Lynne Golodner is a novelist writing about strong Jewish women and Jewish culture. She shares her background and journey as a writer, her focus on writing about Orthodox Jewish life, and the challenges and research involved. Lynne recently set up her own independent publishing house for women over 40 with strong voices that need to be heard. Her first novel, Woman of Valor, joins two poetry collections and six nonfiction books, including Hide and Seek: Jewish Women and Hair Covering and The Flavors of Faith: Holy Breads. This is a fascinating dive into an often hidden culture.

We talk about:

- How Lynne became a writer

- Writing about compelling Jewish characters

- Educating others about Jewish culture

- The role of food in Jewish culture

- The significance of hair covering in Jewish culture

- Becoming religious and then leaving Orthodoxy

- Career pivots and founding a publishing house

- Differences in perceptions of older women across cultures

- Benefits of self-publishing and challenges in the publishing industry

- Lessons learned in midlife

And more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening.

Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel’s book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book

The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast.

Recommended by the Sunday Times.

Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide.

You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com.

Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.

A midlife update from Rachel on what’s been happening lately and what’s coming up for her as we move towards summer. 

She talks about:

- Cherishing loved ones and coping with grief

- Recent podcast episodes

• • Being a veteran
  • Black menopause and staying curious
  • Staying strong and healing
  • Embodied experience of postmenopause
  • Discovering the joy of volunteering
  • Finding what works in midlife
  • The power of herbs

- Questioning big claims about hormone therapy and future health

- The Mind Body Spirit Festival (London) and Everywoman Festival (Cardiff)

- Poverty in later life being a gendered issue

- The growing concern of digital exclusion

And more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening.

Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel’s book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book

The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast.

Recommended by the Sunday Times.

Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide.

You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com.

Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.

Hannah Charman  has been a medical herbalist since 1999, having first become interested in alternative medicine when she used it to recover from chronic fatigue syndrome in her early teens. She specialises now in helping women who prefer or need a natural route through menopause, combining herbal medicine with health coaching.

We talk about:

- What a medical herbalist is

- Hannah’s journey to becoming a medical herbalist

- Holistic approaches to menopause and health in general

- The gifts of menopause

- The role of trauma in menopause

- How herbal medicines work and especially for menopause

- The misconceptions and benefits of herbal medicine

- Embracing the discomfort of menopause

- Empowering menopausal women

- The environmental impact of hormones

- Navigating menopause based on individual experience

- The power of herbs and Hannah’s passion for herbal medicine

And more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening.

Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel’s book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book

The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast.

Recommended by the Sunday Times.

Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide.

You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com.

Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.

Dr. Maria Luque is a menopause fitness expert, a health science professor, and an Air Force veteran. She’s passionate about helping menopausal women become healthier, stronger, and happier. Her PhD dissertation was all about enhancing quality of life in menopause.

We talk about:

- What quality of life in menopause means to Maria

- Maria’s research on menopause

- Misinformation and fear surrounding menopause

- Embracing menopause and aging

- Challenging menopause narratives

- The influence of marketing and misinformation

- Overcoming analysis paralysis

- Trusting your own knowledge and instincts

- The impact of polarizing menopause narratives

- The need for nuanced conversations women’s health

- The complexity of hormone therapy

- The power of polarization in marketing

- The importance of doing the work

- Body image issues in menopause

- Finding balance

And more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening.

Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel’s book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book

The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast.

Recommended by the Sunday Times.

Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide.

You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com.

Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.

Ann Marie Jackson is the co-founder of microlending organization Mano Amiga and works with Casita Linda, which builds homes for families living in poverty in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She’s lived as an expat in Mexico for a decade, is a columnist for Mexico Daily News and recently wrote a novel inspired by her life called the Broken Hummingbird.

We talk about:

- Why Ann Marie moved her family to Mexico

- The joys of living in San Miguel de Allende

- Ann Marie’s passion for volunteering

- Her experience working on human rights in China

- The dangers of white saviourism and how to navigate that

- The migration of Mexicans and other people to the US

- Issues at the Mexico-US border

- Casita Linda and how it helps families in poverty

- Microlending organisations

- The Healing Words Project

- Writing a novel

- How we can all give back more

And more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening.

Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel’s book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book

The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast.

Recommended by the Sunday Times.

Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide.

You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com.

Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.

Stella Duffy is an award-winning writer of 17 novels, over 70 short stories and 15 plays who’s also worked in theatre for 35 years as an actor, director and facilitator. She’s a psychotherapist and a yoga teacher. She recently completed her doctorate in existential psychotherapy and her research was in the embodied experience of post-menopause. She’s been post-menopausal since chemotherapy for breast cancer in her mid-30s. Stella has been active in equalities and diversity work in the arts and LGBTQ+ communities for many decades.

We talk about:

- Stella’s experience of menopause coinciding with six months of chemotherapy

- Menopause as a global issue

- Challenging existing narratives

- Societal factors and the impact of money

- Cultural differences in menopause

- The UK’s influence on menopause narratives

- Alternative perspectives on menopause

- The importance of lifestyle factors

- Societal perceptions of post-menopausal women in a patriarchal culture

- Dismantling misogynistic stereotypes

- Being inclusive about societal expectations and challenges related to aging

- The societal pressure on women regarding fertility and how it contributes to defining their value.

And more! This is such a rich and empowering conversation.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening.

Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel’s book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book

The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast.

Recommended by the Sunday Times.

Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide.

You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com.

Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.

Dr Kristie Ennis is a physical therapist, nutritionist, and strength and conditioning specialist. She wants to empower people to do more than they think they can and realize they are stronger than they think they are. She has a fantastic YouTube channel, which is where podcast host Rachel found her when she injured her knee.

