Becoming Your Best Version

Women over 40 comprise 25% of the U.S. population, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in popular culture and the media. Dina Alvarez and Dina Aronson set out to change that with their bold new anthology, Midlife Private Parts: Revealing Essays That Will Change the Way You Think About Age. It is a deeply moving collection of soulful essays that speak to what it really feels like to move through the world as a midlife woman and beyond. It is a rallying cry to embrace midlife unapologetically, and a powerful reminder that you are not going through it alone.

Dina Alvarez started her writing career as a freelancer for Big Apple Parent in New York City covering education, local politics, and lifestyle. She later co-founded SomosPadres, the first and only bilingual parenting publication for Hispanic families in New York City. Dina currently works for a financial firm and continues to write in her spare time with a focus on creative nonfiction pieces. Dina is an avid reader and lover of anthologies, particularly those that tell women’s stories. Dina is the mother of two adult sons and a native New Yorker. She continues to call the city home where she lives with her husband and youngest son.

Dina Aronson is a writer, editor and pro-age advocate who is passionate about shining a light on midlife women and reframing the cultural conversation around aging. She began her career as an attorney, later founding a legal search consultancy, but pivoted as she approached midlife and couldn’t find relevant content that reflected her experience. She began freelancing for start-ups aimed at the forty and above woman, and founded the Patina blog, now a Substack newsletter called Patina with Dina Aronson, where she explores topics in and around aging through her midlife lens. She has two grown stepsons, and currently resides between New York City and Miami with her husband.

Midlife Private Parts: Revealing Essays that Will Change the Way You Think About Age (June 24, 2025, Regalo Press)

Learn more:

 www.midlifeprivateparts.com

IG handles: @patina_life and @thewritestyles

https://substack.com/@patinawithdinaaronson 

https://open.substack.com/pub/dinaalvarez

Carren Strock, has often been called a Renaissance woman. Equally at home with a paintbrush and canvas, a needle and thread, or a hammer and nails, she is as eclectic in her writing as she is in her other interests. While best known for her ground-breaking book Married Women Who Love Women and more, her writing style lends itself to many different genres, both fiction and nonfiction. In addition, her articles and essays have appeared in Newsweek, Woman’s Day, Ms. the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, PBS’s Next Avenue and AARP’s The Ethel.

Married Women Who Love Women,  because of its enduring cultural relevance, is being recognized as a classic, 25 years after its debut.  "Until I was forty-three, I would have said with absolute certainty, 'I am not, nor could I ever become, a lesbian. I know exactly who and what I am,' says Carren. One year later, after 25 years of a contented heterosexual marriage, I fell in love with another woman. I experienced more passion, pain, isolation and turmoil than I ever thought possible and I began to question who I really was. My journey from denial to self awareness, understanding and acceptance was not an easy one.

I wrote Married Women Who Love Women as a way to deal with my own discovery and to help other women deal with theirs. By interviewing more than 100 women, as well as their husbands and children, and through additional research as well, I found that this phenomenon—married women loving women—was not as uncommon as I had believed.

I also realized that no woman, single or married, is automatically exempt from the frightening possibility that she too might one day realize a dormant sexual awareness that she is lesbian or bisexual."

Learn more:

 http://www.carrenstrock.com

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064718108918Twitter: @CarrenStrock

Donna Simmons dares to believe in a world where young girls grow up free—free from abuse, exploitation and silence. A native of Kentucky, a state long shadowed by high rates of child abuse and a painful history of legal child marriage, Donna has become a leading voice for both justice and healing. Her advocacy was instrumental in reforming Kentucky law to end child marriage through parental consent, a victory that has inspired legal reform efforts across the U.S. and beyond.

Donna’s work goes far beyond policy. As a survivor herself, she knows that laws don’t heal people—relationships, truth and radical compassion do. Through her powerful memoir, Ashes to Flame, she shares her journey from trauma to transformation, inviting others to find the fire within their own stories and empowering survivors to rewrite their legacy—not as victims, but as cycle-breakers, leaders and healers.

