Midlife Unfiltered: The Season Of Me

Midlife Unfiltered
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Take back your power and choose yourself in midlife. Exploring often taboo topics and busting outdated stereotypes with your hosts, Anita & Erica. midlifeunfiltered.substack.com

  1. FEB 18

    Aging With Power: Filling The Gaps. Advocating For Your Health.

    Aging with power. Not grace. Power. What does that mean for you? And how do we do it? In this podcast episode on Midlife Unfiltered, Anita explores what it means for women in midlife to age with power. Taking back our agency, advocating for health. Because there are GAPS. Lifespan - Health span = 10-15 year Gap: We may be living longer but we are not living well, longer. Statistically (Australian statistics) if like me, you’re a white woman born in 1967 you may potentially live to be about 85 years old (lifespan). Maybe up in the late 80’s. Your Health span (how long you are healthy) is potentially going to decline (with obvious symptoms) in your mid 70’s. That’s a GAP of 10-15 years! Statistically speaking. What do you think those years look like? Lived experience - Anita talks about how she’s seen these numbers become reality, in the care home her Dad was in for the last 6 months of his life (with stage 4 cancer and dementia). Around 90% of the people in that very caring home were women. With multiple chronic conditions that were being managed for them. Most with mobility issues, some with mental health conditions. Many were lonely. They were receiving good care. Most were existing. Women’s Health Research Gaps: About 30 years ago (in 1993) the US mandated women be included in clinical medical research. In Australia it was ‘best efforts’. That’s about to change. In 2026 Australia firms up its inclusion of females in clinical research where evidence of inclusion needs to be demonstrated to qualify for funding. Anita talks about that is more detail in the podcast chat. 30 years may seem a long time but in the context of clinical research it’s not. For good reason, it takes time. So research findings including women are now becoming more available for us to read and talk about. But in the scheme of things, it’s just the beginning. We have a long way to go, but we are moving in the right direction. Education System Gaps: Underpinned by research gaps, Anita talks about the gaps in our tertiary and secondary education systems. The lack of information and knowledge in texts, resources and curricula, which means there are gaps in what our health team members know about us. Why in secondary schools is it not mandatory to teach children about how their body systems work? The basics. Beyond sex education and the reproductive system. Maybe some schools do. Hats off to them, that’s great. But the majority don’t. It seems one mimics the other? Health System Gaps - Specialty Silos: Modern medicine is brilliant at acute practices that save lives, that extend how long we live. Treatments for symptom management of chronic conditions that do work. But in saving lives, extending them, a gap appears. The likelihood that more of us will be living with those chronic conditions, increases. The Specialist. We have specialists with their deeper knowledge and experience to help us manage those chronic conditions like arthritis, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, dementia (the #1 cause of death in Australia for women)…the list goes on. The focus of care is typically short term - 1,2,3 maybe 5 years but what then? What does your Health Span Road Map look like for Future you? More gaps to fill. Each specialty represents a silo. We go from one to another to treat each specific condition. That’s great, but it promotes gaps. Gaps between silos that must be filled if we are to get a complete, a better picture of our overall health. Who fills the gaps between Silos? Lived Experience: Anita talks about her own specialist experience and how she filled that gap, advocating for her bone health. The Old Way Vs The New Way: We are the Transition generation, living in the Digital Age where the pace of change, the volume of information at our finger tips is mind blowing. But how do we know what’s true? Anita talks about how this puts a greater importance on the relationships we have with our health team members. She talks about the ‘old way’ where we believed our GP’s knew it all. To the ‘new way’ were we appreciate now there are gaps. A partnership approach. Looking out for Red Flags and Green Flags (thanks Dr Sara Szal for that framework). The relationship Red Flags where we don’t feel comfortable asking questions, feel dismissed and don’t receive the right outcomes. Lived Experience - Anita’s relationship with her GP is mostly Green Flags. She talks about a specific conversation with her GP where green flags were flying high and proud. A Prevention Mindset: Showing up each day for you and your health. For Future You. A prevention mindset means honing awareness, seeking information and knowledge and taking action to fill the gaps. Anita talks about how she believes this to be perhaps the most effective way to reduce the gap between living longer and living longer well. Talking about epigenetics and lifestyle pillars, daily choices around sleep, nutrition, exercise, reducing toxins, connection and joy. Choices that help define our long haul road map. It’s up to us to Advocate for our health. Assemble your health A Team, ask questions, have those green flag conversation. Proactively fill those gaps with a prevention mindset. To Age with Power. p.s. What Anita didn’t include in the podcast chat that she meant to. It’s a biggie! Knowing Your Body & Listen To Its Love Language: It’s one thing to gather information and knowledge from the outside. It’s quite another to gather it from within. Our body’s are incredible. Loyal allies doing their best to keep us keeping on, well. What we tend not to do so well, is respect them enough to listen to their messages. Their clues that things are different and we need to act to address them. Address them before they become obvious symptoms that become more difficult to manage. A chronic condition. How good are you at listening to your body’s messages. The subtle clues? Thank you to everyone who tuned into my live podcast video! Join me for my next live video in the app next week. If you are watching and reading after the live, thank you too! I hope you find it helpful. To aging with power! Anita xx Oh! If you’d like to subscribe to Anita’s Midlife Mojo long format newsletter it’s not on Substack (yet). It’s over in her Sequins and Sand land, her online business for the past 17 years. A business in transition, just like she is :) Here is the link to where you can subscribe. It looks a bit like what you’re not expecting, but it is the place to do that. Become a VIP and that email will land in your inbox each week. Be sure to add the address to your contacts so that it doesn’t vanish into spam land. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit midlifeunfiltered.substack.com

