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The Uplifters

Aransas Savas

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 with (not against) your midlife brain, body, and resources + tips and tools for designing your boldest second half of life!

www.theuplifterspodcast.com

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Thursday · 58 min
Was That Racist?
What does it take to have the conversation you are most afraid of getting wrong? In this episode, social psychologist and author Dr. Evelyn Carter joins Aransas Savas to talk about how to detect, interrupt, and unlearn bias in everyday life, and why a growth mindset is the starting point for women over 40 who want to keep learning and keep leading.You will hear how to lean into discomfort instead of fleeing it, what to do when you make a mistake that hurts someone, and how to turn shame into shared learning. Evelyn also explains why the arc of history matters when the news makes everything feel hopeless.Evelyn's own second act started with a Little, Brown Spark contest she almost talked herself out of entering. She tells the story of leaving in-house corporate work, building a consulting business, and writing the book she kept hearing she should write.What You'll Learn:Growth mindset for midlife women (how believing change is possible makes you more likely to speak up and to accept feedback)How to handle a mistake that hurt someone (feel it, fix what you can, and let go of needing to be forgiven)Building courage capital (the zip line lesson on leaning into fear with the right safety in place)Starting over after leaving a corporate job (how Evelyn built a consulting business on her own terms)Entering the contest before you feel qualified (what she nearly missed by waiting)Choosing your community (why the people who say you never have to change are not the ones cheering at the bottom)Key Timestamps: 0:00 - Welcome and sponsor 2:50 - Big feelings, daughters, and grief 8:10 - How the book happened: the Little, Brown Spark New Voices award 15:38 - Leaving in-house work and building a consulting business 23:03 - Why this moment is right, and zooming out on the arc of history 27:24 - Growth mindset and racism 33:31 - Zip lining and leaning into fear 38:07 - A mistake, shame, and what learning gave back 44:04 - Atoning when you cannot fix the past 47:39 - Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, and picking your party 51:35 - How to support Evelyn 53:16 - The nomination: Evelyn's mom 55:31 - Not making yourself smallResources and Links:Website: evelynrcarter.comInstagram: @evelynrcarterBook: Was That Racist? How to Detect, Interrupt, and Unlearn Bias in Everyday Life About Dr. Evelyn Carter: Evelyn R. Carter, Ph.D., is a social psychologist and author who studies how to detect and discuss racial bias. She has more than 15 years of experience applying evidence-based practices in higher education, financial services, technology, retail and professional sports, with clients including American Express, Burberry, Cushman & Wakefield, Nike, the NFL, Uber and UCLA. Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, USA Today, Fast Company and Harvard Business Review.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 big, brave work in the second half of their lives. Aransas brings both research rigor and personal experience to conversations about courage capital, midlife reinvention, and building meaningful second acts. Connect with Aransas:Instagram: @aransas_savasPodcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcastTikTok: @theuplifterspodcastFacebook: Aransas SavasWebsite: theuplifterspodcast.comYouTube: @theuplifterspodcastLinkedIn: Aransas SavasKeywords: women over 40, midlife reinvention, second act career women, second half of life women, courage capital, growth mindset women, how to change careers after 40, building confidence after 40, women entrepreneurs over 40, midlife purpose women, life after 40 women, midlife dreams women, starting over at 40 women, how to talk about bias, interrupt bias at work Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
October 8 · 48 min
What happens to your voice during menopause
If your voice feels a little drier, a little less powerful, or just different since perimenopause or menopause, maybe there is a reason. Voice coach Jessica Hansen, a former staff coach at NPR, joins The Uplifters Podcast to talk about midlife voice changes, vocal fatigue, and why so many women over 40 are done sounding like what the room expects. You will hear simple, practical ways to care for your voice in midlife, from hydration and yawning to softening your tongue and dropping your shoulders. Jessica also explains how tension, stress, and a rough night of sleep show up in how you sound. Jessica's own midlife reinvention began with a layoff after eight and a half years at NPR. She let herself rest, then started writing two books and singing with a jazz combo. Her story is a reminder that none of your past is wasted, and that confidence after 40 is built by doing, not by waiting to feel ready. What You'll Learn: -Why your voice may feel different in midlife, and why a check-in with your doctor belongs on the list. - Why "trying" gets in the way of sounding like yourself. -Yawning, lip flutters, humming, and a quick tongue tension check. - What Jessica did in her first weeks, and why she let the dust settle. -Why capacity grows through action, not before it. -How a voice coach became a novelist in progress and a jazz singer. - Why women trained not to need anything get stronger by practicing it. Key Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction 6:09 Life after NPR and the layoff 16:25 Two books: the Shakespeare heroines novels and a voice guidebook 23:18 Why trying to fit in holds us back 38:03 Menopause, hydration, and your voice 42:36 Yawning, tongue release, and floor work 53:10 Why asking for help is the hardest practice Resources and Links: FB: facebook.com/JHanArtist IG - performer: @jessacts IG - voice coach: @at_home_in_your_voice LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-hansen-voice/ About Jessica Hansen: Jessica Hansen is a nationally recognized voice coach, award-winning actor, and founder of Signature Sound. A former staff coach at NPR and a 20+ year member of SAG-AFTRA, she helps leaders and media professionals build a resilient, authentic voice, and she is on a mission to help every woman feel At Home in Her Voice in midlife and beyond. She is based in Washington, DC. 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 big, brave things in the second half of their lives. Aransas brings both research rigor and personal experience to conversations about courage capital, midlife reinvention, and building meaningful second acts. Connect with Aransas: Instagram: @aransas_savas Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast Facebook: Aransas Savas Website: theuplifterspodcast.com YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast LinkedIn: Aransas Savas Keywords: perimenopause voice changes, menopause and your voice, women over 40, midlife reinvention, voice coach for women, vocal fatigue, building confidence after 40, starting over at 40, second act career women, midlife transition women, women changing careers 40s, second half of life women, midlife dreams women, courage capital, midlife voice, how to find your voice after 40 Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
October 1 · 53 min
Could You Travel Solo Full-Time?
