The Midlife Makeover Show | Women Over 40, Menopause Support, Divorce Recovery, Empty Nest Advice, Aging Gracefully, Finding Purpose

What if the success you’ve worked so hard for could actually feel as good as it looks? In this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Lacey Newman — founder, coach, and keynote speaker who’s helped thousands of high-performing women build lives and businesses that are truly their own. Lacey built and scaled a real estate team to nearly a billion dollars in sales, hosted an Emmy-nominated TV show, and grew her income to seven figures — then realized she was running a wildly successful but deeply misaligned life. She shares the moment she hit the highest high and felt nothing, how boundaries became her most strategic business tool, and why she walked away from the top of her industry to reinvent everything. Whether you’re navigating burnout, a career pivot, or a new season of life, this conversation is your permission slip to redefine success on your own terms — because it’s never too late to build a life that actually fits who you are now.✨ What You’ll LearnWhy hitting every goal can still leave you feeling empty — and what that emptiness is actually trying to tell youHow to go from operator to CEO — and stop running your business (and your life) in reactive modeWhy boundaries are your most strategic tool — and how they actually make people respect you MOREHow to tell the difference between real burnout and a quiet calling toward something newWhy midlife is the perfect time to redefine success — and rebuild your work from clarity instead of hustle🎧 Tune in nowhttps://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com✨ Watch the video replayhttps://midlifology.net👉 Connect with Lacey Newmanhttps://laceynewman.com🌟 Explore All Things Midlifehttps://wendyvalentine.com📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Uphttps://womenwakingup.com📸 Follow the fun on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

What if every “no” you’ve ever gotten was actually life quietly rerouting you toward something better? In this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Katelyn Rhoades — Forbes-featured social media strategist, founder of Enfluence Marketing Studio, and host of the top-ranked Call Her Creator podcast. Katelyn shares how she went from selling her own clothes for grocery money to building a seven-figure brand, growing an audience of 250,000+ from scratch, and turning a $19 digital product into a six-figure income stream. She opens up about growing up feeling like a burden, healing the people pleaser inside, taking messy action, and why rejection is just redirection. Whether you’re rebuilding after divorce, an empty nest, or a career change, this conversation is your permission slip to get visible, bet on yourself, and create a life you’re obsessed with — because it is never too late to start over.✨ What You’ll LearnWhy rejection is just redirection — and how to stop overpersonalizing every “no”How to take messy action when you’re scared, broke, or still waiting to feel “ready”The visibility shift that turns being seen into real opportunities (and real revenue)How to rediscover your purpose by going back to what you loved as a kidWhy midlife is the BEST time to start over — more wisdom, more resources, zero patience for other people’s timelines🎧 Tune in now✨ Watch the video replay👉 Connect with Katelyn Rhoades🌟 Explore All Things Midlife📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up📸 Follow the fun on IG

In this timely, real-talk episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Dr. Ann Welsh — psychologist, executive coach, working mom of four, and author of Ambitious Mother: From Surviving to Thriving in Your Career and At Home — for a conversation every woman juggling career, family, and everything in between needs to hear. Dr. Welsh unpacks what she calls "the ambitious paradox" — the exhausting cycle of perfectionism, people-pleasing, and pretending that drives so many high-achieving women straight into burnout. With warmth, humor, and practical tools, they explore what it really takes to redefine success, embrace the seasons of life, and stop trying to earn your worth one to-do list at a time. What You'll Learn•       What the "ambitious paradox" is — and how perfectionism, people-pleasing, and pretending are fueling your burnout•       Why modern motherhood is harder than ever — and why the problem is under-support, not personal failure•       How to redefine balance as "seasonal" rather than a perfect, impossible steady state•       The invisible labor driving burnout — and why unrecognized work is one of the biggest culprits•       Practical tools to find the "gray space" and give yourself real permission to be good enough🎧 Tune in now✨ Watch the video replay👉 Connect with Dr. Anne Welsh🌟 Explore All Things Midlife📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up📸 Follow My Adventures on IG

