The Midlife Makeover Show | Women Over 40, Menopause Support, Divorce Recovery, Empty Nest Advice, Aging Gracefully, Finding Purpose

Ever stood frozen in the pharmacy aisle, holding two bottles with no idea which one actually works? You’re not alone — and Shanley Chien is here to help. As Senior Health Editor at U.S. News & World Report, Shanley led a survey of nearly 500 pharmacists and dermatologists across 128 categories to find the best over-the-counter products out there — with not a single brand paying to be on the list. In this episode, Wendy and Shanley cut through the “paralysis by analysis” and build your Healthy-Aging Shelf: the pro-approved picks for skin and hair, hormones and menopause, sleep, strength, and gut health in midlife. From CeraVe and La Roche-Posay to Estroven, Vital Proteins, Voltaren, and Metamucil, you’ll walk away knowing exactly what to reach for. No hype, no guesswork. Just what works. 💊

✨ What You’ll Learn

●      How nearly 500 pharmacists & dermatologists ranked the best OTC products — and why no brand paid to be on the list

●      The dermatologist-loved skincare for hormonal, midlife skin (and why daily sunscreen is non-negotiable)

●      The #1 pharmacist-recommended menopause supplement — and how supplements fit alongside HRT

●      Why protein, creatine, and fiber are midlife game-changers (and the most-studied form of creatine to buy)

●      Shanley’s top medicine-cabinet must-haves you can grab this week

🎧 Tune in now

https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com

✨ Watch the video replay

https://midlifology.net

👉 Check out the BEST OTC Products

https://health.usnews.com/otc

🌟 Explore All Things Midlife

https://wendyvalentine.com

💛 Big love to our sponsor, Folly Nutrition  — The Daily Hair Growth Gummy. Visit follynutrition.com/MIDLIFE and use code MIDLIFE for 10% off your order. 

📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up

https://womenwakingup.com

📸 Follow the fun on IG

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What if the business you keep daydreaming about isn’t a midlife crisis — it’s your midlife calling? In this episode, Wendy sits down with award-winning entrepreneur and small business mentor Lindsay Pinchuk, one of the less than 1% of female founders to lead her company through an acquisition.

Lindsay built her first brand, Bump Club and Beyond, from a $500 investment into a seven-figure powerhouse — partnering with Target, Nordstrom, and Huggies and reaching three million people a month — before selling it and starting over. Today she runs Dear FoundHer…, a top podcast and community helping women over forty build businesses that actually last.

Lindsay and Wendy dig into why it’s never too late to bet on yourself, how to start before you feel ready, the simple two-question litmus test behind every brave pivot, and why your decades of life experience are your biggest entrepreneurial advantage. If a little voice keeps whispering “someday,” consider this your wake-up call. 🚀

✨ What You’ll Learn

•     The two-question litmus test Lindsay uses before every scary leap — “What’s the worst that can happen?” and “Can I live with that?”

•     Why “just start” beats waiting for the perfect plan — and how messy beginnings become real businesses

•     How listening to your community (instead of forcing your own ideas) builds something people actually want

•     Why women 45–54 are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs — and the life experience that gives them an edge

•     How to give yourself permission to pivot when something no longer feels aligned

🎧 Tune in now

https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com

✨ Watch the video replay

https://midlifology.net

👉 Connect with Lindsay Pinchuk (Dear FoundHer…)

https://www.dearfoundher.com

🌟 Explore All Things Midlife

https://wendyvalentine.com

📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up

https://womenwakingup.com

📸 Follow the fun on IG

https://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

What happens when a Hollywood actress realizes her glam-squad friends and her hometown Ohio friends are all wrestling with the exact same midlife stuff?

In this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Diana Maria Riva — beloved as Detective Ana Perez on Netflix’s Dead to Me and now host of the iHeart podcast How Hard Can It Be? — for a warm, funny, no-filter conversation about friendship, reinvention, and finally claiming your turn.

Diana shares the train-in-Spain moment (yes, with Eva Longoria) that sparked her podcast, why honesty is the secret to everything, her two-question rule for speaking your mind, and how she’s learned to give herself grace while still chasing big dreams in her fifties.

If you’ve ever felt stretched too thin or wondered “am I really living?”, this one’s your permission slip to lean on your people and rise. Because midlife isn’t a crisis — it’s a catalyst.

