
• How to structure accountability meetings
• Frequency, timing, and length
• How to ask someone to be your accountability partner

• What MBTI is and what it’s not
• What natural preference means
• Why it’s not bad to act out of our natural preferences
• How understanding the team’s MBTI type can help improve team dynamics
• Why we may test differently at different times of our lives

After a while, she moved to programming and later, to project management of large-scale IT integrations, and then to selling enterprise-level IT solutions. And as if all that wasn’t enough, she also went back to school to acquire a second degree in Industrial Design.

But Paivi’s first love was art. Growing up in a small town in eastern Finland, she learned to draw as a child to while away the long quiet days. And although her IT career took off taking her to other directions, she longed to do something creative where she could connect with her rich inner world and imagination. In this episode, Paivi shares how her transition from an IT career back to Art happened.

Highlights of Episode 47

• The real reason why Paivi Eerola went back to school to study Industrial Design
• How blogging—and specifically sharing her early drawings—helped her find and understand her audience
• How her engineering background guided her approach to her artwork and helped her identify a product that became an early source of passive income
• The surprising lesson she learned about herself from these transitions and why she considers it a gift
• Why revisiting a book you liked as a kid can help you reconnect with your imagination and your view of the future

• The four main reasons driving the change in the workplace
• The challenge AND the opportunity behind each of these change drivers
• How to spot these factors ahead of time so you don’t get caught off guard
• Why we need to be paying attention now more than ever
• What your new career strategy should include

If you’re thinking about working from home, doing some kind of freelance project on the side (i.e., without the support of an IT department!), or just want to be more organized in your work and life, you’ll find this episode useful.

For this episode, I’m joined by Customer Research Consultant, Karyn Kelbaugh, who shared her career story in this previous episode.

Karyn works 100% from home. She’s got two sons under her charge, so whatever she uses to operate her business needs to have the trifecta: easy to set up, easy to use, and won’t break the bank.

She and I both share the tools we use and how we use them! We talk tools for:

• Data collection (think ‘not-your-father’s-database’)
• Automation
• Everyday planning and organization
• Meetings and interviews
• Note-taking

• Take the time to discover your strengths and skills
• Pay attention to everyday clues that point to your key differentiator
• Identify the role or career path that can best leverage those skills and make you shine
• Look for external models to help you design your path, but don’t be pressured to fit the mold

• Why Adda Birnir believes learning technical skills positions you for career growth in the new economy
• The only qualification you need to learn digital and technical skills
• Adda’s path to entrepreneurship
• Adda’s advice for aspiring freelancers and business owners based on her experience
• How Adda and her team ensured that Skillcrush met their client’s real needs

• How Shannon Paris addressed and handled the loss of her dream job
• The importance of being intentional about who you spend time with and have conversations with during a career transition period
• Shannon’s approach to networking and how it doesn’t have to be awkward
• What Shannon paid attention to during interviews that pointed her to key strengths and assets
• How being open to new ideas opened a new career path for her

Highlights of Episode 41

• Jennifer’s first experience with workplace bias against pregnant women
• The challenge women face when looking for flexible work arrangement
• Where the idea of Tellent came from
• The process that Jennifer took to explore the idea for a year before fully committing to it
• What helped her the most during her career transition

• How Nicole Lewis-Keeber discovered her new career path while leveraging her background and training
• Where do issues with our relationship with money come from
• Impact of having a scarcity mindset
• How to recognize symptoms of money mindset blocks
• How to address money mindset blocks

• Definition of terms: Career Move, Career Pivot, Career Change
• 3 Reasons Why Making a Career Pivot is Now a Must-Have Skill
• 4 Types of Career Pivots
• Degrees of Pivots

• How sharing her career goals with others and asking for help opened doors for Aenslee Tanner
• The benefits of asking for feedback, especially when you’re not getting the results you want
• What personal branding is and why it’s important to consider this when making any kind of career move
• The challenges that surprised Aenslee when she made the leap to entrepreneurship
• Things to try out and do when you’re looking to make a career move and move to a different location/country

• Why Jessica Barnak left her first job and how she started a photography business
• What led to her closing the photography studio and starting an interior design business
• The key action step she took each time she started a new career direction that helped her quickly gain traction
• Designing a business around life priorities and time constraints
• What helped her during the most challenging times and how she overcame adversity and move forward

• Lydia Lee’s career journey, the moment she realized she had to change direction, and how she made it happen
• What helped her the most during the transition
• How she addressed the “money” topic, a common challenge for people looking to make a leap to entrepreneurship
• How she reframed fear so that it doesn’t paralyze, but instead instigates learning
• Her advice on where to start, what to focus on, if you’re thinking of one day living your cubicle job and starting your own business

• What’s Blockchain Technology, what’s cryptocurrency, and the difference between the two
• Bitcoin, Dash, LiteCoin, Ethereum et al
• Where to buy cryptocurrencies
• Where to use cryptocurrencies
• How to approach investing in cryptocurrencies
• What’s with the crypto valuation swings? Is this stable?