Have you ever stood in front of your closet and thought, “I have nothing to wear” — when really, you just don’t feel like yourself anymore? In this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show Wendy Valentine sits down with Mary Michele Nidiffer, The Visibility Stylist™, to talk about how the simple act of getting dressed can help you reclaim your identity and step fully into being seen. Mary Michele shares the mirror moment that changed everything for her, why “getting back to” your old body (and old wardrobe) keeps you stuck, and how style becomes a tool to find your way home to yourself. You’ll learn why confidence often follows style — not the other way around — and how to dress for the woman you’re becoming, not the one you used to be. If you’ve been feeling invisible in midlife, consider this your permission slip to shine.✨ What You’ll Learn•     Why style isn’t superficial — it’s a powerful tool for confidence, identity, and visibility•     How to stop trying to “get back to” your old body and dress for who you are right now•     The one question to ask yourself every morning (and it’s not “how do I look?”)•     How your personal coloring becomes a roadmap to the shades that make you glow•     Why the thing that makes you unique is exactly what makes you unforgettable🎧 Tune in nowhttps://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com✨ Watch the video replayhttps://midlifology.net👉 Connect with Mary Michele Nidifferhttps://thevisibilitystylist.com🌟 Explore All Things Midlifehttps://wendyvalentine.com📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Uphttps://womenwakingup.com📸 Follow the fun on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

In this warm, funny, and deeply inspiring episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Leslie Rasmussen — award-winning novelist, former TV comedy writer, and author of three books exploring the messy, beautiful complexity of women’s lives. Leslie shares her remarkable journey from Hollywood writers’ rooms to debut novelist in her 50s, and why she believes midlife should always be a choice, not a crisis. With honesty, humor, and heart, Leslie and Wendy explore what it truly means to give yourself permission to change your mind, how writing can unlock your deepest truth, why community is the antidote to going it alone, and why the mistakes you’ve made are actually the dots connecting you to exactly where you’re supposed to be.✨ What You’ll Learn•     Why Leslie believes midlife should be a choice, not a crisis — and how to start living it that way•     How she reinvented herself as a novelist in her 50s by taking baby steps and giving herself permission to begin•     The unexpected community that forms when women gather around stories — and why vulnerability is the gateway to connection•     How humor can be a powerful tool for processing grief, loss, and life’s most challenging chapters•     Why the mistakes you’ve made are actually the dots connecting you to exactly where you’re supposed to be🎧 Tune in now✨ Read the blog👉 Connect with Leslie🌟 Explore All Things Midlife📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up📸 Follow the fun on IG

What if the worst professional moment of your life turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to you? Lyndsay Dowd spent nearly 30 years in leadership — 23 of them at IBM — before leaving on her own terms for a new opportunity. Six months in, she was fired. No warning, no explanation. The shame and embarrassment took her out… until she asked herself three questions that changed everything: What am I really good at? What do I love to do? How can I help people the most? The answers became Heartbeat for Hire, a company that helps brands ditch toxic, top-down leadership and build cultures people actually want to work in. In this episode, Wendy and Lyndsay — a speaker, founder, 2X bestselling author (Top Down Culture and Voices of Women), Harvard guest lecturer, and globally ranked podcast host — talk about reinvention at 50+, betting on yourself, the “power skills” every leader needs, why trust is your currency, and the permission slip every woman at a crossroads deserves to hear. Fierce, funny, and full of heart. 🔥What You’ll Learn·       The three questions to ask when life hands you a plot twist you didn’t order·       Why “power skills” (not soft skills) — like listening, delegation, and trust — drive real ROI·       How great leaders celebrate others, build safe spaces, and never throw their people under the bus·       What a “listening tour” is and why every new leader needs one·       How to find your people — the wildly inspired humans who help you dream and do the big things·       Why your personal brand is not your job title — and how reinvention really works in midlife🎧 Tune in nowhttps://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com✨ Watch the video replayhttps://midlifology.net👉 Connect with Lyndsay Dowd (Heartbeat for Hire)https://www.heartbeatforhire.com🌟 Explore All Things Midlifehttps://wendyvalentine.com📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Uphttps://womenwakingup.com📸 Follow the fun on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

