100 episodes
Magnificent Midlife Rachel Lankester
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- Society & Culture
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4.9 • 54 Ratings
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Midlife isn’t the end of meaningful life, just the end of the first half rehearsal. Listen, laugh and be inspired as Rachel Lankester, author, mentor and founder of Magnificent Midlife, interviews women in midlife and beyond living authentic, empowered lives, not disappearing into obscurity. From round the world yachtswomen to 60 year old pole dancers, from palliative care doctors to sustainable food evangelists, this podcast explores the myriad things older women get up to and the issues we face. We challenge the status quo and bash those negative stereotypes about being an older woman. Need some inspiration about what’s possible for you when you're over 40, over 50 or beyond? These women will show you anything is. Need help overcoming your own limiting beliefs about getting older or struggles with menopause? Learn from women who’ve experienced the same but found ways to thrive and become who they were always meant to be. Learn their life-hacks and how they do what they do. This podcast is all about celebrating women in midlife and beyond. We’re not over the hill or on a downward slope. We get better with age not worse. We talk all things midlife, about issues that matter, and share fabulous stories of magnificent women doing very cool stuff. Now's our time! Find out more at magnificentmidlife.com.
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Maturing into hagitude with Dr Sharon Blackie
Dr Sharon Blackie is an award winning writer, psychologist and mythologist. She's the author of the best selling, If Women Rose Rooted and more recently, Hagitude: Reimagining The Second Half Of Life. I love both books. They completely re-envision how women fit in the world. Hagitude is a wonderful analysis of how women used to be in later life, before the modern era, and the inspiration we can take from that. Sharon is focused on the development of the mythic imagination, and on the relevance of myth, fairy tales and folk traditions to the personal, cultural and environmental problems that we face today.
We talk about:
- Why she wrote Hagitude
- What is it about the hags and mythology that delights Sharon
- Sharon’s favorite character, the Cailleach
- What mythic imagination is
- The things Sharon hates about how old women are currently presented
- How the second half of life is about turning inwards
- The importance of listening to your body
- How if you don't stop, you don't make space for a new story to grow
- What women can do to change the narratives of older women
- The nature of an elder woman’s wisdom
- Baba Yaga
- The intersection of sexism and ageism in patriarchal religions
- What Sharon discovered about herself by writing Hagitude
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 #15 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.
Follow Rachel on:
Facebook: facebook.com/magnificentmidlife
Instagram: instagram.com/magnificentmidlife
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/rachellankester
Twitter: twitter.com/MagnifMidlife
Pinterest: pinterest.co.uk/MagnificentMidlife1
Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCEteu6Z2mW1z1wnHiVB08uw
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@magnificent_midlife -
Rewilding Britain with Rebecca Wrigley
Rebecca Wrigley is one of the founders of Rewilding Britain, and now its chief executive. She has worked in the voluntary and public sectors for 23 years, and is passionate about engaging local communities in decision-making about their land and resources. There is so much we can all contribute to protecting the environment, starting with rewilding, often on our doorstep.
We talk about:
- How Rewilding Britain got started
- The unique contribution it makes
- The highlights of Rewilding Britain since it started
- How people can show support for the initiative and make a difference
- Why rewilding is so important to the environment and climate change
- Beavers as an example of an ecosystem engineer
- How a peat bog can hold carbon
- Understanding the keystone species
- Species Rebecca would like to see reintroduced to Britain
- How we all benefit from prioritising nature
- Diversification of jobs and livelihoods
- Frustrations about the work Rebecca does
- Top lessons we can learn about rewilding
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 #15 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.
Follow Rachel on:
Facebook: facebook.com/magnificentmidlife
Instagram: instagram.com/magnificentmidlife
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/rachellankester
Twitter: twitter.com/MagnifMidlife
Pinterest: pinterest.co.uk/MagnificentMidlife1
Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCEteu6Z2mW1z1wnHiVB08uw
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@magnificent_midlife -
Talking about death with Dr Kathryn Mannix (Re-Release)
Dr Kathryn Mannix has devoted her life to the palliative care of the dying. In this episode, she talked about death, the process of it and how we can all prepare better for it. She also wrote a remarkable book called With The End In Mind which everyone should read! It was such a pleasure to talk to her about death! This is a much longer interview than usual but I thought the topic deserved it. Kathryn came back on the podcast to talk about her second book, Listen and you can listen to that episode here.
We talk about:
- Why Kathryn was inspired to write her book, With The End In Mind
- Opening up conversations about death
- How our experience of death is much improved by honest communication
- Denial is one way of coping which works for some people but isn’t ideal
- Thinking about accommodating immobile older relatives
- Sometimes being practical is better than sacrifice when it comes to caring
- What normal dying actually looks and feels like – it is very gentle
- Why it’s important for people to understand the stages of death
- What the ‘death rattle’ really is
- Asking for more pain control if death is not progressing normally
- The importance of discomfort management as people approach death – otherwise the process of death itself is prolonged
- The opioid crisis – how Western addiction concerns stop pain relief availability in poorer areas of the world
- Morphine used properly for pain relief is safe
- Dan’s death plan and how he went on TV to talk about it
- The impact of faith on death
- How many of us start a process of reckoning as we get closer to death
- The importance of some form of belief (not necessarily religious) when it comes to evaluating our lives
- The importance of being clear about what you want for your own death
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 #15 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.
