What happens when life transitions, faith, entrepreneurship, and healing all come together through rhythm?

In this episode, LaTara sits down with Dori Staehle, owner of Next Stage Drumming, LLC and the only Certified Drum Therapist in North Carolina. Through customized, evidence-based drumming programs, Dori helps children and adults discover their rhythm so they can confidently step into the next stage of their lives.

Dori shares her powerful story of navigating major life transitions, including downsizing, moving into a new season of life, discovering new creative passions, and embracing the joy of being closer to her grandchildren. Together, she and LaTara explore the wisdom that comes with age, the beauty of new beginnings, and the importance of sharing our stories across generations.

The conversation dives into Dori’s journey into drum therapy, from playing percussion in her church worship band to developing innovative programs for neurodivergent children and adults, including those with ADHD, autism, anxiety, and stress. Dori offers a refreshing perspective, describing ADHD as “a delightful dreamer” and autism as “a special design.”

Dori also opens up about her own remarkable healing journey after surviving a severe accident and neurological condition. She shares how drumming became a pathway to recovery and ultimately inspired the healing work she now provides to others through her practice.

You'll also hear:

• A powerful success story of a student who improved from struggling academically to earning straight A’s through drum therapy.
• Lessons on trusting God's timing instead of forcing outcomes.
• The realities of entrepreneurship after 50 and the importance of authentic community.
• Encouragement for anyone wondering if they’ve missed their purpose or calling.

Dori reminds us that purpose doesn't have an expiration date and that sometimes our greatest opportunities arrive in unexpected seasons.

After 28 years in North Carolina with her husband Mark, two grown children, and three grandchildren, Dori continues to serve as a speaker, coach, consultant, author, and worship band percussionist while helping others discover their own divine rhythm.

🌐 Next Stage Drumming Website
📘 Facebook – Next Stage Drumming
💼 LinkedIn – Dori Staehle, MBA

#Podcast #WomenOver50 #LifeTransitions

What happens when life transitions, faith, entrepreneurship, and healing all come together through rhythm?

In this episode, LaTara sits down with Dori Staehle, owner of Next Stage Drumming, LLC and the only Certified Drum Therapist in North Carolina. Through customized, evidence-based drumming programs, Dori helps children and adults discover their rhythm so they can confidently step into the next stage of their lives.

Dori shares her powerful story of navigating major life transitions, including downsizing, moving into a new season of life, discovering new creative passions, and embracing the joy of being closer to her grandchildren. Together, she and LaTara explore the wisdom that comes with age, the beauty of new beginnings, and the importance of sharing our stories across generations.

The conversation dives into Dori’s journey into drum therapy, from playing percussion in her church worship band to developing innovative programs for neurodivergent children and adults, including those with ADHD, autism, anxiety, and stress. Dori offers a refreshing perspective, describing ADHD as “a delightful dreamer” and autism as “a special design.”

Dori also opens up about her own remarkable healing journey after surviving a severe accident and neurological condition. She shares how drumming became a pathway to recovery and ultimately inspired the healing work she now provides to others through her practice.

You'll also hear:

• A powerful success story of a student who improved from struggling academically to earning straight A’s through drum therapy.
• Lessons on trusting God's timing instead of forcing outcomes.
• The realities of entrepreneurship after 50 and the importance of authentic community.
• Encouragement for anyone wondering if they’ve missed their purpose or calling.

Dori reminds us that purpose doesn't have an expiration date and that sometimes our greatest opportunities arrive in unexpected seasons.

After 28 years in North Carolina with her husband Mark, two grown children, and three grandchildren, Dori continues to serve as a speaker, coach, consultant, author, and worship band percussionist while helping others discover their own divine rhythm.

🌐 Next Stage Drumming Website
📘 Facebook – Next Stage Drumming
💼 LinkedIn – Dori Staehle, MBA

Have you ever looked at your life and wondered, "Who am I now?"

