Magnificent Midlife

Meet Claire Hodgson MBE, one of the stars of the fabulous play Mid Life which had a sell-out run at the Barbican in London. She's the founder of Diverse City, the Bristol theater company behind this production and the co-founder of Extraordinary Bodies, the UK's leading professional integrated circus company.

In this inspiring and empowering interview, we talk about:

• Claire's passion for diversity in the performing arts and theater in particular
• Institutional and systematic racism in our society and hoping that we are at a time of real transformation
• How it's time for white people to do something about racism because black people are exhausted and broken
• How often big moments of change in social justice come very quickly and white people need to act now
• How it's important to have everyone's story told and for everyone to be represented in life to validate our identity and experience
• The good things that can happen for us when we just say yes
• The importance of intersectionality and levels of prejudice dependent on our experience
• The many different stories around menopause and midlife
• How disabled people may be used to having restrictions on them, so lockdown was nothing new for them
• The difficulties of being in the live theater industry under Covid
• How much support the theater industry in particular needs from government and society
• Ways actors and performers are getting creative to continue showing their work
• Drive in theaters over the summer to get around restrictions
• Needing to be creative about how theater is presented may actually result in greater audience diversity and bigger audiences
• Claire's own experience of menopause and why she wanted to make the play Mid Life
• How we care less and can get clearer about what we do and don't want as we age
• Unveiling the big secret in the show!
• The power of midlife reflection and transformation
• The powerful role midlife women can have in creating the new normal

And lots more!

Find out more about Claire:

Diverse City (founder)

Extraordinary Bodies (co-founder)

Claire Hodgson Linkein, Claire Hodgson Twitter

Diverse City Facebook, Diverse City Linkedin, Diverse City Twitter

Extraordinary Bodies Facebook, Extraordinary Bodies Twitter, Extraordinary Bodies Instagram

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and maybe leave a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening. Find out how to leave a review here: bit.ly/leavepodcastreview

You can find out more information and get the show notes to every episode at magnificentmidlife.com. That's also where you'll find strategies, support and resources to help make your midlife magnificent. There's a midlife wellness program, courses, midlife mentoring to help make the most of your next chapter and our online Members Club. If not now, when?

An interview with Angela Counsel, naturopath, kinesiologist and mindset coach working particularly with women in midlife. Like me, she's on a mission to spread the word that menopause doesn't have to be a tough time in life, in fact it can be a time of stepping into your wisdom and falling in love with yourself and your life. Today we're talking about menopause, hormonal balance and supporting our immune systems particularly in response to Covid-19.

We talk about:

• How our jobs can impact our health
• How a miscarriage led Angela to study naturopathy
• The impact of stress on women's bodies and how it can cause early menopause
• The importance of hormonal balance at all stages of our lives
• How it's not normal to experience lots of symptoms around the time of menopause, if we do that means there are issues that need to be dealt with
• The many unnatural products in our lives that can impact our health
• The impact of stress on our immune systems and immune -related health issues
• If you struggle to get over a minor illness such as a cold then your immune system isn't working properly
• Never getting sick is not necessarily a good thing either
• The body's natural response to viral illness and how we can get in the way of that
• Our over reliance on taking a pill to get better
• Eating better, cleaner food to avoid pesticides
• Vinegar can help to remove waxy coatings on fruit and pesticides
• Eating organic if you can, especially if soft like broccoli and berries
• Stress, fear and toilet paper
• Alcohol, stress and the impact on menopause
• The impact of vitamin D levels on people's Covid response
• Why Australia has coped comparatively well with the pandemic

And lots more!

Angela's Website

Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and maybe leave a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening. Find out how to leave a review here: bit.ly/leavepodcastreview

You can find out more information and get the show notes to every episode at magnificentmidlife.com. That's also where you'll find strategies, support and resources to help make your midlife magnificent. There's a midlife wellness program, courses, midlife mentoring to help make the most of your next chapter and our online Members Club. If not now, when?

An interview with Julie Owen Moylan, a writer whose short stories and articles have appeared in the Welsh Review, Horizon Literary Review and The Voice of Women in Wales Anthology. She's also won awards for her films and has a massive following on Twitter! We talk all things writing, inspiration and finding one's authentic voice. There's lots of laughter here.

