September 9, 2025 • 26 mins
Welcome to a very special solo episode of The Midlife Makeover Show—it’s book launch day, baby! 🎉Wendy is coming to you from New York City to celebrate the official release of her long-awaited book, Women Waking Up: The Midlife Manifesto for Passion, Purpose and Play.
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In this heartfelt, behind-the-scenes reflection, Wendy shares the powerful “dots” that led her to this moment—from pastry school in Paris to heartbreak and healing, from her RV adventures to starting the podcast, and finally, to becoming a published author. If you’ve ever felt like your mess was too messy or your dreams too far gone, this episode will show you how every dot matters. 💖
✨ What You’ll Learn:
- How one spontaneous blog post changed Wendy’s entire life
- The deeply personal story behind Women Waking Up
- Why grief, breakdowns, and rock bottoms are often turning points
- How to recognize the “dots” on your own midlife path
- The importance of trusting the process—even when the dots don’t make sense
- Behind-the-scenes of Wendy’s book deal, podcast origin, and branding journey
đź“š Grab your copy of Women Waking Up + free bonuses at: WomenWakingUp.com
💛 Leave a review on Amazon to support Wendy’s mission
📸 Tag Wendy on IG @wendy_valentine_ with #WomenWakingUp to celebrate your own “dot” in the story!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
>> Wendy Valentine (00:00):
Maybe I could help save someone else.
Maybe someone out there needed hope or
healing or simply to know they weren't alone in their
struggle. Maybe I could take all that
pain and turn it into purpose.
Maybe I could help you.
That moment became a very
(00:21):
powerful dot on my path. A turning
point. I knew then
that my journey wasn't just about
surviving. It was about serving.
Hey there, beautiful. I'm Wendy Valentine, your host
of the Midlife Makeover show, where it's never too
late to wake up to your best life. Whether you're
(00:41):
navigating a career change, empty nesting,
menopause, or wondering what's next, you're in the
right place. Every week I'll bring you real
talk, laughs and and inspiring conversations
with experts and extraordinary women who have
transformed their lives from self care and
relationships to starting over and finding freedom.
(01:02):
This is your time to reinvent,
rediscover, and reignite the woman you were
always meant to be. So hit that subscribe
button and let's rewrite the rules of midlife.
Your new adventure starts now.
Foreign.
(01:24):
Oh my gosh. Today
is the day. Women
waking up is officially out in the world.
You have no idea how many times I've
dreamed of saying those words. And
now here we are. And here I
am in New York City.
(01:46):
What's really interesting is that this is
exactly the place I dreamed I'd be on
launch day. And somehow the
universe made it happen. This book
tour has been one big, beautiful
whirlwind. I flew from Madera,
Portugal, to Miami, Florida, had an awesome
(02:06):
interview in Fort Lauderdale, drove my
RV Felicia to Atlanta
and tucked her into storage, then hopped
a flight to la. I had interviews in
Los Angeles, in San Francisco,
and now here I am in New York
City, where I got to be on
Good Day New York. How cool is that?
(02:30):
So today's episode is just me,
myself and I. No guest. Just you and me
and this moment. A little celebration, a little
reflection, a little heart to heart.
First things first, will you
please help me out really quick? I'd
be so grateful if you'd take a second
today to grab your copy of
(02:52):
Women Waking Up. Whether you
love paperback, Kindle E Readers
or you want to hear me narrate it in your ear on
Audible or Apple Books. I got you, girl.
You can pick it up however you like to
absorb the wisdom. And please, if it
speaks to you, grab a copy for your girlfriend too.
Or your sister or your mom. But most
(03:15):
importantly, can I ask just one more thing?
Please leave a review on Amazon.
It makes a huge difference. I mean, there
are over 30 million books
on Amazon. Can you believe that? 30
million. Without reviews, this
little labor of love of mine will just sink to the
(03:35):
bottom of the ocean with all the other books.
The two things that help women waking up rise
to the surface are sales and reviews.
So if you could spend just 10 to $20
today and leave a five star review, it would
seriously mean the world to me.
And when you get your book, please post a pic of you
(03:55):
holding it. That would be so awesome to tag me
on Instagram Indy Valentine or on Facebook
and use the hashtag
WomenWakingUp so I can celebrate you
right back.
Okay, now let's talk about
why this book even exists.
Let's talk about the journey. Let's talk about
(04:16):
the dots, those random life moments that
don't make any sense until
one day they do. This
is one of my fave quotes. I've probably said it on the
podcast before from Steve Jobs. He
said, you can't connect the dots looking forward.
You can only connect them looking backward.
(04:36):
So you have to trust that the dots will
somehow connect in your future.
So let's connect some dots together.
Dot number one, the pastry school blog that
accidentally changed my life.
Let's rewind to one of my favorite chapters.
Not in the book, but in my life.
