Midlife Puberty: Why Your Mind and Body Are Changing - with Terri Hanson Mead

💬 message Denise Terri Hanson Mead spent decades navigating predominantly male fields, but what really captured my heart is how she redefines midlife.Terri is a commercially rated helicopter pilot, an author, an investor, and a coach who helps women go from living on autopilot to taking intentional control of their lives. When she hit her forties, she did not experience a crisis; instead, she hit a wall of burnout and realized that the narrative about women shrinking as they age is completely broken. We talk about her path of learning to fly, why she used to hide her dreams to avoid feeling like a failure, and how to reclaim your agency in your fifties and beyond.We discuss the invisible pressure to look perfect, the exhaustion of constantly worrying about our appearance, and how stepping away from those expectations gives us the space to finally do what fills our souls. Terri’s perspective on midlife as a puberty of the mind and body is so grounding. She reminds us that taking just two minutes a day to pause and breathe can be the exact permission slip we need to start making different choices for ourselves.Find more from Terri Hanson Mead here:📚 Book: Piloting Your Life● 📹 YouTube: Terri Hanson Mead● 📰 Newsletter: PYL In-Flight Entertainment● 🎙 Podcast: Piloting Your Life● 📰 Medium Blog: Medium: Terri Hanson Mead● 💻 Social:Instagram: @terrihansonmead + @pilotingyourlife LinkedIn: Terri Hanson Mead Facebook: Terri Hanson Mead 🧭✈️❤️Zeke and Terri AdventuresThank you for spending time with me today on the Thrive After 45™ podcast! If this episode spoke to you, be sure to hit that follow button so you never miss one.November 2026, I will be hosting a live, in-person experience called IGNITE: The Inner Uprising™.It is a two-day immersive gathering for women in midlife — women who feel the quiet pull toward something more truthful, more embodied, more fully their own.IGNITE is an extension of these conversations.It’s where reflection becomes embodiment.Where insight becomes integration.Where women who have held so much for others gather to stand fully in their own sovereignty.If something in today’s conversation stirred you — if your body leaned in — that is NOT accidental.The waitlist is now open.If IGNITE feels like something your future self would thank you for, I invite you to add your name here. https://ignite2026.lovable.appThere is a place for us to gather.If you loved this episode, I’d be so grateful if you left a review - it helps more amazing women like you find this show!Your journey doesn’t stop here - let’s keep the conversation going! Connect with me at denisedrinkwalter.com, and follow ...