The March Good Batch
Three Years of Uplifters: Where Are They Now?
Welcome to the March 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.
This week marked three years since The Uplifters Podcast aired its first episode.
Since then, I’ve gotten to host 156 conversations with women doing the most meaningful work of their lives. So for this month’s Good Batch, I asked all of them: Where are you now? What’s shifted? What’s launched? What are you building next?
I’m excited to share their answers with you, but truth be told, reading their updates made me feel like a bit of a slug at first. Maybe I won’t be the only one who reads these updates and simultaneously thinks, “Damn, these women are amazing, and then, agghhhhh what am I doing with my life?”
I mean, in just a couple of years, Denise launched two films about menopause and got her tea line into Target. Kathrine expanded her nonprofit to 14 countries and was the honorary starter for the Women’s Olympic Marathon in Paris. Susie grew her YouTube channel to 1 million subscribers while opening pop-up shops in 250+ stores across 7 states.
My brain immediately went to: Well, you didn’t produce any films, you slacker. Never mind that I wasn’t even trying to produce a film, so it’s hardly a fair or relevant comparison.
Then Kara Cutruzzula challenged me to do my own update. To actually look at what I’ve accomplished in three years instead of what I haven’t.
So here goes:
I’ve produced, recorded, edited, and promoted 156 podcast episodes in 156 weeks. Somewhere in there, I kinda figured out what I’m doing. They’ve been downloaded well over 100,000 times and have been supported by amazing sponsors like Nutrafol, Midi Health, WABC and Join The Tryb. This Substack reached the top of the charts in Substack’s Health & Wellness category. I’ve hosted 3 sold-out Uplifters Live events and 2 retreats. I got a book deal with my dream publisher and editor to write about what I’ve learned from these 156 women. I’ve spoken on big stages and facilitated workshops, sharing lessons from these conversations. I've coached dozens of midlife women through the messy middle of building something new. And thanks to paid subscribers of this newsletter and event attendees, we’ve donated over $10,000 to nonprofits featured on the podcast.
All while grieving, trying to raise good humans, moving homes, and navigating perimenopause.
That feels like a lot.
But, at first, my brain forgot ALL of it, so I’m passing Kara’s challenge on to you: What have YOU done in the last three years? I bet it’s more than you realize.
Where They Are Now: Updates from Uplifters
Click on the names to hear their stories
#3: Susie Jaramillo
We hit 1M subscribers on YouTube and are launching the new Canticos series “The Stories Behind the Songs” on YouTube on April 3rd. We’ve also launched Canticos popup shops in over 70 stores in 5 different store chains in 7 states, and will be in 250+ stores by the end of 2026! So proud of my team and thrilled at how we can be there for families and they are there for us!
#7: Susannah Ludwig
I’m continuing to build my coaching offerings, working with couples and running a group for women in relationship transition. I created my first retreat which is happening in two weeks. I’m creating more video content to share my messaging about communication and resilience and am in the beginning stages of a writing project about those same topics.
#11: Sonya Weisshappel
Seriatim continues to grow in a positive direction. We’ve significantly improved the website experience and partnered with a strong Colorado-based firm to refine our messaging and launch a monthly newsletter. I’m focusing on building B2B relationships with wealth managers, trust & estate attorneys, and divorce attorneys who serve high-net-worth clients. Our emphasis is on educating these professionals on how to properly account for tangible assets through comprehensive inventories, effectively putting clients’ objects back on the balance sheet. Additionally, I’ve launched Chaos Whisperer as a collaborative planning tool to help clients navigate life transitions with greater clarity and calm.
#19: Maureen Spataro
Since our interview, I launched “Stephanie’s Sanctuaries” through the Stephanie Nicole Parze Foundation. I meet with Police Chiefs throughout New Jersey to ask for an interview room that we can make into a sanctuary that will only be occupied by DV/SA victims in need. Once the room is designated, I go in with a team to repaint, furnish, fill with personal items like clothing, underwear, and socks, as well as snacks and beverages. We hang artwork and inspiring quotes, and turn the space into a safe and supportive room for anyone going to their local PD to report abuse or running from an abusive relationship. As a result, my book Press Pause has gained more readers. The program will be extended to hospitals in the not-too-distant future!
#29: Sarah Dusek
I’ve now launched my second travel company Few & Far, helping people take adventures in wild, amazing places around the world and we’ve opened our first wilderness lodge in South Africa, Few and Far Luvhondo, set in 100,000 hectares of extraordinary biodiversity in northern South Africa. Our guests get to have extraordinary experiences in nature all while helping preserve and rewild incredible destinations. My book also came out in October 2024: Thinking Bigger: A Pitch Deck Formula for Women Who Want to Change the World, written to tell the story of growing and scaling my first company and to help other women also think and build bigger.