Donna is also the creator and host of The Last Generation: Transforming Trauma Into Purpose, a raw and unfiltered podcast that blends lived experience with deep psychological insight. Each episode is a conversation for those daring to ask hard questions, confront inherited pain and choose a different future.

With every word, Donna challenges the narrative that trauma defines us. Her voice is a catalyst for real, embodied healing—one that motivates not just awareness, but action. Whether in the halls of legislation or at the mic of her podcast, Donna Simmons is not just telling the truth. She’s helping others reclaim—and rewrite—their own legacy.

Learn more:https://trauma2purpose.com⁠ 

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/donna.pollard.1426 and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571541050726

Instagram- @transformingashes2flame 

TikTok- @ashestoflame 

Dr. Neja Zupan is a visionary holistic mentor, energy mastery expert and international speaker guiding high achievers to full-spectrum vitality and soul-aligned success. After being given a 5% chance to survive aggressive cancer, and rising from generational scarcity to become a globally recognized entrepreneur, Dr. Zupan embodies the power of high energy frequency-first living. Her method—rooted in nervous system, facia, lymph recalibration, multidimensional intelligence and energy mastery—activates clarity, coherence and magnetic leadership.

Dr. Zupan is a trailblazer in holistic health and personal empowerment, whose journey overcoming aggressive hormone-dependent ductal cancer has become a source of inspiration for individuals and businesses worldwide. Diagnosed in 2013 with a grim prognosis and only a 5% chance of survival without medical intervention, she chose an unconventional path—rejecting chemotherapy, radiation and hormonal therapy. Instead, she embraced natural healing methods, mindset transformation, and inner resilience, emerging not just as a survivor but a thriving advocate for holistic health.

More than a decade cancer-free, Dr. Zupan has translated her profound personal experience into actionable insights for professionals and organizations seeking a deeper understanding of resilience, vitality and well-being. She integrates science, psychology, spirituality and traditional Eastern practices to teach strategies that foster sustainable wellness and prevent burnout. Her expertise inspires high-achievers and leaders to unlock their full potential, maintain high energy levels and create environments where individuals and teams can thrive.

Dr. Zupan’s message transcends health—it is a blueprint for transformation, showing that resilience, balance and purpose are the foundation of success in business and personal life. In this episode, Dr. Zupan talks about burnout recovery for high-achieving women, how to reclaim vitality through nervous system recalibration, multidimensional intelligence activation and how to access your intuitive and energetic brilliance. One easy tip is to start with laughter!

Learn more:

[email protected]

www.nejazupan.com

Instagram: @dr.nejazupan.institute

LinkedIn: /drnejazupan

Go to HighFrequencyEnergyFormula.com (for a free gift!)

Silvia Resnik's story is one of quiet longing, deep transformation and radical realignment. As an alone-born twin, she carried a sense of missingness all her life — even while following the “right” path: becoming a kindergarten teacher, earning a Master’s in Business Economics, working in HR and building her own consulting business. On the outside, she had it all. On the inside, she felt empty.

A spontaneous vacation to Zanzibar became the unexpected turning point. There, Silvia met the Maasai, a semi-nomadic tribe in East Africa known for their deep presence, connection to nature and spiritual strength. Something shifted. She felt seen, alive and whole — perhaps for the first time.

She didn’t just return home inspired — she changed her life completely. Silvia chose to live between two worlds and has since spent over 1.5 years in Tanzania, mostly on Zanzibar, living among the Maasai and integrating their wisdom into her way of being.

Today, Silvia is an ICF-certified coach who guides high-achieving women out of the golden cage of perfection and back into a life of truth, freedom and purpose. She blends modern coaching with the grounded, ancestral wisdom of the Maasai. Silvia also partners directly with Maasai leaders in the movement to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), advocating for sustainable change from within. Sylvia splits her time between Austria and Tanzania, and joined us from Tanzania. Since I was in Sri Lanka when I recorded this episode and Silvia was in Tanzania, we had a few recording hiccups, but Silvia's inspiring story shines through!

