<p>What does it look like when midlife women step up to lead in a world that has historically told them to sit down? In this episode of The Uplifters Podcast, host Aransas Savas sits down with her own neighbors, two women who ran against each other for mayor of Highlands, New Jersey, to talk about local leadership, community engagement, and the very specific courage it takes to run for office as a woman over 40. Women currently make up just 28% of Congress, hold only 12 of 50 governorships, and are twice as likely as men to rate themselves unqualified to run for office even with identical credentials. This is a conversation about why that has to change, and how midlife women are uniquely positioned to lead it.</p><p>You'll hear Rebecca Wells, the first woman to serve as fire chief of the Highlands Fire Department, and Carolyn Broullon, a three-term mayor, talk candidly about what it took to campaign in a small town, how they see the future of their community, and what civic engagement really looks like at the local level. Whether you've thought about running for office, joining a committee, or just finally going to a town council meeting, this episode is for you. For midlife women navigating second act reinvention or looking for ways to create real-world impact, this is your reminder that the most powerful change often starts in your own backyard.</p><p><strong>What You'll Learn:</strong></p><p><strong>How midlife women in politics overcome the confidence gap</strong> — and why women are twice as likely to underestimate their own qualifications</p><p><strong>Starting over and showing up after loss</strong> — Rebecca ran for mayor months after losing her father and what that taught her about grief and purpose</p><p><strong>Women over 40 in civic leadership</strong> — what barriers still exist and how these two women navigated them</p><p><strong>Building community trust as a midlife woman</strong> — the Edelman research on proximity and why face-to-face engagement matters more than ever</p><p><strong>How to get involved in local politics without running for office</strong> — practical entry points for midlife women who want to make a difference</p><p><strong>Nonpartisan elections and women's leadership</strong> — what happens when you remove party labels and ask people to actually think</p><p><strong>Midlife reinvention through community service</strong> — how showing up locally can become a second act of purpose and impact</p><p><strong>Key Timestamps:</strong> 0:00 - Introduction and Join the Trybsponsor spot 1:30 - Welcome and state of women in politics stats 3:00 - Introducing Rebecca Wells and Carolyn Broullon 4:30 - What Highlands means to Rebecca (lifelong resident) 5:45 - What Highlands means to Carolyn (chosen community) 7:00 - Their shared vision for the future of the town 10:00 - The experience of running for office as a midlife woman 11:30 - Rebecca on running while grieving her father 13:30 - Carolyn on building community trust through presence 15:00 - Bringing kids into the campaign 17:30 - The election results and what a 66-vote margin means 19:30 - A thousand people who didn't vote — civic disengagement 21:00 - Helen Arteaga and the power of local impact 22:30 - How disengagement connects to feeling powerless 25:00 - Rebecca's plan for a non-political neighborhood group 27:00 - Nonpartisan elections, tribalism, and voter behavior 30:00 - Closing: how to show up in your own community</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p><p><strong>For midlife women considering civic leadership:</strong> You don't have to have all the answers. You just have to ask the questions and be willing to enlist others to help find solutions.</p><p><strong>For women over 40 seeking purpose and impact:</strong> Real change starts locally. The most powerful thing you can do in a broken-feeling world is take care of your own backyard.</p><p><strong>For midlife women navigating loss or transition:</strong> Rebecca ran for mayor months after losing her father. Grief can be a north star, not just a stopping point.</p><p><strong>Featured Quote:</strong></p><p>"If you can give a night a week, you get to learn your neighbors, have input, and really shape your community." — Rebecca Wells</p><p><strong>Resources & Links:</strong></p><p>Related episode: <a target="_blank" href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/4OCpFjlQ5opZp2UuTKFvbD?si=EL_pkT-CQpmhVIosyJlPRg">Helen Arteaga — First Latina CEO of NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst</a></p><p>Edelman Trust Barometer: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.edelman.com/trust/trust-barometer">https://www.edelman.com/trust/trust-barometer</a></p><p>Join the Tribe: <a target="_blank" href="https://jointhetryb.com/collections/snacks?page=2#3a9ea16ea857abc0dfe2721a7c2d6c2a">jointhetryb.com</a> code: UPLIFTER20</p><p><strong>About Rebecca Wells:</strong></p><p>Rebecca Wells is a lifelong resident of Highlands, New Jersey and the first woman ever to serve as fire chief of the Highlands Fire Department. A second-act civic leader and midlife woman in politics, she has served five terms on town council, nearly two decades on the local housing authority, and currently serves as Deputy Chief and on the Board of Education.</p><p><strong>About Carolyn Broullon:</strong></p><p>Carolyn Broullon is the three-term mayor of Highlands, New Jersey, a women-in-leadership pioneer who moved to the town in 2002 and has spent over two decades building community trust through presence, dialogue, and civic innovation, including leading the effort to bring nonpartisan elections to Highlands.</p><p><strong>About Your Host:</strong></p><p>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.</p><p><strong>Connect with Aransas:</strong></p><p>Instagram: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/aransas_savas/">@aransas_savas</a></p><p>Podcast Instagram: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/the_uplifters_podcast/">@the_uplifters_podcast</a></p><p>TikTok: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@theuplifterspodcast">@theuplifterspodcast</a></p><p>Facebook: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.facebook.com/aransas">Aransas Savas</a></p><p>Website: <a target="_blank" href="http://theuplifterspodcast.com">theuplifterspodcast.com</a></p><p>YouTube: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/@theuplifterspodcast">@theuplifterspodcast</a></p><p>LinkedIn: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aransassavas/">Aransas Savas</a></p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong></p><p>women in local politics, midlife women leadership, women over 40 civic engagement, midlife reinvention second act, women running for office, women in male dominated fields, midlife women making a difference, courage capital, perimenopause confidence, second act women over 40, midlife purpose women, women 40s new purpose, inspiring women over 40, midlife motivation women, starting over at 40 women, women changing careers midlife, local leadership women, community engagement midlife women, women over 40 success stories, midlife awakening women</p> <br/><br/>Get full access to The Uplifters at <a href="https://www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_4">www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe</a>