Badass Women at Any Age

Jodi Silverman's personal journey began with the realization of an impending empty nest as her children prepared to leave home. Finding herself with a significant amount of free time, Jodi recognized that her current work in her print business was not fulfilling. Her decision to remain open to new opportunities led her to a business opportunity in direct sales, which eventually sparked her passion for personal development and coaching. Through facing her own fears, doubts, and limiting beliefs, Jodi discovered her ability to inspire and guide other midlife women. This transformative experience culminated in the creation of her DARE Method, aimed at helping women to embrace their new freedom, rediscover their passions, and live fulfilling lives beyond motherhood. What You Will Hear in This Episode: 02:03 Jodi's Personal Journey and Realizations 04:15 Overcoming Limiting Beliefs and Fears 08:35 Creating a Business from Personal Growth 12:00 Common Challenges of the Empty Nest 13:23 Navigating Friendships After Children Leave Home 14:25 The Dual Identity of Working Moms 15:01 Overcoming Fear and Doubt in New Beginnings 16:13 The DARE Method: Deciding and Awakening 18:14 Rediscovering Old Passions and Hobbies 20:57 Volunteering for Fulfillment and Connection 23:02 Midlife Transformation and Personal Growth 25:27 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Quotes " Women often find their purpose in the process of overcoming their own challenges. " " Daring became my platform, which simply means step outta your comfort zone and try something to see what happens." " As a mom, it's very easy to have your identity be 100% wrapped up in that of motherhood." " Don't be stingy. Yes, the world needs you." Mentioned: Beyond Empty Nest Podcast eConnect with Bonnie Substack Newsletter: Own Your Ambition Gendered Ageism Survey Results Forbes article 5 Tips to own the superpower of your age IAMMusicGroup Purchase my book Not Done Yet on Amazon: If you enjoyed this episode of Badass Women Podcast, then make sure to subscribe to the podcast and drop us a five-star review

Illana Raia's journey to entrepreneurship stemmed from her love of law and her personal experiences with mentorship. Despite loving her career as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer, she took a break to raise her children and later rejoined her firm. Realizing the impact of showing her daughter accomplished women at work, Illana envisioned scaling this experience to benefit other girls. She left her law practice, driven by the idea of creating a platform where girls could meet female leaders, leading to the founding of Etre. Illana is the founder and CEO of Etre, a membership platform for girls believing that mentors matter as early as middle school. Illana brings girls directly into companies they choose to meet female leaders face to face. Raia's National Research on the current state of girls confidence in 2022 and 2024 has been featured by Forbes, CBS News, Yahoo Finance, and Nasdaq, and the most recent 2025 research was conducted in partnership with Hello Sunshine and launched at Cannes. Illana is Chair of the International Space Station, US National Lab Education and Workforce Subcommittee. She serves on the National Girls Collaborative Project Champions Board, and was recently appointed to the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine Board of Governors. Illana contributes to Forbes Business Council and has authored over 60 articles for Huffington Post, Ms. Matt. Magazine and Thrive Global. Illana was named one of the first 250 entrepreneurs on the Forbes Next 1000 list. An Inc 500 female founder and recognized twice by Fast company's world changing ideas, her award-winning book, Etre Girls Who Do You Want to Be? was released on the day of the Girl, 2019. Her second bestselling book, the Epic Mentor Guide, arrived during Women's History Month 2022. Prior to launching Etre in 2016, Illana was a corporate attorney at Skadden Arps in New York City, and a guest lecturer at Columbia University. She graduated from Smith College and the University of Chicago Law School. What You Will Hear in This Episode 02:13 Illana''s Journey: From Law to Entrepreneurship 03:59 Curiosity and Connection: Illana's Driving Forces and Career Shift 06:15 The Birth of Etre: Empowering Girls Through Mentorship 09:20 Scaling Etre: From Local to Global Impact 14:24 Navigating Challenges: Social Media and Confidence 17:37 Etre's Mentorship Program: How It Works 18:58 TED-Ed Club: Empowering Young Girls to Speak 20:02 Connecting Through Social Media and Our Website 24:06 Building a Network of Incredible Mentors 33:04 The Role of Age and Diversity in Our Programs Quotes " The things you most enjoy, the things that bring you the greatest amount of, of reward and joy are things you cannot do with a phone in your hand, whether that is swimming or surfing or skating or painting. Playing your sport, writing your next short story, the thing you love to do is probably better done without a phone in your hand. " " I believe in the power of the cold email or the cold DM with all my heart, I'm stunned every day by the women who say yes to a conversation or answering a question by email because it's for the next generation. " Never underestimate the, impact that 10 minutes of your time is gonna have on that next future engineer, future leader, future founder." Mentioned etregrils.com eConnect with Bonnie Substack Newsletter: Own Your Ambition Gendered Ageism Survey Results Forbes article 5 Tips to own the superpower of your age IAMMusicGroup Purchase my book Not Done Yet on Amazon: If you enjoyed this episode of Badass Women Podcast, then make sure to subscribe to the podcast and drop us a five-star review