(04:58):
The chapter of Le Cordon Bleu in
Paris, France. But the
story didn't actually begin there. It
started in Virginia in a very
unmagical moment. I talk about
this more in my substack post titled
following the Crumbs of youf Dreams. But
here's the short version for you. Today
(05:20):
I was sitting at my desk running a medical
practice that I co owned with my then husband
and I was absolutely
miserable, y'. All. I hated that job.
Hated it. My in laws had
both just passed away, mind you, within
six weeks of one another.
And I had this huge gut
(05:42):
punch realization. I'm sure we've all heard
this term before, but life is
short. So freaking short.
And I thought to myself as I was sitting there at my
desk that if I don't do something for
myself soon, I'm going to wither away
inside. So I followed
(06:03):
a wild, seemingly crazy dream
and I applied to pastry school in Paris, France.
I figured if Julia Child could do it, so can
I. I bought a plane ticket,
rented a tiny Parisian apartment, and
enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu.
Every morning I'd walk to school through those beautiful
(06:24):
cobblestone streets. And every afternoon
I'd be elbow deep in sugar and
butter making croissants Cookies and cream
puffs. It was a dream come true.
Along the way, I started a blog
just for fun. I had maybe
10 subscribers who were
(06:44):
basically my friends back at home. And
I didn't really know what I was doing,
honestly. I had to Google how to write a blog.
But I kept showing up, sharing little
pieces of my journey, my thoughts, my
pastries, my heart. And then
out of nowhere, about four weeks later,
(07:05):
80,000 people were
reading my blog. Like, what?
And then one day, this sweet little
girl from Germany stopped me in the hallway
at school and said, excuse me,
are you Go, Wendy Go? That was my
blog name at the time. I
nodded, and she said, I'm Emma.
(07:28):
Today is my first day at pastry
school, and I'm here because of
you. I read your blog, and it
inspired me to follow my dream.
Whoa. That was the first time
I truly understood the power of words
and sharing my voice. And I thought to
(07:48):
myself, well, maybe, just maybe, I
wasn't going to be just a pastry
chef. Maybe I was a writer, too. And
maybe my words could make a
difference in the world.
All right, dot number two. From
pastries to practice. When I got
back from Paris, I started my pastry business,
(08:10):
mostly selling pastries at local farmers
markets. It was a dream come true, you
guys. But here's the thing. Even, while
I was piping macaroons and rolling out
croissant dough, I was daydreaming
about writing and inspiring others.
The pastries were definitely filling up bellies
(08:32):
in town. That is definitely true. But
I wanted to feed more souls.
And then, I kid you not, I guess you have to be careful
what you silently wish for, because life
pulled me right back into the medical
world for the sake of saving the medical
practice that I had owned with my husband back
(08:52):
then, I had to save, step back in.
And therefore, I had to shut down my
pastry business.
One of these days, I will get back to making my
famous French macaroons. I promise.
Anyway, it's all good. Things happen
for a reason, right?
On to the next dot dot number three. The
(09:14):
Great Unraveling, we'll call it.
Most of you have heard the story before, but here it is again.
Not long after the flour and sugar went on,
the shelf, everything else fell apart.
Divorce. 150 grand in debt,
empty nest, Lyme disease,
black mold toxicity,
(09:35):
menopause. And then,
let's just add some more to that. Within six weeks,
I lost my dog, my cat, and my
brother. And the
medical practice job that I hated,
despised so much was dissolved.
Once the marriage was dissolved,
so here I was, unemployed.
(09:58):
That was my rock bottom. I went into
a deep depression. First time in my whole life.
I suffered from anxiety and panic
attacks. I felt so
disconnected from myself, from my life,
from everything. I literally felt like
I was just disappearing. But
(10:19):
in the middle of that darkness, another dot
appeared. Dot number four. My
brother, Brian. So
this dot is a tough one for me,
but it's also one of the most defining
dots along my path.
My brother struggled with addiction for most of his life,
(10:40):
and I spent most of my life trying to save
him from his addictions. But
addiction is a beast.
Eventually, addiction took over, and my
brother ended up in a coma.
And every single day, I sat by his hospital
bed reading books to him. I
didn't know if he could hear me, but I felt
(11:03):
like it was the only thing that I could do. So
I read stories, poems,
things we used to love, just so he wouldn't
be alone. And then,
on the very last day of his life, I
looked up at the nurse and said,
bawling my eyes out, I just wish I could have
(11:24):
helped him. M. And she said,
but you are helping him. You are giving him your
love. And she walked over,
she wrapped me in the biggest hug,
and she just let me cry. And I did. I
put my head on her shoulder, and I just bawled like a
baby. That moment
broke me wide open. And in the
(11:46):
breaking, something shifted within me.
I remember thinking, if I couldn't save
my brother's life, maybe I could help
save. Save someone else.
Maybe someone out there needed hope or
healing or simply to know they weren't alone in their
struggle. Maybe I could take all that
pain and turn it into purpose.
(12:09):
Maybe I could help you.
