Coming Out Late

Happy 2022! Robin dives into the New Year with encouragement to find your one word for the year and why it’s important to get clear on the life you want for yourself.

In this episode, you will learn…

• Details about available support from Women Loving Women Group and Monthly Dinner Club
• Challenge to approach 2022 with a new way of thinking, feeling and doing
• Why Robin’s one word for the year is COURAGE
• Encouragement to determine your one word for 2022
• Acknowledging codependency and ignoring red flags
• Get out of your head and into your heart and into your body
• Release your feelings and make time to get honest about what you want in life

Links to resources:

I have recently set-up a "Buy Me A Coffee" account to help me defray the costs of producing my "Coming Out Late" podcast! If you've been enjoying the first dozen Episodes, won't you please consider 'buying me a coffee' as a sign of appreciation? I incur over $400 in expenses every month and do not get paid or make a dime on our podcast to date...so any caffeine donations are deeply, deeply appreciated!!

With enormous gratitude, Robin 🙏🙏🙏

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/RobinDouglass

Join our private FB Group: Coming Out Late Community at: www.facebook.com/groups/comingoutlatecommunity/

Want to come to a WOMEN LOVING WOMEN support group? Email me "WLW" to: [email protected] and I will send you the Zoom ID & PW / Link.

Want to take advantage of the limited time (50% Off) Early Bird Special (for my January 4-week workshop), "A New Year & A New You: A Workshop for Personal Growth to Attract New Relationships", email me the word "EARLY BIRD" and I will send you information and reserve a seat for you!

Want to book a 1:1 Mentoring Session with me about anything and everything related to Coming Out Late? Send me an email with the word: HELP and we'll schedule you in immediately!! ($22/hour)

BLOOMERS SOCIETY: www.bloomerssociety.com

Support the show

Robin responds to comments, questions and topics from different social media outlets that address coming out late and shares her personal perspective about common issues.

In this episode, you will learn…

• You win some, you lose some—acknowledging relationships may change after coming out
• Remember—it’s not about sexuality, it’s about toxicity and toxic people don’t need to be in your life
• Girlfriends?—understanding how women loving women relationships operate and establishing clarity
• The Big Freeze—”gay panic” and why we get nervous when we like someone
• Flirting—knowing what crosses the line and communicating with your partner
• Mutual respect and mutual love is always important

Links to resources:

I have recently set-up a "Buy Me A Coffee" account to help me defray the costs of producing my "Coming Out Late" podcast! If you've been enjoying the first dozen Episodes, won't you please consider 'buying me a coffee' as a sign of appreciation? I incur over $400 in expenses every month and do not get paid or make a dime on our podcast to date...so any caffeine donations are deeply, deeply appreciated!!

With enormous gratitude, Robin 🙏🙏🙏

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/RobinDouglass

Join our private FB Group: Coming Out Late Community at: www.facebook.com/groups/comingoutlatecommunity/

Want to come to a WOMEN LOVING WOMEN support group? Email me "WLW" to: [email protected] and I will send you the Zoom ID & PW / Link.

Want to take advantage of the limited time (50% Off) Early Bird Special (for my January 4-week workshop), "A New Year & A New You: A Workshop for Personal Growth to Attract New Relationships", email me the word "EARLY BIRD" and I will send you information and reserve a seat for you!

Want to book a 1:1 Mentoring Session with me about anything and everything related to Coming Out Late? Send me an email with the word: HELP and we'll schedule you in immediately!! ($22/hour)

Support the show

The holidays can be particularly challenging for those who’ve just come out. Robin shares how to handle difficult situations with care and the importance of keeping lines of communication with your children and/or family as open as possible. Robin also discusses why the New Year is a perfect time to prioritize self care!

In this episode, you will learn…

• How to handle the holidays with your significant other or former significant other
• You don't have to spend an uncomfortable holiday unless there are children involved.
• Suggestions for how to manage difficult feelings in the same space with others
• Advice for asking your children what they expect on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
• Try to be the one that initiates cohesiveness and togetherness and connectedness.
• The sooner our children realize and can adapt to and embrace change as something that just simply happens, and it's not something to be feared is good.
• The importance of making self care your number one priority
• Encouragement to let go of toxic relationships—no matter who they’re with
• We're gonna learn how to love ourselves or we're gonna learn how to shed our codependency because it's a new year.