What if you stopped asking whether a midlife reinvention is possible and started asking what you would do if you knew you couldn't get it wrong? Kristy Halvorsen spent years building a firefighting career, then sold her house, let go of nearly everything she owned, and hit the road in a 28-foot Airstream named Cottie. That was almost nine years ago. For women over 40 wondering if it's too late to start over, her second act is proof that you don't need the whole plan to begin.In this conversation, Kristy, author of Perfect Unfolding: Seven Years of Life-Changing Solo Adventure and a Year That Broke Me Open, shares how to spot the beliefs that keep us stuck, why the best action is sometimes no action, and how to trust your inner knowing when the path isn't clear. You'll also hear how she lives off-grid on a modest budget and finds connection on the road.Key Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction and sponsor 5:04 Meet Cottie, the Airstream 7:37 Leaving firefighting and the call with her mom 12:36 Why you only need to trust 20:00 Inner knowing and limiting beliefs 27:54 Nuts and bolts of life on the road 42:41 If I knew I couldn't get it wrong Key Takeaways:For midlife career changers: You don't have to know how to do it all before you begin.For women over 40 seeking purpose: Ask what you would do if you knew you couldn't get it wrong, and notice how simple the answer is.For women building a second act: Sometimes the best action is inaction, and rest counts.Resources and Links:Website: PerfectUnfolding.com Instagram: @kristy.halvorsen LinkedIn: Kristy on LinkedIn Goodreads: Perfect Unfolding on GoodreadsAbout Kristy Halvorsen: Kristy Halvorsen is the author of Perfect Unfolding: Seven Years of Life-Changing Solo Adventure and a Year That Broke Me Open. After leaving her firefighting career, she has lived full time in an Airstream named Cottie for almost nine years. She is also a coach who helps people release limiting beliefs and follow their inner knowing.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 big, brave 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:Instagram: @aransas_savasPodcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcastTikTok: @theuplifterspodcastFacebook: Aransas SavasWebsite: theuplifterspodcast.comYouTube: @theuplifterspodcastLinkedIn: Aransas SavasKeywords: women over 40, midlife reinvention, second act career women, starting over at 40, how to change careers after 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, midlife awakening women, women over 40 success stories, midlife purpose women, how to live off grid, Airstream living, solo female travel, full-time solo travel, full-time RV living, solo travel in midlife Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
September 24 · 44 min
Stop Trying to Control What You Can Only Influence
Tori DaCosta spent decades climbing the ranks at a Fortune 50 company while keeping some of her story tucked in her back pocket. Then in midlife, she decided it was time to write it down. Her debut book, "No Name B*****d: How Our Lives Teach Us What We Can Control, Manage, and Influence," became the framework she now teaches leaders, and it started with a question so many women over 40 will recognize: what would I even write about? I don't have a story. In this episode, Tori and Aransas talk about the courage it takes to put your story into the world after years of editing yourself, and why the people you tell (and don't tell) about a big, brave dream matter. Tori breaks down her signature control, manage, influence framework and shows how it applies to marriage, parenting, corporate projects, and the daily grind of building a second act while holding down a demanding full-time job. What You'll Learn: -Starting over during menopause and midlife career reinvention — how Tori built a second career as an author and speaker while staying full-time at a Fortune 50 company -How to change careers after 40 without leaving what you've built — the control, manage, influence framework for balancing a corporate job with a creative second act -Building confidence after 40 — how Tori rebuilt trust in a writing gift she hadn't used in decades -Midlife dreams women protect from naysayers — why Tori was selective about who she told before the book was finished, and what she calls allies, amplifiers, and auditors -Women over 40 career change and team building — how Tori assembled a director of operations, a publicist, and a soon-to-be virtual assistant to support her growing second act -The quarterly reset practice — Tori's 13-week personal and professional planning rhythm, used instead of New Year's resolutions Midlife reinvention women can use today — Tori's practical sleep and screen boundary (shutting down at 8pm) for protecting emotional bandwidth Resources and Links: Tori's website: journeystone.com (also toridacosta.com) Book: "No Name B*****d: How Our Lives Teach Us What We Can Control, Manage, and Influence" Instagram / Facebook: @ToriDacostaLeadership LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toridacosta/ About Tori DaCosta: Tori DaCosta is a business leader, coach, bestselling author, and speaker dedicated to helping people lead themselves with clarity, confidence, and intention. As a leader at a Fortune 50 company and founder of Journeystone LLC, she brings a grounded, experience-driven perspective to helping others step into their fullest potential. Her award-winning debut book, "No Name B*****d: How Our Lives Teach Us What We Can Control, Manage, and Influence," blends personal story with a practical framework readers can use to reflect on their own lives and extract actionable insight. Her mission is to help people take ownership of their growth, lead themselves well, and create meaningful outcomes for their teams, organizations, and communities. 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: Instagram: @aransas_savas Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast Facebook: Aransas Savas Website: theuplifterspodcast.com YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast LinkedIn: Aransas Savas Keywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, female founders midlife, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, starting over during menopause, women over 40 success stories, midlife awakening women Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
September 17 · 42 min
You Don't Need a Degree to Do the Thing
She spent thirty years disappearing into other people's words on Broadway. Then, in midlife, an idea for a novel showed up and refused to leave her alone. This week, actor Jennifer Shay Carta joins The Uplifters Podcast to talk about what happened when she traded a script for a blank page, with zero training and zero expectations.We talk about:Her Broadway debut in Side Man and joining the cast of ProofThe bruising experience with screenwriting that nearly ended her writing The difference between capability fear and permission fearWhy she chose to self-publish What Happened to Annabel TaylorHandling one-star reviews as a first-time authorWhy her bio left out her biggest accomplishmentAbout Jennifer Shay Carta:Jennifer Shay Carta is an actor turned debut novelist. Her Broadway credits include Side Man and the national tour and Broadway cast of Proof. Her debut novel, What Happened to Annabel Taylor, is available now in audiobook and paperback.Resources Mentioned:What Happened to Annabel Taylor by Jennifer Shay CartaJoin the Tryb: jointhetryb.com, code UPLIFTER20Connect with Aransas and The Uplifters:theuplifterspodcast.com | @aransas_savas | @the_uplifters_podcastSubscribe to the Substack newsletter at theuplifterspodcast.comChapters:0:00 — Welcome and sponsor2:08 — Introducing Jennifer and today's theme6:44 — When the novel idea first started tugging at her12:25 — The story that wouldn't let go17:03 — Writing with zero expectations21:25 — Capability fear vs. permission fear23:05 — Choosing self-publishing29:13 — The bio that left out the book33:59 — How Jennifer introduces herself now37:33 — Nominating Bianca Shapiro Fink39:36 — How to support Jennifer's work Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