We talk about:

• How Julie came to be writing her first novel at nearly 60
• Following her dream of becoming a writer
• Her midlife excavation process
• How she got started writing seriously
• Finding the motivation to keep going
• The excitement of being spotted by a literary agent
• Making the most of our precious heartbeats
• Becoming more creative as we age
• How Julie writes and developed the story for the book
• The magic on days when the story just flows
• Julie's belief that somewhere in the ether the book exists and her job is to transmit it
• The importance of just turning up to write and getting in the right mood
• Finding ways to take the pressure to perform off oneself
• Julie's huge Twitter following and how that came about
• How Julie deals with anyone nasty on Twitter
• Getting better at straight-talking as we age
• Channelling Julie's inner Nessa
• Flying the Twitter flag for older women and setting the record straight on ageing
• Unravelling negative age-related narratives that have taken up residence in your head
• How great life can be after 40 and how it can keep getting better

And lots more!

Julie's Website

Twitter, Instagram

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and maybe leave a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening. Find out how to leave a review here: bit.ly/leavepodcastreview

You can find out more information and get the show notes to every episode at magnificentmidlife.com. That's also where you'll find strategies, support and resources to help make your midlife magnificent. There's a midlife wellness program, courses, midlife mentoring to help make the most of your next chapter and our online Members Club. If not now, when?

An incredibly powerful interview with Kimberly McCormick talking about understanding, acknowledging and taking action concerning the Black Lives Matter movement. Kimberly works at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta Georgia, is a singer/songwriter, and runs a growing community supporting diabetics. We met in a marketing group on Facebook where I found her to be an enormously inspiring speaker with a powerful way of getting past white defensiveness about our complicity in anti-black racism. So I asked her to come and talk to me so I could share her clarity, wisdom and powerful message.

We talk about: The sadness in the Black community and the roller-coaster of emotions at the moment The impact of 400 years of oppression today The relief that finally people are paying attention Trying to understand the weight of the emotion, both sadness and anger within the black community Being able to accept when Black people don't want to talk about what's going on Moving through White fragility and not getting defensive when confronted about racism Allowing Black people the time to exhale and work out where they are with the current situation The importance of listening and learning about the situation God deciding to take definitive action in 2020 to make humans listen The impact of Covid-19 on getting the world to wake up and take notice The impact of 400 years of oppression and stress on the overall health of the black community Carrying the grief of one's ancestors Being brave to ask questions and move on if you get it wrong Being willing to open yourself up to things you've never encountered before Being willing to get uncomfortable Changing your circle if everyone in it looks like you How if you want to break the ice you need to be willing to be the ice breaker What can white people in particular do now to help change the world, hopefully for good?

And lots more.

Kimberly's Facebook page.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and maybe leave a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening. Find out how to leave a review here: bit.ly/leavepodcastreview

You can find out more information and get the show notes to every episode at magnificentmidlife.com. That's also where you'll find strategies, support and resources to help make your midlife magnificent. There's a midlife wellness program, courses, midlife mentoring to help make the most of your next chapter and our online Members Club. If not now, when?

2020 is turning out to be a momentous year in more ways than half a dozen! The Black Lives Matter movement took off again in a huge way after the murder of George Floyd. I felt it was something I had to discuss on the podcast. So I turned to a magnificent midlife woman, Kwavi Agbeyegbe, who was an early guest in Season 1, to talk to and teach me about it.

We need to discuss this and white people in particular need to get educated and learn. Kwavi has a unique perspective on the situation. My hope is that this episode will in some small way help that education process. If you find it helpful please share this.

We talk about:

Hoping that major change is finally in the works Kwavi living in three different countries and how that has affected her perceptions of racism Experiencing racism in church in Boston The Jim Crow laws of racial segregation in the US Having to use separate water fountains and toilet facilities The slave trade and the implications of that Learning about anti-Black racism in the US Kwavi embracing her cultural heritage by choosing to use her middle name Living in Atlanta, the birthplace of Martin Luther King and civil rights Police brutality day to day Coping with the situation as it is now Learning from Black women The need to speak up if you have a platform Speaking to others who know so as not to make things worse in your comments Not discounting color by saying you are color-blind It's important to talk about this and cope with being uncomfortable. It's too easy to say you are not racist White privilege and staying comfortable Using your whiteness for good Reading and educating yourself Not knowing your heritage when your ancestors were slaves Needing to teach your children information to keep them safe because they are Black The assumption that Black kids are always doing something wrong White flight when Blacks move into a neighborhood White people fearing they will lose out if Black people get more Knowing Kwavi's boys are perceived differently Fearing being stopped by the police Amy Cooper and the Central Park incident Moving beyond just being seen as Black The need for protest to make voices heard The importance of educating yourself if you are White How Black people always tend to be at the bottom of the racism pile The need to focus now on Black lives not all lives The burden of dealing with these issues every day when you are Black Our obligation to speak up

And lots more.

