Episode 10 - Finding Your Tribe — Community, Connection and Belonging in Midlife and Business

Community. Tribe. Circle. Whatever you call it, belonging matters. And in midlife, especially as a female founder, it hits differently.In this episode, Bel unpacks why connection shifts so significantly across our lives. From school friendships and the great post-education scatter, to the sideline communities of parenting years, to the particular kind of loneliness that can creep in when you're running a business and navigating the hormonal rollercoaster of perimenopause and beyond.She shares stories from her own journey. The Southbank Sirens, back-of-the-pack triathlon life, business besties who travel from all corners of Australia just to be in the same room. And she makes the case that community isn't a nice-to-have. It's a business strategy. It's a nervous system strategy. It's a staying-in-the-game strategy.In this episode, Bel covers:Why friendship and connection naturally fragment across our 20s, 30s and 40s, and what that leaves behindThe specific isolation that comes with being a female founder. No colleagues, no water cooler, often working from homeThe sandwich generation, menopause, and why so many women start to quietly retreat just when connection matters mostSix reasons community is genuinely essential in midlife. Decision-making, nervous system co-regulation, permission by proximity and moreWhy seeing real women doing real bold things is more powerful than any Instagram reel promising 10k daysBel's own experience of medical menopause at 26, finding her people, and why she's now an associate member of the Australian Menopause SocietyA gentle nudge:If this one resonated, I would love it if you could send it to your business bestie. Or the woman you think needs a reminder that she's not alone.Hit subscribe so you don't miss the next one. Every interaction helps more women in business find this podcast. Which is kind of the whole point.Gen X Women in Business is hosted by Belinda Bayliss. Business mindset coach, online educator and the Gen X friend with a psychology degree you didn't know you needed.Want to know more about Belinda and what she offers  - check her out at...Website: www.belindabayliss.coInsta - belindabayliss.coFacebook: Belinda Bayliss CoSonnet 4.6 Low