Today we're talking about clothes! How they fit in midlife, how updating our wardrobes can upend our identities, and most of all, how donated clothes can give other women a fresh start. In this episode, Susan Kanoff shares how her 25 years in social work led to starting Uncommon Threads, a nonprofit now serving more than 8,000 women a year in Greater Boston through clothing, personal styling, and confidence-building. For women over 40 navigating change, her story is a masterclass in trusting your instincts, starting before you're ready, and building something meaningful from exactly what you have.Through a cancer diagnosis, a new career as a fashion blogger and influencer, and a nonprofit founder with 45,000 followers and 2.4 million blog views she helps women reconnect with their sense of style and self. You'll also learn about the concept of enclothed cognition, which shows that what we wear doesn't just reflect how we feel but actively shapes how we think, perform, and move through the world. This is a midlife conversation that is equal parts practical and inspiring.What You'll Learn:How to build a mission-driven nonprofit in midlife Why overanalyzing is the real enemy of action What enclothed cognition means for midlife women in transition What a cancer diagnosis teaches you about timing How to build a platform from scratch with no background Resources and Links:Uncommon Threads: uncommonthreads.org | @uncommonthreadsboutiqueThe Midlife Fashionista: https://www.instagram.com/themidlifefashionista/Kicking Cancer in Heels: https://kickingcancerinheels.com/CLL Women Strong: https://www.instagram.com/cllwomenstrong/Midlife Private Parts: https://www.midlifeprivateparts.com/Sponsor: Join the Tryb — jointhetryb.com, code UPLIFTER20 for 20% off your first orderAbout Susan Kanoff: Susan Kanoff is a former social worker, wardrobe stylist, and the visionary founder of Uncommon Threads, a nonprofit empowering women in need through clothing, personal styling, and confidence-building since 2016. Known as The Midlife Fashionista, she has built a community of 45,000 followers and 2.4 million blog views sharing fashion, lifestyle, and wellness for women navigating midlife and beyond. She is co-founder of Kicking Cancer in Heels and CLL Women Strong (the first national support group for women with CLL), a contributor to Midlife Private Parts (one of Zibby's Most Anticipated Books of 2025), and a recipient of the 2025 Massachusetts Teachers Association Louise Gaskins Lifetime Achievement Award for Civil and Human Rights. She has been featured in WGBH, WCVB, WBUR, NECN, Woman's World Magazine, The Boston Globe, and Northshore Magazine, among others.About Your Host: Aransas Savas is a wellbeing and leadership coach specializing in helping women over 40 navigate midlife transitions, career changes, and second-act reinvention. With 20+ years of behavioral research experience partnering with companies like Disney, Weight Watchers, and Best Buy, she hosts The Uplifters Podcast, featuring women doing meaningful work in the second half of their lives. Aransas brings both research rigor and personal experience to conversations about courage capital, midlife transformation, and building meaningful second acts.Connect with Aransas:Instagram: @aransas_savasPodcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcastKeywords: perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, female founders midlife, perimenopause motivation, starting business during menopause, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, enclothed cognition midlife Get full access to The Uplifters at www.theuplifterspodcast.com/subscribe