September 10 · 56 min
Lisa Congdon Decided to End It Before It Ended Her
Lisa Congdon built one of the most recognized independent art careers on the internet: work at MoMA, U.S. postage stamps, ten published books, twenty years of a thriving retail business. Then, while it was still in its prime, she closed the business. This episode is about why, and about what it actually takes to end a chapter with integrity instead of letting resentment end it for you.We talk about:-How Lisa went from first-grade teacher to full-time working artist in her late thirties-What it was like to build a business from a single Etsy shop in 2007-Why she closed a thriving 20-year business at its peak, not its low point-How she told her employees, her audience, and herself the real reason-What "success" looks like for her now versus twenty years ago-Living and creating with ADHD, and her forthcoming book on the subject-What structure looks like when you're rebuilding your days from scratchChapters: 0:00 — Welcome and sponsor 2:56 — Introducing Lisa Congdon 6:07 — From first grade teacher to full-time artist 14:46 — How to claim a creative identity, at any age 19:57 — Finding your "why" once the medals stop coming 23:18 — Redefining what success means, twenty years in 32:42 — When too many people depend on you 36:01 — Closing a 20-year business with integrity 45:45 — A new book, new collaborators, and life as a free agent 51:07 — How to support Lisa right nowResources Mentioned:Lisa's website: lisacongdon.comLisa on Instagram: @lisacongdonHer forthcoming book, The Art of Finishing Things: Actually Useful Productivity Tools for Artists, Misfits, and EccentricsJoin the Tryb (sponsor): jointhetryb.com, code UPLIFTER20Connect with Aransas and The Uplifters: theuplifterspodcast.com | @aransas_savas | @the_uplifters_podcast Subscribe to the Monday Substack newsletter at theuplifterspodcast.com Join us Fridays for Co-Working Cocoons on Zoom: intention-setting, deep work, and a closing dance party.Keywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, female founders midlife, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
September 3 · 43 min
A Midlife Fitness Expert on Rebuilding Strength Without Starting Over
Three years ago, Heike Yates had to stop running. After qualifying for Boston in her first marathon and finishing the JFK 50 Miler, an arthritic knee said no, and she spent a year grieving the identity that went with it. In this conversation, she shares what it took to let go, what she built from the change, and why she thinks midlife is the perfect time to rebuild, not from scratch, but from right where you are.We talk about:Why process goals beat outcome goals for staying motivated in midlifeHow to tell when you are stuck in grief for an old version of yourselfThe SPARK Framework, a strategic way to take action on your fitness goalsResetting your goals every ten years without discarding what you learnedShifting the conversation from belly fat and thigh gaps to strengthWhy "I want to feel like myself again" does not mean your 25-year-old selfHeike Yates is a Midlife Fitness Expert, author, and creator of the SPARK Framework. She helps midlife women stop dimming their light and rebuild strength, energy, and confidence without guilt, extremes, or starting over. With 35+ years in fitness, nutrition, and mindset coaching, she supports women stuck in the cycle of trying and quitting with an approach built for real life, not ideal days. She hosts the Pursue Your Spark Podcast and is the author of Pursue Your Spark.Nominee: Heike nominated Cat Coluccio, New Zealand-based host of The Rocking Midlife Podcast, business coach, author, and fellow saxophonist.Resources Mentioned:Pursue Your Spark: Your Guide to Escaping Midlife Traps, Reclaiming Confidence, and Living Fully by Heike Yates (paperback, e-book, audiobook): https://amzn.to/4mD5xL7Website: https://heikeyates.com/The Pursue Your Spark Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pursue-your-spark-midlife-fitness-nutrition-mindset/id1231586317Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heikeyates/ | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pursueyoursparkLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heike-yates/ | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQIeOesGLGAOD5RhI2KYjcAJoin the Tryb: jointhetryb.com, code UPLIFTER20 for 20% off your first orderConnect with Aransas and The Uplifters: theuplifterspodcast.com | @aransas_savas | @the_uplifters_podcast Subscribe to the Monday Substack newsletter at theuplifterspodcast.com Join us Fridays for Co-Working Cocoons on Zoom: intention-setting, deep work, and a closing dance party. Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
August 27 · 51 min
You Were Never Meant to Be Just One Thing
What happens when the identity you worked so hard to build stops feeling like you? Faye McCray spent nearly a decade as a federal attorney, the first lawyer in her family, a title her whole community held onto. She left anyway. Within five years she tripled her salary and built something entirely hers.In this conversation, Faye and I talk about what it actually takes to stop living a single-story version of yourself in midlife, and why expanding your identity is both harder and more urgent than anyone tells you it will be.We talk about:How the government furlough that shook Faye's sense of stability became the beginning of her expansionThe "curated identity" trap and what it costs us to keep performing a version of ourselves that no longer fitsHow to follow joy as data when you're not sure what you actually wantThe "pilot" framework for making scary moves feel survivableWhy you should negotiate your job title as hard as you negotiate your salaryThe grief that comes with letting go of an identity you worked hard to earnHow Faye built multiple income streams rooted in her whole self, not just one roleFaye McCray is a former health attorney turned executive and entrepreneur who has navigated career pivots across federal service, media leadership, and entrepreneurship. She is the founder and CEO of Culture & Quill, where she partners with organizations including The Washington Post and Goldman Sachs on storytelling, leadership communication, and change strategy. She also serves as Chief Communications Officer of the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Previously she was VP and Head of Content at Well+Good and Livestrong.com and Editor-in-Chief of Psych Central at RVO Health. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Newsweek, and she has spoken at TEDx, SXSW, Ad Week, and Reuters Total Health. Her forthcoming book, "More Than Your Job: Four Practices for Keeping Your Identity Bigger Than Your Career," publishes June 2027.Find Faye:Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn: @heyfayemccraySubstack: What If It All Works OutBook: More Than Your Job (June 2027)Faye was nominated by Dria Barnes.Connect with Aransas and The Uplifters:theuplifterspodcast.com | @aransas_savas | @the_uplifters_podcast Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
August 20 · 57 min
Fulfillment in Midlife