That moment became a very
powerful dot on my path. A turning
point. I knew then
that my journey wasn't just about
surviving. It was about serving.
And that decision, that commitment to be
(12:30):
a light for someone else. That's
when the real healing began.
Dot number five. Starting over at
45. So what
do you do when your life burns to the ground?
Well, you rebuild it brick by
brick. And that's what I did.
(12:52):
I got a job selling new construction homes in
Chicago. So I packed up the U
Haul and moved from Virginia to
Illinois. Totally new city,
new life, no safety net.
And guess what? I not only
survived, I really started
to thrive. I slowly
(13:14):
healed from my emotional trauma, my
physical illnesses, and I chipped away
at that gigantic mound of debt,
and I became my own
bff. That's in chapter three, by the way, of the
book. Even though I was healing
and doing so good in my life, I kept
(13:35):
feeling that there's something more I'm
supposed to do with my life
that brings me to the next dot DOT number
six, the airport book.
Out of the blue, I decided to
attend a sales conference in Dallas, Texas.
On my way back from the seminar in Dallas,
(13:56):
I was walking through the airport and noticed this
book in the bookstore and it
was called don't keep your day job by
Kathy Heller. I was
almost late for my next flight, but I felt that I just had
to buy it. I was like, I'm buying this book.
I bought it. I devoured the entire book on the
(14:16):
plane back to Chicago.
By the time I landed, my creative
wheels were spinning with all of these
ideas of how to basically
not keep my day job and to finally
go after my passions. In the
book, Kathy Heller mentioned her podcast.
So when I got to my car, I started listening to her
(14:39):
podcast on the way home. And I binge
listen to it every single day,
which leads me to the next dot
dot seven. Meeting Stephanie Gass.
One morning when I was driving to work in Chicago, I
heard an episode on Kathy Heller's podcast
featuring a guest named Stephanie Gass.
(15:00):
Stephanie was speaking about the importance of
sharing your voice with the world by creating
your own podcast. I thought to
myself, I've never thought about that before. I
could actually start my own show,
but what in the world would I talk about? I
mean, the good thing about going through so much shit in my life is that I
(15:21):
have a lot of shit to talk about. Divorce, death,
drama, disease, debt, depression, you name it,
I have most likely been through it. Anyways,
I thought it'd be so cool to
start my own show, but the experts
all say that there's riches in the niches.
In other words, I needed one specific
(15:42):
thing to talk about, and I could
not decide which thing to talk about.
Stephanie had mentioned she offered a 30 minute
unstuck session where she helps you
get unstuck, and choose a
niche and a title to my podcast.
So I booked a session with Stephanie and I
(16:03):
told her, girl, I have a
filing cabinet of things I can talk about.
How in the world do I
niche down? She said to me,
wendy, you've completely rebuilt your
life at midlife. That's your
message. Help women do
that so I can talk about all of
(16:25):
it. I asked her, yes,
because it all matters.
Genius. I was so
excited that I finally had clarity.
And by the end of that 30 minute session,
we came up with the name the Midlife
makeover show.
All right. That leads to dot number eight.
(16:46):
Building the brand. Once the Midlife
Makeover show was born, I knew I needed
to help make it look and feel like
me. That's when I found two
absolute queens. First up is Allie
Marino, whom was referred to me by Stephanie
Gass. See how the dots connect there?
Ali is my graphic designer, branding
(17:09):
genius, and all around visual fairy
godmother. Ali helped me create everything
from scratch. My website, logos, brand
colors, fonts, vibe, the whole kitten
caboodle. And I remember telling her,
I want this to feel free, fresh, bold,
feminine and empowering, but
also fun and just a little cheeky.
(17:32):
Ally totally got it. All
right. Then came Lisa Kapan,
my photographer and videographer.
Lisa has this incredible ability to
capture energy. Not just a flattering photo
or a headshot, but the essence of who I am.
She, she made me feel so seen, so confident,
(17:52):
so real in front of the camera. Every
image you see on my website, the Midlife Makeover show
podcast cover, and even the book trailer,
those are all thanks to Lisa. Thank you,
Lisa. Together, these two
powerhouse women didn't just build a brand. They
built a feeling, a world, a whole
identity that truly reflected me and
(18:15):
what I. I was creating. And honestly,
I believe in my heart that without the
magic of Ali and Lisa, the
next dot in my journey, the email from
the publisher never would have come.
Dot number nine, the out of the blue
publisher email. Okay, fast
forward a bit. This was after I had taken off in the
(18:38):
rv. I was recording podcast
episodes in Sedona and Malibu and Zion national
park, really getting into my groovy groove and
loving the being a podcast host. And
then, bam. Out of nowhere, I
get this email from a publisher, I can't say who,
asking if I'd write a book about midlife.
