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  • When "Fine" Isn't Enough: How Catherine Clark Chose to Rebuild Instead of Tolerate

    Midlife career change takes courage. Catherine Clark shares how women over 40 can leave burnout behind, trust impermanence, and create what's next.

    DESCRIPTION:

    After 30 years of building a successful branding agency, Catherine Clark made a radical choice in her 50s: she walked away. In this conversation, Catherine shares the truth about midlife career change—how to recognize when partnerships drain your energy, why movement unlocks emotional breakthroughs, and how women over 40 can reimagine success on their own terms.


    This is a powerful story about burnout recovery, surrendering the need to push through, and building something fluid and graceful in midlife. If you've ever felt trapped by the success you've created, this episode will give you permission to move.


    IN THIS EPISODE:

    [00:00] Introduction: Reimagining success in the second half of life

    [01:28] Catherine's journey: 30 years in branding and the ecosystem that started to fray

    [04:06] Why women are trained to tolerate energy-depleting relationships

    [06:24] The courage to address stagnation and trust what's on the other side

    [08:11] Accepting that change happens whether we choose it or not

    [09:42] The ocean and the wave: Thich Nhat Hanh's philosophy on impermanence

    [14:30] What horses taught Catherine about movement as medicine

    [35:42] The danger of being too strong: when resilience keeps us stuck

    [36:52] Why surrender requires more strength than pushing through

    [38:04] Building CREATRIS with fluidity and grace

    [40:37] How moving your body helps you move emotionally

    KEY TAKEAWAYS:

    ✨ Energy-multiplying vs. energy-depleting relationships: Learn to recognize the difference

    ✨ Everything has to work together: career, family, values—your ecosystem matters

    ✨ Movement is medicine: Physical movement unlocks emotional breakthroughs

    ✨ Surrender isn't weakness: Sometimes the bravest thing is to stop pushing

    ✨ Midlife opens doors: When children launch and parents age, new chapters emerge

    ABOUT CATHERINE CLARK:

    Catherine Clark is the founder of CREATRIS and spent nearly 30 years building a successful branding agency, Clarkmcdowell, working with companies like Starbucks and PepsiCo. After recognizing that her partnership and business model no longer fueled her energy, she made the courageous decision to start fresh in her 50s, creating something more aligned with fluidity, grace, and her evolving values.


    RESOURCES MENTIONED:

    • Thich Nhat Hanh's philosophy on impermanence

    • Gyrotonics (movement practice)

    • Caroline Weaver / The Locavore (NYC)

    CONNECT WITH ARANSAS:

    Subscribe to the Uplifters podcast for weekly conversations with women doing big, brave things in midlife and beyond.

    TAGS:

    #midlifemindset #careerchange40 #womenover40 #burnoutrecovery #midlifecareerchange #strongat40plus #thrivingmidlife #secondhalflife #perimenopause #menopause #womenleadership #careertransition



    Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
    46 min
  • Hala Alyan on Motherhood, Identity, and Resilience
    About This Episode

    Join host Aransas Savas in a powerful conversation with Hala Alyan, a Palestinian-American poet, writer, clinical psychologist, and mother, as they explore the intersections of identity, motherhood, creativity, and social engagement.

    Key Topics Discussed:
    • Navigating multiple identities as a Palestinian-American
    • The role of motherhood in understanding personal and collective experiences
    • Creative writing and storytelling as forms of witness and resistance
    • Accountability, personal growth, and social responsibility

    Timestamps

    00:00 - Introduction to Hala Alyan

    01:09 - Exploring Personal Identities

    03:20 - The Complexity of Cultural Identity

    12:35 - Motherhood and Storytelling

    25:32 - Raising a Child with Awareness and Compassion

    34:05 - The Power of Mundane Moments

    40:10 - Building Supportive Relationships

    42:11 - Creative Pursuits and Learning

    About Hala Alyan

    Hala Alyan is a Palestinian-American poet, writer, clinical psychologist, and mother based in Brooklyn. She is the author of a memoir and continues to explore themes of identity, displacement, and resilience through her writing and creative work.