In this special episode, three extraordinary women explore fulfillment in midlife guided by the MOVE framework from Dr. Helen Krug von Nidda's forthcoming book Closing the Fulfillment Gap. What emerges is a conversation about midlife reinvention, second-act courage, and why women over 40 are primed for meaningful work.About the Guests: Dr. Helen Krug von Nidda is an executive coach, international speaker, and author of Closing the Fulfillment Gap, releasing September 15, 2026. With over 20 years of global HR experience spanning the United Nations and Fortune 500 companies, she coaches female leaders navigating complex work dynamics and teaches at Stanford University. Risa Crandall spent 38 years as a media and technology sales and marketing leader before founding Love Is, an in-person program connecting people over shared home-cooked meals. Sue Moser is the founder of The Visceral Edge and a keynote speaker and mindset activator who helps high-capacity leaders stop performing and start leading from what's actually alive in them.Resources and Links:Dr. Helen Krug von Nidda: with-helen.com | Substack: withhelen.substack.com | Instagram: @with.dr.helenClosing the Fulfillment Gap (Post Hill Press, September 15, 2026) — pre-order nowRisa Crandall: love-is.com | Instagram: @love.is.community.suppersSue Moser / The Visceral Edge: thevisceraledge.com | Instagram: @susan_moser17 | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/susan-moser-thevisceraledgeAbout 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:Instagram: @aransas_savasPodcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcastTikTok: @theuplifterspodcastFacebook: Aransas SavasWebsite: theuplifterspodcast.comYouTube: @theuplifterspodcastLinkedIn: Aransas SavasKeywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, female founders midlife, perimenopause motivation, starting business during menopause, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, fulfillment gap midlife women Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
August 13 · 49 min
Your To-Die-For Life
What if the most motivating thing you could do for your midlife was think about your death? In this episode of The Uplifters Podcast, host Aransas Savas sits down with bestselling author and behavioral change expert Karen Salmansohn, who has spent decades helping people stop waiting for permission and start living as their most authentic selves. Karen has sold over two million books and courses worldwide, because she has never once been willing to sound like anybody else. This conversation is a masterclass in midlife reinvention, courageous creativity, and the gutsy practice of beginning again and again.In this episode, Karen shares the research-backed philosophy she built around mortality awareness as a midlife motivation tool, the seven core values she reverse-engineered from the top regrets of the dying, and the Lion King moment that snapped her back to herself after ten years of playing it safe. For any woman over 40 who has been letting someone else's doubt shrink her vision, this is the conversation you need to listen to.At 65, Karen is still stretching, still beginning, still building things she has never built before. She is the living argument that midlife reinvention is not a one-time act. It's a practice.What You'll Learn:How to use mortality awareness for midlife motivation — why Karen's eulogy-writing practice is the most clarifying thing you can do for your second actWhy progress beats perfectionism for women over 40 — the Aristotle-inspired philosophy that reframes mistakes as the whole pointHow to find your youiest authentic self — what self-alienation research reveals about the real cost of not living true to yourselfIdentity-based action for midlife women — how "I am, and so I do" statements are backed by behavioral scienceSeven core values to avoid dying with regrets — Karen's A through G framework reverse-engineered from top death doulas and the research on end-of-life regretsHow to trust your vision when everyone says no — the story behind ten years, one agent, and the book she almost never wroteThe noticing journal practice — a simple daily habit to develop an irreplaceable, deeply human creative voice."You feel most alive when you're a beginner. When you're scared and unsure, you're more self-aware, and you're growing." — Karen SalmansohnResources and Links:Karen's Substack, Stand-Up Philosopher: https://notsalmon.substack.com/Karen's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/notsalmon/"Your To Die For Life" by Karen Salmansohn — available everywhere"How to Be Happy Dammit" by Karen Salmansohn — available everywherewww.jointhetryb.com, code UPLIFTER20About Karen Salmansohn: Karen Salmansohn is a bestselling author, behavioral change expert, and Substack philosopher who has sold over two million books and courses worldwide. She pioneered a category of feisty, psychology-meets-humor self-help that landed her columnist roles at oprah.com and Psychology Today and made her latest book, Your To Die For Life, a bestseller. Her Substack, Stand-Up Philosopher, is a top-ranked philosophy publication with over 80,000 subscribers. Karen also coaches authors and entrepreneurs on branding, marketing, and platform growth, and she is still, at 65, enthusiastically beginning again.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:Instagram: @aransas_savasPodcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcastTikTok: @theuplifterspodcastFacebook: Aransas SavasWebsite: theuplifterspodcast.comYouTube: @theuplifterspodcastLinkedIn: Aransas SavasKeywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, female founders midlife, perimenopause motivation, starting business during menopause, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, perimenopause fresh start Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
August 6 · 30 min
How to be Radically Self-Posessed
Angela Burk spent three decades scaling companies from scrappy startups to Fortune 500 giants, but inside, she was white-knuckling her way through her 40s, shrinking to keep the peace, saying yes when she meant no, and editing out the very parts of herself that made her who she was. In this conversation, you'll learn what it takes to shed the stories others have told about you, how to stop apologizing for wanting more, and why the moment you finally let yourself rest, you might just discover who you really are.What You'll Learn:-How to stop shrinking in midlife — Why the stories we've internalized about our worth and capability are almost always false, and what it takes to start rewriting them-How to change careers after 40 — What Angela's path from Fortune 500 marketing executive to author and consultant reveals about trust, timing, and beginning before you have a plan-Building confidence after 40 — The practice of flipping "why me?" to "why not me?" and what that small shift produces in real life-How to say no without an essay — Three words that replace decades of over-explaining and apologizing-Starting over in midlife women — Why all the transitions hit at once in midlife and why that is actually an invitation, not a crisis-Women over 40 reclaiming identity — What radical self-possession actually looks like in daily practice, not as a concept but as a lived reality-Midlife reinvention success stories — How Angela found a book idea she'd buried in a red folder for 20 years and finally wrote it in three months at 54Resources and Links:Angela's book: Real Girls Guide to Midlife — available at Amazon, Bookshop.orgAngela's Substack: Real Girls Guide to Midlife — realgirlsguidetomidlife.comAngela's website: realgirlsguide.com/bookInstagram: @realgirlsguide55Facebook: The Real Girls Guide to Over 55Diane Hiler's book (nominated by Angela): A Widow's Fire — available on AmazonAbout Angela Burk: Angela Burk is an award-winning marketing leader who spent three decades scaling companies from scrappy startups to Fortune 500 giants before leaving the C-suite in her 50s to write, consult, and tell the truth about midlife. She is the author of the bestselling Real Girls Guide to Midlife, a community reshaping how women step into midlife with radical self-possession. She divides her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and Australia and is a mom and stepmom to seven kids.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:Instagram: @aransas_savasPodcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcastTikTok: @theuplifterspodcastFacebook: Aransas SavasWebsite: theuplifterspodcast.comYouTube: @theuplifterspodcastLinkedIn: Aransas SavasKeywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, female founders midlife, perimenopause motivation, starting business during menopause, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, perimenopause fresh start Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
July 30 · 1 hr 24 min
Rejection is the Goal!
