The Good Batch
Welcome to the Good Batch!
Each month, I gather up the best conversations with women over 40 doing remarkable things, the ideas fueling our courage, and what I can’t get enough of right now.
Hi friends,
We made it to June. School is wrapping up, summer is stretching out ahead, and as always, this community has been busy doing big, brave things. Here is what’s in the batch this month.
In Community
A huge thank you to everyone who came out to our Shopping and Sangria evening at TTH Vintage benefiting Hearts of Gold.
I am so excited to announce a new benefit for our paid subscribers: Monthly Lift and Be Lifted meetups. Once a month, starting Tuesday, June 16, we will capture some of the magic of Uplifters Live on Zoom to do what this community does best. Midlife women with decades of careers and roles and hats worn between them are wildly, freakishly resourceful, so we will use the time to move further and faster, together. We are really pretty magical.
On the Pod
May was for mothers, money, and menopause.
🎧 Four very different takes on motherhood from Ruthie Ackerman, Katie Horwitch, Sarah Gormley, and Shayla Martin. Listen HERE.
🎧 Dr. Kimberly Derezil, MD, a doctor and certified wealth manager, on how to avoid massive financial losses during menopause. Listen HERE.
🎧 Women’s health advocate Rebecca Bloom on what happens when women get sick. Listen HERE.
🎧 And Jacquelyn Fletcher Johnson and Christy Kercheville on finding renewed purpose in the wake of cancer. Listen HERE.
June is for the permission we wait for that only we can give.
Way back in episode 79, Kerry Brodie shared that when she had the wild idea to start a nonprofit to help immigrants get into the workforce, she also had a million reasons she wasn’t the right person and it wasn’t the right time. Her husband asked, “Whose permission are you waiting for?” She realized she only needed her own. Today she and Emma’s Torch have served over 500 students and created more than $21 million in increased wages for graduates.
This month the pod brings stories about four different types of permission:
Sofia Kavlin, the visionary behind the Unsent Letter Mailbox, gave herself permission to ASK for support, and in walked her creative soulmate, Bonnie Blue Edwards.
Laura LeBleu spent 54 years telling stories for everyone else, sure she wasn’t creative enough to make her own publication. In midlife, she gave herself permission to BEGIN, set her AARP card on fire, and published Geezer magazine.
Sarah Nelson of Sexual Empowerment in Midlife spent 30 years believing it was her job to keep everyone else happy. In midlife, she gave herself permission to DESIRE.
Sarah Kauss took S’well from $30k in savings to over $100 million, then sold it. In midlife she gave herself permission to SLOW DOWN.
New Friends
The Uplifters podcast is built on the idea that Uplifters rise higher together, that when we pool our midlife wisdom we can do remarkable things. Each guest nominates a woman who inspires her, which means I get to talk to amazing women all day, every day. Here are a few of the uplifting women I met this month. Follow them. You will be so glad you did.
Tracee Stanley, a rest and ritual teacher whose work centers on purpose and stillness.
Brooke Berman, the filmmaker behind Ramona in Midlife, get it now on Prime and Apple.
Faye McCray, an author, attorney, and executive leader who helps people redefine success and navigate change.
Kristina Godfrey, who has run Godfrey Social PR since 1997 and is devoted to helping women grow into their best selves.
Christine Despres, a longtime nurse turned brain health and wellness coach helping midlife women age well, including those caring for aging parents.
Jessica Hansen, a voice coach and performer exploring what happens to our voices in midlife.
Jennifer Shay Carta, an accomplished actor turned author writing her way through midlife.
Dara Steinberg, an occupational therapist and menopause coach who helps highly sensitive women slow down and heal.
Marlee Whetten, founder of Relationality, mapping how teams make decisions to build healthier, better-matched cultures.
Spade Robinson, a film producer, writer, and director, and the creator of the film Late Bloomers.
Tori DaCosta, author of No Name Bastard, on what we can actually control, manage, and influence.
Adora Winquist, a modern-day alchemist working in vibrational medicine, energy healing, and essential oil alchemy.
Wendy Richardson, a real estate agent and coach.
Rebecca Cohen and Seema Aghera, the co-founders of Brooklyn Book Bodega.
Uplifter Updates
Every month I ask our community to share their wins and the ways we can lift each other up. Here are a few highlights:
Jaclyn DuPont is getting close to launching her first product. She credits this community with giving her the confidence to chase something that had been sitting on her someday list for a long time. It is a set of hair bands with a message, designed to be meaningful reminders throughout the day, and she is preparing for an Amazon launch. She is looking for product testers to give feedback. If you are interested, reach her at jaclyn@whereheregear.com.
Rachel Josephson of Fils & Poisson hosted her first pop-up shop!
Jodi Miller is making the t-shirt every woman needs. The Lift Heavy Club is for those days you are having a hot flash while taking over the world. I think they’d be the perfect thing to wear while reading Geezer magazine.
Dr. Helen Krug von Nidda’s career book, Closing the Fulfillment Gap: How to Design the Work Life You Want, is out September 15. For anyone feeling stuck, unsure of the next right step, or simply ready for a boost in purpose, this one was written for you. Pre-order it here, and look for Helen on an upcoming episode.
Risa Crandall created Love Is Community Suppers, a passion project where she brings her love of cooking, baking, and hosting to the table. Guests come as they are for a free meal, dessert, and real conversation. If you’re in Westchester, check out her events.
Julie B. Hughes (episode 6) completed her first 100-mile run. Her fourth memoir, capturing the journey of the JFK 50 Mile Race, is out now.
Susannah Ludwig (episode 7) is building out her coaching work with couples and a group for women in relationship transition, and hosted her very first retreat. She is also in the early stages of a writing project on communication and resilience.
Robin Hopkins (episode 43) had her podcast, Well...Adjusting, featured by Apple Podcasts. She is still acting in a business where “no” outnumbers “yes” by roughly three bagillion to one, and holding it all a little more loosely. Follow her at @realrobhops.
Tracy Siri got resourceful. After years of needing an extra set of hands at work, she found a way to bring on a couple of contractors who start this week, plus a side gig to help fund them.
Kimberle Lau (founder of Bake Me Healthy) is co-hosting the first Long Island Female Entrepreneurs (LIFE) and Lattes event with Elizabeth Kressel. If you are building a business, growing a side hustle, or just want to be in a room with ambitious women who get the journey, this is your space. Come for the cappuccino, stay for the community. Register here.
Michelle McGovern is celebrating her twins turning 6. They were born in May 2020, at the height of COVID in New York City, while Michelle was seven months pregnant and COVID positive. Happy birthday, girls.
Want to be included in next month’s Good Batch and stay connected to what other Uplifters are building? Join us as a paid subscriber and come find your people in our chat.
With love, Aransas