In this bold, heartfelt, and hilariously honest episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine welcomes back one of the show's all-time favorite guests for the THIRD time — Andrea Owen, author, global keynote speaker, certified life coach, and the woman whose book helped inspire Wendy to become an author herself. Andrea is back with her brand-new book, Live Like You Give a Damn, a straight-talking guide featuring 25 powerful truths to help you stop going through the motions, kick limiting patterns to the curb, and show up for your life like you actually mean it. From the "shit sandwich" you didn't ask for to the intuition you keep sending to voicemail, Andrea and Wendy dig into what it really takes to stop pretending to change — and start living like you mean it. What You'll Learn•       Why most of us stay stuck in the "pre-contemplation" phase of change — and what it takes to finally move•       How to stop sending your intuition to voicemail — and what happens when you finally pick up•       The fascinating story of the Chiron return and why your late 40s to early 50s are literally written in the stars for transformation•       How to "metabolize" the challenges life hands you — and why digesting them (not avoiding them) is the only path through•       Why the people who have hurt you the most are actually your greatest teachers — and how to start seeing them as mirrors🎧 Tune in now at https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com or wherever you listen to podcasts! 👉 Connect with Andrea🌟 Explore All Things Midlife & More📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up📝 Get Weekly Midlife Inspiration on Substack

Susan Ottaviano's beautiful new book, Plants That Heal, is available NOW — and it's the midlife companion you didn't know you needed. Co-written with Chris Young and illustrated by Susan herself, it's filled with herbal teas, calming bath rituals, nourishing recipes, and natural beauty treatments to ground and restore you through every season of life. In this episode, Wendy Valentine sits down with Susan — a musician, painter, food stylist, and endlessly creative artist — to talk about reinvention, embracing change, and why we get to keep evolving in midlife. Susan shares how she has continually reinvented herself, the small daily rituals that bring her back to center, and the mantra that says it all: “the pivot is the process.” Warm, soulful, and deeply encouraging, this conversation is a reminder that your creativity and your dreams still matter — at any age. Pour yourself a cup of tea and settle in. 🌿✨ What You'll Learn•     Why “the pivot is the process” — and how to embrace change instead of fearing it•     How to push through the dark, doubt-filled seasons before a breakthrough•     Simple plant-based rituals that calm, ground, and heal in midlife•     Why creativity is one of the most powerful ways to process hard times•     How to “fill the well” and reignite your dreams at any age🎧 Tune in nowhttps://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com✨ Watch the video replayhttps://midlifology.net👉 Connect with Susan Ottaviano (@TwoGreenWitches)https://www.instagram.com/twogreenwitches/Get the book! 🌟 Explore All Things Midlifehttps://wendyvalentine.com📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Uphttps://womenwakingup.com📸 Follow the fun on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

In this eye-opening and refreshingly candid episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Christina Walsh — physical therapist, published researcher, and co-founder of Tighten Your Tinkler — for a conversation that every woman needs to hear. Christina and her business partner Jen created a research-backed, non-invasive pelvic floor healing program after facing these exact issues themselves, and they've since helped thousands of women find real relief from bladder leaks, prolapse, pelvic pressure, back and hip pain, and so much more. From ditching Kegels to understanding how perimenopause changes everything "down there," this episode is packed with practical tools, real talk, and a whole lot of hope for any woman ready to listen to her body and finally start healing from the inside out. What You'll Learn:•       Why Kegels often make pelvic floor symptoms worse — and what to do instead for real functional strength•       The surprising symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction that go beyond bladder leaks (back pain, hip tightness, pelvic pressure, pain with sex, and more)•       How perimenopause affects the pelvic floor — and why this is the most important time to take action•       Simple at-home habits to start supporting your pelvic floor today: toileting posture, clothing choices, footwear, hydration, and fiber•       How Christina and Jen's research-backed Tighten Your Tinkler program works — and how a free 5-minute quiz tells you exactly where you stand🎧 Tune in nowhttps://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com ✨ Watch the video replay https://midlifology.net 👉 Connect with ChristinaWebsite: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/Free 5-minute PF Quiz: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/tinklerquizFree at-home Decompression Position: https://www.tightenyourtinkler.com/backandhiprelief*Use code VALENTINE for $50 off of their Signature Program 🌟 Explore All Things Midlifehttps://wendyvalentine.com 📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Uphttps://womenwakingup.com 📸 Follow My Adventures on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