• How Ashlie Kennedy prepared for this career change by focusing on the numbers
• What pushed her to act on her store plans sooner than she planned
• What helped her the most during times of self-doubt and bouts of second-guessing herself
• The things that she’s learning now as a solo-store proprietor
• Prioritization, learning how to say ‘no’, and taking things one step at a time

• Why Alice Karolina Smith initially left design school even though it was her first love and how she found her way back to it
• The process she and her mother followed to decide her next steps
• How career limbo felt like for her, what was difficult about it and how she helped herself during those years
• How to get out of career limbo and indecision
• What she learned about herself following that period
• Why it’s important to ask for help

• Why creating S-M-A-R-T goals doesn’t automatically make meaningful or resonant goals
• The secret to holding on and maintaining the commitment and motivation to work on your goals thru-out the year
• The reason why we set goals to begin with
• What it means when you set too many goals
• The problem with the mandatory annual-goal setting process at work and how to make it work for yourself
• The low-hanging fruits approach and why it may not be good for your self-confidence

• Lacy Boggs’ career journey, from the woman who wanted to make it big in the film industry to becoming a business owner
• How she created opportunities for herself by trusting her skills and strengths
• A surprising skill that she discovered while killing time at a job she hated
• The realities of freelance writing
• How the blogging industry looks today
• Two main ways you can earn money through blogging
• Key things to consider if you’re thinking of starting a blog
• The role of content in a business

• What is coaching and how is it different from talk therapy
• Why and when you might need a coach
• How to find out if you’re ready for coaching
• How much time you should invest in a coaching relationship
• What’s missing from traditional career assessments
• Tajan’s recommended 3 steps for figuring out your calling
• Why removing ourselves from the daily grind is an important step in a transformational process

• How Alison Taylor transitioned from employed to self-employed
• How she created a name for herself in her new field through word of mouth
• The earlier “mistakes” she’s made that taught her how to market herself differently
• How cultivating this one relationship opened an industry opportunity for her and where she now has developed deep specialization
• The two things that helped her the most during this transition
• The importance of building new relationships with fellow entrepreneurs
• The advice she gives to someone in IT who may be considering using their technical skills to build a business

Highlights of Episode 27

• Nik’s experience in Amsterdam that changed his perspective on life and work
• What leads to burnout and stress
• Why watching TV isn’t really relaxing for our brains
• How you can achieve “balance” in your “hustle”
• Why we cannot rely on willpower or self-discipline alone

• A quick summary of my career story
• The inciting incident for my career pivot
• Why we never start a Level 0, even if we’re starting over
• Why asking for help is about choosing yourself
• Why I’m grateful for an extremely difficult and painful experience
• Why I strongly believe that we live in a special time

• Sarah’s career story from teacher to Corporate HR to Business Coach
• How her willingness to try things out helped her transition from employee to freelancer to business owner
• The importance of creating new relationships in your chosen field/area of work
• What you should do first if you’re thinking of leveraging your skills and start a freelance side business
• What you should do first if you have an idea for a product-based business

• How Amy Scott began her freelance editor career
• The (surprising) main challenge she faced when she was first starting out
• What location-independent work is really about
• How her location-independent career helped her accommodate various life situations and phases
• Key considerations, if a location-independent career sounds interesting to you
• Factors to consider when deciding between traditional publishing or independent publishing route
• Working with an editor: when to hire one during your writing process and how to evaluate someone to work with

• Lisa Wood’s evolution from freelance web developer to owner of a web design/development agency and business coach;
• What helps her navigate through the business changes she continues to make;
• How the small business world has changed from when she initially made the jump, what makes it easier to make the leap into entrepreneurship, what makes it harder;
• Networking and building relationships;
• The unique challenges that women in business face;
• Where to start if you’re thinking of freelancing on the side.

• The mindset shift that occurred for Gregg which allowed him to see opportunities beyond his corporate career;
• How he evaluated his career path options and chose the consulting business path;
• Habits he’s adopted to manage his time effectively so he could build his consulting business with a full-time job;
• Gregg’s advice to anyone looking to leverage their skill set to start a new career;
• How patience is helping with the motivation and the long view;
• The state of online education;
• What to do if you’re thinking of becoming an online instructor.

