The Uplifters

If you’ve ever wondered, “Is it too late for me to...” the answer’s NO—and The Uplifters are about to show you why. This space is for purpose-driven women who want to do big, brave things in the second half of their lives. I’m your host, Aransas Savas, and I’ve spent the last 20 years at the intersection of behavior change research and coaching.

This month for the new year, we're exploring new beginnings with award-winning author Sahar Delijani, Dawn Veselka who co-founded Cards2Warriors (sending over 48,000 cards of hope to people battling chronic illness), perimenopause expert Karissa Pfeffer, and comedian-filmmaker Mandy Fabian. Welcome to the Uplifters!

Listen to this episode if...

* You’re carrying stories that feel too big, too painful, or too important to keep inside

* You’ve felt paralyzed by the question “who am I to write this/say this/share this?”

* You’re looking for courage to do something big and brave this year

Most of us will never face the kind of capital C Courage that Sahar Delijani writes about, even though lately it doesn’t feel far off. The kind where speaking your beliefs can cost you your freedom, your family, your life.

I’ve spent years studying courage, coaching women through their biggest transitions, and interviewing hundreds of people doing brave things. But this conversation taught me so much about the ways great big acts of courage inform the little daily ones, and vice-versa.

Sahar writes about people who faced imprisonment, execution, and systematic persecution. But telling their stories? That took a different kind of courage entirely. The daily kind. The kind that shows up when you’re sitting at your laptop, terrified, wondering who gave you permission to tell these stories. The kind that requires you to keep going when every voice in your head says you’re not ready, you’re betraying secrets, you don’t have the right.

That’s the courage most of us actually need to learn: how to do the thing we feel called to do even when we’re scared, how to tell the truth even when we were taught to keep it hidden, how to take up space with our voices, our stories, our work, especially in midlife when so much of the world tells us our time has passed.

So when Sahar Delijani, whose debut novel Children of the Jacaranda Tree has been translated into 32 languages and published in more than 75 countries, agreed to talk with me, I wanted to understand: How does witnessing extraordinary Courage inform the ordinary courage we need every day? How do you build the stamina to keep doing brave things when the work requires revisiting trauma again and again? And what can those of us doing “smaller” brave things (career changes, creative pursuits, truth-telling in our own lives) learn from someone who’s documenting capital-C Courage?

Turns out: everything.

Her Story

Sahar grew up in the aftermath of the 1979 Iranian revolution, in the shadow of her family’s activism and imprisonment. Her parents were among thousands arrested in 1983 for their political beliefs. Her mother was pregnant at the time. Sahar was born in Evin prison, Tehran’s notorious political prison, and spent her first month there before her grandparents raised her alongside her brother and cousin (also born in prison).

The 1988 mass executions took her uncle’s life while her parents, fortunately, had already been released. But the trauma didn’t end when her parents came home. It lived in the silence, in the things they couldn’t talk about, in the ways their imprisonment shaped every aspect of their lives even after their release.

For years, Sahar didn’t talk about any of it either. Moving to California at age 12 meant geographic distance from Iran, but it also meant the stories stayed locked away. It wasn’t until she decided to write Children of the Jacaranda Tree that she began to unlock those stories, not just for herself, but for others who lived through similar experiences around the world.

The book chronicles the lives of families affected by political imprisonment in Iran, weaving together stories of life inside prison walls and the ripple effects on everyone outside them. It follows children born into this tragedy, including those born in prison like Sahar, as they grow up and decide what to do with the legacy of their parents’ courage and sacrifice. Writing it meant breaking decades of silence, meant asking her parents to revisit their most painful memories, and making private family trauma public.

In this episode, we talk about what it takes to keep going when your work requires you to revisit the hardest parts of your life again and again, how she rebuilds her courage between projects, how she processes the weight of speaking for others, how she maintains boundaries while staying open to her own feelings, and how she remembers why these stories matter when the cost of telling them feels too high.

5 Ways Sahar Delijani Shows Us How to Build Our Courage Capital:

* She reconnects to purpose when doubt creeps in. When Sahar questions whether she has the right to tell these stories, she comes back to a simple truth: these stories need to be told, and she’s the one with the passion, knowledge, and proximity to tell them. That clarity of knowing why the work matters beyond her own fear keeps her moving forward. (You can do this too: write down why your brave thing matters. Keep that visible. Come back to it when you forget.)

* She builds community to sustain the hard work. Sahar doesn’t try to write about trauma in isolation. She surrounds herself with friends, family, and fellow artists who understand what she’s carrying. They give her energy when her own runs low, remind her why the work matters, and help her process the weight of it all. (Your turn: identify 2-3 people who can hold space for your brave work. Tell them what you’re doing and ask them to check in with you.)

* She gives herself permission to feel everything. Rather than pushing through difficult emotions to stay “productive,” Sahar lets herself feel desperate, tired, lazy, or whatever shows up. She trusts that living through feelings honestly is how they move through and make space for the next thing. (Try this: when hard feelings come up, ask yourself “what am I really feeling right now?” and let yourself have that feeling without judgment.)

* She takes breaks without guilt. Between writing projects, Sahar steps away from the work entirely. She reads, cooks, travels, swims, spends time with loved ones, all without beating herself up for not being “productive.” She’s learned that rest isn’t procrastination; it’s how we build the reserves to do the next hard thing. (What would it look like for you to schedule guilt-free breaks into your brave work?)

* She reframes whose story this is. When the weight of speaking for others felt too heavy, Sahar shifted perspective: yes, these are her family’s stories, but she’s the medium connecting them to people who need to hear them. She’s not the hero or the villain of this story, but the translator, the bridge, the person willing to do the hard work of making private pain into public wisdom. (Where can you reframe your role from “I must get this perfect” to “I’m here to connect and translate”?)

Lift Her Up

Sahar’s second novel, For Every Person You Kill, arrives in spring 2027. In the meantime, pick up Children of the Jacaranda Tree wherever books are sold—it’s one of those rare books you’ll want to reread immediately just to savor the language and sit with the characters a little longer.

If you loved this story...

Did you know that every woman on the Uplifters podcast is nominated by someone she inspires? This means you and I get to chat with the most inspiring women -- the ones who inspire the women who inspire us!

Our current thread:

Susan Jaramillo→Kate Tellers from The Moth→Cleyvis Natera→ Deesha Philyaw → Mo Browne – Djeli Said → Hala Alyan → Sahar Delijani who nominates Yeldā Ali as her Uplifter: “Artist, activist, innovator, community organizer, Yeldā is a true uplifter!”

Let’s Chat!

What story have you been afraid to tell? What would it take to start telling it this week, even just to yourself, even just in a journal? Share in the comments, your courage might be exactly what another person needs to hear.

1. How to find courage when breaking silence feels dangerous — Sahar's journey from keeping family secrets to international author
2. Building community to sustain difficult creative work — Why you cannot do brave things alone and how to create support systems
3. Processing the trauma of writing about trauma — What happens after you tell the stories you weren't supposed to tell
4. Giving yourself permission to tell your story — Answering "who am I?" when doubt and fear show up
5. Honoring difficult emotions without pushing through them — How being honest with your feelings builds sustainable courage
6. Creating space for rest without guilt — Why breaks aren't procrastination but essential preparation for your next brave step
7. Reframing your role in storytelling — Shifting from "getting it perfect" to becoming a bridge that connects important stories to people who need them

0:00 - Introduction

2:15 - The story behind "Children of the Jacaranda Tree"

9:30 - Growing up with secrets: Being born in prison and learning not to tell

14:00 - The courage to write the first book

24:00 - The trauma of writing about trauma—discovering what you did after the book was published

30:00 - Building community to sustain difficult work

34:30 - Honoring all your feelings, even the difficult ones

36:45 - Connecting to purpose when doubt shows up

1. For women considering creative second acts: Your past experiences—even the painful ones—aren't obstacles to your creative work; they're often the foundation for the most meaningful stories you'll tell.
2. For midlife women finding their voice: The question isn't "who am I to tell this story?" but rather "who else has this story to tell, and what happens if no one tells it?"
3. For anyone doing brave work after 40: Community isn't optional when doing difficult things—surround yourself with people who remind you why your work matters when you forget.

