If you’ve ever wondered, “Is it too late for me to...?” the answer’s NO, and The Uplifters will prove it to you. This space is for purpose-driven women who want to do big, brave things in the second half of their lives. I’m your host, Aransas Savas, and I’ve spent the last 20 years at the intersection of behavior change research and coaching.
Y’all know this, but the whole “over the hill” thing is absolute BS. After today’s episode, you’re going to be extra, extra, extra certain, because we’re sharing the stories of three women who will prove to you that midlife is prime time for the most meaningful work of our lives.
In fact, our midlife brains are rewiring in ways that make our quest for fulfillment feel more urgent than ever. And yet. So many of us are sitting on our hands, waiting for permission or perfect conditions before we act.
This week’s episode is for the women who are done waiting.
Our three guests are each at a different point in her second act, each with her own story about what it actually took to close what Dr. Helen Krug von Nidda calls the fulfillment gap.
Dr. Krug von Nidda spent more than 20 years in global human resources, including time at the United Nations, watching talented women arrive full of energy and slowly wilt. She went back to school at 50 to earn her doctorate from Columbia University, spent years researching why some women manage to recreate their careers and find real fulfillment while others stay stuck. Her book, Closing the Fulfillment Gap, releases September 15th. Go pre-order it now!
Risa Crandall spent 38 years in media and technology sales and marketing. When she lost her father, his last words to her, in a text, were “love is.” For a year she wondered what he meant. What emerged was Love Is, an in-person community supper program she founded, rooted in the belief that a shared home-cooked meal can foster genuine human connection.
Sue Moser was born with a cancer so rare she is the only documented case of that type and severity. Her fight since birth lit in her a refusal to exist in anything other than the truth. Today, alongside her thriving corporate career, she channels her fire into The Visceral Edge, where she helps high-capacity leaders learn how to use their natural intensity.
5 Ways These Three Uplifters Show Us How to Build Our Courage Capital:
Let your grief show you the way. Risa spent a year with two words, “love is,” before they led her to her new path. If you don’t know what your purpose is, the hardest parts of your story will often point you in the right direction.
Name what drains you, even when you’re good at it. Dr. Krug von Nidda left a career in HR that people celebrated her for, because she realized that just because you’re excellent at something doesn’t mean it’s the thing that energizes you.
Shift the question from “what am I doing” to “who am I being.” Sue’s path changed when she stopped organizing her life around task lists and started organizing it around the person she wanted to become.
Start before you’re ready. Instead of waiting to figure out all the answers for Love Is Suppers, Risa booked a venue, invited strangers, cooked dinner for 17 people on a Tuesday, and found out what worked. Like so many of the stories you’ve heard on this podcast, she found that the best learning happens through active experimentation.
You don’t have to choose. Sue is building The Visceral Edge while kicking ass in her corporate role, and she is better at both because she does both. When we ask ourselves either/or questions, we’ve usually missed the best option.
Lift them up:
Pre-order Helen’s book at with-helen.com and follow @with.dr.helen. Find Risa at love-is.com and @love.is.community.suppers — and if you know a foundation that would be a great fit for Love Is as it applies for nonprofit status, Risa would love to hear from you. Check out Sue’s work at thevisceraledge.com and follow @susan_moser17.
Huge thanks to this week’s guest nominators:
Thank you to Ruthie Ackerman for nominating Dr. Helen Krug von Nidda, Betsy Parker for nominating Risa Crandall, and Michelle Garside for nominating Sue Moser.
