December 4, 2025 • 47 mins
Reinvention doesn’t wait for permission. After a career-ending car accident and the loss of both parents before 40, Tina Coleman made a radical choice one week later: she boarded a plane for her first solo international trip. That single leap cracked open a new life—full-time travel, sobriety, a 90‑pound health transformation, and a mission to help Gen X women trade exhaustion for agency.
We dive into what makes midlife uniquely powerful: hard-won wisdom, sharper boundaries, and the freedom to choose again. Tina shares the story behind her boldly titled upcoming book, 50, Fabulous, and Fuckable, and why the most subversive move isn’t chasing youth but embodying presence. We challenge myths about gray hair, desirability, and the belief that perimenopause blocks weight loss. Tina explains how Ayurvedic rhythms, mindful eating, and strength training reshaped her health, while EFT tapping and simple nervous system resets helped quiet stress cravings and improve sleep.
The conversation moves from mindset to method: five-minute journaling to clear mental clutter, Yoga Nidra to restore energy, restorative and yin yoga to unlock deep tension, and bodywork to release what talk can’t reach. We talk freedom and simplicity abroad—walking cities, market food, and daily human connection—and share safe, realistic ways to make travel affordable with house sitting, work exchanges, and slow itineraries. You’ll leave with practical tools, a reframe on aging, and a spark to design a life that feels like yours again.
If this conversation fired you up, follow Tina at beacons.ai/transformbecourageous, pre-order her book, and grab her free travel guide. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs a nudge, and leave a review to help more women find their breakthrough.
How To Connect with Tina click HERE
I would love to hear from you! What did you think of the episode? Share it with me :)
Let's Be Friends
Hang out with Heather on IG @greenpalettekitchen or on FB HERE.
Let's Talk!
Whether you are looking for 1-1 nutrition coaching or kitchen coaching let's have a chat. Click HERE to reach out to Heather.
Did You Love This Episode?
"I love Heather and the Real Food Stories Podcast!" If this is you, please do not hesitate to leave a five-star review on Apple or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (01:20):
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Real Food
Stories.
Today we are diving into aconversation about reinvention,
resilience, and what it reallylooks like to rebuild a life in
midlife, not from a place ofcrisis, but from a place of
power.
My guest, Tina Coleman, haslived through chapters that
(01:41):
might flatten most people.
She lost both of her parentsbefore turning age 40.
She survived two major caraccidents, including one that
abruptly ended her 20-yearcareer as a licensed massage
therapist.
And she has spent years caughtin a cycle of not caring for
herself at all.
And then one bold decisionchanged everything.
(02:05):
One week after thatcareer-ending accident, Tina got
on a plane for her first solointernational trip.
That moment cracked somethingopen.
It was the catalyst that led herto travel solo full-time, move
abroad, and get sober, lose 90pounds, transform her health,
and rebuild a life rooted infreedom and self-trust.
(02:29):
Today, Tina is the force behindthe upcoming book, 50, Fabulous,
and Fuckable, a fierce, funny,deeply honest guide that
reframes what it means to be awoman at midlife.
Through her writing andcoaching, she helps women
release burnout, break free fromold narratives, and step into a
(02:50):
chapter defined by confidence,joy, and possibility.
She speaks openly about thechallenges many Gen X women
face (02:57):
shifting hormones, energy crashes, feeling invisible, and
she flips the script into one ofabundance, empowerment, and
agency.
Women are drawn to her rawhonesty, her humor, and her
belief that it's never too lateto reinvent yourself.
I cannot wait for you to hearthis conversation.
(03:18):
Tina is a reminder that midlifeisn't a breakdown, it's a
breakthrough.
And her story just might giveyou permission to imagine a
different possibility for yourown.
So let's jump in.
Tina Coleman is the bold voicebehind the upcoming book, 50,
Fabulous, and Fuckable.
Now, am I allowed to say that ona podcast, just by the way?
(03:40):
I don't know if I'm going to getdinged for that, but I'm saying
it anyway.
Uh, we'll see what happens.
Which is a powerful guide thatredefines what it means to be a
woman at midlife.
Her mission is to empower womenapproaching 50 and beyond to
embrace reinvention, freedom,and unapologetic confidence
while stepping into the mostvibrant, authentic chapter of
(04:02):
their lives.
After more than two decades as amassage therapist, Tina's career
was abruptly cut short by a caraccident.
Instead of letting life'shardships define her, she chose
to reinvent herself from theground up.
That reinvention began withtraveling solo, an experience
that opened her eyes topossibility, freedom, and
(04:23):
courage.
Solo travel became the catalystthat ultimately led her to move
abroad, where she continues toembrace transformation and
intentional living.
And now Tina shares her journeyas living proof that it's never
too late to create the life youwant.
Through her writing, speaking,and coaching, she inspires women
to release burnout, overcome theweight of old narratives, and
(04:45):
fully own their worth.
She speaks openly about thechallenges Gen X women face from
shifting hormones and energycrashes to feeling invisible in
a culture obsessed with youth.
That's yes.
And flips the script into one ofpower, possibility, and
abundance.
Her book is not only acelebration of women thriving at
(05:07):
midlife, but also a movement, aninvitation to step out of fear
and scarcity and into boldness,adventure, and unapologetic joy.
Tina's story resonates deeplywith women who are ready to
trade exhaustion for empowermentand who want real, relatable
strategies to feel fabulousagain inside and out.
So welcome, Tina.
(05:28):
I'm so excited to talk to you.
You sound like you are livingthe dream of so many women.
And I want to hear your storyabout how you got into it and
how you're now just being aworld traveler and what it took
to get there.
So why don't we just start withjust introduce yourself again?
I mean, I know I was just, youknow, introducing you, but why
(05:51):
don't you just give yourself anintroduction?
SPEAKER_00 (05:54):
Great.
Thank you so much.
And thank you so much for havingme.
I really appreciate it.
So I'm originally from DesMoines, Iowa, which is the
center of the United States.
And my family did not travel atall.
Um, so for me, traveling hasbeen such a joy and a pleasure.
Uh a lot of anxiety too, but Ididn't start traveling.
I hadn't flown onto the planeuntil I was 30, and then I did
(06:16):
not start traveling internallyuntil about 45.
Ironically, I actually startedgoing down to Mexico for dental
work because it was cheaper thanin the States.
And I fell in love with Mexico.
But I always thought I wouldlive like uh in Asia somewhere.
So who knows?
Um, but after the car accident,I was very angry for a few
years, and that's when I decidedto let everything let everything
(06:38):
go in the States, literally.
And I moved down to Mexico, andI've just kind of been going
ever since.
And I am currently in Medellin,Colombia.
Wow, that's great.
SPEAKER_01 (06:47):
I mean, it sounds so exotic and so many women like
fantasize about doing.
Um you are a woman in midlife,like I am too.
And I know at this time, I mean,you something compelled you to
write a book, and you're like aliving example of sort of living
like a dream.
But I know that at this time inour lives, myself included,
(07:09):
sometimes you know, a lot ofwomen feel so confused.
They're just feel defeated,they're overwhelmed with
symptoms and you know, and justtheir bodies changing.
We're definitely in the sandwichgeneration, you know.
So if you have kids and you alsohave aging parents and you're
stretched thin, right?
And and we don't might not havethe ability to just go like, you
(07:32):
know, jump on planes and do andand just go and have all that
freedom right now.
So it's it's kind of a a time ofof overwhelm, I think.
So why do you believe um justfrom talking to you now off-air,
you know, that like midlife canbe the most powerful, vibrant
stage of a woman's life?
(07:52):
Like what what what is it aboutmidlife that stands out to you?
SPEAKER_00 (07:57):
I think it's such an exciting time, which you know is
not how we've been raised toperceive it.
We've been raised to perceive 50as being old or hell, you're not
sex anymore.
And for me, I wanted to beempowered and inspired by it.
So for me, like we've we've madeall the mistakes, we've had the
bad relationships, we've had thefinancial problems, we've
(08:18):
changed careers, people have hadkids, gone to school, things
like that.
And so by the time you'reapproaching midlife, things are
changing.
You know, we've got all thiswisdom behind us now.
We're able to make differentchoices.
And then for women that havechildren, like the kids are
growing up, maybe they're uh,you know, single for the first
time in a while, maybe they're,you know, getting remarried,
(08:39):
like different things arehappening, like it's really a
shakeup time.
And I think it's just soexciting because you can really
be vibrant and healthy and aliveand do the things that maybe
scare you a little bit.
Um, but take those chancesbecause it's so worth it.
SPEAKER_01 (08:55):
Yeah, I agree with you.
I mean, I think it is anopportunity to, I like, I love
the word opportunity because itjust gives you like a right, you
can you can imagine and and umget creative with that.
And it does give you theopportunity to think about what
you want to do from like here onin, because I'm also kind of
grappling with this life isshort like theme lately, you
(09:18):
know, that like we don't havelike you know, we've lived a you
know, I'm I'm 57 years old andyou know you look amazing, you
absolutely look amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (09:27):
Oh my gosh, yes, you look great.
I thought you were like, youknow, my age or a little
younger.
You look amazing.
SPEAKER_01 (09:33):
Oh, thank you.
But thank you so much.
I appreciate that.
But uh, you know, it's like my,you know, I'm getting into like
a next, another phase, and Iwant to like while I have the
energy and and I have do have alittle more time now and
flexibility, my kids are out ofthe house, and I want to be able
(09:53):
to do things while I can now,not 20 years later, when I might
start having some other healthissues or just because of aging,
right?
So yeah, it is it is a reallygreat time to start, I think,
imagining your future, right?
SPEAKER_00 (10:11):
So it is okay.
I'm gonna I'm gonna get a littlewoo-woo on you for just a minute
here, okay?
So because of the age you are,um, every every about like 27 to
28 years, we go through a Saturnreturn.
We have it in our 20s where weget married, divorced, have
children, travel across thecountry, whatever.
So you're actually at the brinkof a spiritual awakening.
(10:33):
And that might be why you'rehaving these urges.
So, and it's really interestingbecause people at this age, they
either have a spiritualawakening and they go through
it, or they have physicalsymptoms like they can have
strokes, heart attacks, thingslike that that have happened to
move them into that spiritualawareness.
So I think you're at the perfecttime to be reimagining and kind
of moving forward and takingthose risks because life is
(10:56):
short.
Like I lost my mom and stepdadum very suddenly right before my
I turned 40.
So that also propelled me intobeing like, okay, I need to do
things now because you don'tknow how long you're gonna be
here.
We don't know how how for helpis gonna be, but you're young,
you're vibrant now.
And you know, if you want to goto Europe or go climb Everest or
whatever, go do it.
(11:17):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (11:18):
Yeah, I totally agree with you.
I think right, just life isshort and just right.
And I like that spiritualawakening because that is sort
of what I'm feeling, at least.
So if I'm feeling it, I imaginethat others are also feeling
this, sort of like, what'swhat's my purpose here?
What is my next, you know, whatare my next like stages of
what's going to happen?
(11:39):
So I guess all your spiritualawakenings prompted you to write
a book, which is good.
So did you feel called to writethis book?
Tell me a little bit more aboutthat.
I did.
SPEAKER_00 (11:49):
I really believe this book was divinely inspired.