(19:00):
I was like, yeah, I will definitely do
that. But as I started working with them,
I realized pretty quickly that the book they
wanted me to write was kind of
basic. And if you know
me, I don't do basic. I tried to go
along with it, back and forth, edits, adjustments,
trying to appease what they
(19:22):
wanted, but my heart wasn't really in it.
I wasn't that excited about it.
Still, I was new to the book business and I
figured, hey, maybe this is just how it works.
They eventually sent over a contract and
I was literally about to sign it. And then
a friend of mine said, hey, have you
(19:43):
thought about getting an agent? First I was
like, oh, yeah, I guess. No, I had not thought about
that, Duh. And then I even thought to
myself, how do you Even find an agent.
Which brings me to the next dot dot number
ten, my dream team. So I started looking
around. I googled the agents of some of my
favorite authors. And what do you know?
(20:06):
Both Andrea Owen and Gabby Bernstein,
total rock stars, were repped by
the same amazing woman, Michelle Martin.
I reached out, thinking there's no way I'd
hear back, but I did, and
Michelle and I clicked instantly. We got
to talking more deeply about the book, the publisher,
what they wanted me to write, and she paused
(20:29):
and said, you know what? Let's
set their idea aside. What do you want to
write? I told her about my story,
how I rebuilt my life from scratch, how I took off in an
rv, started a podcast, and began sharing my
truth with the world. And she goes,
I'll never forget this. She goes, now
(20:49):
that's a, book. And, that, my friends,
was the best advice I could have ever received.
So we decided not to sign with
that publisher and just start from scratch and
write the book that I truly wanted to write.
From there, I hired Amy B. Share as
my book coach. She's so awesome. Because I had
(21:10):
no idea how to write a book proposal,
and I knew I could write a book, but a proposal
is a whole other animal. Like, you
have to be an artist to create these things.
So Amy and I dove in, heart first. And
a few months later, we had a completed
proposal. Michelle worked her magic, as she
(21:31):
always does, pitched the proposal to several
publishers, and before I knew it, New
World Library said yes.
That was definitely a big, fat, awesome
dot on my path. And I want to say
to Georgia, Kristen, and Kim and everyone at New
World Library, thank you so much. You didn't just help me
(21:51):
publish a book. You helped me share my heart with the world.
Thank you. I'm just so emotional
today. Dot number eleven.
My PR angels. Then came
the Sarah hall team. My New York PR
dream team. I honestly didn't even know
what I was doing when I started this part of the journey.
(22:11):
I just knew I wanted this book to reach as many
women as possible. So enter Sarah
hall and Haley Helms. These ladies have
worked their butts off to to book me on interviews,
land features, and get this book
everywhere. I seriously don't know
how they do it all, but I'm so freaking thankful
they're doing it with me. So thank you.
(22:34):
All right, we got two more dots to go, and
then we're gonna wrap this up. There's a reason why I'm
telling you this whole story, so hang in there.
Dot number 12. My partner and My
pup, Alex, what would I do
without you? You have cheered me on,
celebrated everyone, and REM in me
again and again that I'm capable
(22:56):
of big, beautiful things. You've been my rock
through this crazy, wild ride, and
this book would not exist without your love and support.
So thank you. And it
really does bite to be away from you and Daisy during
this book tour. But we are definitely going to
celebrate when I get back. And I'm really
hoping I get to send you a text soon that says,
(23:19):
says now. this makes me want to cry, too.
I have been dreaming about this, but we made the New
York Times bestseller list. I want to be able to text
that to you. To all my friends and family, thank
you for being such beautiful, shiny dots
in my life. Your love and support means
more to me than you'll ever know.
(23:40):
Okay. And now, the most important
dot of them all. You.
You are a dot along my path.
And my hope is that just like Kathy
Heller's book changed my life,
women waking up will also change yours.
I want this book to become a dot in
(24:01):
your story. One you look back on and
say, that was the moment that
everything started to shift. This
book is your permission slip, your
flashlight, your roadmap. To
finally say yes to yourself, to break
free from what's been holding you back, to remember
how powerful and radiant you truly are.
(24:24):
And whatever dot you're standing on
right now in your life, just trust it.
Even if it's a, dark dot, one that's filled
with sadness or loss or pain,
Know that it might just be leading you
to the next beautiful, shiny dot.
Keep your heart focused on your dreams.
(24:45):
Let the dots unfold as they will. Even
the weird ones. I've had lots of those.
Even the wobbly ones, the ones that feel like
total detours, all of those
dots count. They're all part of your
path. And thank you so much
for being part of my path.
(25:06):
Okay, so grab your copy. Wherever books
are sold, you can still snag all the free
bonuses, like the Women Waking Up Playbook,
the meditations, the Goal Setting workshop,
and more. Just head to
womenwakingup.com to grab those
bonuses. And again, if the book speaks
to you, then please leave a review on Amazon.
(25:29):
It helps more than you know. And it just might
help this book float to the top of the New York Times
bestseller list. I would be so beyond grateful.