Links to resources:

OMG, OMG...super excited to have *just* set-up a "Buy Me A Coffee" account to help me defray the costs of producing my "Coming Out Late" podcast! If you've been enjoying the first 11 Episodes, won't you please consider 'buying me a coffee' as a sign of appreciation? I pay $400 every four episodes just to get it produced...and I'm not making a single cent on it to date...so any caffeine donations are deeply, deeply appreciated!!

With enormous gratitude, Robin 🙏🙏🙏

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/RobinDouglass

Join our private FB Group: Coming Out Late Community at: www.facebook.com/groups/comingoutlatecommunity/

Want to come to a WOMEN LOVING WOMEN support group? Email me "WLW" to: [email protected] and I will send you the Zoom ID & PW / Link.

Want to take advantage of the limited time (50% Off) Early Bird Special (for my January 4-week workshop), "A New Year & A New You: A Workshop for Personal Growth to Attract New Relationships", email me the word "EARLY BIRD" and I will send you information and reserve a seat for you!

Want to book a 1:1 Mentoring Session with me about anything and everything related to Coming Out Late? Send me an email with the word: HELP and we'll schedule you in immediately!! ($22/hour)

Support the show

Robin and Leanne share why it’s better late than never to come out and live the life you are meant to live with no blame, guilt or shame. Leanne also gives insight to how our brains process emotions and anxiety, and how we have the power to change our lives! 

In this episode, you will learn…

• What an neuro linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner does
• Change requires willingness and the right attitude for change.
• Understanding anxiety and 2 pathways to anxiety: cortex-based, thoughts vs. amygdala-based, reactions
• Strong emotional experiences become your body’s emotional history, which then condition how you feel and react to situations.
• Stop listening to the stories in your head—we recall stories based on perspective, not reality.
• How Leanne works with clients to change their language and programming
• Worry is nothing more than predicting chaos.
• Remembering we have limited years, don’t waste them living unauthentically.
• Advice for how to tell your significant other about your sexuality
• Fear is nothing more than False Evidence Appearing Real.
• A label is nothing more than an explanation for society—be who you’re meant to be
• The power of working through negative self beliefs      

Links to resources:

Leanne Jones is a leading LGBTQ+ women's anxiety recovery coach and therapist, and owner and founder of BRAVER WOMEN. Leanne is based in the UK, but has a worldwide client base. With her program BRAVER WOMEN, Leanne specializes in providing LGBTQ+ women with the tools to stop anxiety and to raise self-esteem, to live with more passion, pride and purpose. Her BRAVER WOMEN website is currently being developed and can soon be found at: www.braverwomen.com. In the meantime, follow this link to request to join Leanne's amazing FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/359069712192635/

You can follow Robin on Instagram at www.instagram.com/Late.Blooming.Lesbian And for an invitation to her private Women Loving Women support groups on Zoom, email Robin at: [email protected]

Looking for your coming-out-late community? Request to be a member of the Coming Out Late Community Facebook Group, a private and secure group of late blooming lesbians, at: www.facebook.com/ComingOutLateCommunity (Please fill out all the registration questions.)

Coming out later in life has its fair share of stress and challenges. Be sure to take good care of your mental health during this trying time. Contact Pride Counseling and book an appointment at: www.pridecounseling.com/comingoutlater.

Support the show

Robin shares the story of her first queer wedding—she was the queer at the wedding. Her story also describes the awkwardness she faced of being the only gay couple at the wedding and how her girlfriend came to her rescue and made her feel comfortable, as well as some of the issues they faced during the event.

In this episode, you will learn…

• We can survive and thrive doing difficult and scary things.
• Her relationship with her daughters after she came out about her sexuality
• Learning to let go of others’ opinions and thoughts—they don’t know your side of the story.
• The messy middle of coming out to yourself
• The reality is never as bad as all that is going on in our brains.
• Things like anxiety will come up—just focus on how you want to feel through that event.
• People will have different opinions about you because you’re gay—smile and hold your head high—you’ve not done anything wrong.
• Don’t conform to what other people think or want for you—you know what you want—just be brave enough to go out there and get it.
• Move forward in your life and do the things that make you happy.