• What holds us back from stepping into our leadership role
• The things that trip us up when we think of ourselves as leaders
• Why we are all (already) leaders, whether we recognize it or not
• What vulnerability has to do with leadership
• What to do when we think we’re not ready to take on our next step

• What triggered Lisa Akers' interest in chronic and auto-immune diseases and in herbal remedies
• Why she decided to build a second career instead of a career change
• The changes she’s made to her work-habits and mindset to accommodate a second career
• Recognizing boundaries and honoring those boundaries at work
• When is what you’re feeling beyond a simple need for a break or vacation

 Highlights of Episode 19

• Why it is hard and awkward to talk about money
• Common mistakes we make when talking about finances with our loved ones
• What influences our relationship with money
• How to get support from family and significant others around your career move when it has a potential impact on finances
• How to handle other people’s concern around the financial impact of your career move
• The choices we’re truly making (and managing) when it comes to money
• Difference between financial behaviorist and financial planner/asset or investment manager
• Similar lessons learned from “The Black Monday” stock market crash in 1987 and the housing market collapse in 2008

• Recap of Root Causes 1, 2, and 3
• Symptoms and how to recognize root cause #4: Unclear Targets
• What to watch out for when articulating your new goals
• How to address unclear targets
• What to focus on when making long-term goals, even if you don’t know what you want to do *(yet)

• How Vanessa Soto’s side passion project made her appreciate her 9-to-5 job again
• Why a side passion project may be a more realistic and fulfilling option
• How to manage the time to fit a side project into a full-time life
• Importance of obtaining support from people around you about your time commitment
• Why you’d want to build a community around your project/interest area
• How and where to start your side passion project

• What Absent Support is all about
• Why being around supportive people is important for getting unstuck
• The underlying message around many of the common advice we hear
• What kind of messages to stay away from
• What kind of support you’d want to have when thinking of making a career move

• What is the Know-How Gap
• Why this is a common problem
• Why detecting this issue is tricky
• Questions to ask yourself to determine if the Know-How Gap may be an issue
• How to address the Know-How Gap
• The benefit of planning even when you’re not sure what to do

Highlights of Episode 14:

• What the miniseries “How to Get Unstuck” is about
• How this series came about
• The first root cause: Lack of Doable Options
• How to recognize this issue; how to detect that this is what’s happening
• What causes this problem; why we might believe there are not enough options for us
• How to address the lack of options problem

Highlights of Episode 13:

• Common misconceptions about the advice “follow your heart”
• Difference between “listen to your heart” and “follow your passion”
• How to listen to your heart
• Trusting the results of the process
• How to avoid inadvertently incorporating other people’s opinions while listening to your heart

Highlights of Episode 12:

• What health & lifestyle coaching is and what you want to look for in a health & lifestyle coach
• How Lara Dalch got started on this career path
• The challenges she faced transitioning from a corporate career into a freelance type of work and starting a new business
• How finding new communities helped her during the early stages
• The importance of continuous learning when creating a new career
• How to become a health & lifestyle coach

Highlights of Episode 11:

• How Tim identified his passion
• Coming up with an “exit strategy,a long-term vision, and a 5-year plan
• The willingness to go back when things don’t work out the way you imagined
• Honoring commitments while taking risks
• Applying existing skills and expertise in your new field
• The importance of having a strong support system when making career moves

• Alethea’s career journey from architect to photographer to business owner
• How becoming a parent created a strong incentive for her to consider new career possibilities
• How her vision of the kind-of-mother-she-wants-to-be factors into her business and career considerations
• How being a parent can create constraints that encourage you to be more productive and creative in your career.
• The importance of financial planning when making any kind of change

Highlights of Episode 04:

• The importance of “testing things out” (and how to do it) before jumping into a new field of work and career path.
• How to recognize patterns or signs that will help your kids (and you too!) figure out what you want to do
• What to talk about with young kids when considering their college options and career direction
• What motivated her to leave a stable and safe job
• Dealing with anxieties and fears when starting your own business
• Meaningful work in terms of the impact of your work on other people

Highlights of Episode 3:

• My lesson learned about using fear as an indicator for growth
• Where Brooke’s passion for health and nutrition comes from
• The difference between a functional nutritionist and other nutritionists
• How she managed the challenging task of going to back to school to finish her degree and training
• What support network helped her make this happen
• What meaningful career means to her
• Her advice to anyone who might be interested in pursuing a career in nutrition

Highlights of Episode 2

• What core desired feelings are
• How we can use those core desired feelings to set our goals
• How our bodies give us signals that our work may be misaligned with our core desired feelings
• How Gail manages to quit her job and travel—without being independently wealthy (!)
• What she defines “adventure” and how we could all be adventurous in our own ways

Highlights of Episode 1

• I give a brief description, format, and focus of the SB Podcast
• My own career reinvention story
• Shannon Davis shares how she started a side gig on a whim
• Picking up new required skills on the go
• Re-establishing herself in a new career
• Where and how she found her first clients
• Planning for scale and setting up for her dream work-life.