"One binge drinking moment can end a life," Colleen Clifford says. "Will it be yours?" Colleen is a former binge drinker who knows the struggle firsthand. For 34 years, she's worked as a commercial fisherwoman, a lifestyle that fueled the drinking pattern of denial she now calls the 95-5 factor. After losing her husband to an alcohol-related suicide in 2011 and later finding her own path from binge drinking to joy and freedom, Colleen turned her pain into purpose. Her upcoming book, Life Beyond the Binge, blends raw honesty, lived experience and eye-opening facts and insights for anyone ready to break free from destructive cycles. Through her compelling stories of resilience and renewal, Colleen inspires others to discover that it's never too late to change -- and to find joy and meaning beyond the binge.
A commercial fisherwoman in Alaska’s Bering Sea turned health coach, Colleen now helps women break free from cravings, binge habits and destructive patterns—guiding them to build a stronger, healthier relationship with themselves, inside and out. From her year of culinary training in Paris to surviving some of the harshest seas, she shares real stories, science-backed strategies and practical tools that help women navigate cravings, emotional eating and redefine what’s possible at any stage of life. This conversation will leave you motivated, empowered and ready to make real change.
Start your new year right. Colleen likes to cite this impactful quote: "All we take with us when we die is what we have become."
Learn more and follow her:
IG - @purepotential.health
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/pure-potential-llc-c-936735245/
https://lifebeyondthebinge.com
https://purepotential.health/
Email - Colleen@Lifebeyondthebinge.com
She reminds us about 988 is the crisis hotline in the U.S.
Wendy B. Correa is a former music industry insider, radio DJ and now author with the release of her new book: My Pretty Baby (She Writes Press, Nov. 2025). Approximately 64% of adults in the U.S. have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) before age 18, and nearly 1 in 6 people (17.3%) report experiencing 4 or more, according to the CDC. Wendy is on a mission to destigmatize and educate about ACEs and their effect on mental health through her new book.
Meet former music industry insider, radio DJ and now author Wendy Correa. In My Pretty Baby, Wendy writes about her own riveting journey with ACE, including her time in celebrity circles, spiritual practices and a lifetime of healing from childhood trauma. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and an urgent reminder that healing requires honesty, community and hope.
Correa writes about being traumatized as young woman escaping a violent home, moving to California to discover herself, and along the way finds a career in the music industry, dates celebrities – Guns N’ Roses' Slash would sit on the edge of her desk and flirt with her, hangs with music legend Joni Mitchell, meets Beatle’s drummer Ringo Starr at her first AA meeting, and becomes journalist/author Hunter S. Thompson’s assistant - only to uncover a devastating family secret decades later.
In this episode we discuss:
About the book: After escaping a turbulent home life, Correa’s path of self-discovery encompasses Buddhism, yoga, meditation, plant medicine, Native American sweat lodges and vision quest, 12-Step programs, and psychotherapy. Along the way, she had extraordinary experiences: singing “Give Peace a Chance” on the Rose Bowl stage with rock ’n’ roll royalty, working at A&M and Geffen Records, and spending time rock legends (mentioned above). Her life changes when she moves to Aspen and becomes a radio DJ and assistant to legendary writer Hunter S. Thompson. There, she meets her future husband and begins to build the family she had longed for her whole life. Despite her newfound peace, she is repeatedly drawn back into her family of origin’s dysfunction. It is only after her mother’s death that Wendy uncovers a painful family secret that finally answers her lifelong question: What really happened to my family?
NYT bestselling author Sharon Salzberg says of Wendy's book: “In her deeply personal and candid memoir, My Pretty Baby, Correa's vivid storytelling penetrates the depths of her suffering with honesty and compassion, reminding readers that it is never too late to heal our traumas to live a life based in loving awareness."
Wendy is also a yogi, hiker as well as a licensed massage therapist. Wendy holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and theater arts and has contributed articles to Mothering magazine. A wife and mother, she resides in Denver, Colorado.
For more info: www.wendybcorrea.com
https://www.instagram.com/wendybcorrea/
Kellie Grutko, known as the "Spark Strategist," is a transformative leader dedicated to empowering accomplished women to navigate life's transitions with clarity, confidence and purpose. As the Founder and Chief Pivot Officer of Purposeful Pivot, LLC, she leverages her personal journey of reinvention—from a high-level corporate executive to a certified transition coach—to guide women through their own transformative journeys. Her mission is to help women move from burnout to brilliance, rediscover their passions and chart fulfilling paths beyond the boardroom.