"I always think like my parents were the ones who did such courageous things. Like they were out there, they went to prison for their ideals, and I was safe, I was safe in my room writing those stories. So it's, it's like interesting to think about courage in that way." — Sahar Delijani

1. Sahar's first novel: "Children of the Jacaranda Tree" (available wherever books are sold)
2. Sahar's second novel: "For Every Person You Kill" (forthcoming spring 2027)
3. Sahar's Instagram

Sahar Delijani is an award-winning novelist, essayist, and professor. Her debut novel, "Children of the...

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In an era of unprecedented social isolation and loneliness, one Philadelphia engineer is combating disconnection one compliment at a time. Celine McGee, who works in corporate telecommunications by day, has spent over a decade approaching strangers with genuine compliments and cards that say "pass it on"—creating what she calls the Compliment Squad.

What started with a single compliment during a neighborhood walk has evolved into a grassroots movement challenging our collective fear of talking to strangers. Celine shares how she overcomes the vulnerability of approaching people she's never met, why creating connection matters more than perfection, and how small acts of courage can create butterfly effects of kindness.

In this conversation, we explore the crisis of loneliness affecting our communities, practical strategies for overcoming social anxiety, and why sometimes the bravest thing we can do is simply tell someone their shoes look cool. Whether you're an introvert wanting to connect more or someone who believes we need more human interaction in our increasingly digital world, this episode offers both inspiration and practical tools for building courage through everyday connection.

1. How to overcome fear of talking to strangers — Practical strategies for approaching people you don't know with genuine compliments
2. Building everyday courage through small acts — Why starting with simple compliments can help you develop confidence in all areas of life
3. Creating community connection in isolated times — How one person's small initiative can ripple out to create meaningful change
4. Navigating social anxiety with purpose — Turning awkwardness into opportunities for authentic human connection
5. Sustaining passion projects alongside demanding careers — Strategies for keeping personal missions alive when corporate work drains your energy

0:00 - Introduction 4:30 - The origin story of the Compliment Squad 11:45 - Overcoming the vulnerability of approaching strangers 18:20 - How compliments can bridge social divisions 24:15 - Katie's wisdom: "If you haven't been punched in the face, you're fine" 28:45 - Enlisting amplifiers to grow the movement 33:00 - Courage practices for connection

1. For anyone struggling with social connection: Compliments are one of the lowest-barrier ways to break the ice and create authentic moments with strangers
2. For those managing fear of rejection: Research shows that even imperfect compliments land well—the intention matters more than perfect execution
3. For community builders: Creating movements doesn't require perfection or grand gestures; it starts with doing more of what already feels good and inviting others to join you

"If you haven't been punched in the face so far, you're fine. So my point is like I compliment a lot of people I've never seen before or spoken to, and it's fine. So people shouldn't be scared just to give a compliment in any setting." — Celine McGee (quoting her friend Katie)

1. Follow the...
   
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What if the key to building your midlife business isn't having all the answers but knowing how to ask the right questions? In this episode, we meet Gita Vellanki, founder of Neeshi, who left a successful career in high tech to create functional foods for women navigating menstruation, perimenopause, and menopause. After watching her daughter struggle with debilitating periods and experiencing her own perimenopausal chaos, Gita drew on her grandmother's wisdom about food as medicine and created a line of chocolate spreads designed to help women feel better without sacrificing pleasure.

