Becoming Your Best Version

Are you too old to reinvent yourself? The answer is no. Wendi Knox is a professional uplifter, author, and artist. In her past life, she was the only female Senior Vice-President/Creative Director at one of the largest advertising agencies in Los Angeles, creating multimedia ad campaigns for brands like Honda and Acura. Her award-winning commercials have been directed by the Academy Award-winning Coen Brothers, starred William Wegman's famous Weimaraners, and were profiled in The New York Times. At 50, Wendi lost her job and found herself sobbing in her backyard, asking the Universe, “Am I too old to reinvent myself?” Her answer came in the form of hundreds of red dragonflies filling her backyard with magic (for four days)! Learning that dragonflies don’t fly until later in life sparked a new purpose for Wendi and inspired her to create a unique paradigm for transformation as we age. Today, she’s on a mission to help women see aging not as a decline, but as an opportunity to grow new wings. Through her “Breaking Out of the Age Cage” illustrated talks and inspiring workshops, Wendi is working to rebrand aging as an opportunity for Becoming More of Who We Are, Not Less of What We Were. Like the dragonfly, she is soaring later in life, having her first book, From Muck to Magic, published and her first solo art show at 65. It is a beautiful picture book for adults that celebrates each person's inner child. Now at 72, she has published her second book, The Way of the Dragonfly: Flight Instructions to Transform the Way We Age. The book is a soulful, witty, and deeply empowering guide for women ready to rise above our youth-obsessed culture and embrace aging on their own terms. Inspired by her life-changing encounter with hundreds of red dragonflies, Wendi reframes the aging process. Blending personal storytelling, spiritual insight, tools, exercises and “Dragonflying Lessons,” this book invites readers to shed old ageist beliefs, reveal their true colors, and soar with purpose and joy at any age. In this episode, we discuss Wendi's book and work, but also get into her experience with a loved one dealing with the devastating effects of marijuana and cannabis induced psychosis. She recommends that anyone whose lives are touched by this situation go to EveryBrainMatters.org. Wendi has so much wisdom to share with us. She talks about the fetches (the word for a gathering of dragon flies) she organizes for women in the Ojai area, making "I've done" lists instead of "to do" lists, talking back to her "bitch Edna" negative voice in her head, how intuition is the voice of her heart and soul, how tears are like rainwater that help your metaphorical garden to grow, and more. One of my favorite quotes of Wendi's, a former executive in the advertising world: "Marketing a book is a pain in the algorithm!" So true! These days, Wendi is blessed to live in magical Ojai with her husband Will (she followed her intuition and married this extraordinary man after only dating him for two months, a decision that may be one of the best she's made, given what I know about him), fur baby Blossom and a colorful assortment of dragonflies. To find out more about Wendi and her work, fly over to WendiKnox.com. Follow Wendi: https://wendiknox.com/ (where there are links to buy her book on her landing page) Instagram: @wendiknoxuplifter: https://www.instagram.com/wendiknoxuplifter/?hl=en Facebook: @WendiKnoxAuthor https://www.facebook.com/wendiknoxauthor/ LinkedIn: Wendi Knox https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendiknox/ Featured Profile in Ageist Magazine: https://www.ageist.com/profile/wendi-knox-71-soaring-after-midlife/ Essay in Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper: https://mariashriver.com/time-to-break-out-age-cage/ Interview on Mariel Hemingway’s Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBT_WO7e9F4 Interview on NPR’s 51%: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7vjVk_ZQPY

