<p>What happens when a midlife woman decides to stop segmenting her identity and start owning her whole story? In this episode of The Uplifters Podcast, leadership consultant and memoirist Blair Glaser joins host Aransas Savas to explore one of the most common midlife reinvention challenges: the courage to be fully known. Blair's memoir, <em>This Incredible Longing</em>, follows her years inside Siddha Yoga, a near-cult spiritual organization, and what she discovered about herself, her gifts, and her capacity for change. For women over 40 navigating second act career changes, identity shifts, and the particular vulnerability of perimenopause and midlife transition, Blair's story is both a permission slip and a road map.</p><p>In this conversation, Blair and Aransas dig into the "lily pad" career path, the financial reality and soulful satisfaction of following your own signal through multiple vocations across decades. They also explore why midlife women are uniquely primed to look back as a way of moving forward, and what it actually takes to silence the inner bully that shows up at 3 a.m. before every brave act. If you've been circling a story you haven't told, a pivot you haven't made, or a version of yourself you haven't fully claimed, this one's for you.</p><p>Blair brings over two decades of experience as a therapist, leadership consultant, and writer to a conversation that is sharp, funny, and deeply honest about the costs and rewards of starting over at 50.</p><p><strong>What You'll Learn:</strong></p><p><strong>How to navigate a midlife career pivot when you have multiple identities</strong> — Blair's "professional vocationalist" framework for women over 40 who don't fit neatly into one lane</p><p><strong>Why midlife women look back to move forward</strong> — what memory researchers say about the pull toward early chapters during the second half of life</p><p><strong>How menopause shaped one woman's second act career change</strong> — the hormonal and psychological shift that moved Blair from therapy to consulting</p><p><strong>Building confidence after 40 when your story feels complicated</strong> — how to hold contradictory truths about your own past without flattening them</p><p><strong>A practical technique for silencing the inner critic in midlife</strong> — Blair's embodied, no-nonsense approach to sovereignty over fear</p><p><strong>How to own your story as a second act career woman</strong> — the courage it takes to publish, share, and stand fully in your own history</p><p></p><p><strong>Resources & Links:</strong></p><p>Blair's website: <a target="_blank" href="http://blairglaser.com">blairglaser.com</a></p><p>Blair's Substack, The HI Stack: <a target="_blank" href="http://thehistack.substack.com">thehistack.substack.com</a></p><p>Instagram: @blairglaser</p><p>LinkedIn: Blair Glaser</p><p><em>This Incredible Longing</em> — available wherever you buy books</p><p><strong>About Blair Glaser:</strong></p><p>Blair Glaser, MA, is a memoirist, speaker, and leadership consultant with a background as a licensed psychotherapist. A midlife reinvention story in her own right, she has navigated careers in acting, therapy, nonprofit leadership (including six years with V-Day, Eve Ensler's organization to end violence against women), and organizational consulting. Her debut memoir, <em>This Incredible Longing</em>, traces her years inside the spiritual organization Siddha Yoga and what she learned about identity, belonging, and the courage to claim your whole story. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and dog-ter, Vanna White.</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, female founders midlife, perimenopause motivation, starting business during menopause, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, perimenopause fresh start, midlife memoir women, storytelling courage midlife, spiritual awakening midlife women, identity shifts perimenopause, women writers 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>