With over 35 years of executive leadership experience, Kellie has held key marketing and strategic roles across media, advertising and manufacturing industries. She served as Marketing Excellence Leader at Trane Technologies, where she championed innovative marketing training programs across the global marketing enterprise. Prior to that, she was Senior Vice President of Marketing at Comcast Spotlight, the advertising division of Comcast Cable Communications, leading brand strategy, demand generation and multimillion-dollar marketing initiatives. She also honed her expertise in consumer engagement and experiential marketing as Director of Marketing at King of Prussia Coventry Malls.
Kellie’s impressive career has been defined by her ability to build high-performing teams, rebrand organizations and drive significant revenue growth. She has led customer engagement strategies, marketing innovation and brand transformations, making her a sought-after expert in strategic leadership and purpose-driven marketing.
Despite her corporate success, Kellie found herself at a crossroads, questioning what’s next in her own life. Determined to redefine her future with purpose, she pivoted from corporate leadership to certified life coach and founder of Purposeful Pivot, a coaching and retreat-based business that helps accomplished women transition into their next chapter.
As a speaker, coach and strategist, Kellie is approachable, engaging and focused on human connection. She believes in the power of sisterhood, reinvention and authenticity, guiding women to embrace change with confidence.
Beyond her business, Kellie is a dedicated community leader, actively involved with organizations such as the American Cancer Society, Healthy Heart Association and Make-A-Wish Foundation, where she has contributed to long-standing fundraising efforts. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising from The Pennsylvania State University and has pursued continued education in life coaching, public speaking, Nonprofit Essentials and Women’s Executive Leadership.
Kellie’s mission is clear: to help women navigate life’s transitions with purpose, confidence and a bit of sparkle. Through her speaking engagements and coaching programs, she inspires audiences to embrace their next steps—one intentional and empowering move at a time.
Learn more and follow Kellie:
WEBSITE: www.purposefulpivot.net
LINKEDIN PAGE: https://bit.ly/LinkedIn-PurposefulPivot
LINKEDIN GROUP: bit.ly/PurposefulPivotLinkedInGroup
PERONAL LINKEDIN – https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellie-grutko
FACEBOOK PAGE: bit.ly/PurposefulPivot-FB
“The goal isn't to be sober, the goal is to love yourself so much you don't need to drink," Sarah Rusbatch says. Sarah is author of the bestselling book Beyond Booze, How to Create a Life You Love Alcohol Free, a multi-award-winning Health and Wellbeing Coach, an accredited Grey Area Drinking Coach, a menopause coach and a keynote speaker sharing her journey to sobriety and impact of alcohol on mental health to global audiences. Sarah works tirelessly to support women all over the world to create and live their best lives as they age.
Sarah is originally from the UK and is now based in Western Australia. She has supported thousands of individuals (mostly women) to change their relationship with alcohol and, consequently, change their lives. Grey Area Drinking describes the place between "every now and again" drinking, and "rock bottom dependent" drinking. This type of drinking in women has increased over 80% in the last 30 years. After an article she wrote for Mamamia (you can read it HERE), 8,000 women reached out to her within 24 hours for help with their drinking.
In this episode we discuss:
--Why Alcohol Use Disorder in Women has increased more than 80% in the last 30 years
--Why ageing impacts a woman’s ability to metabolise alcohol and impact menopause symptoms, yet middle-aged women are drinking the most
--The specific health risks to women of drinking at such a significant level
--The normalization of everyday drinking
--What needs to change in culture and society in order to change drinking patterns
--What it takes to create a life you love without alcohol (the heart of her book)
--Dispelling the myths that a life without alcohol is boring; and explaining what actually opens up for us when we take a break from alcohol
--The peer pressure many people experience when cutting down or removing alcohol and how to handle this
--The benefits the thousands of women she has coached have experienced when they removed alcohol.
"You have full permission to outgrow alcohol," Sarah shares.
Learn more and follow Sarah:
Instagram - @sarahrusbatch
Bronwyn Schweigerdt is a licensed psychotherapist and anger expert. She helps her clients and podcast listeners come back to life through integrating with their inner child, dislodging shame, and healing their relationship with anger. Her podcast is Angry at the Right Things.
Instead of fixing peoples’ messes, Bronwyn’s goal is to elicit feelings people are most ashamed to have, such as hatred and rage. She knows that even though feelings are invisible, they don’t evaporate, but store away in our bodies until processed.
According to Bronwyn, these feelings haunt us and cause mental and physical illness until we express them into words with someone who can hear and validate them. She especially loves playing midwife in this way, helping her clients – and now, her podcast listeners – externalize painful feelings once and for all. She has experienced success in helping people break free of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, even psychosis, by reconnecting them to their anger, and healing their relationship with anger, and with themselves.
Learn more and follow Bronwyn:
https://angryattherightthings.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@bronwynschweigerdt1382
https://www.instagram.com/schweigerdtbronwyn/
Qin (“Ching”) Sun Stubis was born in the rubble of a Shanghai shantytown during the Great Chinese Famine, which killed some 50 million people. She was left alone in her crude bamboo crib for two years while her parents worked to scrape together a few coins each day for their daily handful of rice. Growing up, she and her sisters were at first ignored by the rest of the family for being “worthless” girls, and later shunned as political pariahs when their honest father was imprisoned for speaking out against the injustice he saw around them.
Despite extreme poverty, Qin pulled herself up by reading forbidden books and winning admission to one of China’s most prestigious universities, graduating with a degree in English and English Literature. With the help of a U.S. Senator, she emigrated to the United States to further her studies and has sought through her writing to build greater understanding between Eastern and Western cultures and underscore our common hopes, dreams and struggles.
Qin is a writer, newspaper columnist, and author of the award-winning book, Once Our Lives, the true story of four generations of Chinese women who struggle to survive war, revolution, and the seemingly unshakeable power of an ancient Chinese superstition. The book, which has been named a best read by Ms. Magazine, Glamour Magazine UK, GRAND Magazine and Readers’ Favorite, and won the Nellie Bly Award for Journalistic Non-Fiction, takes the reader on an exotic journey filled with real stories of luxurious banquets, lost jewels, babies sold in opium dens, kidnappings by pirates and political persecution – seen through the eyes of a man for whom the truth would spell disaster and a lonely, beautiful girl with three identities.
For the past 17 years, she has been a newspaper columnist, exploring the rich legacy of Asian culture and the common links we all share. She has just completed a novel and also writes poems, essays, short stories and original Chinese tall tales inspired by traditional Asian themes. Qin has published more than 200 works in such media as The New York Times, USA Today, The Santa Monica Star, GRAND Magazine, Lotus Magazine, Paper Dragon and Mochi Magazine, and speaks to audiences around the world about writing and the need to strengthen the bonds of understanding and humanity that connect us all. You can find out more about her and her book, Once Our Lives, at www.QinSunStubis.com.
Learn more and follow Qin:
o Website: www.QinSunStubis.com
o Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qinsun.stubis
o Facebook Fan Page "Once Our Lives by Qin Sun Stubis"
o Instagram: instagram.com/qinstubis/
o Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/22904309.Qin_Sun_Stubis
o LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/qin-sun-stubis-5977011a/
o YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVLYagaq5R6LPHGn3fsxOVA
Aishah Iqbal is a first-time filmmaker and marketing executive who directed the award-winning film, #whitehairdontcare: A New Era in Beauty. The documentary challenges ageism in the beauty industry. With 15+ years in global analytics and advertising, she blends storytelling, strategy and social impact to empower women to embrace their natural aging process. The film explores the question: Who gets to define beauty?
Aishah is a highly accomplished and results-driven Analytics & Data Operations leader with 15+ years of experience spearheading transformative initiatives for global organizations—most recently leading Global Analytics Operations for Google via Media Futures Group (EssenceMediacom). She brings proven expertise in designing scalable data strategies, automating complex workflows and nurturing high-performing, globally distributed analytics teams. Her passion lies in aligning data operations with business objectives to unlock efficiency, enable faster decision-making and deliver measurable ROI.
Throughout her career, she has partnered with C-suite and EVP-level leadership to drive operational transformation across organizations, evolve team capabilities and lead impactful change management initiatives. She thrives in environments that demand both strategic vision and practical execution.
Outside of work, she is the proud mother of a wonderful daughter who helps her prioritize the invaluable intangibles in life. She is deeply committed to creative storytelling and personal growth—sharing her journey and learnings as a filmmaker, writer, blogger and podcast contributor.
In this episode, we talk about how she became a filmmaker, using TikTok and Reddit to float ideas, how to deal with online hate, single motherhood, ageism and more. She embraces her graying hair and is helping all of us learn to embrace our own choices, which may include natural aging.
