Midlife & Beyond Conversations

Something often happens to women around the age of 45 - we get a sense of something rising. Whether you frame that as "wisdom", or "spiritual awakening" or something else, it's fascinating to explore what it could mean.  In this, the 100th episode of The Midlife Movement Podcast, Jo is talking to author, Stephanie Raffelock, whose latest book, "Creatrix Rising" argues that we need to consign the m...

Katie Phillips is a Transformational Master Coach and Founder of the School of Self Love, whose curriculum is "what they ‘should’ have taught you at school - how to deeply know and love yourself so that you have the confidence and self-belief to create a life and relationships that feel purposeful, fulfilling and fun." In this episode, Katie and Jo talk about anxiety and learning not to "feel your...

I asked menopause fitness expert, Sam Palmer, of Midlife Makeover to answer some questions about menopause asked by women in The Midlife Movement community. We covered a multitude of issues: Sex, Mind and the Menopause Documentary with Davina McCall Forgetfulness: 14.45 Libido: 18.45 Sleep: 28.45 HRT (and whether suitable if you've had cancer) 31.51 How to get the best from your doctor 33.25 Leg p...

Writer, Lucy Boulter, never considered herself to be "physical". Nor did she have time for hobbies outside work. It wasn't until she was unexpectedly floored by menopausal gloom that she found herself with a new pass time - fell walking in the Lake District of England - that lifted her spirits and increased her fitness. In this frank and honest conversation, Lucy talks to Jo about menopause and mo...

Aqua Yoga is a great form of exercise for anyone, but especially if your joints are sore. This week, Floridian, Christa Fairbrother, shares how she became a water yoga teacher and her passion for the water. You can find the free resources Christa mentions on her website. You can also find out more about her book for teachers . About the Midlife and Beyond Podcast.   Like all transitions, midlife c...

Diagnosed with ADHD and Autism at 52, AJ Harman could finally make sense of her experience of life. In this episode, recorded during Autism Awareness Month 2022, Jo and AJ delve into definitions of ADHD, how Autism is so often misunderstood and why neurodivergent girls are so often overlooked.  Recently, many more women have been diagnosed in midlife - what does this mean for them? And what can yo...

Do you have a clear plan about how you will fund your retirement? Perhaps you are divorcing or, sadly, find yourself bereaved and are wondering where you stand? It’s a subject that makes many of us want to put our heads in the sand! Jo’s guest this week is Chartered Financial Designer, Rachel Efetha. Rachel works with her clients to help them work out what they will need when they retire or post d...

This week Jo is talking with Actress and Director, Kai Soremekun about going grey, holding each other up, how we start to long for authenticity and why she has created an alter ego to express her feelings about growing older! Originally from Toronto, Canada, Kai Soremekun began her career as an actress in New York City before moving to Los Angeles. Her many credits include the films, “Heat”, “Rega...

I had the great pleasure of interviewing author, Laura Davis, on the publication of her searing memoir, The Burning Light of Two Stars: A Mother-Daughter Story. In this wide ranging conversation, we talk about mother-daughter relationships, healing, caring for an elderly relative and childhood sexual abuse, an experience that led Laura to co-author the ground breaking book on recovered memory with...

How can expressions of gratitude help us to cope with our lives? In this conversation, Jo talks to Lori Saitz about coping with tumultuous times whilst leading happy personal lives. Lori Saitz is the CEO of Zen Rabbit and host of the podcast “Fine is a 4-Letter Word.” She’s an award-winning writer, speaker, and broadcaster. The experience of leaving a 22-year marriage inspired her transformational...

Kicking off Season 3 of The Midlife Movement podcast is this delightful conversation with Wendy Baker. Talking about her eventful life takes us on a whistle stop tour of 20th Century Social history, from wartime London to dancing with Beatles, flirting with Johnny Weissmuller on the set of Ben Hur in Rome, to New York, Paris and London in the fashion trade, Wendy's has not been an "ordinary" life....

Joining Jo this week is Siobhan Daniels, who reacted to workplace bullying by donning a backpack and taking a grown up Gap year! This proved a good training ground for her unusual "retirement" - determined not to give in to the "beiging" of older women, Siobhan sold her flat and most of her possessions, bought a motorhome and hit the road... welcome to the Retirement Rebellion! In her own words: "...

You know when you just need to sleep, without feeling twitchy or anxious or otherwise menopause-y? These ladies - Marva Williams and Amanda Shayle - have formulated a beautiful range of wellness products using top grade ingredients such as magnesium and essential oils for just that purpose. Shhh... Menopause and Wellness products have just become available, so I asked Marva and Amanda to join me t...

El Chenier is a Professor of History at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.  In this fascinating interview, we talked about being non-binary, gender and authenticity, the history of gender and El's work supporting young people to live openly in a way that is true to themselves.  Find out more about Gender Mentors 8-week course: Coming Home to Our Non-Binary Bodies https://www.elchenier.co...

In this wide-ranging conversation, I talked to Nikola Howard about the myth of "dieting". In her own words, Nikola is a life transformation specialist and the UK's leading Low Carb Expert since 1999. Find out more on Nikola's website. She helps women who want to live a healthy life, ditch belly fat and gain more energy in less than ten weeks, without fussing about calories, macros or starving them...

The "Zenergiser", Fiona Clark, Joins Jo to talk about all things healing and energy systems. We had wonderful conversation catching up on why spirituality becomes so important to many women in midlife.  Fiona is an expert at helping women to find that toolbox of modalities to help them with their health and spiritual development.  Fiona explained the chakra system in the most comprehensive, beauti...

Midlife Movement member, Margaret Sheppard, talked to us today about turning dreams into reality.  I, for one, am so inspired by Margaret’s upcoming “gap year”. Having lost her confidence and losing sight of herself in the midst of work, caring for an elderly parent and sons with extra needs, she knew she needed to do something for herself, something she had always wanted to do. In 2022 Margaret w...

Janis Doherty is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, midlife mentor, energy guide and the creator of the HERwithin community. Janis mentors’ women and provides hope and healing through her programs “Find HER” and “ENERGYwithin” where she teaches women how to reconnect with the lost pieces of themselves and how to heal their body through emotional release. After her own experience with hopelessness a...

Karen Skidmore is a Business Growth Coach and co-founder of the Embrace Midlife and Menopause Festival, taking place on October 21st and 22nd October 2021. In this episode, we talk about how catastrophic moments in our lives can push us to the edge, fear of ageing and dying and how embracing - rather than fighting - midlife and celebrating all that we are frees us to move forward. Book onto the 2...

Are you Green, Blue, Red or high energy yellow? Trainer, Hazel Wright works with companies to develop menopause friendly policies in the workplace. In this conversation, she tells us about the Personality Profiling Tool, Clarity 4D and how you can use it at work and at home. www.thewrightapproach.co.uk About the Midlife and Beyond Podcast.   Like all transitions, midlife can be messy and sad and g...

If you are partnered, do you ever wish you could have more time alone? My guest this week bought herself a cottage in the woods where she can work and think. Karin Bosveld is a transformational Leadership Coach for women. She created the Mystery School for Feminine Leadership which opened it doors in Spring 2021. In this episode, we talk  about the reappraisal of the “crone” stage of life, about b...

How do you feel about your body? Kath Burrows shares her story of overcoming low self esteem connected to her body image and talks about the work she does coaching women with body confidence issues via the Body Love Lounge . Self acceptance, self compassion and self care are key to increasing body confidence. About the Midlife and Beyond Podcast.   Like all transitions, midlife can be messy and sa...

How do you reset your life when your world is turned upside down? We all hope that the loss of a partner is something we will never have to face. In times gone by we would have been expected to put on our widows weeds and be defined by our widowhood forever. Drawing on her own experience, Julie Foster helps women survive and then thrive after being widowed via her facebook group, “A Widow’s Hats”....

Nicola Moss describes how becoming a grandmother gave her the nudge she needed to start her own business. We talk about false starts, raising children and starting new careers in our fifties and beyond. Find out about Nicola and her business on her Moss Social website .  About the Midlife and Beyond Podcast.   Like all transitions, midlife can be messy and sad and glorious all at once, leaving man...

"The Midlife Food Guru", Sabrina Zeif, shares with us how small changes in diet can help empower us through these midlife changes and beyond. Sabrina is also a collaborative nutrition author on the book, Natural Menopause with Dr Anne Henderson Find out more about Sabrina and her work on her website.  About the Midlife and Beyond Podcast.   Like all transitions, midlife can be messy and sad and gl...