Links to resources:

By taking bloomers society off Facebook and moving to a private platform, we've created a robust and interactive community filled with stories, interviews, and resources, all at your fingertips right when you join. https://bloomerssociety.com

You can follow Robin on Instagram at www.instagram.com/Late.Blooming.Lesbian. And for an invitation to her private Women Loving Women support groups on Zoom, email Robin at: [email protected]

Looking for your coming-out-late community? Request to be a member of the Coming Out Late Community Facebook Group, a private and secure group of late blooming lesbians, at: www.facebook.com/ComingOutLateCommunity (Please fill out all the registration questions.)

Coming out later in life has its fair share of stress and challenges. Be sure to take good care of your mental health during this trying time. Contact Pride Counseling and book an appointment at: www.pridecounseling.com/comingoutlater.

Support the show

Robin talks to Anne-Marie Zanza and her wife, Tonda McKay, about the impact of religion on people coming late out as gay and their journey of accepting and embracing their sexuality.

In this episode, you will learn…

• Anne and Tonda’s backstory
• How isolation impacts your dating life
• The journey of accepting and embracing their sexuality
• Unpacking the patriarchy and understanding why certain things are just wrong
• Jesus’ teachings are far from what the church does
• Bridging the divide between the binary of male and female
• Existence of same-sex relationships in the eighties.
• Different schools of thought on acknowledging sexuality
• The reaction of family and friends when they came out
• Same-sex relationships and the constraints of religious institutions
• Finding a community that suits you as a member of the LGBTQ family
• Coming out as gay and redefining who you are
• Deconstructing how you were taught your faith

Links to resources:

Looking for your coming-out-late community? Request to be a member of the Coming Out Late Community Facebook Group, a private and secure group of late blooming lesbians, at: www.facebook.com/ComingOutLateCommunity. (Please fill out ALL the registration questions.)

You can follow Robin on Instagram at www.instagram.com/Late.Blooming.Lesbian. And for an invitation to her private Women Loving Women support groups on Zoom, email Robin at: [email protected].

Coming Out Coach, Anne-Marie Zanzal can be found at: www.annemariezanzal.com. Her podcast, "Coming Out and Beyond" tells the story of the later in life community and can be heard wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. And Anne-Marie's memoir, "Authentic Peace", speaks to anyone who is in a transitional stage in life and who are called to reinvent themselves. Her wife, Tonda McKay is an award-winning, professional, architectural photographer. Tonda's work and contact information can be found by visiting: www.tondamckay.com.

Support the show

Robin talks to Cathy about helping women so that their lives can be changed and creating the cycle of wealth and success among women around the world. It's an inspiring conversation, so here's some inspiration from her!

In this episode, you will learn…

• Cathy’s journey of becoming a financial planner
• Knowing about your likes and dislikes
• Making big changes in your life by leaving a toxic situation
• Creating a community that allows women to find their voices and strengths
• Midlife awakening helps you to live a better life
• You can’t move forward unless you’re honest with yourself
• The pros and cons of COVID
• Listening to your gut to follow your intuition
• Women have put themselves on the back burner for so long that they have almost forgotten what they want to do
• The impact we can have by helping others

Links to resources:

Looking for your coming-out-late community? Request to be a member of the Coming Out Late Community Facebook Group, a private and secure group of late blooming lesbians, at: www.facebook.com/ComingOutLateCommunity. (Please fill out ALL the registration questions.)

You can follow Robin on Instagram at www.instagram.com/Late.Blooming.Lesbian. And for an invitation to her private Women Loving Women support groups on Zoom, email Robin at: [email protected].

Cathy Derksen is a wealth & success coach as well as a 5-time Amazon best-selling author and International Speaker. You can find more information about Cathy and the programs and services she offers by visiting her website at: www.inspiredtenacity.com

Support the show

Today, Robin is sharing some of the topics that she and her support group - Women Loving Women - chat about weekly. The conversations are incredible, so she’s bringing some of that magic here to you! 

In this episode, you will learn…

• Some suggested dating sites that have worked well for the women in the support group.
• How tough it can be to use dating sites and apps.
• Some exciting new social mixers that are in the works!
• Thoughts on newly living together with your new girlfriend.
• What it’s like to have a skeptical partner who is worried about dating a late bloomer.
• The power of staying in the moment.
• Dating or living with someone who does not have children when you do.
• Advice for when you’re trying to blend two families.
• How true it is that once you start coming out to people, you might start feeling like a sixteen-year old boy! 