But Gita's journey from corporate executive to midlife founder wasn't about having the perfect credentials. With zero background in CPG or marketing, she had to learn how to leverage the resources she did have, get specific about her gaps, and become her own loudest advocate. This is a masterclass in starting over at 40, asking for help without apologizing, and building courage capital one brave choice at a time.

Whether you're considering a perimenopause career change, wondering about starting a business during menopause, or simply trying to figure out how to take the leap when you don't feel ready, Gita's story offers practical wisdom for women over 40 starting businesses and reclaiming their power in the midlife transition women experience.

1. How to start a business after 40 without feeling ready - Gita shares how she began Neeshi with zero CPG experience, learning to leverage what she had rather than waiting for perfect credentials
2. Perimenopause business strategies for women entrepreneurs - How to identify and fill skill gaps like marketing while building a mission-driven company
3. Starting over at 40 with limited resources - Practical advice on using your existing network, even when it feels irrelevant to your new venture
4. Women over 40 overcoming self-doubt as founders - Why following up doesn't mean being pushy, and how to stop interpreting silence as rejection
5. Midlife career change through purpose-driven work - How personal pain can become the foundation for meaningful business that helps others
6. Building confidence after 40 as a female founder - The courage practice of asking for help without apology, and trading stress for realistic timelines
7. Menopause wellness business success stories - From frozen products to hero spreads: how to pivot without judgment when your first idea doesn't work

0:00 - Introduction

2:15 - How Neeshi was born from watching her daughter suffer

6:30 - Gita's own perimenopause journey and discovering the power of functional food

10:00 - The pivot from frozen products to chocolate spreads

13:15 - Leveraging your existing resources even when they feel irrelevant

16:45 - The marketing challenge and learning new skills at 40+

20:00 - Why asking for help became her superpower

23:00 - Trading stress for timeline: letting go of artificial urgency

26:45 - Supporting Neeshi and connecting with Gita

1. For...
   
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What happens when health challenges in your 40s become the catalyst for a complete career reinvention? In this episode, Kimberle Lau shares her journey from 20-year beauty industry executive to founder of Bake Me Healthy, an allergen-free, plant-based baking company. After pregnancy-induced food intolerances and a breast cancer risk diagnosis, Kimberle left corporate America at 44 to build a mission-driven business serving people with food allergies and intolerances.

She opens up about being a self-described "risk-averse" founder, discovering that the average founder age is actually 45 (not 25), and learning to focus on "the next three steps" instead of needing the entire roadmap mapped out. We talk about balancing business building with raising teenagers approaching college age, why she tracks sleep like a KPI, and how "micro-wins" serve as signals to keep going when progress feels slow.

This is an honest conversation about midlife entrepreneurship women over 40, starting a business during perimenopause, women changing careers in their 40s, and building something meaningful when everyone's asking "but when will you break even?"

• How to change careers after 40 with purpose — Kimberle shares how 20 years of beauty industry expertise transferred to food entrepreneurship and what made her finally take the leap at 44
• Starting a business during midlife with family responsibilities — Navigating the reality of building a company while raising teenagers, managing mortgage payments, and planning for college tuition
• Perimenopause motivation for women entrepreneurs — How health challenges became the catalyst for purpose-driven work and why midlife is actually the right time to start
• Women over 40 starting businesses — Why the average founder age is 45, not 25, and what advantages decades of experience bring to entrepreneurship
• Building confidence after 40 as a female founder — Overcoming the "am I ready?" question and learning to trust your next three steps instead of needing the full plan
• Midlife transformation through purpose — From corporate burnout in beauty to creating inclusive, allergen-free products that serve an underserved community
• Second act career success strategies — Practical wisdom about evaluating micro-wins, managing risk strategically, and making self-care non-negotiable

0:00 - Introduction

4:00 - From beauty industry executive to food entrepreneur—the health crisis that changed everything