    26 min
  2. The Way Ahead & Our Words of the Year for 2026 & : Live with Midlife Unfiltered

    FEB 9

    The Way Ahead & Our Words of the Year for 2026 & : Live with Midlife Unfiltered

    This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit midlifeunfiltered.substack.com

    27 min
  3. Year End Reflection - Most Loved Episodes Of The Podcast

    12/15/2025

    Year End Reflection - Most Loved Episodes Of The Podcast

    As we say goodbye to a challenging 2025, Erica & I talk about 2025's most popular podcast topics and why they've resonated so much and how they resonated with us personally as we reflect upon them. Rest. Identity & Values. We record weekly so have banked about 50 episodes in 2025, moving to launch from Substack at the end of 2024. Still finding our feet in many ways but loving it here. From Substack our podcast is broadcast on all the usual podcast apps like Apple Podcasts and Spotify so if you are over there, look out for us! Top 3 Podcast Topics for 2025? The REST episode, resonated deeply. It was our #1 downloaded episode for the year. Erica's Reframing Rest framework, the star of the show. Listen to that Episode here on Substack. IDENTITY: Who you are not what you do. When the scaffolding falls away in the transition of the midlife years, who we are, is what is left of us, raw and real. We've chatted a few times in the podcast with much loved guests of the show Alex Hanlon and Cat Matson, both now on Substack. Listen to Identity in Midlife with Alex and Cat here. We also talked about it in terms of how we present ourselves, our style self-expression and how that can go MIA in midlife. We brought on another brilliant guest, Fiona Keary from Style Liberation to talk about this hot topic. She's a stylist and has helped 1000's of women find their style mojo again. Listen to that episode here. VALUES, a personal favourite for us too. Best buddies with IDENTITY because who you are, how we 'be' sits on the solid shoulders of our values. What matters most to us. Values also help us to navigate all the shoulds in life - the expectations, the masks, the roles and bring us back to who we are. Values are spoken of in many episodes and are an anchor for both of us in the tumultuous change of midlife. Living with alignment of values. Where to From Here? Without giving you something else to do...consider reflecting on what your values are. What a gift to give yourself as the year closes and the next begins. Erica talks about the Value of Values here and how living in misalignment gives us clues as to why things feel 'wrong'. It might give you a little guidance to what your values are and how to navigate life using them. I have also used Personalvalu.es and found that really helpful. 2026: 2026 for Anita will mean advocating for Dementia and Bone Health more having had her life impacted deeply by both. And for Erica, advocating for those who are Donor Conceived as she discovered she was this year. So watch out for more conversations around these topics and more. What matters to you in midlife? If you have any topics you'd like us to tease out in a podcast chat then please DM us here or email us at hello@midlifeunfiltered.com.au. We'd love to hear from you. Maybe you'd like to be a guest? Let us know. We will be back soon. Leaning into our Values of Family and Connection, we will be taking a break from recording new episodes until the end of January. Until then, we welcome you to dive in and listen to our 50+ episodes recorded through 2025 and the later part of 2024. You'll find them all here on our Substack page. Thank You for tuning in and sharing your precious time with us. We know what a valuable commodity that is. We are most appreciative. If you celebrate Christmas, happy Christmas! If you're gathering with those who matter most to you, we wish you a wonderful time full of love, calm and .... rest. See you in 2026. Anita & Erica. xx This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit midlifeunfiltered.substack.com