Website (for the film) - www.whitehairdontcarefilm.com
Social Media links -
https://www.instagram.com/aishahiqbal/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishahiqbal/
https://www.instagram.com/whitehairdontcarefilm/
TikTok: @grayloxx
Lynda Samphire is a highly intuitive transformational coach -- a trusted guide for those ready to explore their gifts, creativity and inner wisdom. Fueled by the loss of her mother at a very early age and a lifelong fascination with human behavior and the mystical, Lynda’s journey has been shaped by a profound commitment to inner exploration and self-healing. The more whole she felt the more she desired to support others on their path toward emotional freedom, inner clarity, stress relief and creative flow, which led to certifications in Psychology and Metaphysical Science, Reiki, Energy Psychology, Earth Medicine Mentoring, Transpersonal Hypnotherapy and ICF Coaching.
Lynda blends her strong intuitive insights and deep spiritual wisdom with structured expertise and practical tools to facilitate and support transformational growth and deep remembrance. Microdosing for stress and creativity, guided dream and sleep work, breathwork and embodiment practices, light language and a variety of trauma-informed, spiritually aligned techniques are central ingredients to the alchemy she facilitates. She provides these intentional pathways for transformation in 1-2-1 and group settings, immersive retreats and through online courses.
Lynda lives with her husband in the Pacific Northwest. She enjoys hiking, yoga and connecting with nature.
In this episode, we discuss:
From Stuck to Flow - Lynda's journey out of high-functioning anxiety and depression into deep thriving
Walking on the Sovereign Edge - How exploring liminal spaces opens doors to divine wisdom
When Ego Dances with Heart - How to embrace the polarity of human life
Remembering Who We Are - Connecting with our true nature through microdosing
Nightly Messengers – Tapping into our sleep wisdom through unlocking our dreams
Learn more: https://www.lwsamphire.com
https://www.instagram.com/lyndasamphire/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyndawsamphire-301903260/
https://www.facebook.com/lynda.weavercarrougher
Princella Seymour’s thirty-year career has solidified her as a preeminent expert on solutions for the aging community. The heartbeat of her mission is love, family and dignity. As a national advocate for revolutionizing elder care and transforming confusion into clarity, she has served as Vice President of the 120,000+ member National Association of Social Workers and as well as a part of the Aging Life Care Association.
Her new book, Everything You Need to Know About Me, is born from decades of experience witnessing the heartache and confusion families face when trying to honor their loved ones’ wishes without having the necessary information. It is available on Amazon.
As CEO of Complete Elder Solutions, Princella has helped thousands. She and her team ensure that families never have to navigate the complexities of aging alone and provide personalized solutions that honor the dignity of every individual.
Princella has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Florida Atlantic University and a master’s degree in social work from Florida International University.
In this episode, we discuss:
Strategies for funding long-term care, including insurance options and personal savings.
Emotional decisions about whether to age in place, move to assisted living or choose other healthcare facilities.
Ways to avoid common estate planning pitfalls, like conflicts over inheritance, the importance of an updated will, durable power of attorney and healthcare directives.
How to prevent financial exploitation and scams targeting seniors.
How families can approach difficult conversations about aging, healthcare and financial matters with their senior loved ones.
Planning ahead by investing in assurance programs to provide access to a team of experienced Care Coaches who work to assess, plan, arrange, coordinate and monitor services to meet the special health care needs of seniors.
Learn more:
Complete Elder Solutions https://www.completeeldersolutions.com/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CompleteElderSolutions#
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/completeeldersolutions/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/complete-elder-solutions/
Barbara With, age 70, is an international peace activist, award-winning author, composer, performer and workshop facilitator. She has authored six nonfiction books on metaphysics about her research as a psychic channel who works with a group called the “Party,” headed up by Albert Einstein, whom she is able to channel with her intuitive gifts.
She also is the co-founder of Conflict REVOLUTION®️, a revolutionary way to resolve conflicts of the psyche as a pathway to global peace, based on this work channeling Einstein. She is currently on a World Peace Tour, seeking the participation of the “willing” to take part in a Worldwide Nonviolent Action to End the Age of War, using Conflict REVOLUTION®️ to make peace within as a pathway to global peace. Conflict REVOLUTION® (Con REV®) is a transformative process that empowers you to resolve inner conflicts, practice self-love and make conscious decisions for the greater good, ultimately fostering peace within yourself and extending to your relationships, communities and the world.
Barbara teaches a course on how to channel and does psychic readings. A new class starts each month.
Follow Barbara and learn more:
https://www.youtube.com/barbwith
https://www.instagram.com/psychicsorority/
https://www.facebook.com/barbara.with
Conflict REVOLUTION™️ Challenge
https://barbarawith.com/conflict-revolution-challenge/
Books
https://synergyalliance.llc/books/
Conflict REVOLUTION™️ Laboratories
https://barbarawith.com/courses/
Music
https://barbarawith.com/music/
Readings
https://barbarawith.com/readings/
If you mention that you heard Barbara on this show, she will extend any half hour readings to full hour readings! Book a half hour on her website for some direction and inspiration.
Stephanie Benedetto is a transformative coach, storyteller and (Un)Marketer who helps visionary creators build the projects and businesses that make them come alive, without hustle or hype or endless social media. With over two decades of experience in internet marketing, sales and transformation work, Stephanie brings both creative fire and playful magic to her clients. Her coaching combines deep listening, curious questions and strategic simplicity to uncover the joyful truth at the heart of your work and bring it to life in the world.
She’s a community catalyst, former million-dollar business owner, certified Supercoach and creative writing nerd and self-proclaimed “Queen of the Shitty First Draft.” She believes business is a game you can play by your own rules…and dragons make great teammates.
In 2017, Stephanie began a personal Surrender Experiment (from Michael Singer's book) that led to leaving her loving marriage, two homes and a business, co-founded with her husband, that had made over $1 million in online sales, to travel and live as a digital nomad. She reinvented her life again in 2023 by immigrating to Portugal.
Crazy, wild ideas for creating "impossible" things are a driving inspiration, but she's equally happy sitting in silence with a new friend or singing to a plant. You'll probably find her near a beach, pole dancing, attending or inventing interactive transformational experiences online and off.
From the Algarve coast of Portugal to St. Petersburg, Florida, Stephanie mentors clients around the world and invites them into her LoveinAction and IMPACT communities.
Learn more and follow Stephanie:
Website - https://www.theawakenedbusiness.com
Daily Wildspire Emails - https://www.theawakenedbusiness.com/wildspire
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanierbenedetto/
YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@StephBenedetto
Heike Yates is a Midlife Fitness Expert, speaker, podcast host and author of Pursue Your Spark. She helps midlife women build strength, energy, and confidence through fitness, nutrition and mindset strategies that fit real life—no extremes, just habits that last.
After leaving the 9-to-5 grind and moving to Washington, D.C., Heike found her spark through fitness. What began as a personal transformation turned into a lifelong mission. She lost 50 pounds after her first pregnancy and rebuilt her life as a single mom, raising two kids on just $300 a month. Fitness became her lifeline—grounding her through life’s toughest seasons.
In 2010, she developed Pilates with Resist-A-Ball, a joint-friendly, strength-focused program designed for individuals who want to feel strong without experiencing pain. With certifications in Pilates, strength training and nutrition—and real-life experience as a bodybuilder and Ironman triathlete—Heike brings over 35 years of lived and professional expertise to the women she serves.
In 2012, she founded Pursue Your Spark, a mission-driven brand that helps women in midlife reclaim their energy, confidence and joy. She’s also the host of the Pursue Your Spark Podcast, where she shares real talk and practical tools to help women stop spinning their wheels and finally thrive.
Heike believes midlife isn’t a breakdown—it’s a breakthrough. Through simple, sustainable strategies and personalized support, she helps women feel strong, energized and fully themselves again.
Learn more and follow Heike:
Website: https://heikeyates.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pursueyourspark
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heikeyates/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heike-yates/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQIeOesGLGAOD5RhI2KYjcA
Podcast - Pursue Your Spark: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pursue-your-spark-midlife-fitness-nutrition-mindset/id1231586317
Book - Pursue Your Spark: https://amzn.to/4mD5xL7
Evelyn Kelly is a 90-year-old writer, speaker and teacher who lives in Ocala, Florida. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Florida, a master’s degree in religion and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee. Her education and interests are diverse. Her undergraduate studies included microbiology, English and history. Evelyn has written 22 books on such topics as Stem Cells and a two-volume encyclopedia of Genetics. Evelyn has taught at four universities. She speaks and writes on history and travel topics, including a popular series called Armchair Adventures. She says her most lucrative writing was in her 60s and 70s.
Natalie Kelly, a resident of Tallassee, Florida, is a writer and Chief Executive Officer of a state organization. She holds an M.S. in Communications from Florida State University and a B.S. in Visual Arts and Communications from FSU, which includes a concentration on art and art history. She has worked in government affairs for 35 years, including being the youngest female director in the Florida Senate, Director in Washington, DC, state CEO and public relations and lobbying firm owner. She writes op-eds for newspapers and speaks on a variety of topics.