12:00 - "Am I too risk-averse to be a founder?" and discovering the average founder age is 45

18:30 - Managing the anxiety of building a business as a mom with college tuition looming

24:00 - The "next three steps" approach: why you don't need the full roadmap to start

28:00 - Listening to micro-wins as signals to keep going

33:00 - The sleep habit tracker: treating self-care like a business KPI

39:00 - Building a family business: working with her mother and involving her kids

• For midlife career changers: The average founder age is 45—your decades of expertise are an asset, not a liability. Starting "late" often means starting with more resources, networks, and pattern recognition than younger founders have.
• For women over 40 seeking purpose: Health challenges and body changes in midlife can become catalysts for meaningful work. What starts as solving your own problem can become a mission serving thousands of others.
• For perimenopause entrepreneurs: Risk-aversion doesn't disqualify you from founding something. Strategic risk management—having financial cushion, supportive partners, and
  
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Starting over during perimenopause and midlife doesn't always mean changing careers—sometimes it means creating entirely new solutions the world desperately needs. In this episode, meet Tara Miko Ballentine, founder of Bright Littles, who transformed her experience of childhood sexual assault into a company helping parents have crucial conversations with kids about consent, boundaries, safety, and diversity.

For women over 40 navigating midlife reinvention, Tara's story offers powerful proof that your second act can combine personal healing with public purpose. She launched Bright Littles during the pandemic while parenting full-time, and four years later continues building without breaking even—side hustling, pivoting constantly, and facing the unique challenges female founders encounter when seeking funding.

This conversation offers practical wisdom for midlife women pursuing dreams that matter: how to start before you feel ready, how to find courage capital when everyone questions your path, and how to build something meaningful while managing all the other responsibilities of life after 40.

• How to change careers after 40 with purpose — Tara shares her journey from fashion and marketing to founding an education company, proving midlife career pivots can create entirely new industries
• Starting over during menopause with limited resources — Learn how to launch a business while working full-time, parenting, and navigating the financial realities of midlife entrepreneurship
• Building confidence after 40 as a female founder — Discover strategies for persisting when funding goes to men with ideas while women with products face barriers
• Perimenopause motivation for women entrepreneurs — How to maintain your North Star mission when the journey tests every ounce of your resolve
• Women over 40 starting businesses — Practical wisdom about pivoting, learning new skills (even tech!), and building sustainable side hustles
• Midlife transformation through purpose — How personal pain can fuel public mission when you're ready to turn wounds into wisdom
• Second act career success stories — Real talk about what four years of building looks like without breaking even, and why mission sometimes matters more than metrics

0:00 - Introduction

2:15 - The pandemic moment that sparked Bright Littles

6:30 - Crossing personal and business life for the first time

10:00 - The "am I ready?" questions every founder asks

13:00 - Why 95% of childhood sexual abuse is preventable

18:15 - How to start conversations before problems happen

22:00 - Pivoting from physical products to digital during tariffs

26:00 - The "Periods and Polish" event and online backlash

31:00 - How to support Bright Littles' mission

• For midlife career changers: Start with what you know, then pivot as you learn—Tara began with fashion/product experience and adapted everything as she discovered publishing, retail, and subscription models
• For women over 40 seeking purpose: Your personal experience isn't a liability; it's your competitive advantage. Tara's childhood trauma became her deepest source of mission clarity
• For perimenopause entrepreneurs: Side hustling is sustainable—Tara worked as a CMO while building Bright Littles, still consults for income, and has built something meaningful without traditional funding

"I feel so passionate about what I am doing. I think most people probably would've quit. I've not financially broke even in four years. That is not for everybody. But I feel like when I started this...