And people might laugh becauseof the title, you know.
And honestly, I did not, I know,I did not sit around wanting to
be a writer.
I did not, I'm not a writer, Idon't think I'm a writer.
Um, but I had gone to someseminars and they had planted
the seed about writing a book.
I'm like, okay, great.
But it's really because I was soincredibly terrified about
(12:10):
turning 50.
I was about 46, 47, and I wasgood with that.
And I was like, oh, I'm gonna be50, what's gonna happen?
Like, oh my gosh, did you die?
Like, you know, my hair was notgray at the time.
My hair, my hair was about yourcolor.
All my life, it was about yourcolor.
So it's like I'm like, what'sgonna happen when I turn 50?
And I have an older sibling anda younger sibling, um, three and
(12:32):
a half years apart for me, andthey're all like, oh, this hurts
and that hurts, and oh, I'm soold.
And I'm like, I don't want to dothat.
I don't want to live that way.
I want to be, I feel energetic.
I, you know, I love my life.
So I wanted to carry on withthat.
So I really the idea for thebook came to me, and it just
like and it's so funny becausethere's so many times I'm like,
(12:53):
can I say that?
Can I do this?
Who am I to write a book aboutbeing 50?
I wasn't 50 yet.
And like, and can I talk aboutmenopause?
Like, I haven't done that yet,which I am now in it, so now I
can talk about it.
Um, but it's just, you know, Ihad to give myself permission to
be like, I can do this, and it'sstill stepping into that power
and being like, yes, my mymission really is to empower and
(13:14):
inspire women to travel on theirbest life.
And I really think that it wasfrom my higher self that it
came.
Like I did not sit around anddream this up, it just came to
me.
SPEAKER_01 (13:22):
Yeah, I think that's how a lot of things usually
happen, right?
It's it's there is some kind ofdivine guidance if you want to
get woo-woo and believe that,you know, but I I I do believe
that.
And I guess the title of yourbook is so far okay because you
published the book and here itis out.
I'm just curious, on the on thebook cover, is it all written
(13:45):
out, that word, or is it I Ihave like a little part with and
I am currently in pre-lunch.
SPEAKER_00 (13:51):
I am self-publishing, so it will be
out at the end of December.
I did have a publisher and thatdid not work out.
So I was like, we're still doingthis because I think the message
of the book is so important, andI think once it's out, it can
help women at different stages.
And it's really interestingbecause when I say the title of
the book, no matter where I'm atin the world, everyone's like,
Oh, I want to read that.
(14:12):
Like men, women, women there intheir 20s, 30s, like everyone
wants to read the book.
And I'm like, okay, great,because it does have a lot of
really great information.
It we talk about travel andhealth and self-care and
menopause and uh pre-planningand things like that.
So it's kind of like anall-encompassing book, you know,
for midlife.
SPEAKER_01 (14:31):
So, okay, so that's um maybe an intro into my next
question that, you know, there'sa lot of, you know, like I said
it before, like women feelconfused and overwhelmed.
And and what do you think aresome of the other just myths
about women turning 50, gettinginto their 50s, midlife that you
want to break?
(14:52):
Because here you are sort ofliving like a lot of people's
dream.
You know, you're traveling,you're solo, you're like, you
know, doing whatever you want.
So what are yeah, tell me aboutsome of like the myths that you
are determined to break that areyou that you cover in the book.
Gray hair isn't sexy.
SPEAKER_00 (15:13):
That is a big one.
Because men are allowed to gogray.
When men go gray, they'redistinguished, they're sexy,
they're a gray fox.
You know, when women get gray,we're like, oh, you're old,
you're over the hill.
Like, and so so many of us spenda lot of money and time trying
to hide it.
And like I said, my hair wasyour color like my whole life,
and I was so determined not tohave gray hair.
(15:35):
Like it was funny.
Like, I got the blondehighlights going, and then I
kind of and then I actually wentblonde, short and blonde.
And then when I was in Mexico, Iwent pink, and it was supposed
to be a really cute pink, it wasa bright fuchsia pink, talking
like from the cartoon trollspink.
So I ended being her for myHalloween, and then when it
(15:55):
faded and it faded outbeautifully, I was like, oh, my
hair's gray.
Because I didn't know, I didn'tknow.
So I did pink.
Oh, because you'd been coloringyour hair for so long?
Well, because I had I'd goneblonde.
I'd actually gone blonde andshort in 2018, and then in 2020,
I was traveling Mexico, and afriend of mine, he was getting
(16:16):
his hair blonde.
I'm like, I don't think they cando my blonde because, like, you
know, I was in a little villagein Cipelite, Mexico, and I'm
like, she's not gonna be able todo my blonde the way I want it.
So let me just do pink, let's doa light, fun pink.
I'm in Mexico.
It was bright fuchsia.
It was bright fuchsia.
I was like, huh, I'm like, okay,you know what?
I'm in Mexico, it's totallyfine.
(16:37):
No one's gonna see me.
Like it could rock it.
And then when it faded out, Iwas like, huh, okay, and it
looked really cool.
And that's I went pink, I didlavender, uh, I did a dark blue
also, which that actually had toum that had to grow out.
It was a semi-permanent, but itdid not because I'm like, oh, I
(16:59):
want to go blonde again.
And the colorist I saw in NextCoast City, he was like, uh no,
this is gonna have to grow out,or we're going to ruin your
hair, and it's gonna be superexpensive.
So I had like this reverse ombreat like silver and dark blue,
and it was really, really sexy.
And that's when I was like,you're just gonna want to go
gray.
So that's that's like such a bigmyth because so many of us spend
so much time and money coloringit, and obviously everyone's
(17:21):
hair looks different.
Um, my grandmother wascompletely white by the time she
was 30.
SPEAKER_01 (17:26):
Oh wow, okay.
SPEAKER_00 (17:27):
Yeah, friends in the friends in the family.
Um, but I thought it you know, II thought in my mind I never
wanted gray hair, like I'm gonnalike dime my hair until I'm 90.
Like I never thought of goingnatural.
And so it was a big deal.
And for a woman, it is a bigdeal.
But it's like, um, and I made avideo on this, it's it's not the
color of your hair that makesyou look old, it's your
attitude.
So, like if you're in love withlife, you're excited about life,
(17:50):
you're gonna radiate thatenergy.
It's not about what color yourhair is, it's about who you are.
SPEAKER_01 (17:55):
Yeah, I I mean you have really nice gray hair.
I don't know what mine wouldlook like because my hair is so
dark normally, but I do, I dostill touch up my hair a little
bit here and there because I'mnot I'm not totally ready to go
there, but I do, I I will.
One day I definitely will.
I sort of have this fantasy ofhaving this like really long,
like thick braid of of you knowsilver hair.
SPEAKER_00 (18:17):
I could I could see that.
And the fun thing is is it'shair.
You can make it any color youwant, you can do whatever you
want with it.
And I think because so manywomen, the Gen X generation,
we're just kind of like, we'regonna do what we want.
And I think there's gonna be somany more options with your hair
as you as time progressesbecause they're just having fun
with it, they're doing likereverse ombres and all different
(18:37):
kinds of things.
So my advice is just have funwith it, embrace it.
It doesn't have to be soserious.
SPEAKER_01 (18:44):
I totally agree.
Yeah, no, I did, I think aroundCOVID, I was like, maybe I'll
dye my hair pink.
I was like kind of toying withthat too.
Then I realized that I had noidea what it entailed, but I
realized that I would have tobleach my hair out first, I
think, and then dye.
So I was like, you know what,there's too many steps.
I don't know.
I'm not I understand.
SPEAKER_00 (19:04):
I understand completely.
SPEAKER_01 (19:05):
I do.
But one day I think I will Iwill do that.
So let's talk about a coupleother myths.
What what other myths do youfeel like women are, you know,
like we need to break here?
SPEAKER_00 (19:15):
Uh that you can't lose weight in menopause and
perimenopause.
That's a big one.
It is because I actually lost 90pounds in perimenopause.
So, and I actually started doingit uh with Ayurvedic Medicine,
which is from India and it'sbeen around for 5,000 years, and
it focuses on your like whattime you're eating, what types
of food you're eating, likebeing mindful when you're
(19:38):
eating, and then also on yourdigestion.
So it's not like a starvationplan, it's not, you know, and it
really works with the differentuh doses and body types.
So it's really interesting.
Um, but that's like a big onebecause I lost 90 pounds, so I
know it's doable.
And then of course I added likeweight training in, like,
because I love I do love weighttraining, and I love that you
love weight training.
Like I love that, I do, and Iactually need to get back into
(20:00):
it because being here inColumbia, I have put on a couple
pounds.
Like, I'm gonna be honest, like,I'm eating a lot of desserts, a
lot of arepas, like, and I don'tfeel guilty about it, but I'm
like, okay, it's time, and itwas it was time a few months ago
to be honest, but um, it's anawareness.
So we're at a different point inour life where you don't have to
like beat yourself up for it,but you can lovingly be like, oh
(20:22):
yeah, so if I change thesecouple of things, I'm going to
get a different result.
Rather than have holding on tothe gear, guilt and the fear,
because you can lose weightduring menopause and curry
menopause.
I'm a firm believer in that.
So, you know, and with women,for some for some reason, we're
always caught up in like thenumber on the scale and the
weight.
And it's more about how you feeland just loving yourself, I
(20:42):
think.
SPEAKER_01 (20:43):
Yeah, I totally agree with you.
I just did um just recently, butI don't know when this podcast
get we go live with thispodcast, but you know, so but a
little while back I did apodcast um just to remind
everyone that right, justbecause you go into menopause or
perimenopause does not mean thatyou automatically gain 20
pounds.
And there's but I have a lot ofclients, a lot of people who you
(21:07):
know say things like, I justlook at food and I gain five
pounds, or I, you know,everything I put in my mouth,
just you know, like I can't loseweight.
I have no, they get veryconfused because I think the way
that they were doing it back intheir 30s, just like skipping a
couple of meals, you know, doinga detox, uh, whatever, isn't
(21:28):
working for them anymore becauseit's not necessarily menopause
that creates uh makes us gainweight.
It's just we get or we'regetting older, our metabolisms
are slowing down, our muscle.
And and I think we have to startgetting really mindful.
I mean, I've always pushed that.
I think the mindfulness piece isthe number one key for women, is
(21:50):
just to it and to be forgiving,right?
And and I and I heard you saythat you're in Columbia now,
you've been eating a little moretoo many desserts.
Great.
I mean, I hope you enjoyed everysingle bite.
I did.
And maybe you're seeing like alittle weight, you know, but no,
right, no beating yourself up,no shame, no, right?
You just like it's it's sort oflike a tap, you know, like,
okay, maybe you don't want toget back to what I was doing.
(22:13):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (22:13):
And it's an awareness because I'm like, oh,
my thighs are a little morejiggly than they used to be.
But instead of being like, oh,this is awful and they're fat,
my thigh, I'm never gonna beable to lose the weight, instead
of going into that spiral thatwe can go into really fast, I'm
just like, oh, I need to show mybody a little more love.
I need some more movement, Iknow that, uh less desserts, you
know, being a little moreconscious of what I'm eating.
(22:35):
And then also just like lovingon your body.
Um, and I love doing tappingtoo, because tapping actually
really helps with weight loss aswell.