Evelyn and Natalie are a mother-daughter travel and writing team. They have traveled to seven continents, 89 countries (and counting) and 50 states. Evelyn's goal is to travel to 100 countries before age 100. At 90 she shows no sign of slowing down!
Their book, Have a Love Affair with Travel: Your Ticket to an Exhilarating Life, will ignite your wanderlust and inspire you to live a life enriched by world travel. Their vibrant narratives will spark your sense of adventure and equip you with a step-by-step guide for seamless travels. Evelyn's favorite place she has traveled is the U.S. Have a Love Affair with the U.S.A. will be the duo's next book.
Learn more:
https://www.facebook.com/natalie.kelly.5439
https://www.facebook.com/evelyn.b.kelly.5
https://www.instagram.com/nataliekellytravelersatheart/
Tamar Hurwitz-Fleming grew up experiencing happy birthdays, disappointing birthdays, and downright terrible birthdays until she turned twenty and realized making her birthday happy was entirely up to her. She wrote How To Have a Happy Birthday: Create Meaning, Fulfillment and Joy on Your Special Day to help people find deeper meaning and joy on their birthdays too. Tamar and her book have been featured on NPR for her "invitation to experience the transformative joy a birthday can provide." Tamar draws upon more than thirty years of observation and experience to provide an insightful exploration into why birthdays matter, why they can be hard for many of us, and what we can do to fully put ourselves in the center of our day.
In this episode, we talk about why our birthday can be the most powerful day of the year, why celebrating our birthdays matter, why we sabotage our birthdays, how embracing our age helps us live better lives, how we can prepare for our birthdays, why we might buy ourselves a birthday gift, how we can support others in celebrating their days, how we can craft our birthday wish to maximize its manifesting potential, creating a birthday altar for yourself or another person and more. Tamar, who is also a painter, joined us from San Francisco.
Learn more and follow Tamar at:
https://howtohaveahappybirthday.com
https://www.facebook.com/Author.Tamar/
https://www.instagram.com/author.tamar/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamar-hurwitz-fleming-a7885515/
Hendrika de Vries is the author of the award-winning memoir When a Toy Dog Became a Wolf and the Moon Broke Curfew, a historical memoir about her childhood in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam during WWII that tells a gripping story of resistance, resilience and female strength in the face of brutality and oppression.
Her current memoir, Open Turns: From Dutch Girl to New Australian — a Memoir (She Writes Press, Sept. 2, 2025 ), is its coming-of-age sequel. Henny was just a little girl when she experienced brutal violence and hunger in WWII Amsterdam. But she is now a teenage immigrant swimmer in 1950s Australia. She is smart, she swims fast and she has definite opinions about the
kind of woman she intends to be––all of which serves her well in her new home, where she must learn to turn challenges into success.
Her parents’ wisdom continues to guide her. “Intentions are like prayers; you send them out into the universe and if you pay attention they come back as destiny,” her mother says. And when she walks in the bush with her father, his
reverence for the mysteries of nature helps Henny hear the timeless Australian Land speak and see the Southern Cross as a beacon.
She enjoys swimming fame and championship victories, but throughout her coming-of-age years, she is also faced with memories, fears and dashed hopes and dreams. Time and again, she dives into the pool to find her own strength and sense of belonging––until, finally, she begins to see more clearly her unique path ahead.
Hendrika’s life experiences have infused her work as a therapist, teacher and writer. After surviving the trauma of WWII, she and her family emigrated to Australia when she was thirteen years old. As a migrant girl in 1950s Australia, with a fierce determination to succeed and a desire to belong, she faced and overcame unforeseen challenges. She earned her place as a South Australian state swimming champion, worked as a secretary to the Chief of Staff of a major newspaper’s Editorial Department, married the paper’s editorial cartoonist and became a young wife and mother.
She moved to America in the nineteen sixties, where her husband won the Pulitzer Prize for his biting political cartoons while she gave birth to their third child and embarked on a course of studies that would lead to her interest in Jungian psychology, master’s degrees in theology and counseling psychology and a career as a therapist.
A depth-oriented marriage and family therapist for over thirty years, she used memories, intuitive imagination and dreams to heal trauma, empower women and address life transitions. As a graduate schoolteacher she helped students explore the archetypal patterns in their life narratives.
Hendrika holds a BA with Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Colorado, an MTS in theological studies from Virginia Theological Seminary, and an MA in counseling psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times and the LA Times. She currently lives in Santa Barbara, California.
