The Uplifters

What if you stopped asking whether a midlife reinvention is possible and started asking what you would do if you knew you couldn't get it wrong? Kristy Halvorsen spent years building a firefighting career, then sold her house, let go of nearly everything she owned, and hit the road in a 28-foot Airstream named Cottie. That was almost nine years ago. For women over 40 wondering if it's too late to start over, her second act is proof that you don't need the whole plan to begin.In this conversation, Kristy, author of Perfect Unfolding: Seven Years of Life-Changing Solo Adventure and a Year That Broke Me Open, shares how to spot the beliefs that keep us stuck, why the best action is sometimes no action, and how to trust your inner knowing when the path isn't clear. You'll also hear how she lives off-grid on a modest budget and finds connection on the road.Key Timestamps: 0:00 Introduction and sponsor 5:04 Meet Cottie, the Airstream 7:37 Leaving firefighting and the call with her mom 12:36 Why you only need to trust 20:00 Inner knowing and limiting beliefs 27:54 Nuts and bolts of life on the road 42:41 If I knew I couldn't get it wrong Key Takeaways:For midlife career changers: You don't have to know how to do it all before you begin.For women over 40 seeking purpose: Ask what you would do if you knew you couldn't get it wrong, and notice how simple the answer is.For women building a second act: Sometimes the best action is inaction, and rest counts.Resources and Links:Website: PerfectUnfolding.com Instagram: @kristy.halvorsen LinkedIn: Kristy on LinkedIn Goodreads: Perfect Unfolding on GoodreadsAbout Kristy Halvorsen: Kristy Halvorsen is the author of Perfect Unfolding: Seven Years of Life-Changing Solo Adventure and a Year That Broke Me Open. After leaving her firefighting career, she has lived full time in an Airstream named Cottie for almost nine years. She is also a coach who helps people release limiting beliefs and follow their inner knowing.About Your Host: 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 big, brave 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.Connect with Aransas:Instagram: @aransas_savasPodcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcastTikTok: @theuplifterspodcastFacebook: Aransas SavasWebsite: theuplifterspodcast.comYouTube: @theuplifterspodcastLinkedIn: Aransas SavasKeywords: women over 40, midlife reinvention, second act career women, starting over at 40, how to change careers after 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, midlife awakening women, women over 40 success stories, midlife purpose women, how to live off grid, Airstream living, solo female travel, full-time solo travel, full-time RV living, solo travel in midlife Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe

Tori DaCosta spent decades climbing the ranks at a Fortune 50 company while keeping some of her story tucked in her back pocket. Then in midlife, she decided it was time to write it down. Her debut book, "No Name B*****d: How Our Lives Teach Us What We Can Control, Manage, and Influence," became the framework she now teaches leaders, and it started with a question so many women over 40 will recognize: what would I even write about? I don't have a story. In this episode, Tori and Aransas talk about the courage it takes to put your story into the world after years of editing yourself, and why the people you tell (and don't tell) about a big, brave dream matter. Tori breaks down her signature control, manage, influence framework and shows how it applies to marriage, parenting, corporate projects, and the daily grind of building a second act while holding down a demanding full-time job. What You'll Learn: -Starting over during menopause and midlife career reinvention — how Tori built a second career as an author and speaker while staying full-time at a Fortune 50 company -How to change careers after 40 without leaving what you've built — the control, manage, influence framework for balancing a corporate job with a creative second act -Building confidence after 40 — how Tori rebuilt trust in a writing gift she hadn't used in decades -Midlife dreams women protect from naysayers — why Tori was selective about who she told before the book was finished, and what she calls allies, amplifiers, and auditors -Women over 40 career change and team building — how Tori assembled a director of operations, a publicist, and a soon-to-be virtual assistant to support her growing second act -The quarterly reset practice — Tori's 13-week personal and professional planning rhythm, used instead of New Year's resolutions Midlife reinvention women can use today — Tori's practical sleep and screen boundary (shutting down at 8pm) for protecting emotional bandwidth Resources and Links: Tori's website: journeystone.com (also toridacosta.com) Book: "No Name B*****d: How Our Lives Teach Us What We Can Control, Manage, and Influence" Instagram / Facebook: @ToriDacostaLeadership LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toridacosta/ About Tori DaCosta: Tori DaCosta is a business leader, coach, bestselling author, and speaker dedicated to helping people lead themselves with clarity, confidence, and intention. As a leader at a Fortune 50 company and founder of Journeystone LLC, she brings a grounded, experience-driven perspective to helping others step into their fullest potential. Her award-winning debut book, "No Name B*****d: How Our Lives Teach Us What We Can Control, Manage, and Influence," blends personal story with a practical framework readers can use to reflect on their own lives and extract actionable insight. Her mission is to help people take ownership of their growth, lead themselves well, and create meaningful outcomes for their teams, organizations, and communities. About Your Host: 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. Connect with Aransas: Instagram: @aransas_savas Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast Facebook: Aransas Savas Website: theuplifterspodcast.com YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast LinkedIn: Aransas Savas Keywords: 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, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, starting over during menopause, women over 40 success stories, midlife awakening women Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe

She spent thirty years disappearing into other people's words on Broadway. Then, in midlife, an idea for a novel showed up and refused to leave her alone. This week, actor Jennifer Shay Carta joins The Uplifters Podcast to talk about what happened when she traded a script for a blank page, with zero training and zero expectations.We talk about:Her Broadway debut in Side Man and joining the cast of ProofThe bruising experience with screenwriting that nearly ended her writing The difference between capability fear and permission fearWhy she chose to self-publish What Happened to Annabel TaylorHandling one-star reviews as a first-time authorWhy her bio left out her biggest accomplishmentAbout Jennifer Shay Carta:Jennifer Shay Carta is an actor turned debut novelist. Her Broadway credits include Side Man and the national tour and Broadway cast of Proof. Her debut novel, What Happened to Annabel Taylor, is available now in audiobook and paperback.Resources Mentioned:What Happened to Annabel Taylor by Jennifer Shay CartaJoin the Tryb: jointhetryb.com, code UPLIFTER20Connect with Aransas and The Uplifters:theuplifterspodcast.com | @aransas_savas | @the_uplifters_podcastSubscribe to the Substack newsletter at theuplifterspodcast.comChapters:0:00 — Welcome and sponsor2:08 — Introducing Jennifer and today's theme6:44 — When the novel idea first started tugging at her12:25 — The story that wouldn't let go17:03 — Writing with zero expectations21:25 — Capability fear vs. permission fear23:05 — Choosing self-publishing29:13 — The bio that left out the book33:59 — How Jennifer introduces herself now37:33 — Nominating Bianca Shapiro Fink39:36 — How to support Jennifer's work Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe

Lisa Congdon built one of the most recognized independent art careers on the internet: work at MoMA, U.S. postage stamps, ten published books, twenty years of a thriving retail business. Then, while it was still in its prime, she closed the business. This episode is about why, and about what it actually takes to end a chapter with integrity instead of letting resentment end it for you.We talk about:-How Lisa went from first-grade teacher to full-time working artist in her late thirties-What it was like to build a business from a single Etsy shop in 2007-Why she closed a thriving 20-year business at its peak, not its low point-How she told her employees, her audience, and herself the real reason-What "success" looks like for her now versus twenty years ago-Living and creating with ADHD, and her forthcoming book on the subject-What structure looks like when you're rebuilding your days from scratchChapters: 0:00 — Welcome and sponsor 2:56 — Introducing Lisa Congdon 6:07 — From first grade teacher to full-time artist 14:46 — How to claim a creative identity, at any age 19:57 — Finding your "why" once the medals stop coming 23:18 — Redefining what success means, twenty years in 32:42 — When too many people depend on you 36:01 — Closing a 20-year business with integrity 45:45 — A new book, new collaborators, and life as a free agent 51:07 — How to support Lisa right nowResources Mentioned:Lisa's website: lisacongdon.comLisa on Instagram: @lisacongdonHer forthcoming book, The Art of Finishing Things: Actually Useful Productivity Tools for Artists, Misfits, and EccentricsJoin the Tryb (sponsor): jointhetryb.com, code UPLIFTER20Connect with Aransas and The Uplifters: theuplifterspodcast.com | @aransas_savas | @the_uplifters_podcast Subscribe to the Monday Substack newsletter at theuplifterspodcast.com Join us Fridays for Co-Working Cocoons on Zoom: intention-setting, deep work, and a closing dance party.Keywords: 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, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe

Three years ago, Heike Yates had to stop running. After qualifying for Boston in her first marathon and finishing the JFK 50 Miler, an arthritic knee said no, and she spent a year grieving the identity that went with it. In this conversation, she shares what it took to let go, what she built from the change, and why she thinks midlife is the perfect time to rebuild, not from scratch, but from right where you are.We talk about:Why process goals beat outcome goals for staying motivated in midlifeHow to tell when you are stuck in grief for an old version of yourselfThe SPARK Framework, a strategic way to take action on your fitness goalsResetting your goals every ten years without discarding what you learnedShifting the conversation from belly fat and thigh gaps to strengthWhy "I want to feel like myself again" does not mean your 25-year-old selfHeike Yates is a Midlife Fitness Expert, author, and creator of the SPARK Framework. She helps midlife women stop dimming their light and rebuild strength, energy, and confidence without guilt, extremes, or starting over. With 35+ years in fitness, nutrition, and mindset coaching, she supports women stuck in the cycle of trying and quitting with an approach built for real life, not ideal days. She hosts the Pursue Your Spark Podcast and is the author of Pursue Your Spark.Nominee: Heike nominated Cat Coluccio, New Zealand-based host of The Rocking Midlife Podcast, business coach, author, and fellow saxophonist.Resources Mentioned:Pursue Your Spark: Your Guide to Escaping Midlife Traps, Reclaiming Confidence, and Living Fully by Heike Yates (paperback, e-book, audiobook): https://amzn.to/4mD5xL7Website: https://heikeyates.com/The Pursue Your Spark Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pursue-your-spark-midlife-fitness-nutrition-mindset/id1231586317Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heikeyates/ | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pursueyoursparkLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heike-yates/ | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQIeOesGLGAOD5RhI2KYjcAJoin the Tryb: jointhetryb.com, code UPLIFTER20 for 20% off your first orderConnect with Aransas and The Uplifters: theuplifterspodcast.com | @aransas_savas | @the_uplifters_podcast Subscribe to the Monday Substack newsletter at theuplifterspodcast.com Join us Fridays for Co-Working Cocoons on Zoom: intention-setting, deep work, and a closing dance party. Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe