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.
Hey, Uplifters!
October was one for the books. I submitted all 67,000 words of my manuscript, met new friends, saw old friends, celebrated BIG time, sat on a beach for a couple of days, read a lot, voted, felt actual hope.
It was so much fun that I’m leaving my desk again!
Saturday, 11/7: I’m participating (note: I did not say competing, more on that later) in The Super Age Games. If you’re anywhere near the city and you believe age is not a finish line, come hang with other Uplifters and me.
Monday, November 9: I’ll be at 826NYC’s Trivia Night for Cheaters at Brooklyn Art Haus, hosted by comedians Josh Gondelman and Alison Leiby, and I’d love for you to join me and fellow Uplifters. Yes, cheating is encouraged, and there are prizes for the best cheaters. It raises money for the young writers 826NYC serves every year, a cause close to my heart. If you can’t make it, you can still donate or get all the details here.
Client and Community Wins
Gerilynn Berg
This Yale-educated coach and all-around badass just won the 60+ category and placed in the 50+ category at her third bodybuilding competition. She did this days before her 73rd birthday. Read all about it here and listen to her episode here.
Kimberly Derezil
Just two years ago, Kimberly started creating her thought leadership platform Meno & Money. This week she booked a spot on a top 1% podcast for Q1 2027 and is getting lots of attention for sharing a perspective that few people are qualified to speak to.
This is what happens when you get clear on your story and your one big point, and then go ask for space to share it. Which brings me to something new I’m opening up.
Story Lift sessions
A Story Lift session is a 60-minute one-on-one with me to shape your story for a podcast, a stage, a pitch, or your own platform. We find the core story, figure out who most needs to hear it, and build the evidence that makes audiences lean in. You leave with a clear arc, a toolkit for adapting it, and the confidence to say it out loud.
I’d love to work with you. Book your Story Lift session here.
My TBR and Recently Read
Becoming Unlikable: One Empath’s Journey to Balance Head and Heart in Business by Dawn Halkuff. This is Dawn’s first book, and I was lucky enough to blurb it. It is so good. Nine lessons from 25 years in the corporate trenches on how to hold firm and speak up without losing your compassion. I’m already planning to send it to my clients as a holiday gift.
The Scoop by Erin Van Der Meer. A sharp, funny debut satirical novel. Perfect when you need to laugh at the world for a few hundred pages.
The Glassmaker’s Secret: A Winter Solstice in Estonia by Laura Rowley. A debut novel for the cozy, candlelit part of the year. You can learn more at laurarowley.com.
Friends and Family by Natalie Baszile. The new novel from the author of Queen Sugar. It’s on my nightstand and I’m saving it for a long weekend.
Human Context: How Intelligent Companies Build Customers by Dave Norton. Dave is my co-host on the Experience Strategy podcast, and I get a front-row seat to how he thinks about why people choose companies. If you want to see what we’re up to over there, find us at The Experience Strategist on Substack.
The Transformation Economy: Guiding Customers to Achieve Their Aspirations by Joe Pine. Joe is my other Experience Strategy co-host, and this is his latest. It’s about businesses that help people become who they want to be, which is a big part of why I love this work.
We Might Just Make It After All: My Best Friendship with Kate Spade by Elyce Arons. I will cry again if I think about this book too much. I learned so much about Kate, Elyce, their friends, business, and friendship. Elyse writes with so much love, generosity, and affection. I’m submitting my application to be friends with her.
(Not) Awakened: Stop Chasing Your Higher Self and Start Owning the Real You by Michelle Garside. I interviewed Michelle this week and pre-ordered her book. It comes out February 23, 2027, but I’ll share our conversation before then, because it’s basically us doing unhinged therapy on ourselves and each other for an hour, and it might be entertaining to listen to.
Becoming the Ocean: A Memoir by Erin Russ. A debut memoir following her 13-year relationship with her partner, and what happens to her sense of self when he proposes marriage and a life sailing the world.
Lift & Be Lifted: This Month’s Asks
Each month, our paid subscribers meet up to share their goals and ways they could use some support. Here’s where you can lend a hand. Reply to this email, or reach out to them directly if you have suggestions or ideas that could lift them up or make the road a bit easier.
Rachel Josephson Goal: Get my micro boutique in front of the right buyers, starting with my holiday pop-up. What would help: Marketing recommendations and people who could support with marketing. Rachel’s four-day pop-up is on Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side the week before Christmas. Fil Set Poisson | Instagram
Tracy Siri Goal: Grow the AI Made Simple newsletter and feature small businesses’ use of AI. What would help: Subscribers, and business owners willing to be featured. AI Made Simple | CWM
Melanie Cohen Goal: Run a live, on-location decluttering session. What would help: Feedback on what viewers would want to see (and not see). Thoughtfully Coaching | Substack | Instagram | LinkedIn
Gerilynn Berg Goal: Grow my fitness and coaching business for women 50+ and get my longevity story out. What would help: Connections to longevity magazines, podcasts, and groups; coaching clients; and corporate presentation-skills leads. Instagram
Zipa Leah Scheinberg, LCSW Goal: Launch my first book (due February 2027) and step into visibility. What would help: People who will genuinely engage with my work, and emotional support as I put it out in the world. ZipaLeah.com | Instagram
Jessica Hansen Goal: Build a platform that gets my book proposal a publishing deal. What would help: Tell me what you’d ask about your own voice, and what voice superpower you’d want. Jessica Hansen | Sig Sound | Instagram | LinkedIn
Last Month’s Featured Uplifters
Rachel Lipson | The Point and Erin Shetron
Join us
The next Lift & Be Lifted is Tuesday, November 24 at 7 PM ET. Paid subscribers get the link in their inbox. If you’re not a paid subscriber yet, join us! Every dollar goes back into the community. We’ve donated and distributed over $7,000 this year already!
A question for you. Would you be interested in a couple of group sessions to plan the year ahead using the tools I developed for my private clients and retreat attendees? Hit reply and let me know what you’d want most out of it. If enough of you are in, I’ll set dates.
Until next month, go do something a little brave, and tell someone about it. Couage is contagious!
With love and gratitude, Aransas
Paid subscriptions are just $8 a month, and every dollar goes back into the community, from events to scholarships to book purchases to donations to the nonprofits we feature. As a paid subscriber, you get the monthly Lift & Be Lifted Zoom (the next one is Tuesday, October 27, at 7 PM ET), Friday Co-Working Cocoons, and our WhatsApp community, where members get to know and support each other.
With so much gratitude, Aransas