As women move through different seasons of life, the roles, responsibilities, and identities we've carried can begin to shift. Children grow up, careers evolve, relationships change, dreams transform, and sometimes the woman we've always known ourselves to be no longer feels like a perfect fit.

In this heartfelt solo episode, Dr. LaTara Venise explores the journey of rediscovering yourself when life transitions leave you questioning your identity. Together, we'll unpack the difference between our assignments and our identity, why grief is often a necessary part of growth, and how to embrace the woman God is calling you to become in this season.

This conversation is an invitation to release outdated versions of yourself, reconnect with your values, and find peace in the process of becoming.

If you've been feeling stretched, reflective, or in the middle of a transition, this episode will remind you that you are not lost—you are evolving.

• Why life transitions often trigger identity questions
• The difference between who you are and what you do
• How grief can be part of personal growth
• Reintroducing yourself to yourself with honesty and curiosity
• Learning to move from wisdom instead of striving
• Embracing the season God has you in right now

Who is God inviting you to become in this season?

If this episode resonates with you, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a woman who may need this conversation.

Seasoned & Seen™ is a podcast where women navigate life's transitions with wisdom, courage, and grace—because every season deserves to be seen, honored, and embraced.

Honor your season. Trust what is unfolding. Because you are becoming. — Dr. LaTara Venise

Growth is rarely comfortable. Transformation is often messy. And sometimes the very season that feels like it's breaking you is actually the season that is building you.

In this powerful conversation, Shawana "Shaysses" Phillips joins host Dr. LaTara Venise for an honest discussion about navigating life's unexpected transitions, finding strength in difficult seasons, and learning how to trust the process of becoming.

Together, they explore what it means to move through challenges without losing yourself, how resilience is developed in real life, and why some of our greatest lessons emerge from the moments we never would have chosen for ourselves.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

• Navigating major life transitions with courage and faith
• The hidden gifts found in difficult seasons
• Building resilience when life feels uncertain
• Letting go of who you were to embrace who you are becoming
• The role of faith, wisdom, and perseverance in personal growth
• Why your story is still being written

This conversation is a reminder that growth is not always graceful, healing is not always linear, and becoming often requires us to walk through seasons we don't fully understand.

But on the other side of those seasons, there is wisdom, strength, and a deeper understanding of who you are.

Because sometimes the fire doesn't come to destroy you—it comes to reveal you.

Enjoyed this episode?

Follow, subscribe, and leave a review. Share this conversation with someone who may be walking through a season of transition and needs the reminder that growth is still happening, even when it feels hard.

Seasoned & Seen™ — Honoring the wisdom of where you've been while embracing who you're becoming.

What happens when life doesn't unfold the way you imagined, and yet you discover that your greatest season is still ahead of you?

In this inaugural episode of the Seasoned & Seen™ Podcast, host Dr. LaTara Venise welcomes you into a conversation created especially for women who know that life after 50 is not about fading away. It's about becoming more fully who they were created to be.

Dr. LaTara shares her own journey through seasons of success, loss, reinvention, healing, leadership, motherhood, faith, and rediscovery. With honesty, wisdom, and warmth, she explores what it means to navigate life's transitions while remaining rooted in identity, purpose, and possibility.

In this episode, Dr. LaTara discusses:

• Why getting older is not the end of your story
• The difference between aging and becoming
• What it means to live a life that is both seasoned and seen
• How wisdom, healing, and self-awareness create new opportunities for growth
• Why this season of life may be your most meaningful yet

Whether you're navigating change, rediscovering yourself, pursuing a new dream, or simply wondering what comes next, this conversation will remind you that you are not behind, overlooked, or finished.

You are becoming.

Because life isn't winding down. It's deepening.

Enjoyed this episode?

Be sure to follow, subscribe, and leave a review. Share this episode with a woman who needs the reminder that her story is still unfolding.

Join the conversation and connect with our growing community of women who are embracing life, purpose, and possibility in every season. If you would like to discuss this episode or others, join the Seasoned and Seen Collective.

Seasoned & Seen™ — You Are Not Done. You Are Becoming.