Follow Rachel on:
Facebook: facebook.com/magnificentmidlife
Instagram: instagram.com/magnificentmidlife
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/rachellankester
Twitter: twitter.com/MagnifMidlife
Pinterest: pinterest.co.uk/MagnificentMidlife1
Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCEteu6Z2mW1z1wnHiVB08uw
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@magnificent_midlife
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Being wiser about menopause with Tania Elfersy
Tania Elfersy is a transformative coach, speaker and award-winning author, specializing in midlife women’s health. She’s spent years researching what causes and what can relieve symptoms associated with perimenopause and menopause and became free of her own physical and emotional symptoms naturally and simply. Rachel quoted her extensively in her own book. Tania set up The Wiser Woman project in 2015 to help women transform their experience of midlife change. She’s the author of a brilliant new book, The Wiser Woman’s Guide To Perimenopause and Menopause.
We talk about:
- What lead Tania to the work she does
- How the body doesn’t malfunction suddenly in midlife
- The innate brilliance of the body and what that means for menopause symptoms
- The difference between how we respond to issues in pregnancy and menopause
- The importance of focusing on the emotional and spiritual side of the midlife journey
- The insight that allowed Tania to free herself from her own menopause symptoms
- The interplay between Mind, Thought and Consciousness
- Tania’s concerns about the narrative in the UK
- Difference between the UK menopause narrative and North America
- How women can best help themselves during midlife change
- Tania’s thoughts on the Davina McCall documentary Sex, Mind and the Menopause
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 #15 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.
Follow Rachel on:
Facebook: facebook.com/magnificentmidlife
Instagram: instagram.com/magnificentmidlife
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/rachellankester
Twitter: twitter.com/MagnifMidlife
Pinterest: pinterest.co.uk/MagnificentMidlife1
Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCEteu6Z2mW1z1wnHiVB08uw
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@magnificent_midlife
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Midlife update solo with Rachel
Rachel’s back with a solo update on what’s been happening in her world and the exciting launch of MenoClarity.
She talks about:
- An update on her mum post breaking her hip
- Adapting to a new way of living
- The fluctuation of mental capacity
- Digital exclusion and Internet upgrade issues
- Levels of customer service for older people and how those need to change
- The wonders of the Amazon Alexa Show
- Her trip to the Philippines
- Working remotely and more wonders of technology
- Setting up MenoClarity – who the team is and their aims
- Creating unbiased balance when it comes to menopause
- Stopping the climate of fear and creating better narratives for all women especially young ones
- Questioning the over promotion of hormone therapy and especially as a preventative medicine
- The original source of the menopause as a hormone deficiency narrative – the 1966 book Feminine Forever, financed by HRT manufacturers
- How the women in the Blue Zones do not owe their long healthful lives to hormone therapy
- Use of the phrase medical gaslighting to shut down discussion
- International Women’s Day and what older women need to thrive
- Equity versus equality
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 #15 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.
Follow Rachel on:
Facebook: facebook.com/magnificentmidlife
Instagram: instagram.com/magnificentmidlife
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/rachellankester
Twitter: twitter.com/MagnifMidlife
Pinterest: pinterest.co.uk/MagnificentMidlife1
Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCEteu6Z2mW1z1wnHiVB08uw
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@magnificent_midlife -
Living the dream in the desert with Sam Walker (Re-Release)
Sam Walker started her Sam Walker’s Desert Diaries podcast to document her move from Manchester, UK to Phoenix, Arizona. Sam is a master storyteller, an award-winning radio and TV broadcaster, a multiple podcast producer and presenter, a writer, and a woman who encountered coyotes, snakes and scorpions in the desert. This is such an inspirational gem of a podcast, I just had to re-release it!
We talk about:
- Why Sam decided to up sticks and move from Manchester to the desert
- How she pushed through the fear both before making the move and after, given all the issues she has faced
- Having support when making a big life change
- Trusting the universe when there are signs along the way
- The importance of trying to live our dreams no matter how big or small those might be
- The difficulties and highlights of her life in Arizona
- The many quirky things about adapting to US life
- Trying to function in the US without a credit history
- The delights of the US medical system
- The beauty and history of US landscapes
- Whatever brings you joy is what is right for you
- The importance of following your dreams whatever they are
- Getting rid of the word should
- How Sam stays upbeat despite the many setbacks she’s encountered
- Coping with being away from sick loved ones
- Coming to terms with gun culture
- Realising her white privilege when things got really tough
- Being grateful for the basics
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 #15 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.
Follow Rachel on:
Facebook: facebook.com/magnificentmidlife
Instagram: instagram.com/magnificentmidlife
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/rachellankester
Twitter: twitter.com/MagnifMidlife
Pinterest: pinterest.co.uk/MagnificentMidlife1
Youtube: youtube.com/channel/UCEteu6Z2mW1z1wnHiVB08uw
Tiktok: tiktok.com/@magnificent_midlife
Customer Reviews
Uplifting!
So refreshing to get such positive and optimistic information about menopause and midlife. It makes me feel more confident in my own body and not be a slave to the pharmaceutical industry. Thank you.
How to be a Glorious Broad
It was really interesting to listen to the discussion that basically talked about I’m gonna do and be who I want to be. Not forgetting that with ageing I’m still sensual, loving caring and not all about my new found reproductive position.
It’s not about being dictated to or put in an age box that will tick off the right criteria of what society thinks or feels is or isn’t appropriate. It’s about being out of the box and fabulously tearing up that rule book in the best possible way that suits you.
Ageing is the beginning of a celebration with a new world at your disposal and a waiting platform to achieve it on.
It’s a time not to be afraid but to be seen as you really are and want to be. With the added comfort knowing experience, age and faith if you have it will take you through the decisions and actions already taken and those to come.
Now stand back and watch the Greatest Show called Ageing.
Sandra Donald
all the juice
I love the variety of knowledgable guests offering the juice of midlife from every possible angle. So grateful to have a resource full of inspiration.