•     Why your closest friendships are your real midlife lifeline — not a luxury

•     The “train in Spain” moment that turned a complaint into a calling

•     Diana’s two-question filter for when to speak up (and when to let it go)

•     How to give yourself grace while still chasing big dreams in your second act

•     Why “it’s my turn” might be the most freeing thing you say in your fifties

✨ What You’ll Learn

🎧 Tune in now

https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com

✨ Watch the video replay

https://midlifology.net

👉 Connect with Diana Maria Riva

https://www.instagram.com/dianamariariva/

🌟 Explore All Things Midlife

https://wendyvalentine.com

📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up

https://womenwakingup.com

📸 Follow the fun on IG

https://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

In this fun and empowering episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Sandy Weiner — Chief Love Officer at Last First Date, internationally known TEDx speaker, and author of three books on dating and relationships — to talk about what it really takes to find love in midlife.

Sandy gets refreshingly real about the dating mistakes we make, from the attraction trap to the fantasy-attachment spiral, and why the key to finding lasting love isn't finding the right person first — it's becoming the right person first.

From setting boundaries on a first date to discovering your core values through your biggest pet peeves, this episode is packed with practical, no-nonsense wisdom for anyone navigating love after 40.

What You'll Learn

•       What's truly different about dating in midlife vs. your 20s and 30s — and why that's actually a very good thing

•       How to uncover your core values using Sandy's simple "what annoys me" method

•       Sandy's practical "Boundaries in Your Back Pocket" approach for communicating your needs with confidence on dates

•       The attraction trap — and why chemistry can make us overlook major red flags

•       How to know when you're truly ready to date again after divorce or loss — and what to do if you're not sure yet

🎧 Tune in now

https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com

✨ Watch the video replay

 https://midlifology.net

👉 Connect with Sandy
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourlastfirstdate/ 

Website: http://lastfirstdate.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lastfirstdate1/ 

💛 Big love to our sponsor, Folly Nutrition — The Daily Hair Growth Gummy. Visit follynutrition.com/MIDLIFE and use code MIDLIFE for 10% off your order.

🌟 Explore All Things Midlife

https://wendyvalentine.com

📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up

https://womenwakingup.com

📸 Follow My Adventures on IG

https://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

What do you do when you did everything right… and life blows up the plan anyway?

This week, Wendy sits down with her friend Steve Kamb, founder of Nerd Fitness and author of the brand-new book How to Try Again — for a funny, tender, deeply human conversation about failing, flailing, and finding your way back.

While writing a book about navigating failure, Steve got hit with three life-altering blows at once: a skin cancer diagnosis, the collapse of his business’s traffic, and a heartbreaking divorce. What he learned became the heart of this episode — that failure is the first step, not the last; that there’s no “hierarchy of suck”; and that sometimes the bravest thing you can do is tread water instead of pushing harder.

Steve walks us through his four-part PACT — Pause, Accept, Change, Try — and why you should give yourself permission to start ugly. If you’re in a hard season, consider this your permission slip to breathe. 💛

✨ What You’ll Learn

•     Why failure is the FIRST step in your story, not the last — and why “we’re not that special” is the best news ever

•     The art of “strategic half-assing”: how treading water beats burning out when life is heavy

•     Steve’s four-word PACT for starting over — Pause, Accept, Change, Try

•     How to beware the “back-to-normal fallacy” and accept that today IS the normal

•     Why you should treat change like an experiment — and give yourself permission to start ugly

🎧 Tune in now

https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com

✨ Watch the video replay

https://midlifology.net

👉 Connect with Steve Kamb

HowToTryAgain.com  

🌟 Explore All Things Midlife

https://wendyvalentine.com

📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up

https://womenwakingup.com

📸 Follow the fun on IG

https://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

You're doing everything “right” with food — and still feel anxious, exhausted, and disconnected from your body. Sound familiar? In this episode, Wendy sits down with somatic educator and USA Today bestselling author Luis Mojica to explore the missing link between what we eat and how we feel.

Luis shares his own journey through trauma and disordered eating, and the breakthrough that became his book Food Therapy: the idea that food is constantly speaking to your nervous system. He explains “food-induced stress,” why certain foods quietly trigger fight-or-flight, how to sort foods into stimulants, depressants, and balancers — and why your cravings are actually messages about your unmet needs. This is not a diet or a list of rules. It's a compassionate, freeing new way to relate to food, your body, and yourself in midlife.