    The Uplifter Thread

    Did you know that every woman on the Uplifters podcast is nominated by a former guest or audience member? 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:

    Julie Fleischer → Susan Jaramillo→Kate Tellers from The Moth→Cleyvis Natera→ Deesha Philyaw → Mahogany Browne → Hala Alyan → who nominates Sahar Delijani and describes her as, “A remarkable human and artist, a beautiful writer, a fearless advocate for Iranian human rights.”

    Lift Her Up:

    Support Hala’s Work:

    • Buy or borrow I’ll Tell You When I’m Home from your local bookstore or library
    • Attend KAN YAMA KAN if you’re in NYC—it’s a beautiful reading series that combines poetry, fiction, memoir, and music while raising funds for monthly mutual aid causes. You can learn more about it by following Hala’s IG.
    • Share her work with book clubs, writing groups, or friends who appreciate literature that grapples with identity, displacement, and belonging

    Support Palestine:

    • Hala emphasizes that witnessing and being moved by what you see is transformative—educate yourself about what’s happening in Palestine
    • Support mutual aid organizations working on the ground

    Support the Podcast
    • Subscribe to Uplifters Podcast
    • Leave a Review
    • Share with a Friend

    #Uplifters #HalaAlyan #Motherhood #CreativeWriting #PalestinianAmerican #Podcast



    Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
    43 min
  • Midi Health's Joanna Strober: Perimenopause, HRT, and Starting Over at 53

    Perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes, sleep problems, and brain fog often go undiagnosed. Here's how Joanna Strober built accessible menopause care for women over 40.


    Perimenopause symptoms went undiagnosed for years while Joanna Strober suffered through sleepless nights, unexplained weight gain, hot flashes, and anxiety. Despite seeing multiple doctors, no one mentioned perimenopause or hormone therapy. This is her story of how personal medical dismissal became a mission to transform menopause care for women over 40.

    At 53, Joanna founded Midi Health—the first insurance-covered virtual care platform for perimenopause and menopause, now serving 20,000 women weekly across all 50 states.

    In this episode, you'll learn:

    ✅ Why perimenopause symptoms start in your 30s or 40s (up to 20 years before menopause)

    ✅ The truth about HRT and breast cancer risk

    ✅ How to access insurance-covered menopause care vs. paying $1,500+ out of pocket

    ✅ Common perimenopause symptoms beyond hot flashes: brain fog, sleep disruption, night sweats, anxiety, weight gain, vertigo

    ✅ Why hormone therapy (HRT) has 5x less hormones than birth control pills doctors readily prescribe

    ✅ How one woman turned medical gaslighting into a healthcare company at 53

    ✅ The courage to talk about menopause publicly when it was considered career suicide

    ✅ Why perimenopause care IS primary care for women over 40

    ✅ The manifesting and visualization techniques that helped build a national healthcare platform

    ✅ How to create feedback loops that drive operational excellence (including the brilliance of [email protected])

    Why This Matters for Women Over 40:

    Medical studies show women 40-49 experience significant work and life impacts from perimenopause, yet symptoms are routinely dismissed or misdiagnosed. This conversation breaks down the barriers keeping women from proper care and offers practical pathways to getting help.


    About Joanna Strober:

    Joanna Strober is the Founder and CEO of Midi Health, the largest insurance-covered virtual menopause care platform in the United States. After her own perimenopause symptoms went undiagnosed for years, she founded Midi at age 53 to ensure other women wouldn't suffer the same medical dismissal. She was one of the first business leaders to publicly discuss menopause on LinkedIn in 2021, helping break the professional taboo around this life transition. Under her leadership, Midi now serves nearly 20,000 women weekly with accessible, expert menopause care.