Today we're talking about clothes! How they fit in midlife, how updating our wardrobes can upend our identities, and most of all, how donated clothes can give other women a fresh start. In this episode, Susan Kanoff shares how her 25 years in social work led to starting Uncommon Threads, a nonprofit now serving more than 8,000 women a year in Greater Boston through clothing, personal styling, and confidence-building. For women over 40 navigating change, her story is a masterclass in trusting your instincts, starting before you're ready, and building something meaningful from exactly what you have.Through a cancer diagnosis, a new career as a fashion blogger and influencer, and a nonprofit founder with 45,000 followers and 2.4 million blog views she helps women reconnect with their sense of style and self. You'll also learn about the concept of enclothed cognition, which shows that what we wear doesn't just reflect how we feel but actively shapes how we think, perform, and move through the world. This is a midlife conversation that is equal parts practical and inspiring.What You'll Learn:How to build a mission-driven nonprofit in midlife Why overanalyzing is the real enemy of action What enclothed cognition means for midlife women in transition What a cancer diagnosis teaches you about timing How to build a platform from scratch with no background Resources and Links:Uncommon Threads: uncommonthreads.org | @uncommonthreadsboutiqueThe Midlife Fashionista: https://www.instagram.com/themidlifefashionista/Kicking Cancer in Heels: https://kickingcancerinheels.com/CLL Women Strong: https://www.instagram.com/cllwomenstrong/Midlife Private Parts: https://www.midlifeprivateparts.com/Sponsor: Join the Tryb — jointhetryb.com, code UPLIFTER20 for 20% off your first orderAbout Susan Kanoff: Susan Kanoff is a former social worker, wardrobe stylist, and the visionary founder of Uncommon Threads, a nonprofit empowering women in need through clothing, personal styling, and confidence-building since 2016. Known as The Midlife Fashionista, she has built a community of 45,000 followers and 2.4 million blog views sharing fashion, lifestyle, and wellness for women navigating midlife and beyond. She is co-founder of Kicking Cancer in Heels and CLL Women Strong (the first national support group for women with CLL), a contributor to Midlife Private Parts (one of Zibby's Most Anticipated Books of 2025), and a recipient of the 2025 Massachusetts Teachers Association Louise Gaskins Lifetime Achievement Award for Civil and Human Rights. She has been featured in WGBH, WCVB, WBUR, NECN, Woman's World Magazine, The Boston Globe, and Northshore Magazine, among others.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 meaningful 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:Instagram: @aransas_savasPodcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcastKeywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, female founders midlife, perimenopause motivation, starting business during menopause, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, enclothed cognition midlife Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
July 23 · 36 min
The Midlife Fashionista
Today we're talking about clothes! How they fit in midlife, how updating our wardrobes can upend our identities, and most of all, how donated clothes can give other women a fresh start. In this episode, Susan Kanoff shares how her 25 years in social work led to starting Uncommon Threads, a nonprofit now serving more than 8,000 women a year in Greater Boston through clothing, personal styling, and confidence-building. For women over 40 navigating change, her story is a masterclass in trusting your instincts, starting before you're ready, and building something meaningful from exactly what you have.Through a cancer diagnosis, a new career as a fashion blogger and influencer, and a nonprofit founder with 45,000 followers and 2.4 million blog views she helps women reconnect with their sense of style and self. You'll also learn about the concept of enclothed cognition, which shows that what we wear doesn't just reflect how we feel but actively shapes how we think, perform, and move through the world. This is a midlife conversation that is equal parts practical and inspiring.What You'll Learn:How to build a mission-driven nonprofit in midlife Why overanalyzing is the real enemy of action What enclothed cognition means for midlife women in transition What a cancer diagnosis teaches you about timing How to build a platform from scratch with no background Resources and Links:Uncommon Threads: uncommonthreads.org | @uncommonthreadsboutiqueThe Midlife Fashionista: https://www.instagram.com/themidlifefashionista/Kicking Cancer in Heels: https://kickingcancerinheels.com/CLL Women Strong: https://www.instagram.com/cllwomenstrong/Midlife Private Parts: https://www.midlifeprivateparts.com/Sponsor: Join the Tryb — jointhetryb.com, code UPLIFTER20 for 20% off your first orderAbout Susan Kanoff: Susan Kanoff is a former social worker, wardrobe stylist, and the visionary founder of Uncommon Threads, a nonprofit empowering women in need through clothing, personal styling, and confidence-building since 2016. Known as The Midlife Fashionista, she has built a community of 45,000 followers and 2.4 million blog views sharing fashion, lifestyle, and wellness for women navigating midlife and beyond. She is co-founder of Kicking Cancer in Heels and CLL Women Strong (the first national support group for women with CLL), a contributor to Midlife Private Parts (one of Zibby's Most Anticipated Books of 2025), and a recipient of the 2025 Massachusetts Teachers Association Louise Gaskins Lifetime Achievement Award for Civil and Human Rights. She has been featured in WGBH, WCVB, WBUR, NECN, Woman's World Magazine, The Boston Globe, and Northshore Magazine, among others.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 meaningful 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:Instagram: @aransas_savasPodcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcastKeywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, female founders midlife, perimenopause motivation, starting business during menopause, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, enclothed cognition midlife Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
July 16 · 43 min
The Highly Sensitive Woman in Midlife
Have you ever been told you're too sensitive? Too emotional? That you just need to toughen up? For highly sensitive women, those words often start in childhood and follow us straight into midlife, where perimenopause turns up the volume on everything we've been quietly managing for years.In this episode, licensed occupational therapist, certified perimenopause and menopause coach, and functional pelvic health practitioner Dara Steinberg joins Aransas to explore what it actually means to be a highly sensitive person (HSP). Research by psychiatrist and researcher Elaine Aron found that approximately 10% of every species, humans included, shares a nervous system that processes the environment more deeply than most. That's not a disorder. It's a trait. And in midlife, it deserves a whole new relationship.Dara shares her own journey through clinical burnout, the physical toll of overriding her sensitive nature for years, and how she built her methodology Slow Down to Become to serve the women her field was failing. Whether you've always known you're highly sensitive or you're only now starting to wonder, this conversation will help you see your sensitivity not as a flaw to fix but as a superpower ready to be claimed.What You'll Learn:-What makes someone a highly sensitive person and why approximately 10% of every species on Earth shares this trait, according to researcher Elaine Aron-How the highly sensitive nervous system interacts with perimenopause and why estrogen fluctuations can intensify sensitivity for women in midlife-The real difference between everyday exhaustion and clinical burnout — and what recovery actually requires-How to support a highly sensitive person, whether that's yourself, your child, or someone you love-The five stages of Dara's Slow Down to Become framework, from nervous system stabilization to building a life in alignment with who you really areDara's website and free Safety Map: slowdowntobecome.comInstagram and Facebook: @slowdowntobecomeElaine Aron's books on high sensitivity (recommended by Dara in episode)Join the Tryb: jointhetryb.com | Use code UPLIFTER20 for 20% off your first orderAbout 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 meaningful 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:Instagram: @aransas_savasPodcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcastTikTok: @theuplifterspodcastFacebook: Aransas SavasWebsite: theuplifterspodcast.comYouTube: @theuplifterspodcastLinkedIn: Aransas SavasKeywords:highly sensitive person perimenopause, HSP midlife women, women over 40 burnout recovery, midlife reinvention women, perimenopause nervous system, highly sensitive women menopause, starting over during menopause, building confidence after 40, midlife transition women, second act career women, women 40s nervous system health, slow down to become, Dara Steinberg, perimenopause motivation, highly sensitive person midlife, Elaine Aron HSP, clinical burnout women, midlife purpose women, courage capital, women over 40 success stories Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
July 9 · 58 min
Protecting Your Brain Health in Perimenopause and Menopause
In this episode, elite brain health coach Christine Despres shares the science behind perimenopause and brain health, the four areas proven to prevent up to 50% of cognitive decline, and the micro habits that make the biggest difference. Whether you're in the thick of perimenopause or planning for your 90-year-old self, this is the conversation you didn't know you needed. What You'll Learn: The perimenopause brain connection — Why you can lose up to 30% of brain function during perimenopause and what you can do about it right now The POINTER Study findings — The four lifestyle areas that can prevent up to 50% of cognitive decline, even with a genetic predisposition or family history of dementia The MIND diet for cognitive health — What it is, why it works, and the one fruit proven to help prevent cognitive decline Sleep as a brain detox — Why quality sleep is essential for brain health and Christine's top micro habits for protecting your sleep during the midlife transition Reading your brain's signals — Why brain fog and memory lapses are usually data, not disease, and what to do with that information Starting your midlife health baseline — What blood work to request and why knowing your numbers is the first step to protecting your future self Christine on Instagram: @thewellnessnavigator The Wellness Navigator: https://www.thewellnessnavigator.com/ Quiz: "Why Does Everything Feel Harder After 40?" https://www.thewellnessnavigator.com/brain-health-quiz The POINTER Study on lifestyle factors and cognitive decline Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life's Second Half by Dr. Kerry Burnight Ph.D Function Health Panel (Dr. Mark Hyman's biomarker panel) About Christine Despres: Christine Despres is a registered nurse with more than 30 years of clinical experience, including many years as Director of Nursing at a skilled nursing facility where she oversaw care for patients living with dementia, in hospice, and in rehabilitation. Today she is a Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach, a Certified Dementia Practitioner, and the founder of The Wellness Navigator, a brain health and metabolic wellness coaching practice serving women in midlife and beyond. She also holds an Elite Brain Health Coach certification through Amen University. Christine lost her own mother at 57 and has family members living with dementia, bringing both clinical expertise and hard-won personal experience to the women she works with. 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: Instagram: @aransas_savas Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast Facebook: Aransas Savas Website: theuplifterspodcast.com YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast LinkedIn: Aransas Savas Keywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over during menopause, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, perimenopause brain health, brain fog menopause, cognitive decline prevention women, midlife brain health, MIND diet perimenopause, brain health women over 40, starting business during menopause, midlife purpose women, women 40s brain health, perimenopause fresh start, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, menopause entrepreneurship women Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
July 2 · 47 min
How to Rest and Reclaim Your Attention
What if the brain fog, exhaustion, and restlessness of midlife were not problems to fix, but invitations to finally slow down? In this episode of The Uplifters Podcast, host Aransas Savas talks with bestselling author and yoga nidra teacher Tracee Stanley about using sacred micro-rituals to reclaim attention, presence, and purpose during perimenopause and the second half of life. For women over 40 navigating midlife reinvention, this conversation is an antidote to hustle culture and a reminder that the path to prosperity runs through the mundane moments we keep rushing past. Listeners will discover Tracee's four pillars of a meaningful life rooted in Hindu philosophy, including a radically expanded view of what wealth and prosperity really mean in midlife. From her years as a Hollywood film producer surrounded by A-list stars to her decades teaching yoga nidra and Tantric wisdom, Tracee brings a rare vantage point on why external success so rarely delivers what it promises, and what actually does. Tracee's new book, Living Ritual: Infuse Each Day with Purpose and Spirit (St. Martin's Essentials), releases August 25th and offers a complete road map for turning ordinary moments into acts of presence and devotion. Whether you are in perimenopause, launching a second act, or simply trying to find five quiet minutes in a chaotic day, this episode offers tools you can use tonight. What You'll Learn: How to reclaim focus during perimenopause — Why brain fog and hormonal shifts may actually be your body's invitation to slow down, and how to work with that instead of against it The four pillars of a prosperous midlife — Prosperity, pleasure, purpose, and spiritual liberation reframed through Hindu philosophy in ways that apply directly to women over 40 Micro-rituals for midlife women — Simple, accessible practices including the analog cocoon and threshold practice that take seconds but change neural pathways over 40 to 62 days How to build a second act with intention — What Tracee learned leaving a high-powered film career to follow her dharma, and the courageous first step she took What real wealth looks like for women in the second half of life — Why rest, radiant health, and the support to pursue your purpose are all forms of prosperity Key Timestamps: 0:00 — Introduction and Join The Tryb sponsor read 1:20 — Show welcome and episode setup 2:35 — Guest introduction: Tracee Stanley 3:35 — The four pillars of life rooted in Hindu philosophy 6:20 — Redefining prosperity: rest, health, and support as forms of wealth 10:00 — Tracee's grandmother and the richness of inner abundance 11:40 — Film producer career and witnessing inner poverty up close 14:15 — How to reprogram: slowing down to reclaim discernment 15:50 — Replacing unconscious habits with sacred micro-rituals 18:30 — Perimenopause, natural cycles, and the wisdom of slowing down 19:30 — Becoming the elders: stepping into midlife wisdom 21:45 — Tiny practices for prosperity, pleasure, and purpose 22:50 — The analog cocoon: creating distance from your phone at night 24:05 — The dominant nostril practice from Swara Yoga 26:30 — The threshold practice: using doorways as moments of intention 31:10 — Neuroscience confirms it: 40 to 62 days to rewire a neural pathway 32:15 — Daily ritual recap from bedtime through morning 38:45 — Leaving Hollywood: the courage to follow her dharma 41:10 — What she was afraid of, and how she planned her way through it 43:00 — Pre-ordering Living Ritual and the free 16-day morning ritual experience 44:00 — Tracee nominates Crystal Higgins, herbalist Key Takeaways: For midlife women seeking purpose: Knowing what you are here to do (your dharma) and having the support to pursue it is itself a form of wealth, regardless of what your bank account says. For women in perimenopause: The hormonal shift that slows you down is not something to fight. Your body is preparing you for the wisdom of the second half of life. For midlife career changers: Tracee cut her expenses in half as her first act of courage. Fear is not the end of the sentence. It is information to help you build a strategy. For women over 40 feeling distracted and scattered: Your attention is being deliberately harvested. Micro-rituals placed in the natural transitions of the day are how you take it back. For anyone starting over at 40: Ritual creates a bridge between the mundane and the sacred. You can make your life sacred in just a few moments. Resources and Links: Tracee Stanley's website: traceestanley.com Tracee Stanley on Instagram: @tracee_stanley Living Ritual: Infuse Each Day with Purpose and Spirit (St. Martin's Essentials) — pre-order now, releases August 25, 2026 Radiant Rest by Tracee Stanley The Luminous Self by Tracee Stanley Free 16-day morning ritual experience (20 minutes daily, live and recorded): details at traceestanley.com Swara Yoga (book on nostril dominance practices, referenced in episode) Join The Tryb: https://jointhetryb.com, code uplifter20 for 20% off your first order About Tracee Stanley: Tracee Stanley (age 60) is the author of Living Ritual: Infuse Each Day with Purpose and Spirit (St. Martin's Essentials, August 2026) and the bestselling books Radiant Rest and The Luminous Self. She is the founder of Empowered Life Circle, a sacred community and portal of practices, rituals, and Tantric teachings rooted in more than 30 years of studentship in Sri Vidya Tantra and the teachings of the Himalayan Masters. Tracee holds certificates from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Advanced Eco-Therapy, New Thinking, Best Practices, and Emerging Modalities, and in Advanced Ecopsychology. Find her at traceestanley.com. 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: Instagram: @aransas_savas Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast Facebook: Aransas Savas Website: theuplifterspodcast.com YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast LinkedIn: Aransas Savas Keywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, female founders midlife, perimenopause motivation, starting business during menopause, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, perimenopause fresh start Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
June 25 · 36 min
What Happens After You Sell the $100 Million Company You Built?
Sarah Kauss bootstrapped S'well with $30,000 of her own savings and built it into a $100 million company, one of the most recognizable consumer brands of the last decade. But this conversation isn't about how she built it. It's about what happened after she let it go, and what that taught her about identity, success, and legacy. In this episode, Sarah and Aransas talk about what it is like to step away from a company you spent years building. They get into the loneliness of being a founder who is learning and leading at the same time, why Sarah said yes to nearly everything for the first few years after her exit, and how she eventually built what she now calls her "portfolio life." This is a conversation for any woman in midlife who has wondered who she is when the thing she built no longer needs her, and the founders who want to build with a dream of selling their company someday. What You'll Learn: Building a company without a master plan — How Sarah grew S'well from one founder with $30,000 to a $100 million brand without ever mapping out an exit. Letting go of a founder identity in midlife — What it felt like when S'well removed her photo from the website, and why that hit harder than she expected. The hidden risk of overcorrecting after a big change — Why Sarah said yes to nearly every board seat offered to her, and what it took to start saying no. How to build a company someone wants to buy — Her advice for founders building toward an exit in their first five years. Defending your brand against copycats — What S'well learned when bigger, better-funded companies started copying the product. Building a portfolio career after 40 — How she moved from founder to investor, advisor, and board member. The midlife shift from founder to mentor role Key Timestamps: 0:00 — Introduction and sponsor read [~3:23] — Sarah's S'well origin story and the bootstrapped early years [~6:55] — Building a "portfolio life" instead of pouring into one thing [~11:01] — Learning to share the vision and bring in a team [~17:02] — Community Q&A: building a company someone wants to buy [~20:01] — Defending S'well against copycats and protecting IP [~23:02] — Sending S'well "off to college" and the mourning period after an exit [~28:47] — What scares Sarah now, and her advice for the next generation [~32:27] — Sarah nominates the next Uplifter Key Takeaways: For midlife founders building toward an exit: You don't need every part of the business polished. Show what's working and where there's room to grow, not that you've already maximized everything. For women over 40 redefining identity after a major career change: Not knowing what to say about yourself at a reunion or a party is normal, and it passes. For women building a second act: A portfolio of smaller, meaningful commitments can bring more fulfillment than pouring everything into one thing, even if it looks less impressive on paper. Featured Quote: "I finally realize at this age I actually know a lot of stuff." — Sarah Kauss Resources and Links: Sarah Kauss's website and office hours: sarahkauss.com Episode sponsor, Join The Tryb: jointhetryb.com, code UPLIFTER20 About Sarah Kauss: Sarah Kauss (50) is Managing Partner at Avignon Partners, where she is an investor and advisor to brands in retail, tech, and wellness. As the founder and former CEO of S’well, Sarah is a consumer products leader with a track record of launching companies, building multi-million dollar brands, and assembling high-performance senior leadership teams. She is a product design expert with deep experience developing and implementing successful exit strategies. Sarah held the position of CEO of S’well for ten years, bootstrapping the company with $30k of her savings to reach over $100M in annual revenue. During this time, Sarah created a new category and well-loved brand that helped displace more than four billion single-use plastic bottles and was named by Architectural Digest as one of the 25 designs that helped shape the world. Sarah sold S’well in 2022. Prior to S’well, Sarah was a real estate developer leading large international collaborations and partnerships, and a consultant working across a range of industries. Sarah started her career with EY as a Certified Public Accountant, working in both tax consulting and the auditing function. She provided professional services to public and privately held companies in the technology, healthcare, consumer products, and media sectors. Sarah has been recognized as a Fortune “40 Under 40” honoree and awarded the Harvard Business School Entrepreneurship Award. Under Sarah’s leadership, S’well was named the #1 Fastest-Growing, women-led company by the Women Presidents’ Organization, was honored with the Brand Design award by Inc. magazine, and placement on the Inc. 5000 List (top 100) of fastest-growing, privately-held companies. She is a member of the 2018 Class of Henry Crown Fellows and the 2020 Class of Braddock Scholars within the Aspen Global Leadership Network at the Aspen Institute. She earned a BS in accounting from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. 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 big, brave work in the second half of their lives. Aransas brings both research rigor and personal experience to conversations about courage capital, midlife reinvention, and building meaningful second acts. Connect with Aransas: Instagram: @aransas_savas Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast Facebook: Aransas Savas Website: theuplifterspodcast.com YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast LinkedIn: Aransas Savas Keywords: women over 40, midlife reinvention, second act career women, life after selling your business, midlife identity shift, women founders over 40, career change after 40, redefining success in midlife, portfolio career women, midlife transition women, women entrepreneurs midlife, second half of life women, building confidence after 40, midlife career pivot, women over 40 success stories Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
June 18 · 46 min
Sexual Empowerment in Midlife
Can getting in touch with your sexuality change everything else about your life? Sarah Nelson thought she had it all figured out. Good marriage, two kids, a high-powered nonprofit career. But underneath it, she'd spent decades editing herself into the good girl she was taught to be, especially when it came to sex. This conversation about women over 40 and midlife reinvention traces what happened when Sarah finally got honest with herself, and how that honesty led to separating from her husband, entering an open relationship, and becoming a sex and relationship coach. Featured Quote: "When you are honest with yourself, you actually make the other person happier." — Sarah Nelson Resources and Links: Sarah's coaching website: sarahnelsoncoach.com Sarah's Substack: sarahnelsoncoach.substack.com About Sarah Nelson: Sarah Nelson is a sex writer and relationship coach trained in the Somatica method of sex and relationship coaching, as well as positive intelligence. After two decades in a marriage built on a good girl narrative, she began a journey of sexual reintegration that led her to interview 50 women about reclaiming their sexuality in midlife. She now coaches women and men toward sexual wholeness, confidence, and self-honesty. 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: Instagram: @aransas_savas Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast Facebook: Aransas Savas Website: theuplifterspodcast.com YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast LinkedIn: Aransas Savas Keywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, women over 40 setting boundaries, perimenopause confidence building, midlife self-acceptance, women's sexuality after 40 Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
June 11 · 31 min
Laura LeBleu Lit Her AARP Card on Fire