Resources:

Nicole Walters Video

Rachel Rodgers Video

The Hate U Give Book

The Hate U Give Movie

Me and White Supremacy

Kwavi's Website

Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and maybe leave a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening. Find out how to leave a review here: bit.ly/leavepodcastreview

You can find out more information and get the show notes to every episode at magnificentmidlife.com. That's also where you'll find strategies, support and resources to help make your midlife magnificent. There's a midlife wellness program, courses, midlife mentoring to help make the most of your next chapter and our online Members Club. If not now, when?

I was so excited to interview the very inspiring sailor Tracy Edwards MBE, who captained the first all-female yacht crew in the Whitbread Round the World Race in 1989, coming second in their class. She's now also a social activist, running The Maiden Factor Foundation to raise awareness and improve education for girls around the world.

We talk about: How Tracy has maintained momentum through her life after such a massive achievement when she were still relatively so young What's it like being a midlife woman now after so much success in her youth What it was like sailing round the world

How Tracy's life has evolved What lessons she has to pass on about dealing with adversity and starting again The impact of misogyny when she sailed round the world and what it's like now

The importance of protecting the environment All about Tracy's current mission with her boat, Maiden What Tracy has learnt from doing what she's done and how she has changed since she sailed round the world Acceptance of natural hair color as we age Tracy's advice for women in midlife and making the most of life in general

And lots more!

See the trailer of her movie: Maiden.

Her Website

Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and maybe leave a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening. Find out how to leave a review here: bit.ly/leavepodcastreview

You can find out more information and get the show notes to every episode at magnificentmidlife.com. That's also where you'll find strategies, support and resources to help make your midlife magnificent. There's a midlife wellness program, courses, midlife mentoring to help make the most of your next chapter and our online Members Club. If not now, when?

An extremely helpful and empowering interview with Nicola Foster, relationship and intimacy therapist and coach. Nicola has created a Relationship Survival Guide for Lovers in Lockdown. I thought here was a woman I just had to get on the podcast! Even the best of relationships have been under strain in the crazy condition of the pandemic. There is lots of great advice here and you'll find a link to the guide below. It's also my personal therapy session!

We talk about: The biggest issues Nicola's been seeing recently that prompted her to create the guide The relationship resilience pyramid The importance of looking after ourselves The importance of laughter and having fun The rise of TikTok The big mistakes we can make in our relationships especially when under stress How to avoid flash points of irritation when you're together a lot with little space to escape How we can all get better at communication

Giving your partner space and not needing to fix their issues Looking for the positive and appreciating your intimate partner The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work by Dr John Gottman The importance of listening for bids for attention The four relationship horsemen A useful tool – the daily check-in How we can reduce conflict if it exists or deal with any underlying issues if conflict is hidden What Nicola means by 'clean' anger Bringing back intimacy and some exercises to help do that

And lots more..

Resources:

The Seven Principles For Making Marriage Work

Passionate Marriage

Pillow Talk - Cards for intimate conversations

You can find out more about Nicola:

Website: nicola-foster.com, Survival Guide for Lovers in Lockdown

Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and maybe leave a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening. Find out how to leave a review here: bit.ly/leavepodcastreview

You can find out more information and get the show notes to every episode at magnificentmidlife.com. That's also where you'll find strategies, support and resources to help make your midlife magnificent. There's a midlife wellness program, courses, midlife mentoring to help make the most of your next chapter and our online Members Club. If not now, when?

A moving, thought-provoking interview with Coach Christine, the Empty Nest Coach who helps women adapt and make the very most of their lives when their children leave home. This was recorded before the world went crazy! But there are a lot of universal truths here, especially about finding ourselves in midlife, and dealing with change and difficult emotions. Christine is a whole lot of fun!