    Key Timestamps:

    [00:00] Introduction

    [03:15] Joanna's undiagnosed perimenopause journey

    [06:00] Why doctors prescribe birth control instead of HRT

    [07:15] The career risk of talking about menopause in 2021

    [10:00] Debunking the hormone therapy and breast cancer myth

    [15:00] How insurance coverage makes menopause care accessible

    [18:45] The billion symptoms of perimenopause you need to know

    [20:00] Starting a healthcare company at 53

    [23:30] Manifesting and strategic visualization in business

    [27:00] Serving 20,000 women weekly—the reality of scaling healthcare

    [30:00] Why [email protected] matters for courage capital

    [33:00] The future: expanding to full women's primary care


    Resources Mentioned:

    • MIDI Health: www.joinmidi.com (insurance-covered menopause care)

    • Women's Health Initiative Study (discussed in episode)

    • Nutrafol (episode sponsor for hair health)

    Connect with The Uplifters:

    🎙 Website: theuplifterspodcast.com

    📱 Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast and @aransas_savas

    📱 TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast

    ▶️ YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast

    💼 LinkedIn: Aransas Savas

    If You...

    Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
    39 min
  • Nutrafol’s Dr. Isabelle Raymond: The Scientist Who Made Menopause Research Personal

    Episode Description:

    What happens when a scientist with two decades of pharmaceutical research experience realizes she doesn't understand what's happening to her own body? Dr. Isabelle Raymond joins us to discuss her journey from studying sleep medicine and neurotoxins to becoming the Head of Clinical and Medical Affairs at Nutrafol—and why it took until 2020 for any brand to study menopausal women's hair loss. This conversation reveals the shocking gaps in women's health research, why having women designing studies matters so much, and how Isabelle's bringing both scientific rigor and personal experience to research that actually serves women's bodies.

    What You'll Learn:

    • Why menopausal and perimenopausal hair thinning happen to so many women
    • How Isabelle's designing studies around the outcomes that actually matter to women
    • Why clinical trials historically excluded women
    • How estrogen receptors on every organ in your body explain why menopause affects everything
    • How supplement research is conducted
    • Why so little time has been historically spent on training doctors in menopause

    Time Stamps:

    [00:00] Introduction and Aransas's personal hair shedding story

    [02:30] Isabelle's background

    [07:00] The career pivot from pharmaceutical research to Nutrafol

    [11:45] Why women weren't included in clinical trials—and why that needs to change

    [17:30] The moment Isabelle realized she was going through perimenopause on camera

    [22:15] Why almost no doctors receive adequate training in menopause care

    [26:00] How estrogen receptors throughout your body explain perimenopause symptoms

    [31:40] Brain fog, the word-finding difficulties, and normalizing these experiences at work

    [38:20] Why Nutrafol was the first to study menopausal women specifically

    [42:00] The power of knowledge

    [48:15] How Isabelle takes care of herself while taking care of everyone else

    [52:30] Becoming a spokesperson and front woman after a career in the background

    Key Takeaways:

    ✨ Women's health has been understudied because hormonal fluctuations made research more complicated—but "complicated" doesn't mean "impossible" or "not worth doing"

    ✨ You have estrogen receptors on every organ in your body (including your hair), which is why perimenopause and menopause affect so much more than just your reproductive system

    ✨ The medical system's gaps aren't your fault—but you can advocate for yourself by asking questions and seeking providers who take your concerns seriously

    ✨ Brain fog, hair changes, mood shifts, and the feeling that your body no longer works the way it used to are all legitimate symptoms worth addressing

    ✨ When women with scientific expertise bring their lived experiences into their research, they design studies that actually answer the questions women are asking

    ✨ Self-care isn't optional—it's essential infrastructure for doing good work in the world

    Resource Links:



    • Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
    36 min
  • Big Moves in Midlife and Beyond

    This special episode features three remarkable women from the Uplifters community who reached out to share their stories of transformation after 40. Elaine Perkins (64) packed up her life in Brooklyn at 60 to become a homeowner in Delaware. Adena Artale (47) looked herself in the mirror at 45 and finally pursued her childhood dream of acting. Tracy Keibler (64) became a nonprofit founder at 50 when her husband lost his job—and has since served over 8,000 lives. Their stories prove that courage doesn't have an expiration date, and reinvention is always possible.

    What You'll Learn
    • How to navigate major life transitions after 40 with confidence
    • Strategies for building community when starting over in a new place
    • Why "new" is an advantage, not a disadvantage
    • How to distinguish between limiting beliefs and genuine wisdom
    • The practice of listening to your body's signals about what you truly need
    • Why telling the right people first matters when pursuing brave goals
    • How to reframe failure and keep experimenting your way forward
    • The importance of scheduling self-care like you schedule meetings
    • Why following your dreams benefits everyone around you, not just yourself

    Time Stamps

    00:00 - Introduction: The Late Bloomers Series Finale

    02:15 - Elaine's Story: Moving to Delaware at 60

    03:30 - The dream of homeownership and her mother's passing

    04:45 - What scared her most about the move

    06:00 - Choosing allies and amplifiers to tell first

    07:15 - The power of saying "I'm new here"

    08:30 - How loss created space for reinvention

    10:00 - Writing her worthiness story

    11:30 - Rating herself on bravery: from 7 to 10

    12:45 - Her next dream: Tamron Hall Show and spreading the worthiness message

    18:30 - Adena's Story: Becoming an actor at 45

    19:15 - Her sister's terminal diagnosis as a catalyst

    20:30 - The mirror moment: naming her sacred dream

    22:30 - Taking action immediately with Backstage

    23:45 - The uncomfortable photoshoot and learning to accept her body

    25:30 - Why she's not stopping for the next 53 years

    27:30 - Her husband and family's unwavering support

    29:45 - Building courage by telling the right people

    31:30 - The myth of "not having enough time"

    33:45 - Learning to listen to her body's wisdom

    35:15 - Tracy's Story: Starting a nonprofit at 50

    36:30 - What Start Senior Solutions does for seniors in crisis

    38:30 - Learning one problem at a time

    40:30 - Strengths carried forward from previous chapters

    43:15 - Redefining failure as experimentation

    44:30 - The importance of collaboration over competition

    46:45 - How to support Start Senior Solutions

    47:00 - Closing reflections on late blooming and courage

    Key Takeaways

    ✓ Anxiety about NOT doing something can be a clearer signal than fear about doing it

    ✓ Being "new" is an invitation for connection, not a deficit

    ✓ Your body knows what your brain is still debating—learn to listen

    ✓ Tell allies and amplifiers first; protect your dream from skeptics early

    ✓ Worthiness isn't something you earn—it's something you claim

    ✓ Courage compounds: each brave choice makes the next one easier

    ✓ It's never too late...

    Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe

    50 min
  • A World Record Breaking Joggler Teaches Us How to Move Past Fear of Failure

    Karly Swaim holds an unofficial world record in joggling—a sport that combines jogging and juggling. Her transformation from perfectionist paralysis to athletic courage offers practical lessons for anyone ready to stop letting fear of failure control their life.

    What You'll Learn:

    • How to identify safe spaces for growth and experimentation
    • Practical techniques for building self-awareness and emotional regulation
    • Why failure is actually data (and how to use it as such)
    • The difference between legitimate assessment and fear-based thinking
    • How to turn scary new experiences into playful challenges

    Time Stamps:

    • 0:00 - Introduction: Meet Karly and the world of juggling
    • 3:30 - From sedentary to accidental athlete
    • 8:45 - Finding a safe place to fail at Bryant Park
    • 15:20 - The perfectionism trap and fear of failure
    • 22:10 - How juggling revealed unconscious coping mechanisms
    • 28:35 - Professional transformation and promotions
    • 33:40 - The running group scavenger hunt experiment
    • 40:15 - Preparing for the four-ball world record attempt
    • 45:50 - "Just because it's hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it"

    Key Takeaways:

    • Growth happens in environments where failure is normalized and learning is prioritized
    • Physical activities can provide immediate feedback for mental and emotional states
    • "Not ready" is often fear disguised as wisdom
    • Small experiments can lead to life-changing transformations
    • Community and support make courage sustainable

    Guest Bio: I am a 40 year old accountant with a passion for pursuing creative hobbies. My hobbies have evolved over time, with my primary focus now on joggling, which is a blend of jogging and juggling. I started joggling when I was 33 years old and am now one of the most active jogglers in the world, having done over 50 races joggling.

    Host Bio: Aransas Savas is a wellbeing and leadership coach, host of The Uplifters Podcast, and author who helps women build courage capital through research-backed strategies and real-world wisdom. Connect with her on Instagram @aransas_savas, LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/aransassavas, and her website theuplifterspodcast.com. Follow The Uplifters on Instagram @the_uplifters_podcast, TikTok @theuplifterspodcast, Facebook facebook.com/aransas, and YouTube @theuplifterspodcast.

    Keywords: courage building, overcoming perfectionism, late bloomer athlete, juggling sport, failure mindset, self-awareness techniques, career transformation, professional development, fear management, growth mindset, athletic identity, personal development, women's empowerment, life transitions, courage capital



    Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
    34 min
  • Lakshmi Rengarajan: Why Your Later Life Might Be Perfect for Finding Love

    Dating coach and podcast host Lakshmi Rengarajan joins Aransas Savas to challenge everything you think you know about finding love after 40. Discover why traditional dating advice fails midlife daters, how to build authentic connections through storytelling, and why your forties and fifties might actually be the perfect time for romance.

    What You'll Learn:

    -How to reframe dating without biological clock pressures

    -The difference between connection and communication in early dating

    -Why "wasting time" with the "wrong person" might actually be valuable

    -How to create 15 magnetic stories that showcase your authentic self

    -The concept of "romantic hope" and living romantically regardless of relationship status

    -Why understanding dating culture is crucial before jumping in

    -How to date as your full, evolved self rather than a younger version


    Timestamps:

    02:45 - Why standard dating advice fails people over 40

    07:30 - The advantages of dating without deadlines

    12:15 - Connection before communication: the real art of dating

    18:30 - How to prepare for dating (hint: it's not just downloading apps)

    22:00 - The story about yourself you need to master

    28:45 - The "invisible at a certain age" myth, debunked

    35:00 - Two-hour phone detox before dates

    38:15 - Living a romantic life with or without a partner


    Key Takeaways:

    -Dating in your forties and fifties offers unique advantages when you're not rushing against biological clocks

    -The best connections happen when you focus on getting to know the other person rather than evaluating them as a potential partner

    -Learning to tell engaging stories about yourself is crucial for all relationships, not just romantic ones

    -"Romantic hope" is about living with an open heart, not necessarily about finding a relationship


    Resource Links:

    The Later Date Today Podcast

    Follow Lakshmi on social media for dating insights: @thelaterdatertoday @later_Lakshmi


    Guest Bio: Lakshmi Rengarajan is a dating culture researcher and coach focused on midlife dating. Host of The Later Date Today podcast, she has worked to make dating culture better for more than 15 years, from designing one-of-a-kind singles events to actually working at Match.com, studying the art of the set-up, and learning about midlife dating today.


    Host Bio: Aransas Savas is a leadership coach, researcher, and host of The Uplifters Podcast. Connect with her on Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube. Visit her website at theuplifterspodcast.com.


    Keywords: dating after 40, midlife dating, dating coach, relationship advice, authentic connection, dating without pressure, romantic hope, dating culture, finding love later in life, second chance romance



    Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
    43 min
  • Sari Botton: Confessions of a Late-Blooming Gen-X Weirdo

    Episode Summary

    Join host Aransas Savas as she kicks off the highly requested Late Bloomers series with memoirist and publisher Sari Botton. In this deeply resonant conversation, Sari shares her journey of publishing her memoir "And You May Find Yourself: Confessions of a Late Blooming Gen X Weirdo" after 15 years of wrestling with fear and self-doubt.