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Producer Rachel (Rachel Giordano) spent nearly 30 years climbing the entertainment industry ladder—from Barbara Walters and The View to Disney Feature Animation to iHeart Media. But at 47, she realized the traditional path wasn't letting her be fully herself. Now she runs a boutique production company, hosts The Producer Rachel Show, wrote and self-published a children's book (Santa's Secret Wishing Coin), and is helping other midlife women embrace their creative superpowers—ADHD and all.

In this conversation, Rachel shares her radical "creator not consumer" mindset shift, why she refuses to "niche down" despite what every algorithm tells her, and how she's building a creative empire by doing things messy, posting for pleasure instead of obligation, and embracing every weird part of herself. If you've ever felt like you had to boil yourself down to one thing to be "marketable," this episode will give you permission to be the umbrella.

• How to shift from consumer to creator mindset (and why a time audit will shock you)
• The "do it messy" approach to getting your work out into the world without waiting for perfect
• Why "niching down" might be killing your creativity—and what to do instead
• How to know what to outsource when you're building something new (hint: if it doesn't move the needle, delegate it)
• Why comparison is the creativity killer—and how to disconnect from other people's timelines
• The parking lot moment that changed everything for Rachel's business
• How to invest in yourself before you feel "ready" (and trust the gap will fill itself)
• Why your ADHD might be your midlife superpower, not a problem to fix
• How to create content you actually want to make instead of content you think you "should" make
• The surprising way editing became Rachel's meditation practice
• Why being a "multi-hyphenate" at 40+ is actually your competitive advantage
• How to support small creators (it's free and takes seconds)

00:00 - Welcome & Rachel's background in entertainment

03:15 - The creator vs. consumer mindset shift

06:50 - How behavior change works: focus on what you're gaining, not giving up

08:30 - Posting for pleasure vs. obligation

13:30 - Comparison as the thief of joy (and creativity)

16:55 - "Everyone has ideas. Only entrepreneurs act on them."

18:00 - The magic of consistent, small actions

19:57 - Why your unique perspective is irreplaceable (even in the age of AI)

23:00 - The "network umbrella" approach to personal branding

25:00 - Being the brand instead of picking one niche

27:00 - Investing in yourself: hiring the VA, the cleaning service, the meal prep

29:00 - Why Gen X is the most resourceful generation

30:45 - Ageism and why we're going to team up and do our own things

31:12 - Getting out of toxic hustle culture and respecting your own boundaries

33:30 - The origin story of Santa's Secret Wishing Coin

37:00 - Teaching kids about believing, giving, and manifestation

38:30 - Becoming your own publisher and what that takes

40:00 - "Nobody cares... until they do"

42:00 - Growing community before you launch

43:00 - Rachel nominates Dr. Rhonda Vaughn

44:30 - Support small creators: it's free and changes lives

✨ Shift from consumer to creator: Do a time audit. You probably have more creative time than you think—you're just spending it scrolling.

✨ Perfect is too late. Do it messy: Start before you're ready. Go live to test ideas. Edit later...

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Discover how women over 40 are leading systemic change and tackling audacious goals. In this episode, 42-year-old Kiersten Barnet, Executive Director of the NYC Jobs CEO Council, shares how she's coordinating Fortune 100 CEOs to hire 100,000 low-income New Yorkers—and they're already more than halfway there.

If you've ever wondered "is it too late to take on something impossibly big?" this conversation proves the answer is absolutely not. Kiersten reveals her practical strategies for breaking down overwhelming problems, asking better questions, and building the kind of authentic leadership that creates space for everyone behind you. From her annual "letter from the future" practice to her philosophy of "strategic neglect," she offers a masterclass in midlife ambition that's both grounded in research and beautifully human.

