Episodes
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Unraveling Ezra - Episode 4: Schemes, Scrapes, and the Philadelphia Finale
In this episode, we follow Ezra Baker Jr.'s final chapters: from his desperate appeals to Abraham Lincoln after losing his Indian Agent post, through the infamous Norfolk "trading with the enemy" affair, and back to Philadelphia where his life quietly ended. Along the way, we confront the reality...
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Unraveling Ezra - Episode 3: The Rise, Ruin, and Runaway
In part 3 of this arc of Unraveling Ezra, a sub-podcast of Practical Change for Midlife Lesbians, Ezra Baker Jr. rose from Illinois banking commissioner to river-trade entrepreneur, catching the eye of Abraham Lincoln along the way. But ambition and risk brought financial ruin, desperate appeals…
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Unraveling Ezra - Episode 2: Go West, Young Ezra
In part two of this multipart arc of Unraveling Ezra, a sub-podcast of Practical Change for Midlife Lesbians, we continue our historical detour to follow the messy, fascinating life of Dr. Ezra Baker Jr. Before he ever got tangled in scandal or made his final landing in Philadelphia, he was a…
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Unraveling Ezra - Episode 1: The Grave Next Door
Welcome to a special series within the Practical Change for MidLife Lesbians podcast: Unraveling Ezra — a journey into the life, legacy, and contradictions of my great-great-great grandfather, Ezra Baker Jr. MD. This arc is a departure from my usual content, but sometimes, life pulls you in an...
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Embracing Self Compassion with Allison Landry
In this inspiring and deeply personal episode, I sit down with Allison Landry to explore the transformative power of self-compassion. Allison and certified counselor Megan Welwood are offering a free 8-week online Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) course starting February 3, 2025. In our discussion…
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Season 2, Episode 1: When you are sure it's time, it's already too late
Welcome to Season 2! Unvarnished and short, it's a new dawn for Claire and Practical Change for Midlife Lesbians, but same great insights for those of us lesbians who are working on making changes we want. Visit Practical Change Coaching for more.
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Episode 31: Midyear Review
Did you make some resolutions or set some goals way back in January? At the midpoint of the year, it's a great time to take stock. How's it going? Claire gives an update and offers suggestions for leaning into your values and getting past barriers to help you keep moving forward. In addition, for...
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Episode 30: Should I stay or should I go now?
Episode 30: Should I stay or should I go now? Sunk Cost Fallacy and Loss Aversion: Why do we tend to stay with something maybe longer than we should? How do we decide if it really *is* time to go? Doesn't the fact that I've already devoted a lot of time, money and energy to something mean that…
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Episode 29: Interview with Author and Influencer Shakira Sison
Episode 29: Interview with award winning writer and influencer Shakira Sison, columnist for Rappler. Shakira shares what it's like to immigrate from the Philippines as a lesbian and how that experience shaped how she sees creating change in her life today. Check out her writing at...
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Episode 28: An interview with Alexandra Tydings, part 2
Episode 28: Part 2 of the interview with actor, writer and director Alexandra Tydings, who is best known for her recurring role as Aphrodite in the TV serieses Xena, Warrior Princess and Hercules, The Legendary Journeys. Alex shared what it was really like being the scantily clad goddess of love…
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Episode 27: An interview with Alexandra Tydings, part 1
Episode 27: An interview with actor, writer and director Alexandra Tydings, who is best known for her recurring role as Aphrodite in the TV serieses Xena, Warrior Princess and Hercules, The Legendary Journeys. For her "pandemic project," Alex became a certified intimacy coordinator and has come...
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Episode 26: It's part of the process
The world is full of advice about how we should do things. Frequently that becomes a recipe for beating yourself up if what works for one person doesn't work for you. We've all been there - been offered a "system" or a collection of steps that if we follow them, we'll get the results want. We try...
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Episode 25: An interview with accomplished lesbian distance runner and activist, CC Tellez
Episode 25: An interview with accomplished lesbian distance runner and founder, organizer and coach for Philadelphia running group Lez Run, CC Tellez. CC is also the Associate Director of LGBTQ+ Programing at Students Run Philly Style and has served on numerous boards and in volunteer leadership...
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Episode 24: Interview with Nothing Much Happens podcaster & author Kathryn Nicolai
Author Kathryn Nicolai shares how she originally started what has become the immensely popular podcast "Nothing Much Happens" as a project to help share her method of easily falling and staying asleep. Nicolai tells the story of the genesis of "Nothing Much Happens", which now has 85 million...
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Episode 23: An Alternative to New Year's Resolutions
Welcome to the second season of Practical Change for Midlife Lesbians, with host Claire Baker, professional certified coach. You are invited to join the private Facebook group "A Group of Our Own." January is typically a time for reflection, renewal and resolutions. Claire offers an alternative…
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Podcast Episode 22: Living with Persistent Depressive Disorder and why "Just do it" is BS
I have Persistent Depression Disorder, also called dysthymia. 1.5% of the US population has it, and 2.5% will live with it at some point in their lives. Not as severe or debilitating as major depression, it is characterized by two years or more of symptoms without much break. People with PDD may…
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Episode 21: Choose Your Thoughts Carefully
Thoughts happen, right? It's part of being human to have thoughts pop into our heads. As we get used to a thought, or keep practicing it, it becomes a habit. Once it's a habit, it's easy to belief it as a fact. "My boss is a jerk!" can feel like a fact. But is it? This podcast is all about…
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Episode #20: Interview with Stephanie Carnahan of Fawn Hills Animal Sanctuary
Midlife lesbian Stephanie Carnahan, founder and executive director of Fawn Hills Animal Sanctuary and Care Farm, is the embodiment of creating Practical Change. When coming out In her early twenties informed her life decisions and she took a path away from a career that involved the care of...