In this eye-opening episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Brooke Bralove — licensed clinical social worker, AASECT-certified sex therapist, and master practitioner of Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) — to reveal why it has nothing to do with your worth and everything to do with what your nervous system thinks is safe. Wendy shares her own powerful firsthand ART session, and together they unpack how this gentle, rapid modality can neutralize trauma in as few as one to five sessions — keeping the knowledge but losing the pain. If awareness alone hasn't been enough to change your patterns, this conversation will give you real hope that midlife is the perfect time to heal. What You'll Learn·       Why you keep attracting the same type of partner — and why it's your nervous system, not your worth·       What Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is and how it heals trauma in as few as one to five sessions·       The difference between ART and EMDR — and why ART can work so much faster·       How becoming the "director" of your own memories lets you keep the knowledge but lose the pain·       Why midlife may be the most powerful time to rewire old patterns and create emotionally safe love 🎧 Tune in nowhttps://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com ✨ Watch the video replayhttps://midlifology.net 👉 Connect with Brooke Bralovehttps://brookebralove.com 🌟 Explore All Things Midlifehttps://wendyvalentine.com 📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Uphttps://womenwakingup.com 📸 Follow the fun on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

What if the business you keep daydreaming about isn’t a midlife crisis — it’s your midlife calling? In this episode, Wendy sits down with award-winning entrepreneur and small business mentor Lindsay Pinchuk, one of the less than 1% of female founders to lead her company through an acquisition. Lindsay built her first brand, Bump Club and Beyond, from a $500 investment into a seven-figure powerhouse — partnering with Target, Nordstrom, and Huggies and reaching three million people a month — before selling it and starting over. Today she runs Dear FoundHer…, a top podcast and community helping women over forty build businesses that actually last. Lindsay and Wendy dig into why it’s never too late to bet on yourself, how to start before you feel ready, the simple two-question litmus test behind every brave pivot, and why your decades of life experience are your biggest entrepreneurial advantage. If a little voice keeps whispering “someday,” consider this your wake-up call. 🚀✨ What You’ll Learn•     The two-question litmus test Lindsay uses before every scary leap — “What’s the worst that can happen?” and “Can I live with that?”•     Why “just start” beats waiting for the perfect plan — and how messy beginnings become real businesses•     How listening to your community (instead of forcing your own ideas) builds something people actually want•     Why women 45–54 are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs — and the life experience that gives them an edge•     How to give yourself permission to pivot when something no longer feels aligned🎧 Tune in nowhttps://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com✨ Watch the video replayhttps://midlifology.net👉 Connect with Lindsay Pinchuk (Dear FoundHer…)https://www.dearfoundher.com🌟 Explore All Things Midlifehttps://wendyvalentine.com📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Uphttps://womenwakingup.com📸 Follow the fun on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

What happens when a Hollywood actress realizes her glam-squad friends and her hometown Ohio friends are all wrestling with the exact same midlife stuff? In this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Diana Maria Riva — beloved as Detective Ana Perez on Netflix’s Dead to Me and now host of the iHeart podcast How Hard Can It Be? — for a warm, funny, no-filter conversation about friendship, reinvention, and finally claiming your turn. Diana shares the train-in-Spain moment (yes, with Eva Longoria) that sparked her podcast, why honesty is the secret to everything, her two-question rule for speaking your mind, and how she’s learned to give herself grace while still chasing big dreams in her fifties. If you’ve ever felt stretched too thin or wondered “am I really living?”, this one’s your permission slip to lean on your people and rise. Because midlife isn’t a crisis — it’s a catalyst.•     Why your closest friendships are your real midlife lifeline — not a luxury•     The “train in Spain” moment that turned a complaint into a calling•     Diana’s two-question filter for when to speak up (and when to let it go)•     How to give yourself grace while still chasing big dreams in your second act•     Why “it’s my turn” might be the most freeing thing you say in your fifties✨ What You’ll Learn🎧 Tune in nowhttps://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com✨ Watch the video replayhttps://midlifology.net👉 Connect with Diana Maria Rivahttps://www.instagram.com/dianamariariva/ 🌟 Explore All Things Midlifehttps://wendyvalentine.com📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Uphttps://womenwakingup.com📸 Follow the fun on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