Learn more:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachsilviaresnik/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/silvia.simple.life.journey/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coachsilviaresnik
• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/resnik.silvia
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
• Websites: https://silviaresnik.com
• https://www.simple-life-journey.com/en

Tally Koren arrived in London with one suitcase and a dream in the late 90s. Against all odds she became an international singer/songwriter. Despite family objections and countless music business rejections, what kept her going was turning every minus to plus, taking every refusal to become better, and every hard situation to do something good to herself and others.

Her turning point to fulfill her childhood dreams and to become a singer happened at the age of 26, while she was in a very unhappy marriage. A singing teacher immediately recognised her talent and thought that her low voice is reminiscent of Karen Carpenter.

In 2007, Tally made the decision to make her first album and not to wait for the record company. Despite one of the top radio people telling her that she doesn’t have a chance to make it nationally because she was over 40, she made the choice to listen to the words of her song “Beauty of the Duty" saying that “the only thing that holds you back is you.” Her song became a national success on BBC radio three weeks later. Many of her other singles have been playlisted with over 1000 radio stations in the UK and around the world.

She has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, The National Arboretum, The Belgrade Theatre, Pizza on the Park, Pizza Express, The JW3, Electric Carousel, The Soho Revue Bar, the Forum (Kentish Town), Tate Britain to Celebrate William Blake’s birthday, The House of Lords, and opening a football match at the MK Dons Stadium. Her music has been featured in films and television advertisements.

Her purpose in life is to inspire people to do what they love. Tally says: “For me, free will is not just a song; it’s a journey about resilience, commitment, and my life purpose to inspire people to make the best choices in life, have the courage to go for their dreams, never give up, and take every rejection to become better.” At 61, she still is releasing new music and teaching children how to express themselves through songs.

Learn more and follow her: www.tallykoren.com

https://www.facebook.com/tallykoren/

https://twitter.com/tallykoren

https://www.youtube.com/user/tallykoren

www.instagram.com/tallykoren

Daniela helps stressed and burnt-out professionals ditch the guilt and overwhelm and productively manage their time and daily tasks with ease, so they have the space and energy for self-care every day.  She has been a Licensed Master’s Social Worker for more than 27 years, working with individuals on self-care, stress management skills, mindfulness, relationships, parenting and just managing all the chaos that life can send your way.

Daniela is a speaker/trainer, author of the book Balance Breakthrough - A Practical Guide for Busy Professionals to Take Charge of Their Work, Life, and Well-being, and host of the podcast, Best D Life with Daniela.  Daniela can help you learn the options and strategies to make over your schedule and life one day at a time. Her mission is to empower you to prioritize yourself on your to-do lists and learn the strategies to make over your daily life.

Learn more:

 https://www.bestdlife.com

Instagram - https://www.Instagram.com/best_d_life

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/bestdlife

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bestdlife

Arivee Vargas is an award-winning certified executive coach and the founder and CEO of Humble Rising LLC. She specializes in helping high-achieving women leaders and lawyers feel less overwhelmed and stuck, and have more joy, fulfillment, purpose and personal alignment. She is also the host of The Humble Rising Podcast, where she shares inspiring stories –primarily from women of color – and provides actionable strategies for achieving sustainable success and fulfillment.

Arivee is also the author of Your Time to Rise: Unlearn Limiting Beliefs, Unlock Your Power, and Unleash Your Truest Self. Your Time to Rise is about increasing self-awareness, gaining clarity, uncovering your truth, envisioning possibilities, and aligning what’s inside with what you’re doing, saying and pursuing on the outside. Arivee shows you how to use her simple, four-part framework to navigate personal and professional inflection points. Most importantly, Arivee provides actionable strategies and tools to help you break free from the often harmful and limiting beliefs and expectations you’ve internalized keeping you stuck and dissatisfied. Your Time to Rise will equip you with what you need on your journey to rise up and claim your truth and the long overdue clarity, joy and fulfillment you deserve.