Because here's the deal. We need to tell the
world that we're not too old, it's not too late,
and we are just getting started.
Because we are women waking up.
(25:50):
Thank you so much. Have an amazing day, and I'll,
Chat with you next week.
Did this podcast inspire you? Challenge
you? Trigger you to make a change, or spit out your coffee
laughing? Good. Then there are three ways you
can thank me. Number one, you can leave a written
review of this podcast on Apple iTunes.
Number two, you can take a screenshot of the
(26:12):
episode and share it on social media and tag
me Wendy Valentine. Number three,
share it with another midlifer that needs a makeover.
You know who I'm talking about. Thank you so much
for listening to the show.
Get out there and be bold.
Be free.
Be you.
Maybe I could help save someone else.
Maybe someone out there needed hope or
healing or simply to know they weren't alone in their
struggle. Maybe I could take all that
pain and turn it into purpose.
Maybe I could help you.
That moment became a very
(00:21):
powerful dot on my path. A turning
point. I knew then
that my journey wasn't just about
surviving. It was about serving.
Hey there, beautiful. I'm Wendy Valentine, your host
of the Midlife Makeover show, where it's never too
late to wake up to your best life. Whether you're
(00:41):
navigating a career change, empty nesting,
menopause, or wondering what's next, you're in the
right place. Every week I'll bring you real
talk, laughs and and inspiring conversations
with experts and extraordinary women who have
transformed their lives from self care and
relationships to starting over and finding freedom.
(01:02):
This is your time to reinvent,
rediscover, and reignite the woman you were
always meant to be. So hit that subscribe
button and let's rewrite the rules of midlife.
Your new adventure starts now.
Foreign.
(01:24):
Oh my gosh. Today
is the day. Women
waking up is officially out in the world.
You have no idea how many times I've
dreamed of saying those words. And
now here we are. And here I
am in New York City.
(01:46):
What's really interesting is that this is
exactly the place I dreamed I'd be on
launch day. And somehow the
universe made it happen. This book
tour has been one big, beautiful
whirlwind. I flew from Madera,
Portugal, to Miami, Florida, had an awesome
(02:06):
interview in Fort Lauderdale, drove my
RV Felicia to Atlanta
and tucked her into storage, then hopped
a flight to la. I had interviews in
Los Angeles, in San Francisco,
and now here I am in New York
City, where I got to be on
Good Day New York. How cool is that?
(02:30):
So today's episode is just me,
myself and I. No guest. Just you and me
and this moment. A little celebration, a little
reflection, a little heart to heart.
First things first, will you
please help me out really quick? I'd
be so grateful if you'd take a second
today to grab your copy of
(02:52):
Women Waking Up. Whether you
love paperback, Kindle E Readers
or you want to hear me narrate it in your ear on
Audible or Apple Books. I got you, girl.
You can pick it up however you like to
absorb the wisdom. And please, if it
speaks to you, grab a copy for your girlfriend too.
Or your sister or your mom. But most
(03:15):
importantly, can I ask just one more thing?
Please leave a review on Amazon.
It makes a huge difference. I mean, there
are over 30 million books
on Amazon. Can you believe that? 30
million. Without reviews, this
little labor of love of mine will just sink to the
(03:35):
bottom of the ocean with all the other books.
The two things that help women waking up rise
to the surface are sales and reviews.
So if you could spend just 10 to $20
today and leave a five star review, it would
seriously mean the world to me.
And when you get your book, please post a pic of you
(03:55):
holding it. That would be so awesome to tag me
on Instagram Indy Valentine or on Facebook
and use the hashtag
WomenWakingUp so I can celebrate you
right back.
Okay, now let's talk about
why this book even exists.
Let's talk about the journey. Let's talk about
(04:16):
the dots, those random life moments that
don't make any sense until
one day they do. This
is one of my fave quotes. I've probably said it on the
podcast before from Steve Jobs. He
said, you can't connect the dots looking forward.
You can only connect them looking backward.
(04:36):
So you have to trust that the dots will
somehow connect in your future.
So let's connect some dots together.
Dot number one, the pastry school blog that
accidentally changed my life.
Let's rewind to one of my favorite chapters.
Not in the book, but in my life.
(04:58):
The chapter of Le Cordon Bleu in
Paris, France. But the
story didn't actually begin there. It
started in Virginia in a very
unmagical moment. I talk about
this more in my substack post titled
following the Crumbs of youf Dreams. But
here's the short version for you. Today
(05:20):
I was sitting at my desk running a medical
practice that I co owned with my then husband
and I was absolutely
miserable, y'. All. I hated that job.
Hated it. My in laws had
both just passed away, mind you, within
six weeks of one another.
And I had this huge gut
(05:42):
punch realization. I'm sure we've all heard
this term before, but life is
short. So freaking short.
And I thought to myself as I was sitting there at my
desk that if I don't do something for
myself soon, I'm going to wither away
inside. So I followed
(06:03):
a wild, seemingly crazy dream
and I applied to pastry school in Paris, France.