Emotional freedom technique forpeople that aren't aware of it.
Um there's so many tools andtechniques that we have these
days instead of like, and ourminds are powerful.
So if you think, oh, I look at Ilook at chocolate cake and I
gain five pounds, because thatis definitely me.
(22:56):
Like I have had that experiencethroughout my life.
Weight has been a strugglethroughout my life.
So when I found Ayurvedic, I waslike, oh, this is amazing.
It was a complete game changer.
But like if you look at a pieceof cake and oh, I'm gonna gain
five pounds, you have themindsets, you know, and you have
these thoughts that arerepeating in your mind.
So start changing those, beinglike, I am gonna this is a piece
(23:17):
of chocolate cake, I'm gonnaenjoy every bite of it, or I'm
gonna enjoy half of it, likewhatever makes you comfortable.
But realizing that you'refueling your body and you're
feeding your body self-love andattention and awareness.
So doing that consciouslyinstead of having all these
negative thoughts about food andyour body.
SPEAKER_01 (23:34):
Yeah.
So I I mean, I think that right,you can there's there's lots of
ways to lose weight, right?
So you went the Ayurvedic routeand tapping, and though, and
those seem to work really wellfor you.
And whatever works, I think, forpeople, but I think overall for
all women, I think that we haveto cultivate some body kindness.
(23:58):
We have to be really gentle andeasy with it because we're going
through so much change right nowin this, like in this
transition, so much, you know.
And some women like kind ofglide right through menopause,
they don't even like notice thenot a hot flash, not a nothing.
And then there's the rest of uswho feel everything, and just
just it's a real, a realtransition time.
SPEAKER_00 (24:20):
It is, and I just want to interject that women, we
tend to feel bad about ourbodies, but men don't.
They can have a beer belly andthey're like, Oh, look at my
beer belly, it's so sexy.
It's like, you know, it's likeyou know, and women, we just we
just tend to be really hard onourselves.
And I think if we were moreloving and accepting, our bodies
would change much faster and wewould be able to really enjoy
(24:42):
them more.
SPEAKER_01 (24:42):
Yeah.
Well, I mean, I think also withthe pressure to stay to look a
certain age and to stay younglooking, and to, I was just
watching um the Golden Bachelorthe other day, just as like an
observation.
Are you familiar with theBachelor?
No, not at all.
I'm connected, yeah.
Yeah, you don't don't.
(25:02):
I mean, don't.
I'm just I'm just telling youbecause I was just watching it
out of curiosity because it'sone man who's he's in his 60s
and 30 women also in their 60s,just you know, chasing after
him.
And eventually one, you know,becomes down to like one woman,
like he picks.
And I'm just watching it likethe I'm I'm feeling so uneasy
(25:23):
with their the pressure thatthese women are under to compete
with each other and to look asthin as possible and young as
possible.
And they're so Botoxed.
And I mean, it's just, I don'tknow, it's a real, I think from
just a cultural standpoint, youknow, it's a real, it's really
like an eye-opener.
But I mean, because I think thatwe are just under so much
(25:47):
pressure to stay youthful at anycost.
I don't know, maybe you couldspeak to that on like some like
as one of your myths of you knowjust getting older.
Is that can we still be, can westill be uh sexy and hot and and
absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (26:06):
I just turned 53, so fuck yes.
Yes, we can.
So yes, absolutely.
And first of all, I want to sayI'm glad they're actually using
women that are in his age rangeinstead of like 30-year-olds,
which is what I would expectedyou to say, honestly.
I was like waiting for that.
Um, because that would betotally a TV move to have the
women half his age be by theway.
SPEAKER_01 (26:26):
Well, he wanted the women half his age.
He had said he got a lot of heatfor it because he wanted to have
the women be more in their 40sand like younger 50s.
And the I think the show islike, no, this is not what it's
about.
But the women who are in their60s are desperately trying to
look like they're in their 40sand 50s.
SPEAKER_00 (26:43):
I I'm sorry, but if you're in your, you know, 50s
and 60s, you don't need a man,first of all.
I mean, yes, it can be nice tohave one, have the right person
in your life, but as a woman,like enjoy and I want to say
enjoy your freedom and theability to do things you may not
have been able to do before.
Um, but we don't need to chasethe everlasting fountain of you.
I think being able to embraceit, and there's lots of natural
(27:06):
things that women can do.
Because a lot of women want todo like uh Botox and all the
fillers and things like that,which is fine if that is what
you want to do to make you feelbetter.
But if you're doing it for anoutward appearance to tell
society, like, oh, I'm stillyoung and I still got it, that's
not the right approach.
Um, because it really startswith you.
But like there is um, you know,you can do facial cupping, you
(27:28):
can do facial gouacia, you cando facial yoga, you can do all
kinds of things because wereally don't touch our face very
much.
So doing things to like stretchthe muscles and maintain those,
you can do that in a healthy waythat's different than what other
women are doing.
But we don't have to try andchase a found abuse or to look
like we're not 30 anymore.
(27:49):
Okay, we're not 20, we're not 30anymore, we're just not, and
that's okay.
Right.
You know, it's it's okay toembrace your age, it's okay to
be who you are, it's okay to belike, I love my I love myself
the way I am.
And the more you do that, themore other people will reflect
that back to you.
But chasing this, you know, theHollywood dream of you know,
constantly doing things to yourface and depriving yourself and
(28:12):
being mean to yourself, likeit's not the way to embrace you,
you know, or to look younger, tofeel younger.
It's really through your essenceand your attitude, and then
taking care of your body, youknow, and just loving yourself
because the more you loveyourself, the more other people
are going to be attracted to youand want to be around you, you
know.
So it's like um getting massagesbecause so many women we're
(28:35):
focused on getting our nailsdone, our hair haired in,
getting massages, gettingacupuncture, um, doing yoga
stretching because we hold somuch in our bodies on a cellular
level that releasing thoseblocked emotions and things like
that are going to be reallyfreeing to move forward in life.
SPEAKER_01 (28:52):
Well, that sounds like self-care.
And for a lot of women,self-care is like on the back
burner, right?
I mean, they're like taking careof everyone else first, and then
if they have some time and alittle extra money, and you
know, then then they'll maybe goget a massage because they're
taking care of everyone else,their kid, you know, kids and
(29:13):
parents and everything.
So yeah, I think that, you know,I was gonna ask you like for
women who just feel exhaustedand hormonal and kind of
overlooked, and what can theydo?
What are some steps to like justfeeling like you can thrive
again?
But and I, and so I thinkself-care is a really big, it
(29:33):
seems to be a big buzzword rightnow.
And it's really important totake more than ever have I felt
like, okay, because I, you know,I I have three kids very close
in age.
And for a long time, it was fiveof us in the house, and just I'm
like juggling my career,juggling my kids, like, and now
(29:56):
you know, my kids are out of thehouse, they all live, you know,
they actually pay their rent andthey work, and it's um I have
much more time for myself.
And it's hard to feel like, oh,I should go schedule myself a
massage once a week.
It feels selfish a little, youknow, sometimes.
SPEAKER_00 (30:14):
No, no, no, not at all.
Not at all.
It is actually the right thingto do.
Uh, as a massage therapist of 20years, I I definitely have some
input on this.
And I also am certified in yoga,and I've been doing yoga since
1990.
So, you know, and I was also aspiritual teacher for seven
years, so I did teach meditationas well.
Um, so it can be really simplethings.
(30:37):
It doesn't mean especially forwomen that are still juggling
everything, carving out likefive or ten minutes here makes a
big difference.
Like journaling is huge.
And I recommend a stream ofconsciousness writing where you
just have you know a notebookout and you just write for like
five minutes and you don'tfilter it, you don't censor it,
you just let it all out becausewe carry so much junk in our
(30:57):
head that it shows up in ourbody.
So once you are able to releasethat and let it out and do like
a clearing process, it's great.
It's great to do that like inthe morning when you wake up.
Um, because there's a book, TheArtist Way, that goes over uh
morning pages.
And even at night, like justgetting the junk out of your
brain, number one, is a hugething to do.
But simple things like there'sall different kinds of
(31:17):
meditation, so many meditationapps now that are Amazing.
And they don't have to be like,oh, you have 30, it doesn't have
to be 30 minutes.
It can be two minutes.
It can be three minutes.
It can be five minutes.
There's so many different typesof meditations.
And one of my favorite ones todo is a yoga nidra, uh, which
also is from Arya Veda.
Um, but you can do that on anapp, you lay down for anywhere
(31:39):
between 10 minutes to 30minutes, and it let helps you to
release the stress and tensionin the body.
It also rejuvenates you andrecharges you.
So if you're not sleepingthrough the night, uh, it gives
you about six to eight hoursworth of sleep within like 20
minutes, which is amazing.
And then, of course, there'sstretching and yoga.
I love, love, love.
(31:59):
Love restorative yoga, love yinyoga.
Uh, a lot of those poses you cando in bed and you can stretch in
a bed, so you don't have to makeit this big thing.
But I'm like, and I got intoyoga, like I said back in 1990
for my BH test tape, because itwas the video was hard, but at
the end, you get to just lay onthe ground in Shavasana, and I'm
(32:20):
like, any time of exercise, thatlaying on the floor and not
moving is an exercise.
I want to do that.
So I just had this love foryoga.
So there's all different typesof yoga you can do.
Um, and then of course, if youcan go get a massage every week,
absolutely.
If you can get a massage twice aweek, absolutely, and get an
hour and a half massage.
(32:41):
Don't get just an hour massage.
SPEAKER_01 (32:43):
But I I love all that you just said, and it's
just all really good remindersof these like self-care things
you can try.
Journaling is I I have been Ihave been preaching journaling
to even my clients for years.
I am a lifelong journaler, so Iknow how important that is for
me to get it out of my head andonto paper, even if I have to
(33:04):
tear it up.
I mean, even if I'm like, okay,I don't want anyone to ever see
this, you know, it's not foranyone else's eyes.
And I think it's such a greatpractice to be into you'd
mentioned the artist's way,which is um one of my favorite
all-time books that I yeah,started doing a long, long time
ago.
And um, I guess I just saw that,I like ran across that book just
(33:25):
the other day.
I'm like, oh yeah, I forgot likethat book.
I haven't seen it in a while,but it's yeah, really impactful
for me.
Um, and yeah, things like yoga.
I mean, and I love or sort ofyoga and yoga nitra, anything
that's you're just lying on theground.
I mean, it counts, it's yoga,right?
SPEAKER_00 (33:43):
It does, it does.
And sometimes as a woman women,we feel guilty for wanting to
take a nap or needing wanting totake that time out for us.
And the more you can take careof yourself and fill up your own
cup, the more you're going to beable to help other people.
Because if you're depleted anddrained and you're just cranky
and you're not sleeping throughthe night because your hormones
are going crazy or whatever,you're not going to be able to
(34:04):
help other people.
You're running on empty.
So just like with a car, when acar gets empty with gas and
needs to be filled up, so doyou.
And as when we're kind ofprogrammed to not take that care
for ourselves that we reallyneed, but when you do take that
five, 10, 30 minutes foryourself, it makes such a
difference.
We, I mean, there's a reason wehave spa days, okay?