    37 min
  4. Reframing Rest. Beyond the nap. Resting From.

    12/10/2025

    Reframing Rest. Beyond the nap. Resting From.

    How do we rest when we’re restless? In this week’s podcast chat, Erica and I discover that our relationship with Rest is at either ends of the rest spectrum. That relationship very much determines how we rest and when we do. With the ‘silly season’ and the mad rush to year’s end upon us, we felt Rest was something that might be helpful to talk about. Rest is also the theme of Erica’s SelfKind hub this month, so…snap! Let’s talk about Rest but with a genius reframe to guide us. Resting From: in this chat Erica talks about the reframe of rest from the lying down for a nap or a read, to thinking about Resting From to guide us in ways that might serve us best to Rest. It’s brilliant (she’s brilliant)! Resting From, to finding Ways To Rest: * From rushing with many things on our mind - to slowing down and being present in the moment. ‘Wash the dishes to wash the dishes’ rather than rushing to getting it done. Being present to find peace in that moment. {Thich Nhat Hanh} * From phone scrolling - distraction or rest? It may be mindless but is it rest, really? To conscious awareness, to pause. Maybe with a micropause (read on for more about that in our chat). * From Self-Criticism - this one really hit home because it’s something we midlifer’s feel often. Rest from self-criticism with self-compassion. Be on your own side. * From Being an Adult - to play! Being playful. Breaking the burden and responsibility of being an adult and be child-like at play. What do you need Rest From? Role Models For Rest: Did you have them? Anita and Erica’s experiences are poles apart. Having Italian heritage, Anita was modeled rest from a young child witnessing her Nonna and Dad resting often with a post lunch siesta. My family worked very, very hard (7 days a week and with about 4 days off a year) but rest was deliberately carved out, regularly. Modeled throughout her life, it became part of her life choice, modeling it for her children too. Erica’s experience was quite different, never witnessing her parents resting. Indeed, resting was regarded as weakness, bringing about shame if it was practiced. Erica finds it hard to rest and her kids do too. It got us thinking, is our relationship with Rest nurture or nature? Something that’s inherently in us or nurtured with us. What do you think? Resting is something that Erica is consciously learning to do more of. Finding ways to ‘Rest From’ that work for her, like the examples mentioned above and with Micropauses of Rest. Micropauses of Rest: not the 20 minute siesta but rather a small act that can ‘break the circuit’. Appreciating that not everyone will have access to rest in larger chunks of time in their day. Take them consciously and with compassion. Breathwork, movement, sipping tea or coffee in a space that feels good for you. In nature, often the perfect antidote to our modern stressful lives. Consistency is Key: cultivating a Resting From practice takes time. It’s a work in progress. Don’t make it yet another thing to add to your self-criticism list. You’re ‘doing battle’ with a culture, an employment system that does not value rest. It values productivity - doing at all costs. And if you don’t keep pushing, you’re lazy. We say no and ask you to consider ways in which you could create micropauses of rest. Ways to ‘Rest From’ and build with consistency, a practice that might just blossom into something bigger. Something unexpected but oh so beautifully nourishing. Where rest is a value and you protect and defend it often. Thank you to everyone who tuned into our live video! Join us for our next live video in the app. If you enjoyed this episode, please share the love on. We could all do with more Rest. Don’t you think? Want more encouragement and support around how to rest? Then jump over to Erica’s SelfKind Hub and find out a little more. It’s a beautiful community. Erica is so thoughtful and wise, way beyond her years. See you next week! Anita xx This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit midlifeunfiltered.substack.com

    29 min
  5. Books We're Reading. Consider Adding Them To Your Shelf.

