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.
We talk endlessly about how to begin things, especially in September, when we’re flooded with fresh-start stories. We rarely talk about how to end things well, which is the real key to starting the next thing well.
Today’s guest, Lisa Congdon, just made the bold move to close her thriving retail business, to “end it before it ended her” and free herself up to live and work in a way that’s better suited to where she is at this stage in her life.
She could have just hung a shingle that said “closed” and gone on with her life, but she chose instead to end it in a way that nurtured the joy and connection she and her work are known for.
This conversation is a masterclass in ending things well, whether it’s a career, a relationship, or anything else.
Lisa is best known for her colorful, graphic style and her exploration of themes of joy, liberation and inclusion. She makes art for clients around the globe, including The Library of Congress, The U.S. Postal Service, Amazon, Google, Warby Parker, Comme des Garcons, Peets Coffee, REI and MoMa, among many others.
Lisa exhibits internationally and is the author of ten books, including Art Inc: The Essential Guide to Building Your Career as an Artist and Find your Artistic Voice: The Essential Guide to Working Your Creative Magic.
Lisa is self-taught and didn’t achieve momentum in her career until she was 40 years old. Despite her untraditional path, Lisa has achieved recognition, not just as an artist, but as a leader in the industry for her work in social justice, mentoring and teaching. In 2021, she was named “One of the 50 Most Inspiring People and Companies According to Industry Creatives” published by AdWeek. In 2026, she was named to the Eames Institute’s Curious 100 for her work addressing social justice.
Listen to this episode if...
You’re sitting on a decision that looks irrational from the outside but feels right on the inside
You’ve built something that “works” but no longer feels like you
You’re the person everyone else depends on, and you can’t remember the last time you asked what you need
You don’t yet think of yourself as a creative person, but something in you keeps asking to be let out
You’re trying to figure out what ambition even looks like for you now, at this stage of your life
5 Ways Lisa Congdon Shows Us How to Build Our Courage Capital:
She let herself be a beginner again, decades in. Lisa didn’t pick up a paintbrush seriously until her late thirties, and she still talks about how radical it felt to claim a creative identity.
She replaced the goal with the why. When cycling stopped delivering constant personal records, and when her career hit its ceiling, she didn’t quit. She went looking for a new reason to keep going, one rooted in feelings instead of performance metrics.
She closed the door before it closed her. Instead of waiting for burnout to force the decision, she made it while the business was still thriving, which meant she got to close it with love instead of resentment.
She trusted her team with the truth. She assumed her employees needed her to keep the business running. She was wrong, and giving them the real reason gave them freedom to make their next moves.
She’s rebuilding structure on her own terms. Lisa knows she needs structure to feel calm, so instead of throwing it out for “flexibility,” she’s redesigning her days around the things she wants more of.
Lift Her Up: Follow Lisa’s essays on her transition at her Substack Lisa Congdon and on Instagram at @lisacongdon.
What’s a door you’ve been afraid to close, even though some part of you already knows it’s time?