    Why Gen X Is the Late Bloomer Generation Sari explains how Gen Xers experienced unique childhood disruption during the sexual revolution of the 1970s, watching their parents transform from formal, structured adults into "disco ducks" - creating confusion about how to be a grown-up.

    Key Insights

    The Universal Fear of Being "Too Late"

    • Every generation worries about being behind schedule
    • Our youth-obsessed culture promotes "30 under 30" lists that make us feel done if we haven't achieved certain milestones by arbitrary ages
    • The fear started for Sari at age 10 when her uncle said "you'll never be one digit again"

    Finding Peace With Your Timeline People who seem most at peace with their age (usually 50+) share common traits:

    • They've stopped pretending to be who others want them to be
    • They've achieved enough to feel secure but had enough failures to stay humble
    • They've learned what's right for them and stopped caring about what isn't

    The Permission to Tell Your Story

    • The best memoirs illuminate the mundane, not exceptional experiences
    • First-person writing should always feel scary - if it doesn't, you're not doing it right
    • Memoir's job is to share uncomfortable feelings that everyone has but no one talks about

    Practical Writing Wisdom

    • Give yourself permission to quit every night, then choose to continue each morning
    • Write the version nobody will see first to get it out of your system
    • Don't rush to publish - sometimes we need years to become the right version of ourselves to tell our stories
    • The right timing often reveals itself through gut instinct

    Memorable Quotes

    "You don't need to come up with new tricks, you just need to show them to people who haven't seen them before."

    "The job of the memoirist is to illuminate the mundane."

    "If first-person writing isn't scary, something's wrong - you're not doing it right."

    "I've achieved enough to feel okay where I am, and I've had enough failures to be humble."

    About Sari Botton

    • Author of "And You May Find Yourself: Confessions of a Late Blooming Gen X Weirdo"
    • Publisher of Oldster Magazine and Memoir Land
    • Editor of two bestselling anthologies about loving and leaving New York
    • Has been featured in Marie Claire, The New York Times Modern Love, and more

    How to Support Sari's Work

    • Buy her memoir in print or audiobook (narrated by Sari herself)
    • Subscribe to her newsletters: Oldster Magazine and Memoir Land
    • Follow her upcoming live Oldster events

    This episode was sponsored by

    Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe

    48 min
  • Cristina Jiménez on Finding Your Voice When the World Tells You to Stay Quiet

    Episode Description: MacArthur Fellow Cristina Jimenez shares her powerful journey from living as an undocumented teenager in fear and shame to co-founding United We Dream, the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the United States. In this deeply moving conversation, she reveals how finding her voice didn't happen in isolation—it happened in community, through action, and by refusing to let fear have the final word. Cristina offers profound insights about courage, community organizing, and why moving through fear (rather than eliminating it) is the key to creating lasting change.

    What You'll Learn:

    • How to build courage when the stakes feel impossibly high
    • Why community action multiplies individual bravery
    • The difference between hiding for safety vs. organizing for protection
    • How to transform personal struggle into systemic change
    • Strategies for moving through fear rather than being paralyzed by it
    • Why silence and invisibility often increase rather than decrease risk

    Key Takeaways:

    • Courage isn't about eliminating fear—it's about feeling afraid and taking action anyway
    • Individual voices become powerful through collective action and community organizing
    • Your lived experience, however difficult, contains wisdom that the world needs
    • Moving through fear rather than around it builds the muscle for sustained brave action
    • Democracy requires all of us to participate, regardless of background or status

    Time Stamps:

    • [00:00] Introduction and Cristina's background
    • [03:00] What it's like living as an undocumented American
    • [08:00] How 9/11 intensified fears in immigrant communities
    • [14:00] The transformation from fear to finding her voice
    • [19:00] Managing hope and hopelessness in activism
    • [24:00] How individual courage becomes collective power
    • [30:00] Advice for taking action in overwhelming times