After a devastating health diagnosis, and being told she'd never work again, Sarah Jakle, MSW, MPP picked herself up and changed her life, turning her focus to helping others. She uses her skills and experience to empower young women. Sarah founded DemocraShe to equip high school girls from historically underserved communities with not only civic skills, but also brain-based techniques for overcoming self-doubt and leading boldly. When she shows these young women how to take practical, science-backed steps like befriending their inner critical voice, she sees them begin to see their birthright as leaders. I am proud to say that I became a DemocraShe mentor this year and it is a rewarding way of giving back! Sarah believes in the transformative impact of sharing real stories and building spaces where women feel seen and empowered to choose themselves. Her trainings blend inclusion, neuroscience and social justice. She also guides adults seeking resilience and hope in uncertain times. DemocraShe "offers free online trainings, including a Flagship Program with 10-week cohorts designed to build self-confidence and self-advocacy, cultivate collaboration, nurture ambition and make leadership concrete and accessible. Critically, we arm teen girls with resiliency skills to become transformational leaders, as well as the strategies needed to counter the external barriers and internal negative narratives that so often prevent women from fulfilling their potential." DemocraShe is shaping a new generation of confident, resilient leaders. Her work has connected her with more than 6,000 women activists and leaders who are eager for inspiration and growth. You can apply to serve as a mentor to a young woman via the DemocraShe website. Sarah previously served as the Get Out The Vote Director for the California National Association for Women. Empowering women to hold political office has been a focus of Sarah since she first interned at the Women's Council of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Sarah earned her bachelor's degree from Yale, her master's degree in social work from USC and her master's degree in public policy from UCLA. Sarah has dedicated her life’s work to lifting up communities -- spending the first decade of her career working on behalf of people coping with mental illness and homelessness and bringing compassion-based resiliency skills into her current work with women. She was a 2017 fellow with Organizing for Action, a 2025 How Women Lead Movement Builders fellow, served on the Board of Directors for Urban Partners Los Angeles, and serves on the Advisory Council of the Santa Monica YMCA. In this episode, we talk about using one's inner best friend, inflection points in our lives, societal influences, the importance of grounding, and more. Sarah also shares DemocraShe's remarkable success stories. The young women who apply to participate in DemocraShe are utterly impressive. Sarah is making a difference in the world, one young woman at a time. Learn more and follow: democrashe.org https://www.facebook.com/democrasheorg# https://www.instagram.com/democrasheorg/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/democrashe/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-jakle-535617240/ https://www.tiktok.com/@democrasheorg

In 2017, Marie lost her son suddenly, less than two years after her mother’s unexpected passing. Even in her darkest hours, she refused to let grief define her. For more than 15 years, Marie Crews has guided and empowered women through growth and transformation. Along her 25-year journey of self-discovery, she realized her journal-writing practice was what anchored her healing the most. This led her to create "The Nautilus Way: Write Your Way Free," a proven process that accelerates emotional breakthroughs -- including integrating grief, releasing trauma and navigating life’s transitions. As a coach, speaker and retreat facilitator, Marie helps clients rewire limiting beliefs, gain clarity, develop confidence and shape their lives with intention. Marie’s story is one of resilience and reinvention. Raised in poverty in rural Louisiana, she became a single mother of two at a young age. Her desire to break the cycle for her children fueled her pursuit to create a life of stability. Feeling called to support women's healing, she left corporate America to launch her coaching practice and resumed psychology studies focused on the mind-body connection. Her persistence in rising from profound loss, combined with years of coaching experience, uniquely qualifies her to guide women with compassion, courage and hope. She helps her clients see that grief magnifies the fears and viewpoints that already exist within a person and learn how to hold grief and joy at the same time. Marie has led life-changing women’s retreats for more than seven years. She recently built a Gulf-front home in Florida as a dedicated space to host these transformational experiences. Her retreats focus on deep healing, confidence and personal awakening and she also offers one exclusively for grieving mothers. In every setting, her attendees gain validation, self-trust and a renewed sense of peace and direction. Marie's bestselling novel is Even When...She Rose. The book contains her journey growing up with an absent father and an exhausted, single mother who was trying to work and raise four children. She unknowingly repeated her mom’s pattern by marrying young and becoming a divorced, uneducated mother of two. This contemporary novel looks like a timeless tale of hardship on the surface, but it reaches much farther into the depths of the challenges of motherhood, raising a special needs child, loss and triumph, in ways few writers have. Many readers find validation in this book, and courage to rise. Marie provides an online course as the starting point, which includes two sessions of working with her. She also does workshops for groups. Book a free consultation on her website. Learn more: www.mariecrews.com https://www.facebook.com/marieeurecrews https://www.tiktok.com/@empowermentandgriefguide #griefguide #becomingyourbestversionpodcast #womeninmidlife #fiftyafter50 #navigatinggrief

Do you find yourself repeating things your parents did to you or around you that you vowed never to do? Do you seek more joy in the parenting journey? Listen to this episode. Mary Willcox Smith helps families build strong, emotionally healthy relationships through her keynotes, coaching and courses—one MicroStep at a time. Mary is a speaker, author and creator of the MicroStep Method® — a research-backed framework that helps parents understand why they keep doing the thing they swore they'd never do, and what to reach for instead. A mother of four daughters born within five years, Mary blends lived parenting experience with neuroscience and child development to show why it's not programs, perfection or pressure that create lasting change — but the small, overlooked moments that are already happening every day. She is the author of Small Moments, Big Impact: The MicroStep Method for the Overwhelmed Parent and speaks nationally for schools, PTAs and parent-education organizations. A Master Certified Life Coach and Positive Discipline Expert, Mary helps navigate the hard parts of parenting so moms (and dads!) can feel empowered, equipped and ready to handle whatever life — and their kids — throw their way. She offers personal coaching, as well. Her MBA is from INSEAD a top business school in France. Her book guides readers on a transformative journey, showing you how to chart a straight course through the commotion and, at the same time, how to rediscover the simple joys of parenting. Integrating 25 years of experience, the best of child development research and neuroscience, The MicroStep Method for the Overwhelmed Parent equips parents with easy-to-implement and customizable scripts for connection and growth. We come to parenting with an "emotional backpack that's filled with all the crap that we bring from childhood," Mary says. Mary helps parent unpack their big T and little t traumas to enjoy parenting more fully. Learn more and follow Mary: https://marysmithparentcoach.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-willcox-smith/ https://www.facebook.com/mfrsmith https://www.instagram.com/marysmithparentcoach/ Links mentioned during the interview: Accepting is Not Agreeing: https://marysmithparentcoach.com/s/Accept-not-Agree-MicroStep-Method.pdf The Repair: https://marysmithparentcoach.com/s/Repair-HEAL-MicroStep-Method.pdf

Combining her rich background and expertise in psychology and leadership development, alongside her authentic blend of energy, humor, and strategic questions, Jordana Cole enables leaders to ignite behavioral change and spark transformation that not only sticks, it spreads. As an organizational consultant, workshop facilitator and leadership coach, Jordana has designed and led talent strategy and leadership programs for thousands of individuals across all levels and roles around the globe. Prior to launching her consulting and coaching practice, Jordana led enterprise learning and development functions for a decade within technology, financial services, e-commerce, and nonprofit industries. Jordana’s worked with a number of Fortune 100 companies and companies on the Best Companies to Work For list. Jordana is an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Applied Positive Psychology program and has served as an instructor for undergraduate and graduate courses related to positive organizations and human strengths & resilience. She is also certified as a PCC level coach from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and a Gallup Strengths Coach, with experience coaching more than 250 leaders worldwide. As a lead faculty member for the Center for Human Potential's Self-Actualization Coaching Program, Jordana equips cohorts of professional coaches with research-backed tools to help clients surface their needs and embrace their whole selves. Jordana believes that leadership is the most needed and most durable skillset in our changing world, and the one that AI can't replace. She's been featured on a variety of podcasts and webinars discussing the connections between leadership, well-being, AI, and organizational success. She's on a mission to help everyone lead themselves and others better through uncertainty. Her TEDx talk on this topic: "What to Do When You Don't Know What's Next" currently ranks in the top 10% of views for all TEDx talks globally. She believes that leadership coaching should create thriving leaders and teams, not just fix bad behaviors. "Leadership coaching is for everyone, not only the C-Suite," Jordana says. "My comprehensive coaching approach blends strengths, leadership development, and positive & humanistic psychology. I’m here to help you not only turn the lightbulbs on, but to actually spark personal transformation. By the end of coaching, you'll have more self-awareness, more confidence in your interactions with others, and feel energized and capable to be an impactful leader today, tomorrow, and in the future." Learn more: https://ignitedbyjordana.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordana-cole-mapp-pcc-a8445a8/