Today we welcome Danessa Knaupp to the show. Danessa is the CEO and Founder of Avenue 8 Advisors, guiding the strategic direction of the firm and shifting the global conversation on leadership. She has coached hundreds of executives across every major industry and has developed a reputation as a candid, compassionate and courageous leadership partner. She is the author of the best- selling leadership book, Naked at Work: A Leader’s Guide to Fearless Authenticity. Danessa is a fresh, positive voice on leadership and authenticity who has become so successful by LEARNING HOW TO FAIL. She has leaned into failure in order to learn the lessons that come with tackling fear and grabbing life by the reins - ultimately always leading to her next greatest success. 

In this episode, Dannessa shares practical tips with us on how to show up as who WE WANT TO BE as women in midlife, own our stories and connect in truly powerful ways by:

1. Calling failure what it is. Words are powerful.  Owning your failure is owning your story.
2. Doing what pushes us to inch our way back out there after we have failed. Taking a small step give us momentum.
3. Giving advice only when someone asks and from a place that serves the other person's stated priorities
4. Understanding that we get to decide whose voices matter to us in life
5. Teaching us that behavior change is not a destination…It is a merry-go-round in which you have to come back, and come back again to the conversation and continuing to try. and 
6. Believing that authenticity, at it's core, is about connecting with other people to serve them more effectively. Its sharing of yourself so others may learn from who you are or feel safer bringing more of themselves to the table.

Girlfriend, are you ready to get naked? And when we ask that question, we mean are YOU ready to get real and authentic with yourself? It is time to ditch midlife mediocrity and pursue your purpose and passions in life. If you are feeling stuck and burned out, we are here to lift you up and support you in reinventing yourself. You can gain access to a simple blueprint that will guide you on your journey and join our tribe of fierce women who will hold your hand every step of the way by visiting our website, dearmidlife.com.

So, you may not have been able to convince us of this in our younger years, but our mid-life selves agree with our guest, Heather Hope, when she says "clothing is required".

The truth is that we all get dressed every single day and life is short. So, that should be easy and fun, right?! Heather Hope is a personal stylist who launched the House of Colour Franchise in Denver, CO, when she was 40.  As she embarked on this venture, she had a newborn son and a 2-year old daughter at home, as well as, a rewarding executive role in Public Relations and Marketing in the corporate world…but, like so many of us, she had simply lost her "mojo".  On top of that, she faced a corporate betrayal that many of us may not have bounced back from.  But Heather pulled herself up and recreated her future through House of Colour. She leapt into action and began the journey of knowing her best colors and developing her own personal style which helped her to feel more confident, energetic, authentic and VISIBLE…something that we women in midlife really struggle with. Now, Heather loves giving her clients the tools to amplify their own natural beauty.

As women, we hear so many mixed messages…"you are too much"…"you are not enough"…her message is that you are just right…just the way you are.  She loves that House of Colour services and celebrates each client, helping her to rediscover her natural beauty, from booty to boobs and beyond, and giving them the tools to amplify that beauty.  In this episode, Heather teaches us:

In this episode, Heather teaches us:

1. Confidence comes with both color AND style and discusses how to identify these for ourselves
2. We wear about 15% of what is in our current wardrobe. When evaluating YOUR wardrobe, ask these 5 questions: a) Does it fit me RIGHT NOW?; b) Is it in a great color that makes you look healthy and vibrant; c) Does it play well with others?; d) Is it authentic to you?; and e) How would I rate it on a scale from 1-10?
3. Shop with a list. Know what you need and what your lifestyle demands and shop with intention!

Heather has over 100 colleagues across the country who do the same work with the House of Colour franchise.

You can connect with Heather at: https://linktr.ee/HOCHeatherHope Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/houseofcolour_heatherhope/  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HouseofColourHeatherHope/

Girl! We are here to love you and lift you up and help you to evolve in midlife. It's time to own your destiny. Join our tribe of badass women and gain access to toolkits that will help you level-up you midlife at dearmidlife.com.

Are you over 40?  Do you ever feel like you’re stuck? Maybe you've always had this knowing that you are meant to be more or do more?  Dear Midlife is about triumphing over life's adversities together and empowering women over 40 to navigate with strength and courage alllllll of the messiness of life. We are Shelby Bybee, a 48-year old karaoke party queen, full-time single mother of 2 teenage girls, world traveler and an extrovert to a fault! And Trinity Greenfield, a 50-year old wild-haired little girl, living in a grown woman's body that's still full of spunk, charm, and sass with a sprinkle of some black girl magic! U!  Join us! Because we are better together! We've created this podcast for you…for me and all of us as a guide to navigating and TRANSFORM midlife…we are tribe of strong, successful women who have given so much to our families, to our jobs, to our communities and now want to reclaim ourselves and live our best lives without apology!  So, if this is you…but, you're feeling a little stuck, or tired, or confused, maybe even a little defeated…but, somewhere deep inside you have a fire in your belly to be more…do more…join us.  In this podcast you will find a weekly dose of real talk with expert advice, best practices and actionable tips for living stronger, healthier, more financially vibrant midlives with better relationships with your significant others, your children and yourself!  Our time together will be raw, authentic, it will shift your mindset and your heartset, it might slap you in the face and it will be the kick in the ass we all need to break through fear and embrace all the possibilities of life in the middle.