    12/03/2025

    Books We're Reading. Consider Adding Them To Your Shelf.

    In this week’s podcast episode we are talking about the books we are currently reading or have read. Books we are enjoying and why. We also deep dive into one favourite so you can work out if it’s for you. We both read quite a few books at the same time. Maybe that’s a love of reading. Maybe that’s our ADHD speaking. :) Erica’s Fab 4 Books: are a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Books she reads to match her mood. Maybe you can relate. There is a common theme that runs through each of Erica’s books - Reclaiming Authenticity. * Vianne - by Joanne Harris. A Chocolat Prequel. * Rest Is Resistance - Reclaim Your Power Through the Art of Rest: by Tricia Hersey. Rest as the resistance to the systems our society is built on. That have us believing we are machines. Can be confronting. A powerful read. On Instagram Tricia is The Nap Ministry. * Unmasking Autism - Dr Devon Price. Erica has been recently diagnosed with Autistic ADHD scoring very high as ‘highly masked’. So this book is an important read for her as she continues to discover her authenticity. * The Angry Women’s Choir - Meg Bignell . 5 stars! Set in Tasmania, Australia, women gather as a choir. They are angry for a raft of differing reasons. Finding joy in the support, expression and exploration of each other - both the light and the darkness. Beautiful characters. We wonder if there’s an ‘in real life’ choir like this. If not, there should be! Anita’s Fab 5 Books: all are non-fiction. The common theme - the journey dementia and terminal illness can take us on with a strong Carer’s perspective. And health. * Hormonal Harmony - A woman’s guide to puberty, fertility, menopause and beyond. by Dr Karen Coates and Sharon Kolkka. A brilliantly written and researched book that will gift you the knowledge about how your wondrous female body works and how to look after it. Taking us from puberty, through our reproductive years, peri-menopause and our age of wisdom (aka postmenopause). A ready reference to keep coming back to. To share with the women and girls (heck and the blokes) in your life. That’s what I’m doing this Christmas! This book is a gift in so many ways. A must buy. Dr Karen joined us on the podcast about a year ago talking about Menopause. She was amazing! Watch that episode here. * Next of Kin - by Casey Beros. Casey takes us on a beautifully written and thoughtful journey as she cares for her dad with terminal cancer. Packed with practical insights too. Casey and her Dad are Australian so that’s the context of the care system she navigates and talks about at times. Thanks Casey. Casey is here on Substack too! * The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying - Sogyal Rinpoche. This book is in it’s 30th annual edition now. A classic. Not so much a light read but a very enriching read. I sip from it. I so appreciate the perspective and wisdom shared in this book, through the lens of Buddism and practices from Tibetan tradition. It’s not about converting you to Buddism. It’s about living, preparing for death and helping the dying. * Twelve Golden Gifts - Part lament, part love letter, part practical no-nonsense guide by Spiri Tsintziras. Spiri is an Australian with Greek born parents who migrated to Australia. In this book she lovingly takes us by the hand and shares the journey she had with her Mum as she ages. A tribute to her Mum and their beautiful, loving relationship that endures the tests of dementia (her Mum had Alzeihmer’s), declining health, moving into a care home and ultimately her Mum’s death. Practical tips and resources are shared too - the 12 golden gifts. In the darkness, this book shines brightly. Brilliantly written. Thanks Spiri. Spiri is also here on Substack. * The Unexpected Journey - finding strength, hope and yourself on the caregiving path by Emma Hemmings Willis. In her honest, open and compassionate ways, Emma shares the experience she’s had as Bruce’s carer. Bruce Willis is her husband and he has frontotempoal dementia. The Nile call this a Caregiver’s Compass. That’s spot on. That’s exactly what it is. Emma’s care and passion to want to help others navigate this difficult journey is so apparent. She does it whilst parenting their two young daughters too. Such a challenging and difficult journey. If you or someone you know is on the caring for someone with dementia path, this is a must read book. We hope there is one or a few books that have raised your curiosity. That might make your book shelf soon. Enjoy! Have you got an idea for an episode? We’d love to hear them. Email us at hello@midlifeunfiltered.com.au Thank you to everyone who tuned into our live video! Join us for our next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit midlifeunfiltered.substack.com