There's a reason they've createda whole menu around a spa day um
(34:28):
because we need it, you know,and that's how we rejuvenate.
Um, and I have a whole chapterin my book on self-care, and I
do talk about it in my book, andI've had to like cut things out,
like, I really want to have allthis in there, but it's so
important.
So I'm so glad that you, youknow, that you appreciate these
things too, because it'simportant.
SPEAKER_01 (34:45):
Yeah, I I just um just heard the very overused
line of putting the oxygen onyou, mask on you first, so then
you can help everyone else.
I know I I like I hear that allthe time, but it was just a good
reminder that you know, you haveto take care of yourself first.
You can't you cannot take careof everyone else if you are not,
(35:09):
you know, at good care with you.
And so all these little thingsreally just help.
And I think that what they alsodo is just help to calm down
your nervous system.
And if you want to look at itjust even from a diet and weight
and you know, like anything likethat standpoint, the more your
nervous system is calmed downand your cortisol levels are
(35:31):
just, you know, low, the betteryour metabolism is, the easier
it will be to lose weight.
And and and I don't know, I Ihear a lot of women say, I spent
a couple of weeks in travelingin Italy or like and I was
eating pasta every single day,but it's like so weird.
I lost five pounds.
I'm like, well, I think one ofthe reasons, the big reasons, is
(35:55):
that you're probably at a lowstress level, right?
You're enjoying yourself.
So I think anything that's, Imean, the self-care is all good,
but it also has to bring yousome joy too, right?
And feel good.
And these are things, right,doable things that look, you
know, you can look really lookforward to.
SPEAKER_00 (36:12):
Exactly.
And joy is such a huge componentin life that we overlook,
especially in the Westernculture.
We're into the hustle and thegrind and we have to do more and
accomplish more, and we have tokeep going.
Whereas other countries,especially Italy, they're like,
oh, we're just gonna like relax.
We're not gonna do all thatthose stressful things.
You know, and there's a reason,you know, that in different
(36:34):
parts of Mexico and Spain, theyhave siestas where you're
literally taking a couple ofhours off during the the middle
part of the day because it is ahouse part of the day.
But also to eat, enjoy yourself,take a nap, rejuvenate.
And we've just kind of forgottenthat in the Western culture,
enjoy makes such a difference inour lives.
Because something else I didthink about, like one of the
things being in midlife, is thatuh anxiety and depression can
(36:58):
actually creep in and be moreintensified because our hormones
are changing.
So being able to cope with thatas well um makes a huge
difference because sometimes itis just the fluctuation of
hormones.
We're feeling things moreintensely, just like we did when
we were in adolescence.
This is like adult adolescencethat we're going through right
now.
SPEAKER_01 (37:16):
So Right.
It's like uh puberty in reverse.
Yes, right.
That is so we need that extracare.
Yeah, it's like a wild rollercoaster sometimes.
I mean, your hormones are justgoing up like all over the
place, and and it can reallyfeel intense.
So, yeah, so the self-care isreally even more important than
(37:39):
ever.
SPEAKER_00 (37:39):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (37:40):
And I'm so glad that you appreciate that.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, I've beenthrough it all.
I mean, I feel like I'm I mean,I'm still going, I'm still in
it.
And you know, and and so it'sreally taken me also a lot of
just thought too about theself-care and like what that
actually really means.
SPEAKER_02 (37:57):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (37:58):
Not just to think about it, like, oh yeah, I
should do self-care, but reallyto live it.
SPEAKER_00 (38:02):
Exactly.
You could probably ask ChatGPTsome questions too.
I'm sure that he'll have somesuggestions as well.
SPEAKER_01 (38:08):
That's a great idea.
I know.
I love ChatGPT.
SPEAKER_00 (38:13):
I don't I have two minutes, what can I do to relax?
SPEAKER_01 (38:18):
That's too funny.
But I mean, yeah, ChatGPT willprobably come up with all sorts
of great ideas that we haven'teven thought of or talked about
today.
So do you feel like livingabroad is because I'm sure my
listeners will be like kind ofcurious about this.
Do you feel like this haschanged?
I mean, would will you ever comeback and live in the United
States?
Or do you feel like you'd likelive a simpler, better, more
(38:43):
caring life abroad?
SPEAKER_00 (38:46):
Yes, I do.
I love living internationally.
I absolutely do.
Um, and I love having freedom inmy life.
Freedom is such a huge, it's ahuge thing for me.
Um, because I I I didn't havechildren, I had dogs and I had a
house.
And so I knew myresponsibilities were to my
dogs, my house, and I brought mydogs with me to Mexico.
But it's for me, like as much asI appreciate being an American
(39:08):
and appreciate having a reallygood passport, um, I love living
internationally so much morebecause I love different
cultures.
I love the little things aboutit.
Okay, because it's like um inMexico and here in Colombia,
they have like little tiendas,which are little stores, like
little convenience stores thatare run by run by local people.
And everyone is different.
(39:29):
So it's not like going into a7-Eleven or a quick trip or
something, you know, it's likethey have like kind of the same
things, but they're different.
You it's like the surprise, younever know what you're gonna
find.
Um, and there's they're sellingstreet food.
And I literally just went thismorning and got like a fresh
squeezed orange juice for like adollar twenty-five.
You know, so from this womanthat just brings me so much joy
(39:52):
when I see her.
So it's the little things.
I don't have a car anymore.
I walk, or there's bicycles, um,or the Ubers are really cheap,
or there's a metro.
So I like to live in walkingareas where I can get around
pretty easily.
So I don't have a cart, I don'thave a car insurance, I don't
have car repairs.
So that makes life a little biteasier.
Um, and it's just a differentway of living.
(40:12):
So my life is simpler and Ireally appreciate it.
Um, and so when I travel, I willeither like I love luxury hotels
and things like that.
It's wonderful, but a lot oftimes I will rent rooms off of
Airbnb because I like people, Ilike to talk and I like that
human connection, and I likehaving a host that can kind of
direct me and give you pointersfor wherever I'm at, which makes
(40:35):
it easier to get around.
Um, and to know, well, this isthe best restaurant, or you want
to do your shopping over here,or things like that little
thing.
But it's really nice to haveanother person there, and then
you meet other people too whenyou're traveling, and that is
one of the things I love themost.
Like, I am planning on comingback to Medellin um because at
first when I got here, I waslike, it's not really my kind of
(40:57):
place.
Uh, it's a very new city, it'svery new, it's kind of warm.
So, um, but I've met some reallygreat people here and just the
connections I have with people.
I like I would not be leaving,but my visa is expiring and they
will not extend it for me.
And I'm like, oh like Iliterally I literally buying my
plate because I was just hopingit would get extended, but it's
(41:19):
I I've reached my extension, sobut I can come back next year.
So the thing about traveling isgo and just explore places, even
cities you don't know that youmight might may or may not like.
Like some cities you're like,oh, I'm gonna love this, and
then you don't.
But if you spend more timethere, then it might turn
around.
But traveling is one of the bestexperiences you can have, it is
the best investment you can makein yourself, and it does not
(41:41):
have to be expensive.
And that is what a lot of peopleget tripped up on, especially in
the state.
They think, oh, I don't have themoney, I don't have the time,
whatever.
It doesn't have to be expensive.
I actually knew a girl um that Imet in 2020.
She literally rode her bike uhfrom San Diego, California down
to uh San Miguel Alianda inMexico.
(42:03):
That's a very, very long bikeride, okay?
And I was just like, whoa.
But she had like a tent and shewas camping in the woods and she
had like a little camping stove,so she would make like and she
was vegetarian, so she wouldmake her vegetarian dishes, and
that's what she did.
And so she was literally livingon nothing.
Um and getting to exploreMexico.
(42:24):
So it's like when people arelike, oh, I don't have enough
money, it's like you might nothave enough money to stay in uh
the four seasons every night.
Okay, you might not.
That but there's house sitting,you can do house sitting and pet
sitting around the world, youknow, you can do work away,
which where you can go and workand uh it goes towards your room
and boards, so you can actuallylive for free just by donating
(42:45):
some of your time.
So there's ways to do it whereit doesn't have to be expensive,
but you get the experiencebecause I do think experience
will change your life, it'llchange who you are, and it's
something you will have with youfor the rest of your life.
Whereas whatever car you'regoing to buy next, you're not
gonna have that for the rest ofyour life, you're gonna have to
buy a different one.
So having those experiences, I Ithink it just makes such a
(43:07):
difference.
And I can talk about travelingin this all day, so it's
something I'm really passionateabout, and it changed my life so
profoundly.
And so I want to encourage womenbecause also traveling by
ourselves sometimes we getscared.
Um, even younger women, but oh,I'm but don't be like there's
lots of ways in this day and ageto be safe, to know where you're
(43:29):
going, to translate thelanguage.
People are very friendly allaround the world.
Like if you have like anopen-minded and open heart, um,
and you're aware of yoursurroundings and things, like
you're gonna make such amazingfriends and connections, and
you're just gonna have a greattime.
So don't let being single stabyou.
And then if you want to go on atour or retreat, you can do
that, but you can do it byyourself too, like I have.
(43:50):
And I am directionallychallenged, like you would not
believe.
And I get horrible travelanxiety.
So I it's not easy for me.
It's not, but it's so worth it.
And that's that's really it'schanged my life, and it's
something I'm deeply passionateabout.
So that's why I do it.
SPEAKER_01 (44:06):
Well, you are truly inspiring.
I mean, that's so as you'redescribing it and saying it, I'm
like, yes, I'm I'm going,because it sounds like you know,
for you, two of your big values,and maybe I'm wrong, but um, are
simplicity.
I mean, I love the fact that youjust don't have a car, you
don't, you don't have any ofthose big attachments and also
(44:30):
freedom.
And I think for so many women,like that freedom, you know,
value is huge.
Just to feel like you can't, youcan, you can go.
And and I think we limitourselves a lot.
I think you're right, bythinking it's going to be too
expensive, I can't go alone,it's too scary, it's I don't
like to get on planes, whateverit is, you know, whatever.
(44:52):
And but freedom sounds reallyenergizing.
SPEAKER_00 (44:57):
Exactly.
And it's isn't this near anddear to my heart.
And my bigger vision is tocreate co-living or uh co-living
spaces around the world forwomen that are traveling in
midlife, you know, and to haveit like be a palace and have
massages and a pool, and so youcan connect the divine feminine,
and we can teach each other'sand share ideas and help each
other grow.
(45:17):
So that's like my bigger vision.
Uh I don't know, women, I loveit.
I know, right?
I know.
I got really inspired in Spain,like going to the palaces, and
I'm like, we need this.
Like women, we need it.
We need to be, we need to getrecharged and decompressed and
you know, plug back into thesisterhood instead of thinking
women are competition.
We're not.
(45:38):
Like we're here to help eachother out into rise.
SPEAKER_01 (45:40):
I love it.
I hope that you do it, becausethat that would be that would be
fantastic.
Very needed, I think.
Well, Tina, this has been sowonderful talking to you and
just getting completely inspiredby all of what you're saying,
the traveling and and just kindof reinventing yourself in
midlife.
(46:01):
And and how can people get intouch with you?
How can they find your book?
When is your book coming out?
SPEAKER_00 (46:09):
The easiest way to contact me is beacons.ai
backslash transform becourageous.
And I am transform be courageouson TikTok and Instagram.
Okay.
Um, and the book is in pre-saleright now.
It will also be on Amazon soonfor pre-sale and then for
purchase, uh, December 30th ismy target date.
So it's be releasing it.
(46:31):
Um but yeah, so you can visit methere.
And I do actually have a freebieon a little gift for people on
my uh beacons.ai backslashtransform be courageous.
And it is a little travel guide.
It's just a fun one to kind ofhelp kind of move you along
there and get you inspired to gotravel.
SPEAKER_01 (46:48):
That sounds that sounds wonderful.
And I will put all of your linksin the show notes so then people
can find you that way.
And I want to thank you so muchfor coming on.
This has been this has beenreally great and really
inspiring.
SPEAKER_00 (47:02):
My pleasure is always so great talking with
you.
Like I absolutely love it.
And I learned so much from you.
So I really appreciate yourwisdom.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (47:10):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (47:11):
That's nice to hear too.
Have a great day.
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Real Food
Stories.
Today we are diving into aconversation about reinvention,
resilience, and what it reallylooks like to rebuild a life in
midlife, not from a place ofcrisis, but from a place of
power.
My guest, Tina Coleman, haslived through chapters that
(01:41):
might flatten most people.
She lost both of her parentsbefore turning age 40.
She survived two major caraccidents, including one that
abruptly ended her 20-yearcareer as a licensed massage
therapist.
And she has spent years caughtin a cycle of not caring for
herself at all.
And then one bold decisionchanged everything.
(02:05):
One week after thatcareer-ending accident, Tina got
on a plane for her first solointernational trip.
That moment cracked somethingopen.
It was the catalyst that led herto travel solo full-time, move
abroad, and get sober, lose 90pounds, transform her health,
and rebuild a life rooted infreedom and self-trust.
(02:29):
Today, Tina is the force behindthe upcoming book, 50, Fabulous,
and Fuckable, a fierce, funny,deeply honest guide that
reframes what it means to be awoman at midlife.
Through her writing andcoaching, she helps women
release burnout, break free fromold narratives, and step into a
(02:50):
chapter defined by confidence,joy, and possibility.
She speaks openly about thechallenges many Gen X women
face (02:57):
shifting hormones, energy crashes, feeling invisible, and
she flips the script into one ofabundance, empowerment, and
agency.
Women are drawn to her rawhonesty, her humor, and her
belief that it's never too lateto reinvent yourself.
I cannot wait for you to hearthis conversation.
(03:18):
Tina is a reminder that midlifeisn't a breakdown, it's a
breakthrough.
And her story just might giveyou permission to imagine a
different possibility for yourown.
So let's jump in.
Tina Coleman is the bold voicebehind the upcoming book, 50,
Fabulous, and Fuckable.
Now, am I allowed to say that ona podcast, just by the way?
(03:40):
I don't know if I'm going to getdinged for that, but I'm saying
it anyway.
Uh, we'll see what happens.
Which is a powerful guide thatredefines what it means to be a
woman at midlife.
Her mission is to empower womenapproaching 50 and beyond to
embrace reinvention, freedom,and unapologetic confidence
while stepping into the mostvibrant, authentic chapter of
(04:02):
their lives.
After more than two decades as amassage therapist, Tina's career
was abruptly cut short by a caraccident.
Instead of letting life'shardships define her, she chose
to reinvent herself from theground up.
That reinvention began withtraveling solo, an experience
that opened her eyes topossibility, freedom, and
(04:23):
courage.
Solo travel became the catalystthat ultimately led her to move
abroad, where she continues toembrace transformation and
intentional living.
And now Tina shares her journeyas living proof that it's never
too late to create the life youwant.
Through her writing, speaking,and coaching, she inspires women
to release burnout, overcome theweight of old narratives, and
(04:45):
fully own their worth.
She speaks openly about thechallenges Gen X women face from
shifting hormones and energycrashes to feeling invisible in
a culture obsessed with youth.
That's yes.
And flips the script into one ofpower, possibility, and
abundance.
Her book is not only acelebration of women thriving at
(05:07):
midlife, but also a movement, aninvitation to step out of fear
and scarcity and into boldness,adventure, and unapologetic joy.
Tina's story resonates deeplywith women who are ready to
trade exhaustion for empowermentand who want real, relatable
strategies to feel fabulousagain inside and out.
So welcome, Tina.
(05:28):
I'm so excited to talk to you.
You sound like you are livingthe dream of so many women.
And I want to hear your storyabout how you got into it and
how you're now just being aworld traveler and what it took
to get there.
So why don't we just start withjust introduce yourself again?
I mean, I know I was just, youknow, introducing you, but why
(05:51):
don't you just give yourself anintroduction?
SPEAKER_00 (05:54):
Great.
Thank you so much.
And thank you so much for havingme.
I really appreciate it.
So I'm originally from DesMoines, Iowa, which is the
center of the United States.
And my family did not travel atall.
Um, so for me, traveling hasbeen such a joy and a pleasure.
Uh a lot of anxiety too, but Ididn't start traveling.
I hadn't flown onto the planeuntil I was 30, and then I did
(06:16):
not start traveling internallyuntil about 45.
Ironically, I actually startedgoing down to Mexico for dental
work because it was cheaper thanin the States.
And I fell in love with Mexico.
But I always thought I wouldlive like uh in Asia somewhere.
So who knows?
Um, but after the car accident,I was very angry for a few
years, and that's when I decidedto let everything let everything
(06:38):
go in the States, literally.
And I moved down to Mexico, andI've just kind of been going
ever since.
And I am currently in Medellin,Colombia.
Wow, that's great.
SPEAKER_01 (06:47):
I mean, it sounds so exotic and so many women like
fantasize about doing.
Um you are a woman in midlife,like I am too.
And I know at this time, I mean,you something compelled you to
write a book, and you're like aliving example of sort of living
like a dream.
But I know that at this time inour lives, myself included,
(07:09):
sometimes you know, a lot ofwomen feel so confused.
They're just feel defeated,they're overwhelmed with
symptoms and you know, and justtheir bodies changing.
We're definitely in the sandwichgeneration, you know.
So if you have kids and you alsohave aging parents and you're
stretched thin, right?
And and we don't might not havethe ability to just go like, you
(07:32):
know, jump on planes and do andand just go and have all that
freedom right now.
So it's it's kind of a a time ofof overwhelm, I think.
So why do you believe um justfrom talking to you now off-air,
you know, that like midlife canbe the most powerful, vibrant
stage of a woman's life?
(07:52):
Like what what what is it aboutmidlife that stands out to you?
SPEAKER_00 (07:57):
I think it's such an exciting time, which you know is
not how we've been raised toperceive it.
We've been raised to perceive 50as being old or hell, you're not
sex anymore.
And for me, I wanted to beempowered and inspired by it.
So for me, like we've we've madeall the mistakes, we've had the
bad relationships, we've had thefinancial problems, we've
(08:18):
changed careers, people have hadkids, gone to school, things
like that.
And so by the time you'reapproaching midlife, things are
changing.
You know, we've got all thiswisdom behind us now.
We're able to make differentchoices.
And then for women that havechildren, like the kids are
growing up, maybe they're uh,you know, single for the first
time in a while, maybe they're,you know, getting remarried,
(08:39):
like different things arehappening, like it's really a
shakeup time.
And I think it's just soexciting because you can really
be vibrant and healthy and aliveand do the things that maybe
scare you a little bit.
Um, but take those chancesbecause it's so worth it.
SPEAKER_01 (08:55):
Yeah, I agree with you.
I mean, I think it is anopportunity to, I like, I love
the word opportunity because itjust gives you like a right, you
can you can imagine and and umget creative with that.
And it does give you theopportunity to think about what
you want to do from like here onin, because I'm also kind of
grappling with this life isshort like theme lately, you
(09:18):
know, that like we don't havelike you know, we've lived a you
know, I'm I'm 57 years old andyou know you look amazing, you
absolutely look amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (09:27):
Oh my gosh, yes, you look great.
I thought you were like, youknow, my age or a little
younger.
You look amazing.
SPEAKER_01 (09:33):
Oh, thank you.
But thank you so much.
I appreciate that.
But uh, you know, it's like my,you know, I'm getting into like
a next, another phase, and Iwant to like while I have the
energy and and I have do have alittle more time now and
flexibility, my kids are out ofthe house, and I want to be able
(09:53):
to do things while I can now,not 20 years later, when I might
start having some other healthissues or just because of aging,
right?
So yeah, it is it is a reallygreat time to start, I think,
imagining your future, right?
SPEAKER_00 (10:11):
So it is okay.
I'm gonna I'm gonna get a littlewoo-woo on you for just a minute
here, okay?
So because of the age you are,um, every every about like 27 to
28 years, we go through a Saturnreturn.
We have it in our 20s where weget married, divorced, have
children, travel across thecountry, whatever.
So you're actually at the brinkof a spiritual awakening.
(10:33):
And that might be why you'rehaving these urges.
So, and it's really interestingbecause people at this age, they
either have a spiritualawakening and they go through
it, or they have physicalsymptoms like they can have
strokes, heart attacks, thingslike that that have happened to
move them into that spiritualawareness.
So I think you're at the perfecttime to be reimagining and kind
of moving forward and takingthose risks because life is
(10:56):
short.
Like I lost my mom and stepdadum very suddenly right before my
I turned 40.
So that also propelled me intobeing like, okay, I need to do
things now because you don'tknow how long you're gonna be
here.
We don't know how how for helpis gonna be, but you're young,
you're vibrant now.
And you know, if you want to goto Europe or go climb Everest or
whatever, go do it.
(11:17):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (11:18):
Yeah, I totally agree with you.
I think right, just life isshort and just right.
And I like that spiritualawakening because that is sort
of what I'm feeling, at least.
So if I'm feeling it, I imaginethat others are also feeling
this, sort of like, what'swhat's my purpose here?
What is my next, you know, whatare my next like stages of
what's going to happen?
(11:39):
So I guess all your spiritualawakenings prompted you to write
a book, which is good.
So did you feel called to writethis book?
Tell me a little bit more aboutthat.
I did.
SPEAKER_00 (11:49):
I really believe this book was divinely inspired.
And people might laugh becauseof the title, you know.
And honestly, I did not, I know,I did not sit around wanting to
be a writer.
I did not, I'm not a writer, Idon't think I'm a writer.
Um, but I had gone to someseminars and they had planted
the seed about writing a book.
I'm like, okay, great.
But it's really because I was soincredibly terrified about
(12:10):
turning 50.
I was about 46, 47, and I wasgood with that.
And I was like, oh, I'm gonna be50, what's gonna happen?
Like, oh my gosh, did you die?
Like, you know, my hair was notgray at the time.
My hair, my hair was about yourcolor.
All my life, it was about yourcolor.
So it's like I'm like, what'sgonna happen when I turn 50?
And I have an older sibling anda younger sibling, um, three and
(12:32):
a half years apart for me, andthey're all like, oh, this hurts
and that hurts, and oh, I'm soold.
And I'm like, I don't want to dothat.
I don't want to live that way.
I want to be, I feel energetic.
I, you know, I love my life.
So I wanted to carry on withthat.
