Aging with Purpose and Passion

What if love isn’t enough? One adoptive mom’s truth about trauma, healing, and parenting a child no one prepared her for.

Adoption, trauma-informed parenting, and midlife motherhood collide in this powerful episode with Brighid O’Shaughnessy—licensed social worker, adoptive mom, and longtime mental health advocate. If you’re parenting through trauma, over 40 and navigating adoption, or working with vulnerable families, this conversa...

She lost her wife, her mother—and still found healing. A story of grief, growth, and starting over.

How do you rebuild your life after trauma, profound grief, and unimaginable loss?

If you're a woman over 50 navigating trauma healing, grief recovery, or searching for spiritual transformation, this powerful conversation with Ann Jonas will meet you right where you are and gently guide you forward.

Anne’s story begins in chaos: a n...

Can you rebuild your life after abuse and betrayal at 50? Sophia Dias proves you can—and must.

Sophia Dias shares her true survivor story, revealing how she escaped an abusive marriage, faced down a biased legal system, and started over in midlife with nothing.

From fashion mogul to domestic abuse survivor, Sophia was left without access to funds, betrayed by those she trusted, and targeted by a husband who had a loaded gun pointed a...

Can introverted women over 50 reinvent their lives—and thrive without changing who they are?

Absolutely—and Kimberly Jergen is living proof.

In this inspiring episode of Aging With Purpose and Passion, Kimberly—an actor, speaker, and proud “Radiant Introvert”—shares how she transformed quiet self-doubt into authentic power using mindset, movement, and her signature ELEGANT coaching framework.

We explore:

• How introverts can succeed ...

Think end-of-life planning is only for the wealthy? Here’s what every woman 50+ needs to know.

End-of-life planninng for women over 50 isn't about wealth —it’s about clarity, care, and protecting what matters most.

In this powerful episode, I’m joined by Sara Ecklein, a Licensed Professional Fiduciary and founder of Trust & Honor, to break down how estate planning without millions is not only possible—it’s essential.

We explo...

What happens when the "perfect" life you've built starts crumbling beneath your feet? At 50 years old, Christina L. Woods faced a life-altering reality—autoimmune issues, anxiety, and the breakdown of her 25-year marriage. Despite a successful corporate career, she couldn’t escape the truth she'd been hiding for years: deep-seated trauma stemming from childhood sexual abuse.

In this emotional episode, Christina o...

Can you rebuild your life after betrayal, abuse, and losing everything? Sophia Diaz proves you can—and must. 

How do you rebuild your life after abuse, betrayal, and complete financial loss—especially as a woman over 50?

Sophia Diaz shares her true survivor story, revealing how she escaped an abusive marriage, faced down a biased legal system, and started over in midlife with nothing.

From fashion mogul to domestic abuse survivor, Sop...

Michelle Biship's incredible journney from trauma to transformation is a powerfful testament to the resilience and strength within us all. Born into a chaotic, abusive childhood with a mentally ill mother, Michelle’s "perfect" exterior life hid the deep emotional pain she endured. Struggling with anorexia as a young girl, Michelle’s early trauma set the stage for a life of self-discovery, healing, and growth.

Despite ...

In this powerful episode, embodiment coach Toni Bergins shares how movement can serve as emotional medicine, helping us release trauma, pain, and repressed emotions stored in the body. Discover how JourneyDance  Toni’s transformative dance practice, helps individuals heal by using movement to express what words cannot.

Toni’s personal journey from emotional repression to liberation through dance offers deep insight into how childhoo...

Have you ever wondered if who you know matters more than what you know? This question lies at the heart of a transformative conversation with Janice Porter, a relationship marketing strategist who turned her teaching career into a thriving business built on connections.

Janice’s journey—from elementary school teacher to LinkedIn specialist—offers valuable insights for anyone feeling stuck or uncertain about their next career chapter...

What happens when life keeps pushing you to start over? For Wendy Alexander, every new beginning became an opportunity for transformation and growth.

Wendy’s journey begins in apartheid South Africa, where an encounter with racial segregation at the age of seven sparked her passion for justice. That pivotal moment on the beach, when police removed her family from the "whites-only" sand, ignited a lifelong resistance agains...

Wondering if it’s too late to reinvent after 50? Dr. Alison Schmidt proves it’s not.

In this inspiring episode, Alison—once a successful executive coach—shares how turning 50 and facing the COVID crisis pushed her to reimagine everything. From profit-driven consulting to purpose-driven leadership, she now helps others create midlife transformations that align with their deepest values.

We explore:

• What it really takes to create re...

In this inspiring episode of ''Aging With Purpose and Passion", Jenny Leigh Hodgins takes us on a transformative journey of healing and self-discovery through creativity. Growing up in a dysfunctional family, Jenny found refuge in music at a young age, using the piano as her emotional sanctuary. What began as a source of comfort became her life’s passion and career, leading her to become a composer, teacher, and crea...

What happens when trauma gets buried for fifteen years? Kim Langling's powerful journey from military sexual assault survivor to advocate and author shows us both the cost of silence and the liberation that comes with breaking it.

Kim never planned to join the military when she was growing up in small-town America, but with limited options and no interest in college, she enlisted and quickly found herself thriving in ...

What if the secret to aging well isn’t found in anti-wrinkle creams or retirement plans, but in purpose, community, and perspective? Filmmaker Sky Bergman discovered this truth when she interviewed 40 elders aged 75+, gathering a collective wisdom of 3,000 years. 

Sky’s journey from a 30-year university teaching career to documentary filmmaking at midlife—sparked by her 100-year-old grandmother's active lifestyle—reve...

In this inspiring episode of Aging With Purpose and Passion, Caren Paskel shares her extraordinary transformation from a shy, anxious teenager to a woman of unshakable self-belief. Her journey began with yoga, a practice that sparked a spiritual awakening and became her anchor through life’s storms. When she met David—her soulmate and a bold dreamer 12 years her junior—Caren’s world expanded. Together, they built a life and busines...

Mary Beth O’Connor’s life is a gripping redemption story of addiction recovery and resilience. From surviving childhood abuse, sexual assault, and decades of methamphetamine addiction to achieving 30 years of sobriety as a federal court judge, her journey inspires women over 50 to find purpose and passion.

 In this Aging with Purpose and Passion podcast episode, O’Connor shares with Beverley Glazer the raw mechanics of transformatio...

Shelia Schneider's journey from military spouse to nonprofit leader reveals how our life experiences perfectly prepare us for unexpected purpose. Raised in a family where all nine siblings had military connections and later marrying an Air Force serviceman, Shelia intimately understood the challenges military families face—frequent relocations, year-long separations, and the struggle to maintain career continuity while support...

What does it take to rebuild your life after unimaginable tragedy? Dr. Kimberly Harms knows this journey intimately. Born as a thalidomide baby with seven fingers, she defied an advisor who told her dental school was impossible, going on to become the first female president of the Minnesota Dental Association. But her greatest challenges came later – losing her mother to suicide, then facing her son Eric's suicide at just 19 y...