Helen Jonsen aspired to be a writer from a young age and chose journalism for its daily writing opportunities. After studying at Fordham University and gaining experience at Channel 11 and WINS radio, she moved to Rhode Island as a senior producer, where she met and married her Australian husband. This led to a stint in Australia, where she worked in television before returning to New York. They worked for Australian networks before she joined Channel 5. After her first maternity leave, she opted to form a production company with her husband, eventually returning to Channel 11 and writing several books, including 'Kangaroo's Comments and Wallaby's Words: The Aussie Word Book.' Helen is a communication strategist and media executive with a career that includes journalism, digital innovation, public service, and nonprofit advocacy. Through her firm, Helen Jonsen Media, she assists leaders and organizations in amplifying their voices with strategic storytelling, speaker training, and modern communication tools. She hosts the Kaleidoscope Career podcast and newsletter series, celebrating women with non-linear career paths. Helen's career has spanned roles from TV journalism to executive positions, notably earning the nickname 'video guru' from Steve Forbes at Forbes. She has also managed strategic communications for Westchester County District Attorney and NYC's Economic Development Corporation during the pandemic. What You Will Hear in This Episode 02:47 Helen's Early Career and Personal Life 03:49 The Kaleidoscope Career: Journalism and Beyond 06:01 Curiosity and Communication: Helen's Driving Forces 11:35 Challenges and Adaptations in Helen's Career 15:55 The State of Journalism Today 19:15 The Divided Information Landscape 19:30 Launching a Podcast: Reflections and Milestones 19:56 Career Pivots: Insights and Misconceptions 21:26 Challenges and Opportunities for Women 22:58 External Forces Shaping Careers 23:51 Personal Stories of Career Shifts 26:01 The Unique Career Paths of Women 30:41 The Third Phase: Finding New Purpose Quotes " I think a career as a working mother also shapes how you do things and why you do things." " I think curiosity and trying to find answers is really important. It's the real basis for any good journalism, but it's also the basis for a kaleidoscope career. You have to be willing to take on the new thing." " The promise of the internet of the was that the internet would democratize journalism and democratize communication. Instead, what we didn't see coming was the. Siloing of information that came with the maturation of social media." " Our demands around us on caregiving at different ages and stages affects our careers so often." Mentioned helenjonsen.com LinkedIn Substack Instagram eConnect with Bonnie Substack Newsletter: Own Your Ambition Gendered Ageism Survey Results Forbes article 5 Tips to own the superpower of your age IAMMusicGroup Purchase my book Not Done Yet on Amazon: If you enjoyed this episode of Badass Women Podcast, then make sure to subscribe to the podcast and drop us a five-star review