Arivee’s work has been featured in Oprah Daily, Forbes, Success Magazine, Hispanic Executive Magazine, Authority Magazine, the Boston Business Journal, FIERCE by Mitú, YourTango, Thrive Global, BizWomen, the Mother Chapter, and more. Influence Digest has named Arivee a top coach in Boston for the past three years in a row. She is a sought-after speaker and thought leader on topics of women’s empowerment, self-care and wellbeing, how to prevent burnout, work-life harmony, career development and navigating the intersection of multiple identities as a first-generation Latina, mother, leader and lawyer.

Connect with Arivee:

www.ariveevargas.com

www.ariveevargas.com/book 

https://www.ariveevargas.com/podcast

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/ariveevargas/⁠⁠

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariveevargas/

Trinette Faint has been a storyteller and creative entrepreneur all her life. With her career spanning starting out as a model in France at 19, to working with celebrities like Matt Damon and Will Smith’s production company, to a 6 ½ year stint at Google. Trinette has also always been a creative writer, having published two novels, and is now a screenwriter, with her two tv pilots placing as semi-finalists in the ScreenCraft 2025 TV Pilot competition. In addition, she earned a certificate in Feature Film Writing from UCLA, at 52, all while continuing her modeling and acting career. Trinette continues to reinvent herself and defines her own version of success. As a Black Female standing tall at 6’1”, Trinette uses her wide range of background and experiences to continue to persevere and inspire fellow women in the industry. Her career also includes being an actor, a voiceover artist and podcast host. Trinette joined us from Boston.

In this episode, we discussed:

·       Trinette’s personal journey of reinventing herself and advice for fellow female entrepreneurs to make the most out of life

·       Book/Author Journey: Trinette can speak to the need for books to have strong Black female characters to portray and inspire a new generation

·       How to Fail: Trinette can speak to reprioritizing and shifting her goals based on failures and share why failing is vital to success

·       Experiencing Racism/Fat Shaming/Criticism as a Model

·       Mid-life topics: Personal experience as a 50+ woman

Learn more:

https://trinettefaint.com

https://www.instagram.com/trinette.faint/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/trinettefaint/

Cerise Turner is a dedicated public servant, community advocate and champion for peace whose lifelong commitment to service was recognized with the 2024 President Biden’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Volunteer Service. This national honor reflects her extraordinary contribution of more than 4,000 hours of volunteer service devoted to improving the lives of seniors, youth and families across Washington, D.C.

As Ms. Senior D.C. 2023 and a Senior Ambassador for the Department of Aging and Community Living, Cerise advocates for more than 120,000 older adults across all eight wards. Her leadership and outreach span hundreds of events from senior wellness centers to policy forums, parades, cultural celebrations and citywide resource fairs. She has given testimonies before the D.C. Council Committees and remains a trusted voice for equity, respect and quality of life for seniors.

She describes her metamorphosis when she became Ms. Senior D.C. She re-made herself by pushing herself to step outside of her typical behind the scenes type of lifestyle. She recommends volunteering as a way to get outside of oneself and meet others. She continues to challenge herself and live her best life at age 67.

In 2025, Cerise was named a United Nations Global Peace Ambassador (Appointed through an UN-affiliated NGO), a global recognition of her tireless efforts to promote unity, service, and community unity. She has also taken part in public awareness campaigns protecting seniors from fraud, served as a speaker on financial empowerment for women, and volunteered with countless interfaith and intergenerational initiatives.

Cerise’s professional background includes a successful career in the private legal sector in which she provided high-level litigation and legal support in leading law firms. Her work was marked by precision, discretion and a strong commitment to excellence, qualities that also define her volunteer leadership and advocacy.

Her passion for service has guided her through roles such as Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Educational Surrogate Parent for OSSE and Parent Watch Advocate where she supported children and families navigating complex educational and legal systems with empathy and determination.

Her community contributions have earned her multiple certificates of appreciation and excellence from the Department of Aging and Community Living, recognition from senior wellness centers, and acknowledgments from local organizations for her steadfast commitment to outreach and engagement. Cerise continues to serve with grace, purpose and compassion believing that lasting change begins with kindness, courage and the willingness to show up for others.

Follow her on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cerise-elaine-turner-90901241/

https://www.facebook.com/cerise.turner.1

https://www.instagram.com/cerise.turner.1/