#32: Denise Pines
Launched a menopause movement with 2 films: The (M) Factor: Shredding the Silence (October 2024) and The (M) Factor 2: Before the Pause - Perimenopause (March 19, 2026). Tea Botanics teas for menopause are going into Target on May 20th, and I’m hosting the 11th WisePause Wellness in Los Angeles on August 22nd.
#55: Kathrine Switzer
My main focus has been on expanding the international growth of non-profit 261 Fearless to 14 countries, empowering hundreds of women’s lives through running and educational programs. This continuing activation is captured in the documentary Tough Old Broads, a 4-year project about 3 activist women. I was the honorary starter for the 2024 Women’s Olympic Marathon in Paris, and in 2025, I annotated and archived all my 60 years of papers, films, etc., for the Syracuse University library, which honored me by raising my famous Boston bib number 261 up in the rafters of the ‘Dome’ athletic arena. I continue to run well and regularly at age 79.
#60: Sandy Samberg
What began as an idea that I mentioned on the podcast has grown into something much bigger than I imagined. The University Psychedelic Education Program (U-PEP) is now a national program with over 170 Faculty Fellows across 30+ states. We’ve launched a 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Psychedelic Education Partnership, to educate both the future and current healthcare workforce about the evolving field of psychedelic science and its applications across healthcare. I’m energized by the thoughtful, collaborative community that’s come together around this work. Next, we’re launching the Psychedelic Educators Network to broaden access to credible education. To learn more, visit www.upep.org.
#69: Eliza Factor
I’m thrilled to announce that Lonely Worm Farm now offers a five-day-a-week, year-round arts & agriculture program for adults with disabilities. For info on that, go to www.lonelywormfarm.com. To support the farm, coo over goats, ponder the links between nature and inclusion, go to Wayward Utopias at elizafactor.substack.com. Also, I’m looking for a literary agent for both fiction and non-fiction work. If that’s you, I’d love to talk!
#90: Aditi Sethi
Emberlight: Center for Conscious Living & Dying is evolving and is devoted to community-centered care at the end of life. I’m honored that The Last Ecstatic Days is now airing on PBS, helping bring these conversations to a wider audience. I’m grateful for deepening partnerships and the emergence of a living ecosystem around this work. Learn more at www.emberlightway.org and www.aditisethimd.com.
#92: Candy Motzek
I’m proud to have just released episode 378 of She Coaches Coaches. It’s now ranked in the top 2% of podcasts, helping coaches build thriving, values-aligned businesses with consistent clients. I also ran a global survey after questioning industry reports that didn’t reflect what I was seeing. We invited 700 coaches. 115 responded across 10 countries. The insights became the 2026 Coaching Business Growth Survey. What’s working, what’s not, and where to focus instead. Get the report: candymotzek.lpages.co/business-growth-survey | Podcast: she-coaches-coaches.captivate.fm/listen | Website: stepintosuccessnow.com
#109: Shannon Russell
Since the podcast, I have continued to build my business coaching biz Second Act Success and I launched a second business, facilitating team building and strategic planning workshops for companies and teams using LEGO® Serious Play® with Build Better Teams Consulting. I even launched the Build Better Teams Podcast to accompany it.
#130: Tracy Keibler
After 14 years proving what works, demand for crisis navigation for seniors is rising. START continues to step into the most complex cases, situations with no clear path forward, and guide seniors from crisis to stability. That is what I’m most proud of. We’re hiring to double our advocacy team, expanding our ability to meet that need. At the same time, we’ve been selected to contribute to a national effort studying solo seniors and elder neglect, bringing what we see on the ground into broader solutions. No one should have to go through a crisis of aging alone. Ever.
#134: Catherine Clark
I’m 18 months into my new brand consultancy, CREATRIS! The team is established, along with a culture and a flow. Now I’m working on developing my messaging, reaching more leaders, and seeking to build a healthy, self-sustaining operation. I also became a certified Gyrotonics instructor, and teaching others when I can has brought me a lot of fulfillment. I’m gardening more and more in Vermont. Every day I learn more about how everything is connected, and how to participate positively in that cycle of life. Thank you for asking for an update!
#147: Ruthie Ackerman
I’m working on my next book! And gearing up for my 6-month Book Builder class for those working on their own books, which will launch in May. I’m most proud of the fact that The Mother Code was named a best book of the year by NPR and Elle.
Your Turn
So here’s Kara’s challenge, now passed to you:
What have you done in the last three years?
Not what you haven’t done. Not what someone else has done. What have YOU done?
Write it down. All of it. The big wins and the small victories. The things you’re proud of and the things you almost forgot about. The dreams you launched and the hard things you survived.
I bet it’s more than you realize.
And then ask yourself: What’s possible in the next three?
Here’s to three years of conversations, courage, and community. And here’s to everything still ahead.
With love and gratitude,
Aransas
Ways to Be an Uplifter:
Listen to any of the 156 episodes
Support the businesses, books, and nonprofits of the women featured above
Take Kara’s challenge and share your 3-year update in the comments