Career Change & Midlife Reinvention:

• How to pivot from corporate (15 years at Bloomberg) to mission-driven leadership after 40
• Why women's growth mindset peaks in their 40s and how to leverage it
• How to take on audacious goals without having all the answers first
• Why your "not knowing what you want to be" might actually be your superpower
• Strategic career pivots for women over 40 seeking meaningful work

Perimenopause & Menopause Era Leadership:

• How to lead major initiatives while raising small children in your 40s
• Work-life integration strategies that actually work (not the mythical "balance")
• Why scheduling self-care and date nights matters more than superhuman productivity
• Strategic neglect: giving yourself permission to let go of the "shoulds"
• Managing stress and overwhelm during perimenopause while leading high-stakes projects

Practical Midlife Success Strategies:

• The annual future-letter practice that turns goals into concrete action plans
• "Eat the frog first": why tackling the hardest thing in the morning changes everything
• How to ask the right questions of the right people when facing big problems
• Data collection vs. speculation: making better decisions by knowing your "customer"
• Why problems don't age well and how to build courage through immediate actio
• Breaking down impossible goals into digestible, actionable steps

Women 40+ in Leadership:

• How authenticity (not fitting a mold) makes you memorable and effective
• Why talking about your children and challenges publicly creates systemic change
• The evolution from "women couldn't make it work" to "this is the new norm"
• How to measure success when you're in the second half of your life
• Building courage capital through facing impossible-seeming challenges
• Midlife confidence building for women leaders

Systemic Change & Social Impact:

• How to coordinate massive coalitions (like Fortune 100 CEOs) toward common goals
• Why breaking down big problems into digestible pieces is the only way forward
• The importance of hiring and skilling local talent for economic mobility
• How private sector leadership can drive public sector change
• Why transferable skills from hourly work matter more than ever in the AI era

[00:00] Introduction to Kiersten Barnet and the NYC Jobs CEO Council's audacious goal

[02:45] "I don't think I knew any of the jobs I've had existed until basically just before I had them"

[04:15] How priorities shift in your 40s: from straight paths to what's right for right now

[06:00] Measuring success in the second half of life

[07:00] Why growth mindset peaks in your 40s

[08:00] The importance of questions and curiosity in leadership

[10:00]...

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Former Dance/NYC co-executive director Candace Thompson-Zachery shares her journey from 20 years in arts advocacy to launching a menopause and wellness coaching practice at age 40. This episode explores career transitions in midlife, building courage capital through curiosity, and why women's growth mindset peaks in their 40s. Candace discusses her path from founding Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE on a $20K budget to getting six certifications in two years, including menopause coach, wellness coach, and Clifton Strengths coach. Learn how she developed "yearning" for her work, why she views her gray hair as earned badges of honor, and practical strategies for pivoting careers without having all the answers first.

• Career pivot strategies for midlife including how to leverage 20+ years of experience in a new field
• Menopause and perimenopause support for women maintaining high performance during hormonal transitions
• Building courage capital at 40+ by developing yearning instead of waiting for readiness
• Overcoming perfectionism and the delayed tactics of collecting endless certifications
• Strengths-based leadership approaches for artists, creatives, and organizational leaders
• Network as insurance - how relationships built over decades become your safety net
• Growth mindset in midlife - why women's learning capacity peaks in their 40s
• Executive wellness strategies encompassing movement, nutrition, mindset, and hormonal health
• How to start before you're ready using beta testers and small experiments
• Reframing time after 40 - why five years feels manageable instead of daunting

00:00 - Introduction & Nutrafol sponsorship message

01:00 - Nomination from Charisma J

02:00 - Welcome & intro to Candace Thompson-Zachery

04:15 - 20 years in NYC's dance and arts ecosystem

05:30 - Evolution from dancer to arts advocate

06:45 - Founding her own dance collective on $20K

08:00 - Navigating doubt vs. curiosity in career evolution

10:15 - Motherhood as a catalyst for new confidence

11:30 - Reframing time and readiness at 40

13:30 - Career coaching and six certifications journey

14:15 - Becoming a menopause coach

15:00 - Community support during transitions

16:30 - Network as insurance and resource inventory

18:00 - Starting without all the data

19:15 - Developing "yearning" for the work

21:30 - Analysis paralysis vs. energizing vision

23:30 - Lowering the perfectionist voice through doing

24:30 - Hustle as insurance

25:30 - Beliefs about aging from first to second half of life

27:30 - Gray hair as earned authority

29:00 - Feeling groundedness and calm at 40

30:15 - Advantages of doing brave things as we age

31:45 - Diminished self-consciousness about others' perceptions

33:00 - When did you think you'd feel like an adult?

34:00 - "It's never too late" - reframing possibilities

35:30 - Finding the essence beneath the dream

36:30 - What yearning feels like in daily work

38:00 - Who inspires you: Sydney Mosley

39:00 - How to support Candace's work

40:30 - Executive wellness and menopause specialization

41:30 - Closing thoughts

On Career Pivots:

• You don't need all the data before making a change—you've never had all the data
• Start with a beta tester or willing friend before launching publicly
• Your network from decades of work becomes your insurance polic
• Hedge your bets: build the new thing while staying open to full-time work
• Five years of doing anything will make you...
  
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Burnout recovery starts with slowing down. Yoga teacher Elena Brower shares how women over 40 can reduce brain fog, protect energy, and build sustainable courage.

Burnout recovery isn't about doing more—it's about carrying less. In this episode of The Uplifters, legendary yoga teacher, author, and artist Elena Brower shares her journey from New York City's achievement-driven yoga world to Santa Fe's spacious creative life, offering a roadmap for women over 40 ready to trade exhaustion for sustainable energy.

If you're experiencing brain fog, sleep disruptions from stress, or the physical toll of decades of overcommitment, Elena's story offers practical wisdom. She reveals how thriving in midlife means deliberately slowing down—not losing capacity, but gaining longer, richer days and protecting your nervous system from chronic overwhelm.

Many women over 40 attribute fatigue, brain fog, and mood changes solely to perimenopause, but chronic stress and burnout compound these symptoms. Elena's journey demonstrates how addressing the root causes—endless commitments, external validation seeking, and poor boundaries—can improve both mental clarity and physical wellbeing.

Burnout Recovery Strategies:

• How to use Nonviolent Communication (NVC) for self-compassion and reducing internal stress
• Why deliberately slowing down improves focus, energy, and decision-making
• Practical techniques for setting boundaries with work and family (including stopping work at 5pm)
• The connection between achievement culture and nervous system dysregulation

Building Your Midlife Mindset:

• How to identify what you're carrying and why (fewer grudges, less rancor, fewer debts)
• The "Space of Genius" framework for organizing life around what matters most
• Why seeking external validation exhausts you and how to build internal trust
• How writing your stories creates retroactive healing without steeping in difficulty

Sustainable Courage Practices:

• The four-step NVC process: observation, feelings, needs, and self-compassion
• Elena's "truth has tears" writing practice for getting beyond comfortable truths
• How Zen practice builds the internal trust that replaces ambition-driven burnout
• Strategies for helping teenagers and partners take responsibility for their own emotional states

The midlife mindset shift Elena describes isn't about opting out—it's about opting in to sustainability. For women over 40 navigating leadership, career transitions, or simply trying to maintain performance while managing physical changes, her approach offers an alternative to pushing through exhaustion.

Slower Creates Longer: Moving more slowly through your days paradoxically gives you the feeling of longer, richer days and reduces the cortisol response that worsens perimenopause symptoms.

Self-Empathy Reduces Physical Stress: The four-step NVC process (observe, name feelings, identify needs, self-compassion) helps regulate your nervous system before attempting to communicate with others.

Ambition and Mistrust Are Linked: The unconscious drive for external validation stems from internal mistrust. Building internal trust through practices like Zen meditation creates sustainable energy instead of burnout cycles.

Nobody Owes You Anything: Releasing the belief that people owe you attention or acknowledgment is one of the most freeing acts for reducing resentment and its physical...

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