    26 min
  6. Taking My Dad's Ashes Back to Italy. A Surprisingly Complex Process & Emotional Toll

    11/26/2025

    Taking My Dad's Ashes Back to Italy. A Surprisingly Complex Process & Emotional Toll

    Perhaps a rather unusual topic to chat about but with such a large post WW2 migrant population in Australia and other countries, perhaps not so niche. Many are elderly now and many more have died, so the want to take them back home, is greater now than ever before. Have you taken a loved one’s ashes back to their home town, to a country outside of where they lived most of their life? The last time we were all together as an extended family in Dad’s home town in Italy, it was for his 70th birthday. For my Dad, knowing where he came from was important for us to understand and connect with. Something we have lovingly kept up as family members for over 13 years. But this next trip was something very different. And it proved to be far more complicated than we ever imagined. ‘Smuggling’ them in a suitcase was never going to be an option for us. Being separated from Dad was not going to happen, nor was risking that the suitcase might go missing in transit. No. He was going to be safely stored in Mum’s carry on and that meant going through customs with them. It had to be done in accordance with Italian law. In this conversation I share my top tips for taking this task on and what was involved in the process. It took us almost 4 months to obtain Dad’s Mortuary Passport, the official document required to accompany his ashes, in addition to other official papers that also had to be translated into Italian, including an apostilled original Death Certificate. The departments involved in this process included: * The local council where we were wanting to scatter Dad’s ashes * The Italian Consulate closest to us here in Australia * The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Passport Office * Births, Deaths and Marriages - because I had to get another original Death Certificate issued Funeral directors can also assist with this process. Ours prepared the ashes in an appropriate sealed container fit for airline travel as well as the documents certifying its contents. Family on the ground in Italy to help with face to face communications were invaluable because emails were not being responded to. The language barrier (my very limited Italian and the local Italian limited English) also added to misunderstandings and uncertainty of what the process was and what was required to be done. I learned that public opening ours for the local commune in Italy and the Consulate here are rather limited. Only open a few days a week for inquiries and for a few hours at a time. That extended the time line too. The emotional toll of this experience was mounting and intensifying. Mum’s concerns and anxiety were riding high and with it the pressure I put on myself not let her and the others down, was right up there too. Failure was not an option. With airfares and accommodation paid for 12 of us, there was much to undo if the necessary documentation was not obtained. There was a deadline to meet. We did it with 3 weeks to spare. Taking my beautiful Dad back home. To the place that never left his heart. Firmly and forever in mine. Anita xx Thank you to everyone who tuned into our live video! Join us for our next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit midlifeunfiltered.substack.com

    30 min
  7. What I learned selling my business and retiring. How she did it and how it's changed her life, with Tracey Bode.

    11/17/2025

    What I learned selling my business and retiring. How she did it and how it's changed her life, with Tracey Bode.

