Uplifters Gift Guide

December's Good Batch: A roundup of gifts that fuel big, bold midlife courage

Nov 30, 2025

Welcome to Our First-Ever Uplifters Gift Guide

While a bunch of young tech dudes are sitting around thinking about how to get us to spend more money on stuff we won’t care about in six months, we wanted to connect you to timeless, meaningful gifts for everyone on your list.

Everything here is made by and for Uplifters. By supporting these creators, you’re supporting midlife women who are driven by making a positive difference in the world.

This Month on The Uplifters Podcast

December's theme is all about gifts that matter, from the books we give to the treats we bake, to the free gift of a genuine compliment. Each week, we’re spotlighting midlife women whose work reminds us that the best gifts create connection, joy, and lasting impact.

🎁 Rachel Giordano: Santa’s Secret Wishing Coin Nearly 30 years in entertainment with Barbara Walters, “The View”, and Walt Disney taught Rachel how to tell stories. Now she’s written a children’s book that’s perfect for the little ones on your list. → Listen here

🎁 Tara Miko Ballentine: Bright Littles Tara’s award-winning social-emotional conversation cards, interactive journals, and websites help families raise critical-thinking, confident, courageous kids. Episode releases 12/4

🎁 Kimberle Lau: Bake Me Healthy After becoming lactose and egg-intolerant, Kimberle created Top 9 allergen-friendly baking mixes and cookies that everyone can enjoy without compromising on taste. → Use code uplift20 for 20% off your first order. Episode releases 12/11

🎁 Celine McGee: @complimentsquad Celine walks the streets complimenting strangers, proving that the best gifts don’t cost a thing. Follow along and spread joy in your own community. Episode releases 12/18

For the Curious Experimenter: Join The Tryb

Join The Tryb features independent makers and lets you sample their products in curated discovery bags—no commitment to buying full-size anything you’re not sure you’ll love.

My family and I ordered one and have loved finding new favorites. The Freezecakes (freeze-dried cheesecake!) and Date Smarter peanut butter chocolate-covered date caramels were almost too good.

Use code uplift20 for 20% off your first order at www.jointhetryb.com

For the Theater Lover: A Night Off-Broadway

Maybe quality time is your giftee’s love language. Kara Cutruzzula from episode 36 recently launched The Hat, which covers theater in New York, specifically, Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway. Their monthly issues include features, essays, and interviews by journalists and theater artists exploring craft, process, and innovation onstage.

Kara curated a list of uplifting shows currently running or opening soon:

For your best friend who loves immersive, pop-rock musical theater…

Check out Beau, a new coming-of-age story by multi-hyphenate Douglas Lyons and composer Ethan Pakchar. Taking place in an intimate venue in the basement of St. Luke’s Church, the tagline for the show is, “The music we write for those we love.”

For your family member who could use a wild, joy-filled ride…

See The Seat of Our Pants, a new musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth, running now at the Public Theater. The best part? After two decades behind the scenes, former production executive Ruth Sternberg is making her acting debut in the show at the age of 66. Go, Ruth, go!!

For anyone needing a dose of charm this holiday season…

Two Strangers Carry a Cake Across New York may be on a big Broadway stage, but its vibe is like a warm hug. Lovely performances from Sam Tutty and Christiani Pitts make this one a delightful way to close out the year. I’ll definitely be getting tickets to this one!

For the Reader: Books by Uplifters

Maybe your giftee is looking for some downtime curled up with a good book. We’ve got you covered with 50+ books written by guests from The Uplifters Podcast.

For the friend who’s always working nonstop:

📚 Hold Nothing: An Invitation to Let Go and Come Home to Yourself by Elena Brower. (Substack: Elena Brower)

📚 The Order of Things: A Memoir About Chasing Joy by Sarah Gormley. (Substack: Sarah Gormley )

📚 Burnt Out to Lit Up by Daisy Auger-Dominguez

📚 Do It (or Don’t): A Boundary-Creating Journal by Kara Cutruzzula (Substack: Kara Cutruzzula)

For the woman redefining success after 40:

📚 Midlife Private Parts co-edited by Dina Alvarez and Patina with Dina Aronson (both on Substack!)

📚 And You May Find Yourself... by Sari Botton (Substack: Oldster Magazine, Memoir Land, Adventures In "Journalism" by Sari Botton)

For the reader who loves beautiful, gutting fiction:

📚 The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera

📚 Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne (Substack: Mo Browne – Djeli Said)

📚 The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw (Substack: Deesha Philyaw)

📚 Salt Houses by Hala Alyan (Substack: Hala Alyan)

For the uplifting kid in your life:

📚 Embrace Your Features by Christina Testut

📚 Canticos, Skeletina, and Tiny Travelers by Susie Jaramillo

📚 Shiny Misfits by Maysoon Zayid

See the complete Uplifters reading list with 15+ categories here →

Best of All: Gifts That Do Good

These are the gifts that create ripples. Support nonprofits founded and led by women from The Uplifters Podcast:

🌻 Lonely Worm Farm - Eliza Factor’s wheelchair-accessible farm (Substack: Wayward Utopias: Farm, Fiction & Friends) provides jobs and community for adults with developmental disabilities. You can donate or shop their gorgeous products—flowers, vegetables, herbs, berries, and handmade goods created by and for the special needs adults who run the farm. Every purchase supports meaningful work and dignified employment.

💐 Enchanted Makeovers - Terry Grahl transforms shelter spaces with beauty and dignity for women and children escaping domestic violence

🍽️ Emma’s Torch - Kerry Brodie trains refugees, asylees, and survivors of human trafficking in the culinary arts

🕊️ A Healing Doula - Sundari Malcolm equips people with tools to manage life’s greatest transitions

🤲🏼 United We Dream co-founded by Cristina Jimenez - Largest immigrant youth-led organization, helped secure DACA policy

🌬️ Chamber of Mothers co-founded by Deshi Singh - Mobilizes mothers to influence public policy and shape a more equitable future

See the complete list of 30+ nonprofits here →

The Gift We Give Ourselves

Maybe the most important gift isn’t for anyone else at all. Maybe it’s time for quiet reflection to set a really powerful plan for the year ahead.

If that’s your thing, check out our 2026 Strategic Planning series. We’ve already published weeks 1-5, each guiding you through one aspect of the planning process: