<p>For midlife women, Mother's Day can bring up all sorts of feelings. In this special episode, four midlife women share radically honest stories about motherhood, identity, and the inherited scripts we get to rewrite. Ruthie Ackerman, author of <em>The Mother Code</em> and founder of Ignite Writers Collective, reframes motherhood as a time of transformation rather than self-sacrifice and shows how midlife women can challenge the patriarchal myths that have shaped their choices. Katie Horwitch, founder of WANT (Women Against Negative Talk) and author of <em>WANT Yourself</em>, walks us through the inherited contracts behind our self-talk and how to replace our limiting stories. Sarah Gormley, author of <em>The Order of Things</em>, shares how starting over at 40, through therapy, loss, love, and an art gallery, gave her the life she'd always been chasing when she was climbing ladders. The episode closes with a sound bath from somatic healer and breast cancer survivor Shayla Martin, whose entire life was changed when she healed her Mother Wound. Whatever Mother's Day means to you, I hope you'll see yourself in these stories.</p><p>"I want to be a mother who believes that there are so many ways to have a worthy and beautiful life, both with and without children." — Ruthie Ackerman</p><p><strong>Resources & Links:</strong></p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://booksaremagic.net/item/ZoOPMvNQhqYM2WlV8AOHpA"><em>The Mother Code</em></a><a target="_blank" href="https://booksaremagic.net/item/ZoOPMvNQhqYM2WlV8AOHpA"> by Ruthie Ackerman</a> — available wherever books are sold</p><p>Ignite Writers Collective — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ruthieackerman.com/">ignitewriterscollective.com </a></p><p><em>WANT Yourself</em> by Katie Horwitch — <a target="_blank" href="http://womenagainstnegativetalk.com">womenagainstnegativetalk.com</a> </p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://sarahgormleygallery.com/products/the-order-of-things?srsltid=AfmBOorqVLjgxyg7as5zU5WTWQ55P0mjz_5PRythTlG_n1CyOictAgQp"><em>The Order of Things</em></a><a target="_blank" href="https://sarahgormleygallery.com/products/the-order-of-things?srsltid=AfmBOorqVLjgxyg7as5zU5WTWQ55P0mjz_5PRythTlG_n1CyOictAgQp"> by Sarah Gormley</a> — available wherever books are sold</p><p>Shayla Martin — <a target="_blank" href="https://www.3bellevolution.com/"><em>3bellevolution</em></a></p><p></p><p><strong>About the Featured Voices:</strong></p><p><strong>Ruthie Ackerman</strong> is the founder of Ignite Writers Collective, a memoirist and journalist whose work has appeared in Vogue, The New York Times, and The Atlantic, and the author of <em>The Mother Code</em> — a book that reframes motherhood as a conscious, evolving practice rather than a fixed identity. </p><p><strong>Katie Horwitch</strong> is the founder of WANT (Women Against Negative Talk), a nationally recognized author, speaker, and self-talk activist. Her book <em>WANT Yourself</em> helps women shift their internal narrative by understanding the science of inherited belief.</p><p><strong>Sarah Gormley</strong> spent decades building an impressive career at IMAX, Martha Stewart, Adobe, and Forbes before starting over at 40 through therapy, loss, and reinvention. She now owns an art gallery in Columbus, Ohio and is the author of the memoir <em>The Order of Things</em>.</p><p><strong>Shayla Martin</strong> is a breast cancer survivor, somatic healing coach, and sound healer whose work began with healing her own mother wound. She is the founder of Feel It to Heal It™<strong>.</strong></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>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 identity women, midlife self-talk, building confidence after 40, second act career women, women 40s new career, midlife awakening women, inspiring women over 40, midlife motivation women, perimenopause motivation, women over 40 success stories, midlife glow up, 40+ women entrepreneurs, growth mindset women over 40</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>