    “People like you don’t Retire!” In this episode of Midlife Unfiltered, we welcome special guest Tracey Bode. Tracey shares her journey of stepping back from her business after a 45-year career, and the fulfillment she has found in being present in her everyday life post-retirement. We talk about the importance of planning for retirement, what the big ‘R’, retirement even means now, what it means for Tracey. Is it Retirement or rather , Regeneration? Do we need a new word for Retirement? She talks openly about how she’s done this, the vital role of good mentorship and financial advice to get to where we want to go. Tracey offers insights on transitioning out of business ownership, the value of superannuation, and finding joy in newfound freedoms. In very surprising places. Tune in for an inspiring conversation on navigating major life changes and preparing for a vibrant, purposeful life after professional retirement and running your own business. Having choices. Freedom. Autonomy. Retirement is a huge transition in midlife. Thank you Tracey for sharing your experience in making that change. Below is what we talked about and when in the conversation. Thanks to you for tuning in. We hope you pick up a few gems. Let us know. If you do, share it on. Anita & Erica. 00:00 Welcome to Midlife Unfiltered 00:22 Introducing Tracey Bode 02:30 Tracey’s Journey to Retirement 04:47 The Transition Process 07:14 Reflecting on a 45-Year Career 14:48 The Importance of Mentors 19:17 Embracing Presence in Retirement 23:02 Balancing Creativity and Personal Time 24:16 Morning Routines and Finding Flow 26:39 Reflections on Retirement 28:01 Redefining Retirement: Regeneration 33:27 Financial Planning and Superannuation 40:57 Health and Longevity in Retirement 43:21 Final Thoughts and Future Plans p.s. we also mention a couple of groups we follow and tune into: MEA - Modern Elder Academy - and Chip’s podcast the Midlife Chrysalis. He and Daniel Pink in this episode talk about Regeneration. Her Business - a community of women business owners we belong to. It’s leader, the super impressive and legend, Suzi Dafnis. Epic Retirement - with Bec Wilson This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit midlifeunfiltered.substack.com

    46 min
  8. How to dress in a way that feels true to who you are: with guest style expert, Fiona Keary of Style Liberation.

    11/12/2025

    How to dress in a way that feels true to who you are: with guest style expert, Fiona Keary of Style Liberation.