Links to resources:

Looking for your coming-out-late community? Request to be a member of the Coming Out Late Community Facebook Group, a private and secure group of late blooming lesbians, at: www.facebook.com/ComingOutLateCommunity. (Please fill out ALL the registration questions.)

You can follow Robin on Instagram at www.instagram.com/Late.Blooming.Lesbian. And for an invitation to her private Women Loving Women support groups on Zoom, email Robin at: [email protected].

Julia Hoffman, Founder of Bloomers Society, has created a robust and interactive private community of late bloomers, filled with stories, interviews, and resources, all at your fingertips right when you join. https://bloomerssociety.com

Lesbian Chronicles is a podcast for people who’ve realized their true sexual identity later in life. Find Lesbian Chronicles at: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lesbian-chronicles-coming-out-later-in-life/id1468550568?i=1000541058765

Support the show

Robin shares details about her online support group “Women Loving Women”. She also dives into the powerful responses she received after posing the question “What do you wish you knew then that you’ve known now on your journey” to the women of the group.

In this episode, you will learn…

• People don’t own each other—no one could or should tell you how to live your life.
• Women are selfless but are often made to feel selfish.
• You can take care of yourself—you can do hard things.
• Fear of the unknown is the common thread that holds so many back in life.
• Finding the inner strength to say “Yes, I’m gay” and learning to trust yourself.
• There’s nothing better than living your truth.
• Coming out is not horrible and difficult for everyone.
• Feel the freedom of coming out to yourself—You don't really need to know 100% with certainty that you for sure are gay and you're coming out as gay. Just give yourself permission to explore those thoughts.
• Live your life and find your truth. 

Links to resources:

By taking bloomers society off facebook and moving to a private platform, we've created a robust and interactive community filled with stories, interviews, and resources, all at your fingertips right when you join. https://bloomerssociety.com

You can follow Robin on Instagram at www.instagram.com/Late.Blooming.Lesbian And for an invitation to her private Women Loving Women support groups on Zoom, email Robin at: [email protected]

Looking for your coming-out-late community? Request to be a member of the Coming Out Late Community Facebook Group, a private and secure group of late blooming lesbians, at: www.facebook.com/ComingOutLateCommunity (Please fill out all the registration questions.)

Coming out later in life has its fair share of stress and challenges. Be sure to take good care of your mental health during this trying time. Contact Pride Counseling and book an appointment at: www.pridecounseling.com/comingoutlater.

Support the show

Robin and Kari take a stroll down memory lane, sharing and retelling their stories of coming out later in life, as well as exploring the ‘opportunities’ that come with this journey. They discuss the ‘snow globe’ theory, facing our fears, naming and labeling ourselves, and learning from our break-ups, to name a few. 

In this episode, you will learn…

• Kari’s coming out story. “Three years ago I came out to me, and me only!”
• You are not alone. You are not the only one!
• Don’t be afraid of the unknown. Get excited about the new opportunities.
• The importance of support. Who am I? I just don’t know who I am!
• Should I immediately jump into a relationship? Or should I wait, remain single, and ‘work on me’ first?
• Feeling the feels. Feel all your feelings. Sit with them, and acknowledge them.
• To label or not to label? It doesn’t matter because it’s up to you. There are no rules to what we call ourselves - if anything at all. Saying ‘those words’ out loud. 

Links to resources:

You can follow Robin on Instagram at www.instagram.com/Late.Blooming.Lesbian And for an invitation to her private Women Loving Women support groups on Zoom, email Robin at: [email protected]

Looking for your coming-out-late community? Request to be a member of the Coming Out Late Community Facebook Group, a private and secure group of late blooming lesbians, at: www.facebook.com/ComingOutLateCommunity (Please fill out all the registration questions.)

You can find Kari DeWitt on nearly all the social media platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok, (@KariDeWitt), as well as on her hugely popular private Facebook Group, Late Bloomer Lesbians: www.facebook.com/latebloomerlesbians. Kari’s website is: www.karingtransformation.com

Coming out later in life has its fair share of stress and challenges. Be sure to take good care of your mental health during this trying time. Contact Pride Counseling and book an appointment at: www.pridecounseling.com/comingoutlater.

Support the show