What You'll Learn:

•       Why even “healthy” foods can push your nervous system into fight-or-flight

•       The surprising glucose–adrenaline connection behind food-induced stress

•       How to sort foods into stimulants, depressants, and balancers — and bookend them

•       How to read your cravings as a compass for unmet emotional needs

•       A simple embodiment practice to find safety in your own body

🎧 Tune in now

https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com

✨ Watch the video replay

https://midlifology.net

👉 Connect with Luis Mojica

https://www.holisticlifenavigation.com

🌟 Explore All Things Midlife

https://wendyvalentine.com

📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up

https://womenwakingup.com

📸 Follow the fun on IG

https://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

In this soul-stirring episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Katie Farinas — certified yoga teacher, Reiki practitioner, speaker, and Dharma coach — for a conversation that will make you want to pick up your metaphorical chisel and start uncovering who you’ve always been.

Katie shares her deeply personal journey from gaslighting herself into a life that “looked fine” on the outside, to surviving chronic migraine, a dark night of the soul, and ultimately discovering her true calling through yoga philosophy. Together, Wendy and Katie break down the concept of Dharma — your soul’s purpose — and explore why midlife is actually the perfect time to stop checking boxes and start living from the inside out.

What You’ll Learn

•       What Dharma really means — and why it’s not a job title, but a way of being in the world

•       The powerful “Dharma equation”: Essence + Expression = your soul’s purpose (and why your expression changes, but your essence never does)

•       How to recognize the red thread of your Dharma woven through your entire life

•       Why your midlife experiences — including the hard ones — are your greatest data for uncovering your purpose

•       The “deathbed meditation” practice that will clarify exactly what matters most to you

🎧 Tune in now

https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com

✨ Watch the video replay

 https://midlifology.net

👉 Connect with Katie

katiefarinas.com

https://katiefarinas.substack.com/

🌟 Explore All Things Midlife

https://wendyvalentine.com

📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up

https://womenwakingup.com

📸 Follow My Adventures on IG

https://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

In this fascinating episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Heather Grzych — author, Ayurvedic medicine teacher, past president of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, and host of the globally ranked Wisdom of the Body podcast. Heather shares how she went from a high-powered corporate career to becoming one of the leading voices in Ayurvedic health and wellness — and how a deeply personal journey with fertility, divorce, and self-discovery led her there. Together, Wendy and Heather explore the ancient science of Ayurveda, how your unique mind-body type (or dosha) shapes everything from your digestion to your relationships, and why learning to truly listen to your body may be the most transformative thing you can do in midlife.

🎧 Tune in now

https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com

✨ Watch the video replay

 https://midlifology.net

👉 Connect with Heather

https://www.instagram.com/heathergrzych/

🌟 Explore All Things Midlife

https://wendyvalentine.com

📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up

https://womenwakingup.com

📸 Follow My Adventures on IG

https://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

In this heartfelt episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with Laurie James — author, certified somatic practitioner, and host of the Confessions of a Freebird podcast — to talk about what it really takes to heal after divorce and major life transitions in midlife.

Laurie shares her remarkable personal journey through 14 years of caregiving for aging parents, raising four daughters, navigating financial betrayal in her marriage, and ultimately finding herself on the other side with a whole new sense of freedom and purpose.

Through the lens of somatic experiencing and nervous system regulation, Laurie offers a compassionate and practical roadmap for women who are ready to stop overriding their bodies and start truly healing from the inside out.

What You’ll Learn

🎧 Tune in now

https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com

✨ Watch the video replay

https://midlifology.net

👉 Connect with Laurie

https://www.laurieejames.com/

🌟 Explore All Things Midlife

https://wendyvalentine.com

📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up

https://womenwakingup.com

📸 Follow My Adventures on IG

https://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/

In this fun, honest, and inspiring episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy sits down with celebrity stylist and founder of Style Club, JenniLee, to talk about rediscovering your personal style in midlife. From closet overwhelm and changing body shapes to decluttering fast fashion and creating confidence with what you already own, JenniLee shares practical styling advice that helps women reconnect with themselves through fashion. This conversation is about so much more than clothes—it’s about identity, self-expression, confidence, and giving yourself permission to evolve.

What You’ll Learn:

🎧 Tune in now

https://TheMidlifeMakeoverShow.com

✨ Watch the video replay

 https://midlifology.net

👉 Connect with JenniLee

🌟 Explore All Things Midlife

https://wendyvalentine.com

📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up

https://womenwakingup.com

📸 Follow My Adventures on IG

https://www.instagram.com/hellowendyvalentine/