We talk about:

- The importance of letting the body heal itself

- Fascia and its importance in body movement

- The importance of drinking enough fluid 

- The dangers of sitting too long

- Hormone related aches and pains in women

- The importance of considering the whole body when addressing pain

- How hormonal changes in menopause can contribute to weight gain and fat distribution

- Exercise and injury prevention for older adults

- Common injuries in older adults

- Strengthening the glutes

- Pelvic floor exercises and common mistakes in women’s fitness

- Fitness and nutrition for a healthy lifestyle

- Cardio exercise guidelines and options

And more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening.

Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel’s book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book

The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast.

Recommended by the Sunday Times.

Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide.

You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com.

Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.

Pamela Windle joins the podcast to talk about menopause, at work, for Black women, diversity of experience, the importance of representation and staying curious about big statements about women’s health, especially when those relate to race. Pamela is a women’s health coach and menstruation and menopause consultant for the workplace. She trained with the Integrated Women’s Health Institute and the International Menopause Society. She’s an adviser to the British Standards Institute for the new standard on menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace.

We talk about:

- Menopause and perimenopause in the workplace

- The new BSI standard on menstruation and menopause in the workplace

- Pamela’s personal experiences with perimenopause, challenging societal shame and embarrassment around menstruation and aging

- Emphasizing the diversity of women’s experiences and the importance of self-care

- Scepticism about research on menopause for Black women 

- The lack of representation of Black women in medical research

- The importance of including diverse perspectives in medical research 

- Still being perimenopausal at 57

- The spread of misinformation about menopause

- Menopause and HRT stigmatization in the UK

- Black women and risk of cancer

- Menopause and hormone imbalance for Black women

And more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening.

Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel’s book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book

The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast.

Recommended by the Sunday Times.

Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide.

You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com.

Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.

Cat Corchado is a US Air Force veteran turned founder of the Small Space Pilates Community. She’s made it her mission to help women veterans transition from the military, and is the host of the Sisters in Service podcast.

We talk about:

- Why Cat is still very active in the military community

- Women veterans’ transition challenges and successes

- The Sisters in Service podcast

- The importance of identifying oneself beyond military service (as the transition to civilian life can be challenging)

- What first took Cat into the military and where she served

- Cat’s transition from the military and feeling a sense of loss and uncertainty after leaving 

- The importance of acknowledging and embracing ones veteran status

- Recognizing and supporting veterans in the UK and US

- Cat’s experience of being a single parent in the military 

- Cat’s journey of leaving the corporate world for fitness full-time

- The importance of weightlifting for women especially as they age

- The negative impact of ageism on women’s fitness and the importance of challenging these stereotypes

- Why women need to do Pilates

- The importance of finding a qualified Pilates instructor who can tailor the workout to your needs and goals

- The danger of burnout and getting stuck in busyness

And more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening.

Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel’s book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book

The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast.

Recommended by the Sunday Times.

Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide.

You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com.

Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.

Mag Mid podcast host Rachel is flying solo this week, talking about what’s been happening in her world. There's a trip to the UK Houses of Parliament and a book recommendation in the New York Times in the mix! Check out what’s been catching her attention lately.

She talks about:

- The success of the MenoClarity live event and how you can still access the recordings

- Going to the heart of Government to talk about menopause

- Menopause narratives and how they seem to keep getting worse

- Her book, Magnificent Midlife, being recommended in the New York Times

- The podcast season to date featuring: avoiding burnout, the crisis of care, staying fit as we age, healing through memoir, getting back on stage, digital publishing and traveling the world

- Gendered ageism

- Digital exclusion

- How the Masters is going

And lots more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening.

Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel’s book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book

The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast.

Recommended by the Sunday Times.

Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide.

You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com.

Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.

Elaine Reynolds is a master personal trainer and yoga teacher. She teaches women over 50 to not give up or give in with the crazy things happening to our bodies. She had an epiphany at 50 and bought a one way ticket to Bali, where she lives now. 

We talk about:

- What’s it like being an expat in Bali and what she loves most about it

- Elaine’s passion of helping older women stay fit

- Issues that older women are grappling with in midlife

- Menopause, aging and fitness

- The importance of strengthening and stabilising muscles around joints to support aging bodies and improve recovery from injuries

- Incorporating dynamic movements like yoga, barre, pilates, functional strength training, and low-impact cardio into workouts to lengthen the body and improve overall fitness

- The importance of changing exercise habits after 50 to prioritize how one feels

- Pain management and exercise for women in their 50s and beyond

- The importance of glute strength

- Knee problems and fascial release

- The importance of holistic healing, including mental well-being, and how it can help alleviate physical ailments

- Incorporating meditation in your daily routine

And more!

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, share it and leave us a 5* review on iTunes or wherever you’re listening.

Order the ebook or audiobook (narrated by Rachel) versions of Rachel’s book, Magnificent Midlife: Transform Your Middle Years, Menopause And Beyond at magnificentmidlife.com/book

The paperback can be purchased on Amazon or other online retailers:

UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

US & Canada: https://www.amazon.com/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

Australia: https://www.amazon.com.au/Magnificent-Midlife-Transform-Middle-Menopause/dp/173981150X/

You can listen to all the other episodes and get the show notes at magnificentmidlife.com/podcast.

Recommended by the Sunday Times.

Feedspot #3 in best midlife podcasts and #14 in best women over 50 podcasts worldwide.

You'll find lots of strategies, support, and resources to help make your midlife magnificent at magnificentmidlife.com.

Check out Rachel's online Revitalize Experience, a 6-week intensive small group mentoring experience or 1-1 Midlife Mentoring.