The Midlife Makeover Show | Women Over 40: Menopause, Divorce, Empty Nest, Self-Care & Reinvention

Ever had one tiny thing — a snippy text, an eye roll from your teenager, a comment from your mother — send you into a full-blown emotional tornado? On this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with psychologists Dr. Alicia Smart and Dr. Jesse Finkelstein, co-founders of TheraHive, to make dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) refreshingly simple. They explain why struggling with big emotions is a skills gap, not a personal flaw, and walk through tools you can use right at your desk: the STOP skill for pausing before you react, and paced breathing (in for four, out for six) to calm your body fast. Plus, why flexible limits can work better than brick-wall boundaries, how to tap into your “wise mind,” and what it means to build a life worth living in midlife. Alicia also opens up about letting go of the DBT center she spent years building — and the radical acceptance it took. If you’ve been white-knuckling your way through stress or feeling more alone than you’d admit, this one’s for you.🔥 This episode is brought to you by SaunaBox — real infrared saunas for your home that plug right into an outlet, no electrician required. Sweat out the stress, loosen sore muscles, and sleep deeper. Visit saunabox.comand use code MIDLIFE for 5% off.✨ What You’ll Learn•     Why DBT treats emotional struggles as a skills gap — not proof that something’s wrong with you•     How the STOP skill helps you pause before you snap at your boss, your partner, or your teen•     A one-minute breathing hack — inhale for 4, exhale for 6 — to calm your nervous system anywhere•     The difference between boundaries and limits, and why flexible limits are easier to keep•     How “wise mind” and building a life worth living help you realign with your values in midlife🎧 Tune in now✨ Watch the video replay👉 Connect with Dr. Alicia Smart & Dr. Jesse Finkelsteinhttps://therahive.comhttps://www.instagram.com/therahive/🌟 Explore All Things Midlife📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up📸 Follow the fun on IG

Were you ever told you ask too many questions, feel too much, or laugh too loud? On this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with New York Times bestselling author Laura Munson to talk about her book The Wild Why: Stories and Teachings to Uncover Your Wonder. Laura reads from her fourth-grade journal, introduces us to her inner critic (“Sheila”), and shares how she learned to love that scared voice quiet instead of fighting it. She breaks down wonder as curiosity plus awe — and why awe is the piece most of us are missing — then shares a powerful riff on self-empathy: meeting yourself exactly where you are, without judgment. Plus, the three crossroads questions from her novel Willa’s Grove, and why “you don’t have to write good, you just have to write true.” If you’ve lost your spark under everything on your shoulders, this conversation will help you find your way back to yourself.🔥 This episode is brought to you by SaunaBox — real infrared saunas for your home that plug right into an outlet, no electrician required. Sweat out the stress, loosen sore muscles, and sleep deeper. Visit saunabox.comand use code MIDLIFE for 5% off.✨ What You’ll Learn•     Where your “wonder wound” comes from — and why your inner critic is a scared kid who needs love, not a fight•     Why awe (not just curiosity) is the missing piece of wonder — and how to make room for it in a busy life•     What self-empathy really is, and how swapping judgment for curiosity can lead you to self-love•     The three crossroads questions from Willa’s Grove: What was supposed to happen? What actually happened? Now what?•     Why “you don’t have to write good — you just have to write true” applies to how you live, not just how you write🎧 Tune in now✨ Watch the video replay👉 Connect with Laura Munsonhttps://lauramunson.com https://www.instagram.com/lauramunsonauthor/🌟 Explore All Things Midlife📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up📸 Follow the fun on IG

What if that restless, something’s-gotta-change feeling in midlife isn’t a crisis — it’s your timing? On this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with internationally acclaimed Pythagorean numerologist Joy Woodward, author of the brand-new Your Destiny Is in Your Numbers (HarperOne). Joy shares how one numerology reading took her from the corporate ladder and the “spiritual closet” to a career she never planned, then breaks down the five core numbers, why your Maturity Number shows up right around midlife, and how your Personal Year can tell you when to begin, build, pause, or let go. Then things get personal: Joy reads Wendy’s chart live — her lucky Life Path 3, her master number 22/4 Destiny, and why retirement just isn’t in the cards. If you can feel a new chapter calling, this conversation will help you meet it with clarity and confidence.✨ This week’s Author Spotlight: Preferment™ by Anne van Leynseele — a research-backed alternative to traditional retirement for accomplished women. Learn more at rarifiedlife.com.✨ What You’ll Learn•     Why your Maturity Number tends to surface in midlife — and what it reveals about who you’re becoming•     How your Personal Year shows whether it’s time to begin, build, pivot, pause, or let go•     The five core numbers — Life Path, Birthday, Soul Urge, Personality, and Destiny — and what each says about you•     How working with numerology can strengthen your intuition (yes, everyone has it)•     Why you shouldn’t start anything major in a 9 year — and how to stop forcing the wrong timing🎧 Tune in now✨ Watch the video replay👉 Connect with Joy Woodwardhttps://www.joyofnumerology.com 🌟 Explore All Things Midlife📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up📸 Follow the fun on IG

What do you do when the worst week of your life hands you your next chapter? On this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine welcomes back bestselling author — and her own book coach! — Amy B. Scher for a conversation about grief, healing, and hope. In 2011, Amy lost her dad and, five days later, her 22-year-old cousin to murder. Fifteen years on, that grief became her debut novel, The Unexpected Afterlife of Salon Rose: equal parts murder mystery, darkly funny coming-of-age story, and love letter to the people we’ve lost. Amy and Wendy dig into why moving on doesn’t mean leaving our loved ones behind, how grief pushes us to ask the questions we avoid when life is running smoothly, the signs that our people are still with us, and why the very worst weeks of our lives can quietly line us up for what’s meant for us next.✨ What You’ll Learn•     Why moving on from grief means moving forward WITH meaning — not leaving your loved ones behind•     How grief pushes you to ask the questions you never ask when everything’s going smoothly•     Why a novel can heal in ways self-help can’t — “doing the work without doing the work”•     What real resilience means: unlike a palm tree, YOU choose what you bounce back to•     How our loved ones keep showing up — signs, synchronicities, and staying connected after loss💎 A big thank-you to our sponsor, Unvault — find out what your unworn jewelry is really worth in about 60 seconds. Free, no-obligation valuations backed by AI and real gemologists at unvault.co. 🎧 Tune in now✨ Watch the video replay👉 Connect with Amy B. Schersalonrosebook.com  🌟 Explore All Things Midlife📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up📸 Follow the fun on IG

What happens when you plan perfectly for retirement… and still end up feeling completely lost?In this episode of The Midlife Makeover Show, Wendy Valentine sits down with George Jerjian — retirement mindset mentor, Emmy recipient, and award-winning author of 12 books — to talk about the part of retirement money can’t organize: your identity. At 52, George was given six months to live. The diagnosis was wrong, but instead of life snapping back to normal, he drifted for nine years — until a 30-day silent retreat changed everything and he chose to unretire on his own terms. Now he guides people through what he calls the Identity Renaissance, using the DARE Method® he built from working with more than 21,000 retirees. If you’re staring down the “what’s next?” question feeling stuck, restless, or invisible, this conversation is your reminder: your best chapter isn’t behind you — it’s the one you design next.✨ What You’ll Learn•     Why even the best-planned retirements can leave you feeling stuck, restless, and invisible — and the part money can’t organize•     What the Identity Renaissance is — and how to navigate the “liminal space” between your old title and your new self•     Why asking “Who do I want to be?” unlocks “What do I want to do?” in your second act•     How George’s DARE Method® moves you from drifting to a purposeful, self-designed next chapter•     Why your mindset needs a “software update” for the 20–30 bonus years ahead🎧 Tune in now✨ Watch the video replay👉 Connect with George Jerjian🌟 Explore All Things Midlife📖 Order Your Copy of Women Waking Up📸 Follow the fun on IGAuthor Spotlight: Preferment™ by Anne van Leynseele — the research-backed alternative to retirement, trading "what now?" for a mission worth waking up for (from a five-time career reinventor and award-winning chocolate farmer!). Grab it on Amazon and https://www.rarifiedlife.com