In this fun and empowering episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Sandy Weiner — Chief Love Officer at Last First Date, internationally known TEDx speaker, and author of three books on dating and relationships — to talk about what it really takes to find love in midlife. Sandy gets refreshingly real about the dating mistakes we make, from the attraction trap to the fantasy-attachment spiral, and why the key to finding lasting love isn't finding the right person first — it's becoming the right person first. From setting boundaries on a first date to discovering your core values through your biggest pet peeves, this episode is packed with practical, no-nonsense wisdom for anyone navigating love after 40.What You'll Learn•       What's truly different about dating in midlife vs. your 20s and 30s — and why that's actually a very good thing•       How to uncover your core values using Sandy's simple "what annoys me" method•       Sandy's practical "Boundaries in Your Back Pocket" approach for communicating your needs with confidence on dates•       The attraction trap — and why chemistry can make us overlook major red flags•       How to know when you're truly ready to date again after divorce or loss — and what to do if you're not sure yet🎧 Tune in nowhttps://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com ✨ Watch the video replay https://midlifology.net 👉 Connect with SandyFacebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourlastfirstdate/ Website: http://lastfirstdate.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lastfirstdate1/  💛 Big love to our sponsor, Folly Nutrition — The Daily Hair Growth Gummy. Visit follynutrition.com/MIDLIFE and use code MIDLIFE for 10% off your order. 🌟 Explore All Things Midlifehttps://wendyvalentine.com 📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Uphttps://womenwakingup.com 📸 Follow My Adventures on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

What do you do when you did everything right… and life blows up the plan anyway? This week, Wendy sits down with her friend Steve Kamb, founder of Nerd Fitness and author of the brand-new book How to Try Again — for a funny, tender, deeply human conversation about failing, flailing, and finding your way back. While writing a book about navigating failure, Steve got hit with three life-altering blows at once: a skin cancer diagnosis, the collapse of his business’s traffic, and a heartbreaking divorce. What he learned became the heart of this episode — that failure is the first step, not the last; that there’s no “hierarchy of suck”; and that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is tread water instead of pushing harder. Steve walks us through his four-part PACT — Pause, Accept, Change, Try — and why you should give yourself permission to start ugly. If you’re in a hard season, consider this your permission slip to breathe. 💛✨ What You’ll Learn•     Why failure is the FIRST step in your story, not the last — and why “we’re not that special” is the best news ever•     The art of “strategic half-assing”: how treading water beats burning out when life is heavy•     Steve’s four-word PACT for starting over — Pause, Accept, Change, Try•     How to beware the “back-to-normal fallacy” and accept that today IS the normal•     Why you should treat change like an experiment — and give yourself permission to start ugly🎧 Tune in nowhttps://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com✨ Watch the video replayhttps://midlifology.net👉 Connect with Steve KambHowToTryAgain.com  🌟 Explore All Things Midlifehttps://wendyvalentine.com📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Uphttps://womenwakingup.com📸 Follow the fun on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

You're doing everything “right” with food — and still feel anxious, exhausted, and disconnected from your body. Sound familiar? In this episode, Wendy sits down with somatic educator and USA Today bestselling author Luis Mojica to explore the missing link between what we eat and how we feel. Luis shares his own journey through trauma and disordered eating, and the breakthrough that became his book Food Therapy: the idea that food is constantly speaking to your nervous system. He explains “food-induced stress,” why certain foods quietly trigger fight-or-flight, how to sort foods into stimulants, depressants, and balancers — and why your cravings are actually messages about your unmet needs. This is not a diet or a list of rules. It's a compassionate, freeing new way to relate to food, your body, and yourself in midlife.What You'll Learn:•       Why even “healthy” foods can push your nervous system into fight-or-flight•       The surprising glucose–adrenaline connection behind food-induced stress•       How to sort foods into stimulants, depressants, and balancers — and bookend them•       How to read your cravings as a compass for unmet emotional needs•       A simple embodiment practice to find safety in your own body🎧 Tune in nowhttps://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com✨ Watch the video replayhttps://midlifology.net👉 Connect with Luis Mojicahttps://www.holisticlifenavigation.com🌟 Explore All Things Midlifehttps://wendyvalentine.com📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Uphttps://womenwakingup.com📸 Follow the fun on IGhttps://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/