I figured if Julia Child could do it, so can
I. I bought a plane ticket,
rented a tiny Parisian apartment, and
enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu.
Every morning I'd walk to school through those beautiful
(06:24):
cobblestone streets. And every afternoon
I'd be elbow deep in sugar and
butter making croissants Cookies and cream
puffs. It was a dream come true.
Along the way, I started a blog
just for fun. I had maybe
10 subscribers who were
(06:44):
basically my friends back at home. And
I didn't really know what I was doing,
honestly. I had to Google how to write a blog.
But I kept showing up, sharing little
pieces of my journey, my thoughts, my
pastries, my heart. And then
out of nowhere, about four weeks later,
(07:05):
80,000 people were
reading my blog. Like, what?
And then one day, this sweet little
girl from Germany stopped me in the hallway
at school and said, excuse me,
are you Go, Wendy Go? That was my
blog name at the time. I
nodded, and she said, I'm Emma.
(07:28):
Today is my first day at pastry
school, and I'm here because of
you. I read your blog, and it
inspired me to follow my dream.
Whoa. That was the first time
I truly understood the power of words
and sharing my voice. And I thought to
(07:48):
myself, well, maybe, just maybe, I
wasn't going to be just a pastry
chef. Maybe I was a writer, too. And
maybe my words could make a
difference in the world.
All right, dot number two. From
pastries to practice. When I got
back from Paris, I started my pastry business,
(08:10):
mostly selling pastries at local farmers
markets. It was a dream come true, you
guys. But here's the thing. Even, while
I was piping macaroons and rolling out
croissant dough, I was daydreaming
about writing and inspiring others.
The pastries were definitely filling up bellies
(08:32):
in town. That is definitely true. But
I wanted to feed more souls.
And then, I kid you not, I guess you have to be careful
what you silently wish for, because life
pulled me right back into the medical
world for the sake of saving the medical
practice that I had owned with my husband back
(08:52):
then, I had to save, step back in.
And therefore, I had to shut down my
pastry business.
One of these days, I will get back to making my
famous French macaroons. I promise.
Anyway, it's all good. Things happen
for a reason, right?
On to the next dot dot number three. The
(09:14):
Great Unraveling, we'll call it.
Most of you have heard the story before, but here it is again.
Not long after the flour and sugar went on,
the shelf, everything else fell apart.
Divorce. 150 grand in debt,
empty nest, Lyme disease,
black mold toxicity,
(09:35):
menopause. And then,
let's just add some more to that. Within six weeks,
I lost my dog, my cat, and my
brother. And the
medical practice job that I hated,
despised so much was dissolved.
Once the marriage was dissolved,
so here I was, unemployed.
(09:58):
That was my rock bottom. I went into
a deep depression. First time in my whole life.
I suffered from anxiety and panic
attacks. I felt so
disconnected from myself, from my life,
from everything. I literally felt like
I was just disappearing. But
(10:19):
in the middle of that darkness, another dot
appeared. Dot number four. My
brother, Brian. So
this dot is a tough one for me,
but it's also one of the most defining
dots along my path.
My brother struggled with addiction for most of his life,
(10:40):
and I spent most of my life trying to save
him from his addictions. But
addiction is a beast.
Eventually, addiction took over, and my
brother ended up in a coma.
And every single day, I sat by his hospital
bed reading books to him. I
didn't know if he could hear me, but I felt
(11:03):
like it was the only thing that I could do. So
I read stories, poems,
things we used to love, just so he wouldn't
be alone. And then,
on the very last day of his life, I
looked up at the nurse and said,
bawling my eyes out, I just wish I could have
(11:24):
helped him. M. And she said,
but you are helping him. You are giving him your
love. And she walked over,
she wrapped me in the biggest hug,
and she just let me cry. And I did. I
put my head on her shoulder, and I just bawled like a
baby. That moment
broke me wide open. And in the
(11:46):
breaking, something shifted within me.
I remember thinking, if I couldn't save
my brother's life, maybe I could help
save. Save someone else.
Maybe someone out there needed hope or
healing or simply to know they weren't alone in their
struggle. Maybe I could take all that
pain and turn it into purpose.
(12:09):
Maybe I could help you.
That moment became a very
powerful dot on my path. A turning
point. I knew then
that my journey wasn't just about
surviving. It was about serving.
And that decision, that commitment to be
(12:30):
a light for someone else. That's
when the real healing began.
Dot number five. Starting over at
45. So what
do you do when your life burns to the ground?
Well, you rebuild it brick by
brick. And that's what I did.
(12:52):
I got a job selling new construction homes in
Chicago. So I packed up the U
Haul and moved from Virginia to
Illinois. Totally new city,
new life, no safety net.