We talk about:

Feeling the pain when children are no longer at home Making the most of an empty nest Becoming a coach for women in midlife Being a podcaster and the joy of sharing stories Getting energy from working through obstacles to move women forward Being in the simmer working out what to do next Being willing to pivot when things don't work out as we hoped FAIL – first attempt in learning Peeling back the layers to find out who we really are Feeling the fear from going through the discovery process The power that comes from finding our true essence when we strip away everything we've built up over the years Question every thought that comes into your head Just because you think something doesn't make it true The basic stuff about life that we're not taught in school Giving yourself time to adjust to a new life when the kids leave Everyone in the home needs to adjust to the new way of operating not just mom Planning your future in a different world Tips for letting go of our adult children Backing off from trying to fix things for them Even if you don't have kids, there are still big changes in midlife to deal with Doing the analysis work in midlife to get clarity on what will really help going forward Being nice to yourself in your thoughts – be kind to yourself

And lots more!

You can find out more about Coach Christine:

Website: youremptynestcoach.com

Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and maybe leave a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening. Find out how to leave a review here: bit.ly/leavepodcastreview

You can find out more information and get the show notes to every episode at magnificentmidlife.com. That's also where you'll find strategies, support and resources to help make your midlife magnificent. There's a midlife wellness program, courses, midlife mentoring to help make the most of your next chapter and our online Members Club. If not now, when?

An interview with midlife entrepreneur coach Colleen Kochannek on how to start a business in midlife and beyond. Colleen also very bravely opens up about coping with becoming a widow at 50.

We talk about:

Moving on from redundancy Insidious ageism in the workplace The difficulty of finding work in midlife and beyond Starting a business instead of getting a new job Older women make great entrepreneurs The skills we have that make us great business creators Identifying your unique skills – many that have come with age Not being afraid of technology

Not making those digital dinosaur excuses

Being a digital immigrant The joy of working out how to do something technical How working online can actually be reasonably easy nowadays The many places online where you can find affordable help Focus on your own zone of genius – hire out the rest Working out what your business could be when you have no idea Looking at the things you love, are good at and what people ask you to do Working out what you do not want to do Valuing home-maker skills as much as any others The first steps to building an online business The importance of validating your idea Testing out your idea on Facebook Building an email list of potential customers Working out what your minimal viable product is Learning about freebies/optins Becoming a widow at 50 Coping with losing your husband Finding a reason to look forward and creating a new life Taking responsibility for your domestic affairs How creating her business helped Colleen cope with grief Adapting to life being single

And lots more!

You can find out more about Colleen:

Website: www.scrappyfrontier.com

Linkedin,Facebook,Twitter

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and maybe leave a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening. Find out how to leave a review here: bit.ly/leavepodcastreview

You can find out more information and get the show notes to every episode at magnificentmidlife.com. That's also where you'll find strategies, support and resources to help make your midlife magnificent. There's a midlife wellness program, courses, midlife mentoring to help make the most of your next chapter and our online Members Club. If not now, when?

A solo episode with Rachel in contemplative mood pondering the implications of the Covid19 pandemic now, soon and when this nightmare is finally over. She ponders:

Life under lockdown How adaptable we actually are The stages of processing the new reality Grieving for the change to all our lives Finding purpose and fulfillment through picking up rubbish! Dog poo bags – a personal rant Doing Facetime with my mum and virtual Sunday lunch Appreciating those who look after us Reversing the racism that has come about from Brexit Protecting the vulnerable long term Imagining a new 'normal' Weakening the buying muscle Shifting priorities when big shit happens How acquiring stuff becomes less important Working from home now works so it should continue Getting excited about the possibilities for change We can take swift action to change the world when we need to The positive changes that have come from lockdown We've proved that we can live differently Being aware of how Covid19 will affect poor countries Seizing the opportunity to create a different world, a new 'normal'

To access the support resources mentioned in this episode go to https://magnificentmidlife.com/blog/

To take advantage of the current, at time of recording, free three months of the Magnificent Midlife Members Club, go to magnificentmidlife.com/membersclub and enter code 3MONTHSFREE at checkout.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and maybe leave a review on iTunes or wherever you're listening. Find out how to leave a review here: bit.ly/leavepodcastreview

You can find out more information and get the show notes to every episode at magnificentmidlife.com. That's also where you'll find strategies, support and resources to help make your midlife magnificent. There's a midlife wellness program, courses, midlife mentoring to help make the most of your next chapter and our online Members Club. If not now, when?