    In the tumultuous change of midlife, it makes perfect sense that at times, we’ll feel lost. Often a loss of a sense of self - of who we are. And with that, the confidence to dress in a way that feels authentic. Erica has had times when she looks in the mirror and the image of the person looking back at her feels…well…rather alien. We talked about this in a previous episode here in Midlife Unfiltered. In that episode we both exclaimed that we needed to get Fiona Keary on the poddie to shed some light on what’s going on and more importantly, how we can reclaim who we are in how we dress…our personal style. And she didn’t disappoint. Fiona knows her stuff. Seriously knows her stuff. Through her business, Style Liberation she’s helped 1000’s of women from all around the globe, reclaim their personal style. To feel more like themselves again and the freedom that brings. Below are some highlights of that fabulous chat where she shares what many of her clients’ concerns are when it comes to their personal style. Fiona also openly shares smokin’ hot tips on how to do this, reassuring us that we all can. Smashing some commonly held myths and misconceptions. Yes! We love that. Scroll through and you’ll find links of where you can connect with Fiona and a quiz to get you started on your journey to reclaiming your personal style. Thanks Fiona. You’re a star and we so appreciate your wisdom, knowledge and time. Anita & Erica xx Common Concerns Through the countless conversations Fiona has had with women in midlife, a common struggle is not feeling like their external appearance sits comfortably with their internal identity - who they are. And they’re not sure how to fix that. “I don’t know how to dress in a way that feels true to who I am.” She calls this common conflict the Alien Effect. I’m sure many of us have items in our wardrobe that when we put them on, feel ‘alien’ to us. Myth Busted: The main issue isn’t actually about the fit of that item —it’s about understanding your Style Personality. The Style Personality Framework Fiona introduced 8 style personalities (most people are a combination of 2-3): * Classic - Tailored, timeless, structured, minimal accessories * Relaxed - Comfort-first, natural fabrics, effortless look * Dramatic - Bold, impactful, prioritizes looks over comfort * Rebellious - Irreverent, edgy details, doesn’t follow rules * Creative - Unique, vintage, mood dresser, quirky color combinations * Sultry - Glamorous, figure-embracing, bold accessories * Feminine - Soft fabrics, gentle details (lace, ruffles), warm colors * Elegant - Sophisticated, uses color and print with structure » Curious to find out which Style Personalities you are? Find out here in Fiona’s free Style Personality Quiz. The “Shoulds” Problem That Blocks Our Authenticity * Women often abandon their authentic style due to cultural/role expectations. Here we go again ladies. * “I should dress like this” or “I shouldn’t wear that at my age” - bugger that! If you love it and it feels great on, go for it. * Many of us were of a certain style in our 20s. Trying to hang on to that in midlife and make it ‘fit’ with who we are now, that’s not going to feel ‘right’. Let’s embrace the now, who we are now and move forward from there. * We talked about the “mutton dressed as lamb” saying and how that impacts us. Life Transitions & Style Evolution Style personality can shift during major transitions - many of these happen in midlife often all at once. It’s in these major shifts that we feel the pull of re-invention - to meet the needs of that change and at the same time, feel like it’s us as we do. * Career changes - maybe you’re pulling back into ‘retirement territory’ so going casual is calling loudly. Fiona said that is often the greatest challenge for some Style Personalities too - how to dress more casually without losing their authentic self. * Returning from maternity leave - maybe you need to step things up a bit * Kids leaving home - time to let go and dress for the fun stuff! :) * Moving locations - weather and lifestyle changes. Fiona suggests revisiting your style every 3-5 years is often helpful. Practical Tips for Discovery Start in Your Own Wardrobe: * Identify “alien pieces”—items you like in theory but never wear * Analyze what doesn’t work: colour, print, fabric, cut, details? * Examine pieces you love and feel amazing in * Look for patterns, common themes, in your preferences Shopping Strategy: * Don’t look outward first (social media, trends)—look inward * Use Google Shopping with your style words + item name + “street style” - Erica and I thought this was a smokin’ hot tip promising to do this and report back :) * Experiment without the pressure to buy - browse and play. * Try things on - that’s the only way you’re really going to know how you feel in something. Online doesn’t necessarily translate. * Return things that don’t work after trying at home - they’ll only weigh you down and take up valuable wardrobe real estate. Baby Steps As You Build Confidence * As you get curious and experiment, Fiona’s advice: For people who know you, it will be new (you may get mixed reactions and that’s okay). For strangers, that’s just who you are. It’s a fresh start. * Top Tip: Test new looks in places where you don’t know people first to help feeling less self-conscious. * Build confidence gradually - get curious, experiment with one thing. Step out and see how it feels. Then go again with something new. Baby steps build confidence. * Focus on fabric and cuts that feel like YOU - you’re not shopping to fit in with a trend, you’re shopping for who you are - your Style Personality. Freedom - Your Style Liberation Will Happen * To feel at home and at ease in your clothes without thinking about it all day - we have enough to think about. It’s so liberating when you don’t feel the drain of that chore. * Be curious and experiment rather than being hard on yourself - have a bit of fun with it. * Style personality dictates colors, fabrics, cuts, accessories—everything. * Give yourself permission to not follow trends that don’t suit you - be mindful that just because it looks good on someone else, it might not feel right for you. * Give yourself time - this is not a quick fix—it can take 2 weeks to 6 months to discover your style. Be kind to you as you go along. * Embrace who you are now, not who you were or who you think you should be - now more than ever in midlife let’s kick those expectations that have shackled us in the past, to the curb. We don’t need them holding us back. Dressing for who you are is liberating. Free to be me! Go get ‘em :) Thanks Fiona. Anita xx Find Your Style Personality Curious about your Style Personality? Take Fiona’s free and fun Style Personality Quiz. You might be surprised with what it reveals :) Grab More Style Wisdom Fiona’s based in Australia but has clients all over the world. She can help you online or in person. Start here on her Style Liberation website and head to Services. Online: * in her caring, supportive Community of women who help each other reclaim their personal style. * Course * Membership Website: StyleLiberation.com.au Socials: Instagram & Facebook Thank you to everyone who tuned into our live video! Join us for our next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit midlifeunfiltered.substack.com

    40 min
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Take back your power and choose yourself in midlife. Exploring often taboo topics and busting outdated stereotypes with your hosts, Anita & Erica. midlifeunfiltered.substack.com

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