This week on The Uplifters Podcast, two extraordinary women in midlife share what a cancer diagnosis taught them about finally giving themselves permission to do the big, brave things they'd been putting off. If you've ever felt like you're driving through life with one foot on the gas and one foot on the brake, this episode is for you.

You'll hear from Jacquelyn Fletcher Johnson, founder of the Heartwood Leadership Institute and award-winning author of fourteen books, who went through breast cancer treatment in 2020 and came out the other side asking, "What's mine to do?" And from Christy Kercheville, a CEO coach and master facilitator who was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, a rare and incurable cancer, in the first weeks of COVID, and has spent six years building her most purposeful, joy-filled chapter inside that diagnosis.

Together they show us that midlife reinvention doesn't always begin with a plan. Sometimes it begins with something that strips everything else away and shows you, clearly and without apology, what actually matters.

What You'll Learn:

How to find purpose after a major life disruption — what both women asked themselves when everything changed, and how those questions led to completely new chapters

Why midlife women keep one foot on the brake — the specific fears that show up differently at this stage of life, and how to work through them

How to build courage capital after 40 — the daily practices, rituals, and reframes both women use to keep moving when fear shows up

How to ask for exactly the kind of support you need — why generic help often misses and how to get specific so the people around you can actually show up

Why action over anxiety is a learnable skill — how Christy's goal-setting approach to hard emotions applies to any overwhelming transition, not just illness

What "precision manifesting" looks like in practice — how naming exactly what you want, out loud, changes what becomes possible

Resources and Links:

About Jacquelyn Fletcher Johnson: Jacquelyn Fletcher Johnson is the founder and CEO of the Heartwood Leadership Institute, one of JPMorgan Chase's 100 Women to Know in America, and the award-winning author of fourteen books. A global speaker and executive coach who has worked with everyone from Olympians to Fortune 100 CEOs, Jacquelyn creates platforms and experiences, including the Gateway Gathering and PitchFest. Connect with Jacquelyn: LinkedIn, Instagram

About Christy Kercheville: Christy Kercheville is a CEO coach and master facilitator with over 25 years of experience working with Fortune 100 companies. Six years after being diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma, a rare and incurable cancer, she continues to coach leaders, raise funds for LMS research, and live with a ferocious and practical commitment to joy. Connect with Christy: TikTok, Instagram. To learn more about Leiomyosarcoma visit: Lmsdr.org and Imermanangels.org

About Your Host: Aransas Savas is a wellbeing and leadership coach specializing in helping women over 40 navigate midlife transitions, career changes, and second-act reinvention. With 20+ years of behavioral research experience partnering with companies like Disney, Weight Watchers, and Best Buy, she hosts The Uplifters Podcast, featuring women doing transformative work in the second half of their lives. Aransas brings both research rigor and personal experience to conversations about courage capital, midlife transformation, and building meaningful second acts.

Connect with Aransas:

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Keywords: midlife reinvention women, courage capital, women over 40 purpose, starting over at 40, midlife transformation, second act career women, building confidence after 40, midlife courage, women over 40 success stories, perimenopause fresh start, midlife awakening women, women changing careers 40s, midlife purpose women, second half of life, midlife dreams women, women entrepreneurs over 40, midlife transition women, life after 40 women

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