Learn more:
https://agirlfromamsterdam.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendrika-devries-finishline/
https://www.facebook.com/HendrikadeVriesAuthor/
https://x.com/HENDRIKADEVRIE3
Lindsay McIntosh is Juilliard-trained historical oboist with an impressive resume in the music world. She has appeared under world-renowned conductors such as William Christi and Masaaki Suzuki. In 2013, while completing her graduate studies at Juilliard, she founded New Vintage Baroque, an innovative period instrument ensemble dedicated to performing 21st-century repertoire on historical instruments. The ensemble received critical acclaim for its imaginative, cross-temporal programming and vibrant energy – hallmarks of Lindsay’s creative leadership. As artistic and executive director of NVB, McIntosh self-produced 25 distinct programs, fundraised more than $100,000, cultivated the organization’s board of directors, commissioned and performed 17 world premieres, collaborated in three opera productions, recorded and released an album of original works on the VIA label and performed in over 75 performances in the U.S. and abroad.
Recognizing her professional strengths beyond that of a freelance oboist, in 2015 McIntosh joined the founding team of National Sawdust, a new, critically acclaimed music venue and non-profit arts Institute located in Brooklyn. There, Lindsay worked on the artistic team creating, implementing, producing and tracking projects at the core of the venue's mission, including ten group residencies and fourteen opera productions. Lindsay’s charisma and experience as a musician led her to become a lead producer for major events and her sensitivity to an artist's needs led her to become a lead artistic liaison to hundreds of professional musicians and ensembles.
Life in the NYC arts scene was busy, intense and exciting but, for Lindsay, it was not a pathway to living her best life. She felt a tremendous pull to return home to Truckee, in rural northern California. So, she did just that.
Remarkably, following her instincts has resulted in more creative opportunities and a more fulfilling life than ever for Lindsay. The added bonus was providing her two young children the kind of childhood she herself had enjoyed.
After relocating to rural northern California, Lindsay created Musica Sierra as an extension of New Vintage Baroque’s programming, with a focus on bringing much-needed music and arts education to rural and underserved communities. Blending her experience in historical performance with a passion for environmental literacy and youth empowerment, Lindsay has grown Musica Sierra into a regional leader in arts integration, offering performances, educational residencies and community programs across Sierra County and beyond.
Among Musica Sierra’s multitude of projects, Lindsay and her husband, co-artistic director Owen McIntosh, launched the Musical Headwaters series – a visionary seven-album commissioning initiative rooted in the belief that music can deepen empathy, eco-literacy and environmental stewardship. Through this lens, composers, songwriters and ensembles are invited to create original music that reflects the natural world and supports children’s social and emotional development. Since 2021, Musica Sierra has premiered four albums aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards for primary education in California, featuring acclaimed collaborators such as Majel Connery, Fire & Grace & Ash, Time For Three and The Red Hoop Singers, exploring themes like watersheds, trout, mammals and birds. In 2025, Lindsay McIntosh led Musica Sierra in commissioning a fifth nature-inspired album, Garden, for which she served as producer, and which was released on August 1.
“We strive to bring cultural diversity to our programming for the benefit of everyone. Since we are a primarily white population in a very rural area with no access to the performing arts, we foster curiosity, joy and exposure through our culturally diverse educational programming."
Learn more:
Amy Cerny Vasterling is a future-focused speaker, teacher and intuitive who, through over twenty-two years of observational research, uncovered how a fixed-pattern system rooted in narcissism suppresses human potential. Her work dismantles this structure, revealing a path to natural equality and genuine self-expression. Amy empowers individuals and communities to reconnect with their true nature and fully thrive.
She leads monthly Wisdom Gatherings, which are a thought-provoking place to gain inspiration and explore life’s possibilities through intuition and self-discovery. She also works with individuals and organizations. Her new book, Know: Where the Status Quo Ends and You Come To Life, will be released September 16. Read her substack at https://thefutureofourpast.substack.com/, in which she offers a powerful perspective of life now from 250 years in the future, which highlights where this author sees the patterns leading us. During our conversation, she recommends the book Extraordinary Knowing: Science, Skepticism, and the Inexplicable Powers of the Human Mind, by Elizabeth Lloyd Mayer.
