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.