Bianca Best's lifelong pursuit of ambition led her from a corporate career in advertising, creativity, and publishing to a successful freelance writing career. While juggling motherhood in her late 20's, she inadvertently founded the Bespoke Gift Company. What started as a creative, personalized anniversary gift has become a wildly successful company. Bianca is an award-winning global business leader, author, certified success strategist, entrepreneur, speaker, and single mother of four. Bianca describes her CV as a chronology of passions, explored and includes a decade as a tech-preneur running the bespoke gift company, which pioneered the personalized gift industry forever. A decade of corporate ascendancy running vast digital divisions of the world's largest CommEd conglomerates certifying in healing modalities. From hypnotherapy to executive coaching to her international impact, inspiring the working world through her keynotes, workshops in organizations like Google and Amazon. Her organization, Bianca Best, is dedicated to infusing the working world with graceful productivity, kind, leadership, and unlocked human potential whereby individuals and organizations flourish without burnout. What You Will Hear in This Episode 02:30 Bianca's Journey: From Ambition to Entrepreneurship 03:53 The Birth of the Bespoke Gift Company 08:46 Balancing Motherhood and Business 10:43 Transition to Corporate Life 12:39 Overcoming Burnout and Finding Purpose 18:17 Graceful Productivity and Kind Leadership 30:24 The Ideal Work Environment for Women 35:52 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Quotes " I have always leaned into pursuing what has excited me and followed the potential opportunities, even if I felt a bit scared. " " If you don't pay attention to your natural rhythms and start healing yourself, then you are gonna be unable to sustain. " " If our attention is stolen, our time is stolen. And if our time is stolen, then inevitably our energy is stolen and it's a cascade of catastrophic negativity. " " Changing companies and leaving dead end jobs or toxic environments doesn't show weakness. It's owning who you are and honoring that, and that's badass. " Mentioned BiancaBest.com Book: Big Impact without Burnout eConnect with Bonnie Substack Newsletter: Own Your Ambition Gendered Ageism Survey Results Forbes article 5 Tips to own the superpower of your age IAMMusicGroup Purchase my book Not Done Yet on Amazon: If you enjoyed this episode of Badass Women Podcast, then make sure to subscribe to the podcast and drop us a five-star review

Sandy Rosenthal was an ordinary citizen who became an extraordinary activist following Hurricane Katrina. After uncovering that defective flood walls built by the Army Corps of Engineers caused the disaster, Sandy founded the nonprofit levees.org and rallied over 25,000 supporters for safer infrastructure. Her book, 'Whispered in Water,' and her podcast, 'Beat The Big Guys,' continue to inspire change and empower listeners to take on powerful institutions and make a difference in their communities. Sandy shares her journey from a part-time copywriter to a relentless advocate for truth and accountability, highlighting the power of community mobilization and persistence. What You Will Hear in This Episode 00:21 Meet Sandy Rosenthal: Uncovering a Scandal 02:08 The Day the Levees Broke 04:41 Life After the Disaster 09:51 Fighting Back: Founding Levees.org 12:33 Facing Harassment and Legal Battles 17:35 The Aftermath and Lessons Learned 21:22 Mobilizing Communities and Partnerships 33:03 Conclusion and Call to Action Quotes " I'm gonna point out first that two thirds of the nation's population lives by levies and probably don't know it. " " You do have to ask the questions, and if you stop asking, and if it appears that you're not paying attention, that's when bad things can happen, and that's when, I don't wanna call 'em the bad guys, but that's when the big guys win, when you stop paying attention." " It didn't take me long to realize that the big guys, like the Army Corps of Engineers are really just like bullies in the fourth grade playground. They're, they're big, but they're not smarter. They, they they, and, and the, they're elegant because they're big. And, and you know what happens when you're big and you're arrogant, you make big mistakes." " When that criticism comes, you need to look at it like free advice, free advice. What they're doing is they're finding problems with what you're doing and, and some of their points may actually be correct. They've actually helped you, even though they didn't mean to." Mentioned SandyRosenthal.net Levees.org eConnect with Bonnie Substack Newsletter: Own Your Ambition Gendered Ageism Survey Results Forbes article 5 Tips to own the superpower of your age IAMMusicGroup Purchase my book Not Done Yet on Amazon: If you enjoyed this episode of Badass Women Podcast, then make sure to subscribe to the podcast and drop us a five-star review