    Lift Her Up

    Support immigrant communities:

    • Donate to United We Dream (UWD) and other immigrant rights organizations
    • Contact your representatives about comprehensive immigration reform
    • Learn about and support local immigrant-serving organizations in your community

    Amplify the conversation:

    • Share Cristina's book Dreaming of Home with your book club or social networks
    • Attend local town halls and community meetings where immigration policies are discussed
    • Follow and share the stories of immigrant organizers and activists

    If You Liked This Story, Check Out These Episodes:

    Susie Jaramillo: The first Latina CEO of a US media company, who nominated Cristina for The Uplifters

    HMelissa Aviles-Ramos: NYC DOE Chancellor, who is championing immigrant student rightsost Bio: Aransas Savas is a leadership coach, behavioral researcher, and host of The Uplifters Podcast. With over 20 years of experience conducting research and design for companies like Disney, Weight Watchers, and Oprah Winfrey, she brings both analytical rigor and deep empathy to conversations about courage and change. Find her on Instagram,

    Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe

    40 min
  • First Latina NYC DOE Chancellor is Ensuring Schools Support Every Child

    Episode Description:

    Meet Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Chancellor of New York City Public Schools – the youngest and first Latina to lead the nation's largest school system. From growing up as the first in her family to graduate high school to now overseeing the education of nearly a million students, Melissa shares how childhood experiences with educational inequity shaped her commitment to ensuring every child receives the love, support, and excellent education they deserve.

    What You'll Learn:

    • How to transform personal struggles into systemic solutions
    • The power of deep listening as a leadership practice
    • Building confidence when you're the first or only in your role
    • Creating educational environments where every child feels seen and valued
    • Turning data into compassionate action

    Time Stamps:

    • 00:00 Introduction and background
    • 03:00 Growing up in the Bronx, family immigration story
    • 08:00 The difference between her siblings' school experience and her own
    • 12:00 Discovering her love for writing and teaching
    • 18:00 Transition from teacher to principal to chancellor
    • 25:00 Leading during crisis: Project Open Arms
    • 32:00 Daily practices for staying connected to students and families
    • 38:00 Building courage capital and overcoming imposter syndrome
    • 44:00 Nominating Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz
    • 47:00 How to support public education

    Key Takeaways:

    • True leadership means making sure no one has to make the sacrifices your family made
    • Courage is built through consistent practice of showing up authentically
    • The best leaders never forget what it feels like to need support
    • Systemic change happens when we center the voices of those most impacted

    Guest Bio:

    Melissa Aviles-Ramos is Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, the largest school system in the nation. She was formerly the Deputy Chancellor of Family and Community Engagement and External Affairs, as well as the Chief of Staff to former Chancellor David C. Banks. In those roles, she oversaw innovative family engagement programs such as NYC Literacy Hubs and our Family Literacy Ambassadors; she also launched and led Project Open Arms, our unprecedented effort to welcome, enroll, and support 45,000-plus of our newest New Yorkers.

    Chancellor Aviles-Ramos began her career as an English teacher and NYC Teaching Fellow at Harry S. Truman High School in the Bronx. She later served as principal at Schuylerville Prep and then became the acting superintendent to Bronx HS District 8, 10 and 11. Chancellor Aviles-Ramos earned her bachelor’s degree from Fordham University, Master of Arts in English Education from the City College of New York, and Advanced Certificates in school and district leadership from College of Saint Rose. She is a native New Yorker, a Latina, and a proud NYCPS parent. 

    Host Bio: Aransas Savas is a wellbeing and leadership coach and host of The Uplifters Podcast. She helps women recognize and develop their own courage to create positive change in their lives and communities.

    Connect with Aransas:

    • Instagram: @aransas_savas
    • Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast
    • TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast
    • Facebook:

      Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
    38 min

About The Uplifters

From the publisher's feed

The Uplifters Podcast features inspiring conversations with midlife women making big, brave moves in the second half of their lives. Each episode includes brain science and research on how to work…

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