She lives all over Europe but joined us from Minnesota. Learn more at
https://www.facebook.com/amyintuitivepathfinder
https://www.instagram.com/amyvasterling/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/amyvasterling/
Women over 40 comprise 25% of the U.S. population, yet they remain significantly underrepresented in popular culture and the media. Dina Alvarez and Dina Aronson set out to change that with their bold new anthology, Midlife Private Parts: Revealing Essays That Will Change the Way You Think About Age. It is a deeply moving collection of soulful essays that speak to what it really feels like to move through the world as a midlife woman and beyond. It is a rallying cry to embrace midlife unapologetically, and a powerful reminder that you are not going through it alone.
Dina Alvarez started her writing career as a freelancer for Big Apple Parent in New York City covering education, local politics, and lifestyle. She later co-founded SomosPadres, the first and only bilingual parenting publication for Hispanic families in New York City. Dina currently works for a financial firm and continues to write in her spare time with a focus on creative nonfiction pieces. Dina is an avid reader and lover of anthologies, particularly those that tell women’s stories. Dina is the mother of two adult sons and a native New Yorker. She continues to call the city home where she lives with her husband and youngest son.
Dina Aronson is a writer, editor and pro-age advocate who is passionate about shining a light on midlife women and reframing the cultural conversation around aging. She began her career as an attorney, later founding a legal search consultancy, but pivoted as she approached midlife and couldn’t find relevant content that reflected her experience. She began freelancing for start-ups aimed at the forty and above woman, and founded the Patina blog, now a Substack newsletter called Patina with Dina Aronson, where she explores topics in and around aging through her midlife lens. She has two grown stepsons, and currently resides between New York City and Miami with her husband.
Midlife Private Parts: Revealing Essays that Will Change the Way You Think About Age (June 24, 2025, Regalo Press)
Learn more:
IG handles: @patina_life and @thewritestyles
Carren Strock, has often been called a Renaissance woman. Equally at home with a paintbrush and canvas, a needle and thread, or a hammer and nails, she is as eclectic in her writing as she is in her other interests. While best known for her ground-breaking book Married Women Who Love Women and more, her writing style lends itself to many different genres, both fiction and nonfiction. In addition, her articles and essays have appeared in Newsweek, Woman’s Day, Ms. the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, PBS’s Next Avenue and AARP’s The Ethel.
Married Women Who Love Women, because of its enduring cultural relevance, is being recognized as a classic, 25 years after its debut. "Until I was forty-three, I would have said with absolute certainty, 'I am not, nor could I ever become, a lesbian. I know exactly who and what I am,' says Carren. One year later, after 25 years of a contented heterosexual marriage, I fell in love with another woman. I experienced more passion, pain, isolation and turmoil than I ever thought possible and I began to question who I really was. My journey from denial to self awareness, understanding and acceptance was not an easy one.
I wrote Married Women Who Love Women as a way to deal with my own discovery and to help other women deal with theirs. By interviewing more than 100 women, as well as their husbands and children, and through additional research as well, I found that this phenomenon—married women loving women—was not as uncommon as I had believed.
I also realized that no woman, single or married, is automatically exempt from the frightening possibility that she too might one day realize a dormant sexual awareness that she is lesbian or bisexual."
Learn more:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064718108918Twitter: @CarrenStrock
Donna Simmons dares to believe in a world where young girls grow up free—free from abuse, exploitation and silence. A native of Kentucky, a state long shadowed by high rates of child abuse and a painful history of legal child marriage, Donna has become a leading voice for both justice and healing. Her advocacy was instrumental in reforming Kentucky law to end child marriage through parental consent, a victory that has inspired legal reform efforts across the U.S. and beyond.
Donna’s work goes far beyond policy. As a survivor herself, she knows that laws don’t heal people—relationships, truth and radical compassion do. Through her powerful memoir, Ashes to Flame, she shares her journey from trauma to transformation, inviting others to find the fire within their own stories and empowering survivors to rewrite their legacy—not as victims, but as cycle-breakers, leaders and healers.
Donna is also the creator and host of The Last Generation: Transforming Trauma Into Purpose, a raw and unfiltered podcast that blends lived experience with deep psychological insight. Each episode is a conversation for those daring to ask hard questions, confront inherited pain and choose a different future.
With every word, Donna challenges the narrative that trauma defines us. Her voice is a catalyst for real, embodied healing—one that motivates not just awareness, but action. Whether in the halls of legislation or at the mic of her podcast, Donna Simmons is not just telling the truth. She’s helping others reclaim—and rewrite—their own legacy.
Learn more:https://trauma2purpose.com
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/donna.pollard.1426 and https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571541050726
Instagram- @transformingashes2flame
TikTok- @ashestoflame