Your life can look “fine” on paper while your body is quietly preparing a hard stop.

I’m joined by Farla Efros—seasoned retail executive, speaker, and author of Fck Cancer*—to unpack the reality of an aggressive breast cancer diagnosis hitting in the midst of high-stakes leadership and profound family loss.

In this episode, we move beyond the "pink ribbon" narrative to discuss the visceral whiplash of a positive diagnosis after a clear mammogram. Farla opens up about the grueling reality of undergoing chemotherapy while navigating extreme caregiver stress for parents facing stroke and brain cancer. We explore what grief and cancer actually look like when you are still expected to function at a high level.

We break down the "Self-Sovereign Patient" framework, focusing on:

• Patient Advocacy: Why you must refuse to be a passive participant in your own care.
• Cancer Treatment Plan: How to prepare for oncology meetings with data and "spiky" questions.
• Cancer Survival Tips: Why pushing for mid-treatment scans can restore your sense of agency.
• The "Executive Board": How to recruit a support team—from medical experts to "truth-tellers"—to speak for you when you’re exhausted.

Stick around for the final minutes where I provide the distilled, operational actions you can take to move from "patient" to "advocate" and reclaim your sovereignty in the face of a crisis.

Subscribe, leave a review, and tell us: What is the one question you want to feel brave enough to ask your medical team next?

Resources: For simpler episodes on healing, listen to Reclaim Your Health, episode 141, and Meeting the 5% Odds of Cancer, episode 164 on Aging with Purpose and Passion. And if you have stories of unapologetic women who have boldly reimagined life on their own terms, check out www.reinventionrebels.com

Farla Efros – Author, Speaker & Retail Executive
🌐 http://www.farlaefros.com
📘 https://www.facebook.com/farla.efros
📸 https://www.instagram.com/thehealingrebelca/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/farla-efros-93b641b/
📝 https://farlaefros.substack.com/
Beverley Glazer, MA – Reinvention Strategist, Transition Coach & Host
📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/

Send us Fan Mail

 🎁 The Gift of a Safe Space: A private, non-judgmental zone away from work and family to focus entirely on your needs, your journey and what's next for you. If you are feeling stuck in your transition, this is your space to exhale.

Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at [email protected]

Why does stability feel so scary? Strategist Beverley Glazer and Dr. Melanie Sue Hicks deconstruct betrayal trauma, grief, and the ' Everest' of midlife.

Some of the strongest women are the ones quietly carrying the most pain and still showing up. I’m Beverley Glazer, and in this episode, I talk to Dr. Melanie Sue Hicks—workforce expert and author—for a conversation that is different. We aren't just talking about "resilience" (a word that’s been overused into meaningless). It's about the mechanics of survival when your life takes a detour that blindsided you.

Melanie pulls back the curtain on how domestic violence defies every stereotype and why "peace" can feel terrifying when your nervous system has been conditioned for chaos. We dive into the grief of an emergency hysterectomy, the shame of repeated patterns, and the courage it takes to recraft your career after a public divorce.

What we’re unmuting today:

•  The Stability Trap: Why we subconsciously sabotage peace and how to reset your nervous system.
• Betrayal Recovery: Practical strategies for reclaiming self-worth when you feel "behind" or childless.
• Human-Centered Leadership: How to turn your trauma into a high-impact, empathetic professional lens.
• The Everest Within: Using Melanie’s memoir, Incongruent, as a blueprint for midlife reflection.
• The "Recraft": Rebuilding your work and identity when the "book tour" of your life destroys you.

If you’re done with "surviving" this conversation offers the honest language and grounded strategy you need to move forward.

Resources: For similar episodes on trauma and healing, - Lifestyle Change at 50 # 174. And Resilience and Renewal # 149 And if you love stories of unapologetic older women -  Reinvention Rebels. www.reinventionrebels.com. 

Dr. Melanie Sue Hicks – Author, Speaker & Leadership Expert
🌐 https://melaniesuehicks.com
📘 https://www.facebook.com/MelanieSueHicks
📸 https://www.instagram.com/inpursuitmelsue/
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniesuehicks/
🧵 https://www.threads.com/@inpursuitmelsue

Beverley Glazer, MA – Reinvention Strategist & Transition Coach
📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/

Send us Fan Mail

 🎁 The Gift of a Safe Space: A private, non-judgmental zone away from work and family to focus entirely on your needs, your journey and what's next for you. If you are feeling stuck in your transition, this is your space to exhale.

Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at [email protected]

What happens when your life looks 'perfect' but you're fighting PTSD? Kari Wells shares her raw journey of trauma, healing, and midlife reinvention.

Your life can look "fine" to everyone else while you’re quietly fighting to get through the day.

I sit down with Kari Wells, known to millions as a cast member on Bravo’s Married to Medicine, to pull back the curtain on the private reality behind public success. Beyond the cameras, Kari has navigated a grueling path through grief, an eating disorder, and a violent robbery that left her battling PTSD.

In this deeply personal episode of Aging with Purpose and Passion, we get specific about the mechanics of trauma recovery and the "unmuted" truth about rebuilding your sense of safety.

What we discuss in this episode:

• The Reality of PTSD: Navigating fear in everyday places—from grocery stores to your own home.
• The Victim-to-Agency Shift: Moving from "Why is this happening to me?" to "Why is this happening for me?"
• Healing Tools: The practical power of journaling to reduce re-triggering and the role of a support system.
• The "To-Be" List: Why choosing who you want to be is more important than what you want to do during midlife reinvention.
• The Aspen Legacy: How Kari is using storytelling and her foundation to give back as her children enter adulthood.

If you are searching for resilience tools or a grounded way forward after life has knocked you down, Kari’s story is your blueprint for hope.

Resources:

For similar episodes on healing, check out episode number 147, Finding Your Voice After Trauma, and 154, Reinvention and Healing Through Music. And if love stories of unapologetic women, 50-90 years young, who have boldly reimagined life on their own terms, check out ReinventionRebels.com

Kari Wells – Author, TV Personality & Entrepreneur
📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://www.kariwellsofficial.com
📸 Instagram: @kariwellsofficial | @kariwells_ | @kariwellsofficial

Beverley Glazer, MA – Transition Coach, Reinvention Strategist & Host
📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/

Send us Fan Mail

 🎁 The Gift of a Safe Space: A private, non-judgmental zone away from work and family to focus entirely on your needs, your journey and what's next for you. If you are feeling stuck in your transition, this is your space to exhale.

Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at [email protected]

Is your 'biological clock' a lie? Dr. Dorian Mintzer became a first-time mom at 50 and is reinventing work at 80. Learn how to survive memory loss in marriage and reclaim your 'Bonus Years'.

Who told you the window for 'new' was closed? Most women over 50 are playing it safe, waiting for a permission slip that’s never coming. Dr. Dorian (Dori) Mintzer is the woman who burned the script.

After a near-death accident at 20 changed her DNA for risk-taking, Dori navigated a high-stakes divorce and infertility to become a mother through surrogacy at age 50. Now, at 80, she is a world-renowned retirement expert facing her own "Couple's Puzzle": navigating her husband's memory decline while staying professionally relevant.

The "Why You Must Listen" List:

• The 50-Year-Old Pivot: Why Dori chose surrogacy when the world said "it’s too late."
• The Retirement Crisis: Why most "planning" fails because it ignores the psychological transition.
• Caregiving & Identity: How to stay grounded in your own purpose while a partner’s memory fades.
• The 80-Year-Old Frontier: Why your "Bonus Years" are for growth, not shrinking.

Stop asking if it's too late. Start asking what's next.

Resources:

For a similar episode on reinventing retirement, check out The Leisure Trap episode 167 of Aging with Purpose and Passion. And if you're over 50 and love to travel, the Ageless Traveler is your number one resource for lifelong travel.

Dorian (Dori) Mintzer – Retirement & Reinvention Expert
📧 [email protected]
  [email protected]
🌐 https://revolutionizeretirement.com
📘 https://www.facebook.com/dorianmintzer
| https://www.facebook.com/revolutionizeretirement
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorimintzer
✍️ https://substack.com/@dorianmintzer

Beverley Glazer, MA – Reinvention Strategist & Host
📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/

Send us Fan Mail

 🎁 The Gift of a Safe Space: A private, non-judgmental zone away from work and family to focus entirely on your needs, your journey and what's next for you. If you are feeling stuck in your transition, this is your space to exhale.

Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at [email protected]

Is your 'perfect' life actually a prison? Author Jeanne Blasberg reveals how she healed from childhood trauma, quit her Boston corporate life, and found a radical new purpose at 50.

What happens when the "right" life feels completely wrong? Most women over 50 are terrified to walk away from what they’ve built. Jeanne Blasberg did exactly that. She traded a high-achieving life in Boston for a regenerative farm in Wisconsin—but the real story isn't the farm. It’s the childhood addiction and perfectionism she had to unlearn to get there.

In this episode of Aging with Purpose and Passion, Beverley Glazer and Jeanne dig into the "antenna for empathy" created by early chaos and why "success" often feels like forcing yourself into the wrong shape.

The "Why You Must Listen" List:

• The Perfectionism Trap: How growing up on "pins and needles" creates a desperate need for control—and how to break it.
• The 3-Year Reset: Why moving to Switzerland taught Jeanne that you can rebuild a life anywhere with just the basics.
• Regenerative Reinvention: How focusing on soil health and climate change cured Jeanne’s "midlife stuckness" and brought her creativity back online.
• The Decluttering Mandate: Practical, no-nonsense advice for women over 50 to drop obligations that no longer fit.

Stop living inside other people’s stories. Whether you’re facing a career pivot, healing from childhood trauma, or searching for women’s empowerment, this episode is your roadmap to a deeper next chapter.

Resources: If you've enjoyed this episode, you might like Finding Your Voice After Trauma #147 & Reinvention & Healing Through Music 154  

If you’re over 50 and love to travel, The Ageless Traveler is your #1 resource for life long travel.  https://agelesstraveler.com

Jeanne Blasberg – Author & Speaker

🌐 https://jeanneblasberg.com
📘 https://www.facebook.com/jeanneblasbergauthor
📸 https://www.instagram.com/jeanneblasbergauthor
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanne-blasberg
✍️ https://jeanneblasberg.substack.com
Beverley Glazer, MA – Reinvention Strategist & Empowerment Coach | Host📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 Women Over 50 Rock: https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/

Send us Fan Mail

 🎁 The Gift of a Safe Space: A private, non-judgmental zone away from work and family to focus entirely on your needs, your journey and what's next for you. If you are feeling stuck in your transition, this is your space to exhale.

Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at [email protected]

Your clothes speak before you do—are they telling the story of the woman you are now? 👗 Chief Style Strategist Bria Johnson joins Beverley Glazer to help women over 50 close the 'Embodiment Gap' and reclaim their visual authority.

Are you walking into rooms feeling unseen, underestimated, or just slightly "off" in your own skin? In this episode of Aging with Purpose and Passion, host Beverley Glazer talks with Bria Johnson, founder of Iconic with Style, about why style is the ultimate strategic tool for midlife reinvention.

As women over 50, we often face the "Embodiment Gap"—the space where our internal wisdom and our external image no longer match. Bria shares how to bridge that gap with intention, proving that personal branding isn't just for influencers; it's for every woman ready to be seen and heard in her second act. In this episode, we discuss:

• Style Strategy Over 50: Why "dressing for success" changes as we evolve and how to align your wardrobe with your current authority.
• The 3-Second Rule: The psychology of how your clothes introduce you before you speak a single word.
• Midlife Wardrobe Reclamation: Practical, budget-friendly ways to upgrade your look during career pivots, promotions, or post-divorce.
• Overcoming the "Imposter" Look: How to navigate body image changes and weight fluctuations with confidence and grace.
• The Legacy of Presence: Lessons from Bria’s grandmother on dressing with dignity, regardless of resources. Key Takeaway: You’ve spent decades building your image, midlife is the time to stand out.

Resources - For similar episodes on visibility and confidence, check out episodes 150 and 166 of Aging with Purpose and Passion

If you love travel over 50, Check out the  https://agelesstraveler.com

Bria Johnson – Chief Style Strategist, I.C.O.N.I.C With Style™
📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://iconicwithstyle.com
📘 https://www.facebook.com/briajohnsonofficial/
https://www.instagram.com/iconicwithstyle/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/briajjohnson/
Beverley Glazer, MA – Reinvention Strategist & Empowerment Coach | Host
📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 Women Over 50 Rock: https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/

Send us Fan Mail

 🎁 The Gift of a Safe Space: A private, non-judgmental zone away from work and family to focus entirely on your needs, your journey and what's next for you. If you are feeling stuck in your transition, this is your space to exhale.

Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at [email protected]

"She dated 30 men in 15 months to find 'the one.' 👠 Then, she reinvented her entire career using 'Midlife Magic.' Stop waiting for luck and start choosing your future."

Is your next chapter a matter of luck, or a series of deliberate choices? In this episode of Aging with Purpose and Passion, Beverley Glazer talks with author and "MBA Mystic" Ronnie Ann Ryan. Ronnie shares the exact strategy she used to find love and how she pivoted her career during a global crisis by trusting her midlife intuition.

If you’re a woman over 50 navigating modern dating, a career pivot, or a second act, this conversation is your roadmap to transitioning from a "grind" to a "divine flow."

Top Takeaways from This Episode:

• The 30-Date Strategy: Why treating your love life like a marketing project yields results.
• Dating Mistakes to Avoid: The two biggest reasons women over 50 stay single—and how to fix them.
• The "MBA Mystic" Pivot: Transitioning from corporate finance to intuitive coaching using neuroscience.
• Softening the Armor: How to stop leading with judgment and start leading with "Smile Magic."
• The Intuition Superpower: Why your "gut feeling" is a data-driven tool that gets sharper after 50.

Key Takeaway: You don't need a miracle; you need a method. Your second act is an experiment—don't be afraid to fail until you win.

Resources:

If you’re over 50 and love to travel, The Ageless Traveler is your #1 resource for life long travel. Discover exciting places, luxury travel for less, grandparent and solo travel, culture and culinary experiences, and meet the people who make travel easy.  https://agelesstraveler.com

Ronnie Ann Ryan - Intuitive Coach & Wise Woman

📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://intuitiveedge.biz
📸 https://instagram.com/ronnieannryan
💼 https://linkedin.com/in/ronnieannryan
🎙️ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/breathe-love-magic/id1540654474

Beverley Glazer, MA – Reinvention Strategist & Host

📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/

Send us Fan Mail

 🎁 The Gift of a Safe Space: A private, non-judgmental zone away from work and family to focus entirely on your needs, your journey and what's next for you. If you are feeling stuck in your transition, this is your space to exhale.

Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at [email protected]

They told her to retire; she wrote 'Elderotica' instead. 🖋️ At 60, biologist Stella Fosse stopped following the scripts and started rewriting them—literally."

Can your most exciting chapter actually begin after 60? In this episode of Aging with Purpose and Passion, host Beverley Glazer sits down with biologist and author Stella Fosse. Stella’s life is a masterclass in midlife reinvention—moving from a career in biotech and finance to becoming a leading voice in post-midlife erotica and independent publishing.

Whether you are navigating caregiving, exploring late-life love, or looking to start a business after 60, Stella’s journey from Berkeley advocate to the founder of a  book publishing company, proves that you can design the future you actually want.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Challenging Ageism: Why Stella created the Elderotica series to rewrite myths about desire and aging.
• The Creative Leap: How a backyard chicken mite infestation led to her first scientific saga and book.
• Love After 60: Meeting her partner Graham online at 62 and launching a successful entrepreneurial partnership.
• Self-Publishing Secrets: Owning the process from page to publication and the discipline behind a thriving creative life.
• Disability Advocacy: Lessons learned from the disability rights movement and raising twins with high-care needs.

Key Takeaway: Ignore the scripts that shrink you. Your next chapter is yours to write, whether it involves post-midlife sexuality, a new career, or a creative legacy.

Resources: 

If you’re over 50 and love to travel, The Ageless Traveler is your #1 resource for life long travel. Discover exciting places, luxury travel for less, grandparent and solo travel, culture and culinary experiences, and meet the people who make travel easy.  https://agelesstraveler.com

Stella Fosse – Author & Speaker

🌐 https://www.stellafosse.com
📘 https://www.facebook.com/StellaFosseAuthor
📸 Instagram: @stella.fosse
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/stellafosse
✍️ https://stellafosse.substack.com

Beverley Glazer, MA – Reinvention Strategist & Host

🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/

Send us Fan Mail

 🎁 The Gift of a Safe Space: A private, non-judgmental zone away from work and family to focus entirely on your needs, your journey and what's next for you. If you are feeling stuck in your transition, this is your space to exhale.

Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at [email protected]

What happens when the business you love becomes a burden you can no longer carry?

In this episode of Aging with Purpose and Passion, host Beverley Glazer talks with entrepreneur and author Ev Foster. Ev shares her raw journey from building a women’s gym community in Scotland to walking away under crushing pressure and ultimately reinventing herself in real estate leadership.

Whether you are navigating single motherhood, recovering from business burnout, or looking for a midlife career change, Ev’s "butterfly metaphor" provides a practical blueprint for transformation.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Pivot from Burnout: How to walk away from a business that no longer serves you.
• Cultural Mindsets: Breaking the silence around success and ambition.
• Single Motherhood & Career: Turning self-employment into a lifeline for your family.
• Change Starts With Choice: Why a failed business is a door, not a dead end.

Key Takeaway: Transformation requires a "chrysalis." Sometimes you have to deconstruct your current life to emerge stronger in your next chapter.

For similar episodes on rebuilding your career in later life check out  #160 and 165 of Aging with Purpose and Passion

Resources: 

If you’re over 50 and love to travel, The Ageless Traveler is your #1 resource for life long travel. Discover exciting places, luxury travel for less, grandparent and solo travel, culture and culinary experiences, and meet the people who make travel easy.  https://agelesstraveler.com

Ev Foster – Coach & Speaker

📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://linktr.ee/EvFoster

Beverley Glazer, MA – Reinvention Strategist & Host

📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/

Send us Fan Mail

 🎁 The Gift of a Safe Space: A private, non-judgmental zone away from work and family to focus entirely on your needs, your journey and what's next for you. If you are feeling stuck in your transition, this is your space to exhale.

Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at [email protected]

What happens when the person who should protect you becomes your greatest threat?

How do you survive coercive control, domestic abuse, and suicide loss? Counselor Patricia Gordon Stevens reveals how to reclaim your life.

 On Aging with Purpose and Passion, host Beverley Glazer MA, CCC, sits down with counselor and author Patricia Gordon Stevens to trace a harrowing path from a high-control marriage to a life of service and resilience.

Patricia opens up about the chilling reality of coercive control—from being marched out of a university class by a partner to the calculated bravery required to leave when control turns dangerous. Her story takes an even deeper turn as she discusses the back-to-back deaths of her sister and her son to suicide, exploring how the world responds to "stigmatized" grief.

Inside the Episode:

• Identifying Coercive Control: The red flags of domestic abuse that go beyond physical violence.
• Safety Planning: Why the most dangerous moment is the decision to leave—and how to do it safely.
• Grief Without Stigma: Navigating the specific isolation and "silence" of suicide loss.
• The Power of Study: How returning to psychology in midlife restored Patricia’s identity and income.
• Madness in Memphis: Using storytelling and fiction to expose the truth about domestic violence.

For similar episodes on reinvention in later life check out  #104 and 154 of Aging with Purpose and Passion

Resources: 

If you’re over 50 and love to travel, The Ageless Traveler is your #1 resource for life long travel. Discover exciting places, luxury travel for less, grandparent and solo travel, culture and culinary experiences, and meet the people who make travel easy.  https://agelesstraveler.com

Patricia Gordon Stevens – Author & Owner, Maxwell House Counselling

📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://www.maxhouse.com.au
🌐 https://www.patriciagordonstevens.com
📘 Facebook: Patricia Gordon Stevens Author | Maxwell House Counselling
📸 Instagram: @patriciagordonstevensauthor | Maxwell House Counselling
💼 LinkedIn: Patricia Gordon Stevens Author | Maxwell House Counselling

Beverley Glazer, MA – Reinvention Strategist & Host

📧 [email protected]
🌐 https://reinventImpossible.com
💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/beverleyglazer
📘 https://www.facebook.com/reinventImpossible
👥 https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenover50rock
📸 https://www.instagram.com/beverleyglazer_reinvention/

Send us Fan Mail

 🎁 The Gift of a Safe Space: A private, non-judgmental zone away from work and family to focus entirely on your needs, your journey and what's next for you. If you are feeling stuck in your transition, this is your space to exhale.

Have feedback or a powerful story that's worth telling? Contact us at [email protected]