What do you do when the midlife magazine you actually want to read doesn't exist? If you're Laura LeBleu, you burn your AARP card, drain your stock options, and build it yourself. In this episode, host Aransas Savas talks with the founding editor of Geezer Magazine about starting a print publication at 54, betting on yourself after a lifetime of betting on others, and what midlife reinvention really looks like from the inside. This is a conversation about creative confidence and how we stop waiting for someone else to give us a green light. If you've ever worried that it is too late to start something bold, this episode will dismantle that story completely. Laura's journey from advertising creative director to tech industry writer to founding editor is a masterclass in enlisting accumulated experience. At 54, she's not slowing down. She's just hitting her stride. What You'll Learn: How to bet on yourself in midlife — The fears Laura had to face to stop creating for others and start creating for herself Starting a creative business after 40 — Why Laura believes the skills, resources, and chutzpah she needed could only have come together now Building confidence after 40 — How a lifetime of "good but not great enough" self-talk finally got quieted How to change careers after 40 — What happens when you stop waiting for permission and take the reins Midlife reinvention in practice — The daily reality of learning something completely new while betting everything on yourself Women entrepreneurs over 40 — Why asking for help and admitting "I don't know what I'm doing" is the move, not the weakness Key Timestamps: 0:00 — Introduction and Join the Tryb sponsor read 1:22 — Aransas introduces the episode and midlife peak creativity research 2:57 — Introducing Laura LeBleu and Geezer Magazine 4:09 — Where Laura was before Geezer: burnout, a long marriage ending, writing for others 7:07 — The shower epiphany and the birth of Geezer 9:09 — Was Laura always a "screw it, let's go" person? 10:24 — Why she couldn't have done this at any other age 13:34 — The learning curve: everything she didn't know about making a magazine 16:00 — Asking for help as a strength, not a weakness 17:26 — Betting on yourself after a lifetime of betting on others 18:25 — The inner voice that said "good but not great enough" 20:39 — What happened when she finally put her innards on the line 22:13 — Don't wait for the green light 24:08 — Letting go and what Geezer is becoming 26:30 — How to support Laura and subscribe to Geezer Magazine 27:45 — Nominee: Angela Burt, author of "A Real Girl's Guide to Midlife" Key Takeaways: For midlife career changers: The skills, money, experience, and courage you need for your boldest move are not things you had at 30. They're things you've been building. Now is when they converge. For women over 40 seeking purpose: Waiting for someone to hand you permission is the surest way to never start. Take the reins. For perimenopause entrepreneurs: Admitting "I don't know what I'm doing" is not weakness. It's how you get the right people to help you build something that works. For second act builders: Regret lives in the things you didn't do. Failure at least means you tried. Resources and Links: Geezer Magazine: geezermagazine.com (use code UPLIFT15 for 15% off a subscription) Follow Laura on Substack Nominee Angela Burke: "A Real Girl's Guide to Midlife" Mountain Gazette (mentioned by Laura as a print magazine inspiration) About Laura LeBleu: Laura LeBleu is a writer, actor, Emmy Award-winning TV producer, cabaret performer, and founding editor of Geezer Magazine, a quarterly print publication she co-founded at 54. Geezer is described as the love child between The Atlantic and Mad Magazine, written by and for Gen X, and is utterly disinterested in telling you where to retire. The first print run of 5,000 copies was funded entirely by Laura's stock options. 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: Instagram: @aransas_savas Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast Facebook: Aransas Savas Website: theuplifterspodcast.com YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast LinkedIn: Aransas Savas Keywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, female founders midlife, perimenopause motivation, starting business during menopause, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, perimenopause fresh start Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
June 4 · 48 min
How to Find Your Creative Soulmate
What do you do with the words you never said? Sofia Kavlin built a home for them. In February 2024 she dragged a wooden mailbox into Washington Square Park, asked strangers to drop in a letter they would never send, and handed each person someone else's letter in return. More than 4,000 letters later, the Unsent Letter Mailbox has spread to Austin, Houston, and Chattanooga, and has been featured by The New York Times, NBC News, and The Kelly Clarkson Show. This conversation is about two things that change a creative life: finding the right collaborator, and alchemizing your toughest experiences. Sofia, a Bolivian-Canadian social impact designer, and Bonnie Blue Edwards, an award-winning producer, illustrator, and writer, talk about how they found each other, how they built trust, and how each of them turned private grief into public art. If you have ever longed for a creative partner, sat on an idea because you were scared to ask, or wondered whether your pain could become something useful, this one is for you. What You'll Learn: How to find a creative collaborator who gets it — why intuitive alignment cannot be manufactured, and how to recognize it when it shows up How to ask for the support you need — Sofia's practice of naming exactly what she wanted before she had any idea who would answer How trust actually gets built — the simple, unglamorous behaviors that made these two feel safe with each other How to turn grief into creative fuel — using art and community as a way through the hardest seasons instead of around them Why art is not frivolous — the case that creative expression changes lives, saves lives, and makes lives How to protect a vision while sharing it — holding collaborators with open hands without losing the heart of the work What "worth, not value" means — reframing exchange around human connection rather than a price tag "Turning our tragedy literally into lemonade, and by that I mean art." — Sofia Kavlin Resources and Links: Unsent Letter Mailbox: unsentlettermailbox.com | Instagram @unsentlettermailbox Sofia Kavlin: Instagram @sofia.kavlin Bonnie Blue Edwards: Instagram @bonnieblue952; her book of poems and illustrations, Stressed Out & Scatterbrained @stressedoutscatterbrained Lift and Be Lifted: A huge thank-you to Lia De Feo, who nominated both Sofia and Bonnie for this episode. And keep your eyes on the women they're lifting up next: Kelby Clark, founder of the creative salon Opus House and a brilliant poet and writer, and Catherine Burns, a wildly creative storyteller. We cannot wait to share their stories. 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 meaningful work in the second half of their lives. Aransas brings both research rigor and personal experience to conversations about courage capital and building meaningful second acts. Connect with Aransas: Instagram: @aransas_savas Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast Facebook: Aransas Savas Website: theuplifterspodcast.com YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast LinkedIn: Aransas Savas Keywords: unsent letters, anonymous letter project, creative collaboration, finding a creative partner, creative soulmate, art and healing, turning pain into art, expressive writing, public art project, women supporting women, courage capital, doing big brave things, creative entrepreneurship, art as connection, letter writing for healing, women creatives, second act, the Uplifters podcast Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe

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