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Podcast #19 Research on lesbians, Facebook haters, and whether it's really that hostile out there
On this podcast, I share some interesting market research on our community, and how I accidentally stumbled into what felt like a hornet's nest of awful haters and trolls on Facebook. It's hard to ignore the level of venom that gets leveled at our community at the mere mention of us having...
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Bonus Episode: Chapter 1 of Partners by Melissa Good
To showcase the fiction of best-selling author Melissa Good, enjoy chapter 1 of Partners, the first of her series of sci-fi lesbian fiction. If you are a fan of dystopian futures, imaginative evolution outcomes, dark but redeemable heroes and ingenues who become badasses, you'll love Partners.…
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Episode 17: An interview with author Melissa Good
This is the first in an arc of podcasts featuring guests who have created interesting and inspiring avocations that enrich their lives, even as they continue to work in their "day jobs." These women are creators or helpers or both. For this episode, I am very pleased to introduce Melissa Good....
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Episode 16: How do you want to feel along the way?
We all want something. Sometimes big, sometimes modest. Lose 10 pounds. Make a million dollars. Find or repair that relationship. Learn to sew. We want what we want because of how we think we will feel once we have it. If we aren't able to find feelings along the way that we enjoy – even if it's...
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Episode 15: Slow is Fast & Incremental is Quantum
Sometimes our brains lead us to believe that the only way to get to where we want to go is to gut it out, use a lot of effort, and never rest. But our brains don't know everything! What if you adopted some regular practices that build slow and incremental into your day or your work? Learn more…
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Little T traumas - How do they show up now?
Sometimes the things that are holding us back from the life we want are borne from little T traumas from our past, even if we do not recognize it in the moment. What worked then might be a barrier now. So what's to be done about it?
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Episode 13 -- Scarcity: What to do when you don't have what you need
We all go through times of feeling like we don't have what we need. Scarcity does a number on our brain. It makes us slower and worse at problem-solving when we most need to have our wits about us. This podcast illuminates what's really going on, offers some clarity on how to sort out what you...
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Episode 12: Disappointment, it's like ray-e-ian on your wedding day
Didn't get the job? The new relationship you thought had long-term potential fizzled? Didn't get the thing that you were going for or hoping would happen? It ray-e-ained on your wedding day (a la Alanis Moressette)? Disappointment is a real part of life, with real brain chemistry that makes it...
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Episode 11: How to change the conversation with yourself
How we talk to ourselves and how we frame our thoughts about our circumstances has a defining influence on whether we get what we want. Listen in for some practical suggestions for changing the conversation.
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Episode 10: Boost your mood for less than a latte
Even though our thoughts dictate our feelings, sometimes we can take actions that improve our mood and get us to a place of thinking more constructively. Here are a few quick cheap and easy ideas to feel better right away and get you moving to where you want to be.
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Episode 9: Pay Yourself First
Borrowing from personal finance advice, it's truly in your best interest to do those things daily that set you up for the day/week/year/ life you want to have.
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Episode 8: Hope vs Fear
To make changes you want, you have to have hope that it's possible. But you can't have change without some fear. How do you balance pursuing what you want when you are afraid that it won't work out?
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Episode 7: What we can learn from Martina, Nancy Lieberman & Renee Richards
What can Team Martina teach us today about cutting ourselves some slack AND working toward a future we want? Lesbian wisdom from the 80's is right here for you!
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Episode 6: Self-worth and forgiveness
Are we worthy of forgiveness? Are others? What would it take to move from guilt and shame about things we've done in the past, or blame and anger at others for their behaviors. Do we even want to? What does forgiveness even mean?
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Episode #5 Why we want what we want and what that means for making changes
Why *do* we want what we want? And if we can figure out how to be happy (or maybe just not miserable) right where we are, does that take away our desire to create something new for ourselves?
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Episode 4: Managable change and a new way to think about weight loss
When we decide to make a change, it's because we think we'll feel better after we make it happen. So what's happening when we set a goal and don't make it? Using a desire to lose weight as an example, this episode explores where things go off track and offers a different way to think about...
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Episode 3: What if it did work out?
We may think that the status quo is better than change, or that to make change happen, we have to throw a granade and blow things up. But what if it could unfold differently?
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Episode 2: Lebian's grown son doesn't want to see her
In this episode, we explore what to think, feel and do when your grown son comes to town but doesn't call.
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Practical Change for Midlife Lesbians Episode 1
We midlife lesbians need a podcast of our own! Welcome to Practical Change for Midlife Lesbians. In this one corner of the world, we are not invisible and we can start creating some practical change for the next part of our lives. Claire Baker of PracticalChangeCoaching.com is your host.
About this show
Finally, a podcast of our own, for us, by one of us. Addressing the issues and concerns of midlife lesbians: Health, relationships, career/work/retirement and more.
Hosted by
Claire Baker
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