And guess what? I not only
survived, I really started
to thrive. I slowly
(13:14):
healed from my emotional trauma, my
physical illnesses, and I chipped away
at that gigantic mound of debt,
and I became my own
bff. That's in chapter three, by the way, of the
book. Even though I was healing
and doing so good in my life, I kept
(13:35):
feeling that there's something more I'm
supposed to do with my life
that brings me to the next dot DOT number
six, the airport book.
Out of the blue, I decided to
attend a sales conference in Dallas, Texas.
On my way back from the seminar in Dallas,
(13:56):
I was walking through the airport and noticed this
book in the bookstore and it
was called don't keep your day job by
Kathy Heller. I was
almost late for my next flight, but I felt that I just had
to buy it. I was like, I'm buying this book.
I bought it. I devoured the entire book on the
(14:16):
plane back to Chicago.
By the time I landed, my creative
wheels were spinning with all of these
ideas of how to basically
not keep my day job and to finally
go after my passions. In the
book, Kathy Heller mentioned her podcast.
So when I got to my car, I started listening to her
(14:39):
podcast on the way home. And I binge
listen to it every single day,
which leads me to the next dot
dot seven. Meeting Stephanie Gass.
One morning when I was driving to work in Chicago, I
heard an episode on Kathy Heller's podcast
featuring a guest named Stephanie Gass.
(15:00):
Stephanie was speaking about the importance of
sharing your voice with the world by creating
your own podcast. I thought to
myself, I've never thought about that before. I
could actually start my own show,
but what in the world would I talk about? I
mean, the good thing about going through so much shit in my life is that I
(15:21):
have a lot of shit to talk about. Divorce, death,
drama, disease, debt, depression, you name it,
I have most likely been through it. Anyways,
I thought it'd be so cool to
start my own show, but the experts
all say that there's riches in the niches.
In other words, I needed one specific
(15:42):
thing to talk about, and I could
not decide which thing to talk about.
Stephanie had mentioned she offered a 30 minute
unstuck session where she helps you
get unstuck, and choose a
niche and a title to my podcast.
So I booked a session with Stephanie and I
(16:03):
told her, girl, I have a
filing cabinet of things I can talk about.
How in the world do I
niche down? She said to me,
wendy, you've completely rebuilt your
life at midlife. That's your
message. Help women do
that so I can talk about all of
(16:25):
it. I asked her, yes,
because it all matters.
Genius. I was so
excited that I finally had clarity.
And by the end of that 30 minute session,
we came up with the name the Midlife
makeover show.
All right. That leads to dot number eight.
(16:46):
Building the brand. Once the Midlife
Makeover show was born, I knew I needed
to help make it look and feel like
me. That's when I found two
absolute queens. First up is Allie
Marino, whom was referred to me by Stephanie
Gass. See how the dots connect there?
Ali is my graphic designer, branding
(17:09):
genius, and all around visual fairy
godmother. Ali helped me create everything
from scratch. My website, logos, brand
colors, fonts, vibe, the whole kitten
caboodle. And I remember telling her,
I want this to feel free, fresh, bold,
feminine and empowering, but
also fun and just a little cheeky.
(17:32):
Ally totally got it. All
right. Then came Lisa Kapan,
my photographer and videographer.
Lisa has this incredible ability to
capture energy. Not just a flattering photo
or a headshot, but the essence of who I am.
She, she made me feel so seen, so confident,
(17:52):
so real in front of the camera. Every
image you see on my website, the Midlife Makeover show
podcast cover, and even the book trailer,
those are all thanks to Lisa. Thank you,
Lisa. Together, these two
powerhouse women didn't just build a brand. They
built a feeling, a world, a whole
identity that truly reflected me and
(18:15):
what I. I was creating. And honestly,
I believe in my heart that without the
magic of Ali and Lisa, the
next dot in my journey, the email from
the publisher never would have come.
Dot number nine, the out of the blue
publisher email. Okay, fast
forward a bit. This was after I had taken off in the
(18:38):
rv. I was recording podcast
episodes in Sedona and Malibu and Zion national
park, really getting into my groovy groove and
loving the being a podcast host. And
then, bam. Out of nowhere, I
get this email from a publisher, I can't say who,
asking if I'd write a book about midlife.
(19:00):
I was like, yeah, I will definitely do
that. But as I started working with them,
I realized pretty quickly that the book they
wanted me to write was kind of
basic. And if you know
me, I don't do basic. I tried to go
along with it, back and forth, edits, adjustments,
trying to appease what they
(19:22):
wanted, but my heart wasn't really in it.
I wasn't that excited about it.
Still, I was new to the book business and I
figured, hey, maybe this is just how it works.
They eventually sent over a contract and
I was literally about to sign it. And then
a friend of mine said, hey, have you
(19:43):
thought about getting an agent? First I was
like, oh, yeah, I guess. No, I had not thought about
that, Duh. And then I even thought to
myself, how do you Even find an agent.
Which brings me to the next dot dot number
ten, my dream team. So I started looking
around. I googled the agents of some of my
favorite authors. And what do you know?