So I really the idea for thebook came to me, and it just
like and it's so funny becausethere's so many times I'm like,
(12:53):
can I say that?
Can I do this?
Who am I to write a book aboutbeing 50?
I wasn't 50 yet.
And like, and can I talk aboutmenopause?
Like, I haven't done that yet,which I am now in it, so now I
can talk about it.
Um, but it's just, you know, Ihad to give myself permission to
be like, I can do this, and it'sstill stepping into that power
and being like, yes, my mymission really is to empower and
(13:14):
inspire women to travel on theirbest life.
And I really think that it wasfrom my higher self that it
came.
Like I did not sit around anddream this up, it just came to
me.
SPEAKER_01 (13:22):
Yeah, I think that's how a lot of things usually
happen, right?
It's it's there is some kind ofdivine guidance if you want to
get woo-woo and believe that,you know, but I I I do believe
that.
And I guess the title of yourbook is so far okay because you
published the book and here itis out.
I'm just curious, on the on thebook cover, is it all written
(13:45):
out, that word, or is it I Ihave like a little part with and
I am currently in pre-lunch.
SPEAKER_00 (13:51):
I am self-publishing, so it will be
out at the end of December.
I did have a publisher and thatdid not work out.
So I was like, we're still doingthis because I think the message
of the book is so important, andI think once it's out, it can
help women at different stages.
And it's really interestingbecause when I say the title of
the book, no matter where I'm atin the world, everyone's like,
Oh, I want to read that.
(14:12):
Like men, women, women there intheir 20s, 30s, like everyone
wants to read the book.
And I'm like, okay, great,because it does have a lot of
really great information.
It we talk about travel andhealth and self-care and
menopause and uh pre-planningand things like that.
So it's kind of like anall-encompassing book, you know,
for midlife.
SPEAKER_01 (14:31):
So, okay, so that's um maybe an intro into my next
question that, you know, there'sa lot of, you know, like I said
it before, like women feelconfused and overwhelmed.
And and what do you think aresome of the other just myths
about women turning 50, gettinginto their 50s, midlife that you
want to break?
(14:52):
Because here you are sort ofliving like a lot of people's
dream.
You know, you're traveling,you're solo, you're like, you
know, doing whatever you want.
So what are yeah, tell me aboutsome of like the myths that you
are determined to break that areyou that you cover in the book.
Gray hair isn't sexy.
SPEAKER_00 (15:13):
That is a big one.
Because men are allowed to gogray.
When men go gray, they'redistinguished, they're sexy,
they're a gray fox.
You know, when women get gray,we're like, oh, you're old,
you're over the hill.
Like, and so so many of us spenda lot of money and time trying
to hide it.
And like I said, my hair wasyour color like my whole life,
and I was so determined not tohave gray hair.
(15:35):
Like it was funny.
Like, I got the blondehighlights going, and then I
kind of and then I actually wentblonde, short and blonde.
And then when I was in Mexico, Iwent pink, and it was supposed
to be a really cute pink, it wasa bright fuchsia pink, talking
like from the cartoon trollspink.
So I ended being her for myHalloween, and then when it
(15:55):
faded and it faded outbeautifully, I was like, oh, my
hair's gray.
Because I didn't know, I didn'tknow.
So I did pink.
Oh, because you'd been coloringyour hair for so long?
Well, because I had I'd goneblonde.
I'd actually gone blonde andshort in 2018, and then in 2020,
I was traveling Mexico, and afriend of mine, he was getting
(16:16):
his hair blonde.
I'm like, I don't think they cando my blonde because, like, you
know, I was in a little villagein Cipelite, Mexico, and I'm
like, she's not gonna be able todo my blonde the way I want it.
So let me just do pink, let's doa light, fun pink.
I'm in Mexico.
It was bright fuchsia.
It was bright fuchsia.
I was like, huh, I'm like, okay,you know what?
I'm in Mexico, it's totallyfine.
(16:37):
No one's gonna see me.
Like it could rock it.
And then when it faded out, Iwas like, huh, okay, and it
looked really cool.
And that's I went pink, I didlavender, uh, I did a dark blue
also, which that actually had toum that had to grow out.
It was a semi-permanent, but itdid not because I'm like, oh, I
(16:59):
want to go blonde again.
And the colorist I saw in NextCoast City, he was like, uh no,
this is gonna have to grow out,or we're going to ruin your
hair, and it's gonna be superexpensive.
So I had like this reverse ombreat like silver and dark blue,
and it was really, really sexy.
And that's when I was like,you're just gonna want to go
gray.
So that's that's like such a bigmyth because so many of us spend
so much time and money coloringit, and obviously everyone's
(17:21):
hair looks different.
Um, my grandmother wascompletely white by the time she
was 30.
SPEAKER_01 (17:26):
Oh wow, okay.
SPEAKER_00 (17:27):
Yeah, friends in the friends in the family.
Um, but I thought it you know, II thought in my mind I never
wanted gray hair, like I'm gonnalike dime my hair until I'm 90.
Like I never thought of goingnatural.
And so it was a big deal.
And for a woman, it is a bigdeal.
But it's like, um, and I made avideo on this, it's it's not the
color of your hair that makesyou look old, it's your
attitude.
So, like if you're in love withlife, you're excited about life,
(17:50):
you're gonna radiate thatenergy.
It's not about what color yourhair is, it's about who you are.
SPEAKER_01 (17:55):
Yeah, I I mean you have really nice gray hair.
I don't know what mine wouldlook like because my hair is so
dark normally, but I do, I dostill touch up my hair a little
bit here and there because I'mnot I'm not totally ready to go
there, but I do, I I will.
One day I definitely will.
I sort of have this fantasy ofhaving this like really long,
like thick braid of of you knowsilver hair.
SPEAKER_00 (18:17):
I could I could see that.
And the fun thing is is it'shair.
You can make it any color youwant, you can do whatever you
want with it.
And I think because so manywomen, the Gen X generation,
we're just kind of like, we'regonna do what we want.
And I think there's gonna be somany more options with your hair
as you as time progressesbecause they're just having fun
with it, they're doing likereverse ombres and all different
(18:37):
kinds of things.
So my advice is just have funwith it, embrace it.
It doesn't have to be soserious.
SPEAKER_01 (18:44):
I totally agree.
Yeah, no, I did, I think aroundCOVID, I was like, maybe I'll
dye my hair pink.
I was like kind of toying withthat too.
Then I realized that I had noidea what it entailed, but I
realized that I would have tobleach my hair out first, I
think, and then dye.
So I was like, you know what,there's too many steps.
I don't know.
I'm not I understand.
SPEAKER_00 (19:04):
I understand completely.
SPEAKER_01 (19:05):
I do.
But one day I think I will Iwill do that.
So let's talk about a coupleother myths.
What what other myths do youfeel like women are, you know,
like we need to break here?
SPEAKER_00 (19:15):
Uh that you can't lose weight in menopause and
perimenopause.
That's a big one.
It is because I actually lost 90pounds in perimenopause.
So, and I actually started doingit uh with Ayurvedic Medicine,
which is from India and it'sbeen around for 5,000 years, and
it focuses on your like whattime you're eating, what types
of food you're eating, likebeing mindful when you're
(19:38):
eating, and then also on yourdigestion.
So it's not like a starvationplan, it's not, you know, and it
really works with the differentuh doses and body types.
So it's really interesting.
Um, but that's like a big onebecause I lost 90 pounds, so I
know it's doable.
And then of course I added likeweight training in, like,
because I love I do love weighttraining, and I love that you
love weight training.
Like I love that, I do, and Iactually need to get back into
(20:00):
it because being here inColumbia, I have put on a couple
pounds.
Like, I'm gonna be honest, like,I'm eating a lot of desserts, a
lot of arepas, like, and I don'tfeel guilty about it, but I'm
like, okay, it's time, and itwas it was time a few months ago
to be honest, but um, it's anawareness.
So we're at a different point inour life where you don't have to
like beat yourself up for it,but you can lovingly be like, oh
(20:22):
yeah, so if I change thesecouple of things, I'm going to
get a different result.
Rather than have holding on tothe gear, guilt and the fear,
because you can lose weightduring menopause and curry
menopause.
I'm a firm believer in that.
So, you know, and with women,for some for some reason, we're
always caught up in like thenumber on the scale and the
weight.
And it's more about how you feeland just loving yourself, I
(20:42):
think.
SPEAKER_01 (20:43):
Yeah, I totally agree with you.
I just did um just recently, butI don't know when this podcast
get we go live with thispodcast, but you know, so but a
little while back I did apodcast um just to remind
everyone that right, justbecause you go into menopause or
perimenopause does not mean thatyou automatically gain 20
pounds.
And there's but I have a lot ofclients, a lot of people who you
(21:07):
know say things like, I justlook at food and I gain five
pounds, or I, you know,everything I put in my mouth,
just you know, like I can't loseweight.
I have no, they get veryconfused because I think the way
that they were doing it back intheir 30s, just like skipping a
couple of meals, you know, doinga detox, uh, whatever, isn't
(21:28):
working for them anymore becauseit's not necessarily menopause
that creates uh makes us gainweight.
It's just we get or we'regetting older, our metabolisms
are slowing down, our muscle.
And and I think we have to startgetting really mindful.
I mean, I've always pushed that.
I think the mindfulness piece isthe number one key for women, is
(21:50):
just to it and to be forgiving,right?
And and I and I heard you saythat you're in Columbia now,
you've been eating a little moretoo many desserts.
Great.
I mean, I hope you enjoyed everysingle bite.
I did.
And maybe you're seeing like alittle weight, you know, but no,
right, no beating yourself up,no shame, no, right?
You just like it's it's sort oflike a tap, you know, like,
okay, maybe you don't want toget back to what I was doing.
(22:13):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_00 (22:13):
And it's an awareness because I'm like, oh,
my thighs are a little morejiggly than they used to be.
But instead of being like, oh,this is awful and they're fat,
my thigh, I'm never gonna beable to lose the weight, instead
of going into that spiral thatwe can go into really fast, I'm
just like, oh, I need to show mybody a little more love.
I need some more movement, Iknow that, uh less desserts, you
know, being a little moreconscious of what I'm eating.
(22:35):
And then also just like lovingon your body.
Um, and I love doing tappingtoo, because tapping actually
really helps with weight loss aswell.
Emotional freedom technique forpeople that aren't aware of it.
Um there's so many tools andtechniques that we have these
days instead of like, and ourminds are powerful.
So if you think, oh, I look at Ilook at chocolate cake and I
gain five pounds, because thatis definitely me.
(22:56):
Like I have had that experiencethroughout my life.
Weight has been a strugglethroughout my life.
So when I found Ayurvedic, I waslike, oh, this is amazing.
It was a complete game changer.
But like if you look at a pieceof cake and oh, I'm gonna gain
five pounds, you have themindsets, you know, and you have
these thoughts that arerepeating in your mind.
So start changing those, beinglike, I am gonna this is a piece
(23:17):
of chocolate cake, I'm gonnaenjoy every bite of it, or I'm
gonna enjoy half of it, likewhatever makes you comfortable.
But realizing that you'refueling your body and you're
feeding your body self-love andattention and awareness.
So doing that consciouslyinstead of having all these
negative thoughts about food andyour body.
SPEAKER_01 (23:34):
Yeah.