(20:06):
Both Andrea Owen and Gabby Bernstein,
total rock stars, were repped by
the same amazing woman, Michelle Martin.
I reached out, thinking there's no way I'd
hear back, but I did, and
Michelle and I clicked instantly. We got
to talking more deeply about the book, the publisher,
what they wanted me to write, and she paused
(20:29):
and said, you know what? Let's
set their idea aside. What do you want to
write? I told her about my story,
how I rebuilt my life from scratch, how I took off in an
rv, started a podcast, and began sharing my
truth with the world. And she goes,
I'll never forget this. She goes, now
(20:49):
that's a, book. And, that, my friends,
was the best advice I could have ever received.
So we decided not to sign with
that publisher and just start from scratch and
write the book that I truly wanted to write.
From there, I hired Amy B. Share as
my book coach. She's so awesome. Because I had
(21:10):
no idea how to write a book proposal,
and I knew I could write a book, but a proposal
is a whole other animal. Like, you
have to be an artist to create these things.
So Amy and I dove in, heart first. And
a few months later, we had a completed
proposal. Michelle worked her magic, as she
(21:31):
always does, pitched the proposal to several
publishers, and before I knew it, New
World Library said yes.
That was definitely a big, fat, awesome
dot on my path. And I want to say
to Georgia, Kristen, and Kim and everyone at New
World Library, thank you so much. You didn't just help me
(21:51):
publish a book. You helped me share my heart with the world.
Thank you. I'm just so emotional
today. Dot number eleven.
My PR angels. Then came
the Sarah hall team. My New York PR
dream team. I honestly didn't even know
what I was doing when I started this part of the journey.
(22:11):
I just knew I wanted this book to reach as many
women as possible. So enter Sarah
hall and Haley Helms. These ladies have
worked their butts off to to book me on interviews,
land features, and get this book
everywhere. I seriously don't know
how they do it all, but I'm so freaking thankful
they're doing it with me. So thank you.
(22:34):
All right, we got two more dots to go, and
then we're gonna wrap this up. There's a reason why I'm
telling you this whole story, so hang in there.
Dot number 12. My partner and My
pup, Alex, what would I do
without you? You have cheered me on,
celebrated everyone, and REM in me
again and again that I'm capable
(22:56):
of big, beautiful things. You've been my rock
through this crazy, wild ride, and
this book would not exist without your love and support.
So thank you. And it
really does bite to be away from you and Daisy during
this book tour. But we are definitely going to
celebrate when I get back. And I'm really
hoping I get to send you a text soon that says,
(23:19):
says now. this makes me want to cry, too.
I have been dreaming about this, but we made the New
York Times bestseller list. I want to be able to text
that to you. To all my friends and family, thank
you for being such beautiful, shiny dots
in my life. Your love and support means
more to me than you'll ever know.
(23:40):
Okay. And now, the most important
dot of them all. You.
You are a dot along my path.
And my hope is that just like Kathy
Heller's book changed my life,
women waking up will also change yours.
I want this book to become a dot in
(24:01):
your story. One you look back on and
say, that was the moment that
everything started to shift. This
book is your permission slip, your
flashlight, your roadmap. To
finally say yes to yourself, to break
free from what's been holding you back, to remember
how powerful and radiant you truly are.
(24:24):
And whatever dot you're standing on
right now in your life, just trust it.
Even if it's a, dark dot, one that's filled
with sadness or loss or pain,
Know that it might just be leading you
to the next beautiful, shiny dot.
Keep your heart focused on your dreams.
(24:45):
Let the dots unfold as they will. Even
the weird ones. I've had lots of those.
Even the wobbly ones, the ones that feel like
total detours, all of those
dots count. They're all part of your
path. And thank you so much
for being part of my path.
(25:06):
Okay, so grab your copy. Wherever books
are sold, you can still snag all the free
bonuses, like the Women Waking Up Playbook,
the meditations, the Goal Setting workshop,
and more. Just head to
womenwakingup.com to grab those
bonuses. And again, if the book speaks
to you, then please leave a review on Amazon.
(25:29):
It helps more than you know. And it just might
help this book float to the top of the New York Times
bestseller list. I would be so beyond grateful.
Because here's the deal. We need to tell the
world that we're not too old, it's not too late,
and we are just getting started.
Because we are women waking up.
(25:50):
Thank you so much. Have an amazing day, and I'll,
Chat with you next week.
Did this podcast inspire you? Challenge
you? Trigger you to make a change, or spit out your coffee
laughing? Good. Then there are three ways you
can thank me. Number one, you can leave a written
review of this podcast on Apple iTunes.
Number two, you can take a screenshot of the
(26:12):
episode and share it on social media and tag
me Wendy Valentine. Number three,
share it with another midlifer that needs a makeover.
You know who I'm talking about. Thank you so much
for listening to the show.
Get out there and be bold.
Be free.
Be you.
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