So I I mean, I think that right,you can there's there's lots of
ways to lose weight, right?
So you went the Ayurvedic routeand tapping, and though, and
those seem to work really wellfor you.
And whatever works, I think, forpeople, but I think overall for
all women, I think that we haveto cultivate some body kindness.
(23:58):
We have to be really gentle andeasy with it because we're going
through so much change right nowin this, like in this
transition, so much, you know.
And some women like kind ofglide right through menopause,
they don't even like notice thenot a hot flash, not a nothing.
And then there's the rest of uswho feel everything, and just
just it's a real, a realtransition time.
SPEAKER_00 (24:20):
It is, and I just want to interject that women, we
tend to feel bad about ourbodies, but men don't.
They can have a beer belly andthey're like, Oh, look at my
beer belly, it's so sexy.
It's like, you know, it's likeyou know, and women, we just we
just tend to be really hard onourselves.
And I think if we were moreloving and accepting, our bodies
would change much faster and wewould be able to really enjoy
(24:42):
them more.
SPEAKER_01 (24:42):
Yeah.
Well, I mean, I think also withthe pressure to stay to look a
certain age and to stay younglooking, and to, I was just
watching um the Golden Bachelorthe other day, just as like an
observation.
Are you familiar with theBachelor?
No, not at all.
I'm connected, yeah.
Yeah, you don't don't.
(25:02):
I mean, don't.
I'm just I'm just telling youbecause I was just watching it
out of curiosity because it'sone man who's he's in his 60s
and 30 women also in their 60s,just you know, chasing after
him.
And eventually one, you know,becomes down to like one woman,
like he picks.
And I'm just watching it likethe I'm I'm feeling so uneasy
(25:23):
with their the pressure thatthese women are under to compete
with each other and to look asthin as possible and young as
possible.
And they're so Botoxed.
And I mean, it's just, I don'tknow, it's a real, I think from
just a cultural standpoint, youknow, it's a real, it's really
like an eye-opener.
But I mean, because I think thatwe are just under so much
(25:47):
pressure to stay youthful at anycost.
I don't know, maybe you couldspeak to that on like some like
as one of your myths of you knowjust getting older.
Is that can we still be, can westill be uh sexy and hot and and
absolutely.
SPEAKER_00 (26:06):
I just turned 53, so fuck yes.
Yes, we can.
So yes, absolutely.
And first of all, I want to sayI'm glad they're actually using
women that are in his age rangeinstead of like 30-year-olds,
which is what I would expectedyou to say, honestly.
I was like waiting for that.
Um, because that would betotally a TV move to have the
women half his age be by theway.
SPEAKER_01 (26:26):
Well, he wanted the women half his age.
He had said he got a lot of heatfor it because he wanted to have
the women be more in their 40sand like younger 50s.
And the I think the show islike, no, this is not what it's
about.
But the women who are in their60s are desperately trying to
look like they're in their 40sand 50s.
SPEAKER_00 (26:43):
I I'm sorry, but if you're in your, you know, 50s
and 60s, you don't need a man,first of all.
I mean, yes, it can be nice tohave one, have the right person
in your life, but as a woman,like enjoy and I want to say
enjoy your freedom and theability to do things you may not
have been able to do before.
Um, but we don't need to chasethe everlasting fountain of you.
I think being able to embraceit, and there's lots of natural
(27:06):
things that women can do.
Because a lot of women want todo like uh Botox and all the
fillers and things like that,which is fine if that is what
you want to do to make you feelbetter.
But if you're doing it for anoutward appearance to tell
society, like, oh, I'm stillyoung and I still got it, that's
not the right approach.
Um, because it really startswith you.
But like there is um, you know,you can do facial cupping, you
(27:28):
can do facial gouacia, you cando facial yoga, you can do all
kinds of things because wereally don't touch our face very
much.
So doing things to like stretchthe muscles and maintain those,
you can do that in a healthy waythat's different than what other
women are doing.
But we don't have to try andchase a found abuse or to look
like we're not 30 anymore.
(27:49):
Okay, we're not 20, we're not 30anymore, we're just not, and
that's okay.
Right.
You know, it's it's okay toembrace your age, it's okay to
be who you are, it's okay to belike, I love my I love myself
the way I am.
And the more you do that, themore other people will reflect
that back to you.
But chasing this, you know, theHollywood dream of you know,
constantly doing things to yourface and depriving yourself and
(28:12):
being mean to yourself, likeit's not the way to embrace you,
you know, or to look younger, tofeel younger.
It's really through your essenceand your attitude, and then
taking care of your body, youknow, and just loving yourself
because the more you loveyourself, the more other people
are going to be attracted to youand want to be around you, you
know.
So it's like um getting massagesbecause so many women we're
(28:35):
focused on getting our nailsdone, our hair haired in,
getting massages, gettingacupuncture, um, doing yoga
stretching because we hold somuch in our bodies on a cellular
level that releasing thoseblocked emotions and things like
that are going to be reallyfreeing to move forward in life.
SPEAKER_01 (28:52):
Well, that sounds like self-care.
And for a lot of women,self-care is like on the back
burner, right?
I mean, they're like taking careof everyone else first, and then
if they have some time and alittle extra money, and you
know, then then they'll maybe goget a massage because they're
taking care of everyone else,their kid, you know, kids and
(29:13):
parents and everything.
So yeah, I think that, you know,I was gonna ask you like for
women who just feel exhaustedand hormonal and kind of
overlooked, and what can theydo?
What are some steps to like justfeeling like you can thrive
again?
But and I, and so I thinkself-care is a really big, it
(29:33):
seems to be a big buzzword rightnow.
And it's really important totake more than ever have I felt
like, okay, because I, you know,I I have three kids very close
in age.
And for a long time, it was fiveof us in the house, and just I'm
like juggling my career,juggling my kids, like, and now
(29:56):
you know, my kids are out of thehouse, they all live, you know,
they actually pay their rent andthey work, and it's um I have
much more time for myself.
And it's hard to feel like, oh,I should go schedule myself a
massage once a week.
It feels selfish a little, youknow, sometimes.
SPEAKER_00 (30:14):
No, no, no, not at all.
Not at all.
It is actually the right thingto do.
Uh, as a massage therapist of 20years, I I definitely have some
input on this.
And I also am certified in yoga,and I've been doing yoga since
1990.
So, you know, and I was also aspiritual teacher for seven
years, so I did teach meditationas well.
Um, so it can be really simplethings.
(30:37):
It doesn't mean especially forwomen that are still juggling
everything, carving out likefive or ten minutes here makes a
big difference.
Like journaling is huge.
And I recommend a stream ofconsciousness writing where you
just have you know a notebookout and you just write for like
five minutes and you don'tfilter it, you don't censor it,
you just let it all out becausewe carry so much junk in our
(30:57):
head that it shows up in ourbody.
So once you are able to releasethat and let it out and do like
a clearing process, it's great.
It's great to do that like inthe morning when you wake up.
Um, because there's a book, TheArtist Way, that goes over uh
morning pages.
And even at night, like justgetting the junk out of your
brain, number one, is a hugething to do.
But simple things like there'sall different kinds of
(31:17):
meditation, so many meditationapps now that are Amazing.
And they don't have to be like,oh, you have 30, it doesn't have
to be 30 minutes.
It can be two minutes.
It can be three minutes.
It can be five minutes.
There's so many different typesof meditations.
And one of my favorite ones todo is a yoga nidra, uh, which
also is from Arya Veda.
Um, but you can do that on anapp, you lay down for anywhere
(31:39):
between 10 minutes to 30minutes, and it let helps you to
release the stress and tensionin the body.
It also rejuvenates you andrecharges you.
So if you're not sleepingthrough the night, uh, it gives
you about six to eight hoursworth of sleep within like 20
minutes, which is amazing.
And then, of course, there'sstretching and yoga.
I love, love, love.
(31:59):
Love restorative yoga, love yinyoga.
Uh, a lot of those poses you cando in bed and you can stretch in
a bed, so you don't have to makeit this big thing.
But I'm like, and I got intoyoga, like I said back in 1990
for my BH test tape, because itwas the video was hard, but at
the end, you get to just lay onthe ground in Shavasana, and I'm
(32:20):
like, any time of exercise, thatlaying on the floor and not
moving is an exercise.
I want to do that.
So I just had this love foryoga.
So there's all different typesof yoga you can do.
Um, and then of course, if youcan go get a massage every week,
absolutely.
If you can get a massage twice aweek, absolutely, and get an
hour and a half massage.
(32:41):
Don't get just an hour massage.
SPEAKER_01 (32:43):
But I I love all that you just said, and it's
just all really good remindersof these like self-care things
you can try.
Journaling is I I have been Ihave been preaching journaling
to even my clients for years.
I am a lifelong journaler, so Iknow how important that is for
me to get it out of my head andonto paper, even if I have to
(33:04):
tear it up.
I mean, even if I'm like, okay,I don't want anyone to ever see
this, you know, it's not foranyone else's eyes.
And I think it's such a greatpractice to be into you'd
mentioned the artist's way,which is um one of my favorite
all-time books that I yeah,started doing a long, long time
ago.
And um, I guess I just saw that,I like ran across that book just
(33:25):
the other day.
I'm like, oh yeah, I forgot likethat book.
I haven't seen it in a while,but it's yeah, really impactful
for me.
Um, and yeah, things like yoga.
I mean, and I love or sort ofyoga and yoga nitra, anything
that's you're just lying on theground.
I mean, it counts, it's yoga,right?
SPEAKER_00 (33:43):
It does, it does.
And sometimes as a woman women,we feel guilty for wanting to
take a nap or needing wanting totake that time out for us.
And the more you can take careof yourself and fill up your own
cup, the more you're going to beable to help other people.
Because if you're depleted anddrained and you're just cranky
and you're not sleeping throughthe night because your hormones
are going crazy or whatever,you're not going to be able to
(34:04):
help other people.
You're running on empty.
So just like with a car, when acar gets empty with gas and
needs to be filled up, so doyou.
And as when we're kind ofprogrammed to not take that care
for ourselves that we reallyneed, but when you do take that
five, 10, 30 minutes foryourself, it makes such a
difference.
We, I mean, there's a reason wehave spa days, okay?
There's a reason they've createda whole menu around a spa day um
(34:28):
because we need it, you know,and that's how we rejuvenate.
Um, and I have a whole chapterin my book on self-care, and I
do talk about it in my book, andI've had to like cut things out,
like, I really want to have allthis in there, but it's so
important.
So I'm so glad that you, youknow, that you appreciate these
things too, because it'simportant.
SPEAKER_01 (34:45):
Yeah, I I just um just heard the very overused
line of putting the oxygen onyou, mask on you first, so then
you can help everyone else.
I know I I like I hear that allthe time, but it was just a good
reminder that you know, you haveto take care of yourself first.
You can't you cannot take careof everyone else if you are not,
(35:09):
you know, at good care with you.
And so all these little thingsreally just help.
And I think that what they alsodo is just help to calm down
your nervous system.
And if you want to look at itjust even from a diet and weight
and you know, like anything likethat standpoint, the more your
nervous system is calmed downand your cortisol levels are
(35:31):
just, you know, low, the betteryour metabolism is, the easier
it will be to lose weight.
And and and I don't know, I Ihear a lot of women say, I spent
a couple of weeks in travelingin Italy or like and I was
eating pasta every single day,but it's like so weird.
I lost five pounds.
I'm like, well, I think one ofthe reasons, the big reasons, is
(35:55):
that you're probably at a lowstress level, right?
You're enjoying yourself.
So I think anything that's, Imean, the self-care is all good,
but it also has to bring yousome joy too, right?
And feel good.
And these are things, right,doable things that look, you
know, you can look really lookforward to.
SPEAKER_00 (36:12):
Exactly.
And joy is such a huge componentin life that we overlook,
especially in the Westernculture.
We're into the hustle and thegrind and we have to do more and
accomplish more, and we have tokeep going.
Whereas other countries,especially Italy, they're like,
oh, we're just gonna like relax.
We're not gonna do all thatthose stressful things.
You know, and there's a reason,you know, that in different
(36:34):
parts of Mexico and Spain, theyhave siestas where you're
literally taking a couple ofhours off during the the middle
part of the day because it is ahouse part of the day.
But also to eat, enjoy yourself,take a nap, rejuvenate.
And we've just kind of forgottenthat in the Western culture,
enjoy makes such a difference inour lives.
Because something else I didthink about, like one of the
things being in midlife, is thatuh anxiety and depression can
(36:58):
actually creep in and be moreintensified because our hormones
are changing.
So being able to cope with thatas well um makes a huge
difference because sometimes itis just the fluctuation of
hormones.
We're feeling things moreintensely, just like we did when
we were in adolescence.
This is like adult adolescencethat we're going through right
now.
SPEAKER_01 (37:16):
So Right.
It's like uh puberty in reverse.
Yes, right.
That is so we need that extracare.
Yeah, it's like a wild rollercoaster sometimes.
I mean, your hormones are justgoing up like all over the
place, and and it can reallyfeel intense.
So, yeah, so the self-care isreally even more important than
(37:39):
ever.
SPEAKER_00 (37:39):
Absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (37:40):
And I'm so glad that you appreciate that.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, I've beenthrough it all.
I mean, I feel like I'm I mean,I'm still going, I'm still in
it.
And you know, and and so it'sreally taken me also a lot of
just thought too about theself-care and like what that
actually really means.
SPEAKER_02 (37:57):
Exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (37:58):
Not just to think about it, like, oh yeah, I
should do self-care, but reallyto live it.
SPEAKER_00 (38:02):
Exactly.
You could probably ask ChatGPTsome questions too.
I'm sure that he'll have somesuggestions as well.
SPEAKER_01 (38:08):
That's a great idea.
I know.
I love ChatGPT.
SPEAKER_00 (38:13):
I don't I have two minutes, what can I do to relax?
SPEAKER_01 (38:18):
That's too funny.
But I mean, yeah, ChatGPT willprobably come up with all sorts
of great ideas that we haven'teven thought of or talked about
today.
So do you feel like livingabroad is because I'm sure my
listeners will be like kind ofcurious about this.
Do you feel like this haschanged?
I mean, would will you ever comeback and live in the United
States?
Or do you feel like you'd likelive a simpler, better, more
(38:43):
caring life abroad?
SPEAKER_00 (38:46):
Yes, I do.
I love living internationally.
I absolutely do.
Um, and I love having freedom inmy life.
Freedom is such a huge, it's ahuge thing for me.
Um, because I I I didn't havechildren, I had dogs and I had a
house.
And so I knew myresponsibilities were to my
dogs, my house, and I brought mydogs with me to Mexico.
But it's for me, like as much asI appreciate being an American
(39:08):
and appreciate having a reallygood passport, um, I love living
internationally so much morebecause I love different
cultures.
I love the little things aboutit.
Okay, because it's like um inMexico and here in Colombia,
they have like little tiendas,which are little stores, like
little convenience stores thatare run by run by local people.
And everyone is different.
(39:29):
So it's not like going into a7-Eleven or a quick trip or
something, you know, it's likethey have like kind of the same
things, but they're different.
You it's like the surprise, younever know what you're gonna
find.
Um, and there's they're sellingstreet food.
And I literally just went thismorning and got like a fresh
squeezed orange juice for like adollar twenty-five.
You know, so from this womanthat just brings me so much joy
(39:52):
when I see her.
So it's the little things.
I don't have a car anymore.
I walk, or there's bicycles, um,or the Ubers are really cheap,
or there's a metro.
So I like to live in walkingareas where I can get around
pretty easily.
So I don't have a cart, I don'thave a car insurance, I don't
have car repairs.
So that makes life a little biteasier.
Um, and it's just a differentway of living.
(40:12):
So my life is simpler and Ireally appreciate it.
Um, and so when I travel, I willeither like I love luxury hotels
and things like that.
It's wonderful, but a lot oftimes I will rent rooms off of
Airbnb because I like people, Ilike to talk and I like that
human connection, and I likehaving a host that can kind of
direct me and give you pointersfor wherever I'm at, which makes
(40:35):
it easier to get around.
Um, and to know, well, this isthe best restaurant, or you want
to do your shopping over here,or things like that little
thing.
But it's really nice to haveanother person there, and then
you meet other people too whenyou're traveling, and that is
one of the things I love themost.
Like, I am planning on comingback to Medellin um because at
first when I got here, I waslike, it's not really my kind of
(40:57):
place.
Uh, it's a very new city, it'svery new, it's kind of warm.
So, um, but I've met some reallygreat people here and just the
connections I have with people.
I like I would not be leaving,but my visa is expiring and they
will not extend it for me.
And I'm like, oh like Iliterally I literally buying my
plate because I was just hopingit would get extended, but it's
(41:19):
I I've reached my extension, sobut I can come back next year.
So the thing about traveling isgo and just explore places, even
cities you don't know that youmight might may or may not like.
Like some cities you're like,oh, I'm gonna love this, and
then you don't.
But if you spend more timethere, then it might turn
around.
But traveling is one of the bestexperiences you can have, it is
the best investment you can makein yourself, and it does not
(41:41):
have to be expensive.
And that is what a lot of peopleget tripped up on, especially in
the state.
They think, oh, I don't have themoney, I don't have the time,
whatever.
It doesn't have to be expensive.
I actually knew a girl um that Imet in 2020.
She literally rode her bike uhfrom San Diego, California down
to uh San Miguel Alianda inMexico.
(42:03):
That's a very, very long bikeride, okay?
And I was just like, whoa.
But she had like a tent and shewas camping in the woods and she
had like a little camping stove,so she would make like and she
was vegetarian, so she wouldmake her vegetarian dishes, and
that's what she did.
And so she was literally livingon nothing.
Um and getting to exploreMexico.
(42:24):
So it's like when people arelike, oh, I don't have enough
money, it's like you might nothave enough money to stay in uh
the four seasons every night.
Okay, you might not.
That but there's house sitting,you can do house sitting and pet
sitting around the world, youknow, you can do work away,
which where you can go and workand uh it goes towards your room
and boards, so you can actuallylive for free just by donating
(42:45):
some of your time.
So there's ways to do it whereit doesn't have to be expensive,
but you get the experiencebecause I do think experience
will change your life, it'llchange who you are, and it's
something you will have with youfor the rest of your life.
Whereas whatever car you'regoing to buy next, you're not
gonna have that for the rest ofyour life, you're gonna have to
buy a different one.
So having those experiences, I Ithink it just makes such a
(43:07):
difference.
And I can talk about travelingin this all day, so it's
something I'm really passionateabout, and it changed my life so
profoundly.
And so I want to encourage womenbecause also traveling by
ourselves sometimes we getscared.
Um, even younger women, but oh,I'm but don't be like there's
lots of ways in this day and ageto be safe, to know where you're
(43:29):
going, to translate thelanguage.
People are very friendly allaround the world.
Like if you have like anopen-minded and open heart, um,
and you're aware of yoursurroundings and things, like
you're gonna make such amazingfriends and connections, and
you're just gonna have a greattime.
So don't let being single stabyou.
And then if you want to go on atour or retreat, you can do
that, but you can do it byyourself too, like I have.
(43:50):
And I am directionallychallenged, like you would not
believe.
And I get horrible travelanxiety.
So I it's not easy for me.
It's not, but it's so worth it.
And that's that's really it'schanged my life, and it's
something I'm deeply passionateabout.
So that's why I do it.
SPEAKER_01 (44:06):
Well, you are truly inspiring.
I mean, that's so as you'redescribing it and saying it, I'm
like, yes, I'm I'm going,because it sounds like you know,
for you, two of your big values,and maybe I'm wrong, but um, are
simplicity.
I mean, I love the fact that youjust don't have a car, you
don't, you don't have any ofthose big attachments and also
(44:30):
freedom.
And I think for so many women,like that freedom, you know,
value is huge.
Just to feel like you can't, youcan, you can go.
And and I think we limitourselves a lot.
I think you're right, bythinking it's going to be too
expensive, I can't go alone,it's too scary, it's I don't
like to get on planes, whateverit is, you know, whatever.
(44:52):
And but freedom sounds reallyenergizing.
SPEAKER_00 (44:57):
Exactly.
And it's isn't this near anddear to my heart.
And my bigger vision is tocreate co-living or uh co-living
spaces around the world forwomen that are traveling in
midlife, you know, and to haveit like be a palace and have
massages and a pool, and so youcan connect the divine feminine,
and we can teach each other'sand share ideas and help each
other grow.
(45:17):
So that's like my bigger vision.
Uh I don't know, women, I loveit.
I know, right?
I know.
I got really inspired in Spain,like going to the palaces, and
I'm like, we need this.
Like women, we need it.
We need to be, we need to getrecharged and decompressed and
you know, plug back into thesisterhood instead of thinking
women are competition.
We're not.
(45:38):
Like we're here to help eachother out into rise.
SPEAKER_01 (45:40):
I love it.
I hope that you do it, becausethat that would be that would be
fantastic.
Very needed, I think.
Well, Tina, this has been sowonderful talking to you and
just getting completely inspiredby all of what you're saying,
the traveling and and just kindof reinventing yourself in
midlife.
(46:01):
And and how can people get intouch with you?
How can they find your book?
When is your book coming out?
SPEAKER_00 (46:09):
The easiest way to contact me is beacons.ai
backslash transform becourageous.
And I am transform be courageouson TikTok and Instagram.
Okay.
Um, and the book is in pre-saleright now.
It will also be on Amazon soonfor pre-sale and then for
purchase, uh, December 30th ismy target date.
So it's be releasing it.
(46:31):
Um but yeah, so you can visit methere.
And I do actually have a freebieon a little gift for people on
my uh beacons.ai backslashtransform be courageous.
And it is a little travel guide.
It's just a fun one to kind ofhelp kind of move you along
there and get you inspired to gotravel.
SPEAKER_01 (46:48):
That sounds that sounds wonderful.
And I will put all of your linksin the show notes so then people
can find you that way.
And I want to thank you so muchfor coming on.
This has been this has beenreally great and really
inspiring.
SPEAKER_00 (47:02):
My pleasure is always so great talking with
you.
Like I absolutely love it.
And I learned so much from you.
So I really appreciate yourwisdom.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (47:10):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (47:11):
That's nice to hear too.
Have a great day.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.