
A Podcast to inspire and motivate women in midlife! Let's Calm the Chaos in our lives so we can go after our purpose and passion!
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About:
Edwige Gilbert is a transformational Guide and Founder of New Life Directions. She helps others to reinvent their lives and creates fresh starts driven by a purposeful vision. As an international speaker and author of “The Fresh Start Promise” and” Victim to Victorious”, Edwige turns stress into success by clearing unwanted habits and behaviors, creating self confidence and exuberant enjoyment of life, or as she calls it in French, “Joie de Vivre”
Growing up in Cannes, France Edwige grew up being raised by her grandmother who was preoccupied by her well-being who stopped her by not allowing her to take chances. She interpreted that as being incapable and a low level of confidence.
Later, she joined her parents in New York City. In addition to this message and the stress of moving she turned to emotional eating. As a result, she gained 30 lbs so during this time she moved to working on her internal journey. Through her exploration, she acquired many certifications including life coach and hypnotherapist. During this time, she lost weight. It was a result of finding a safe place within herself.
Edwige walks us through what she has learned including her stress exercises which can be done driving or in a meeting. This exercise gives you the space to be neutral instead of going into a reactionary state
We discuss both of her books: Transform Stress into Success and Victim to Victorious! We start by coming from a place of awareness. What do I think? What is my awareness? How am I talking to myself? Besides positive affirmations to ourselves, Edwige stresses the importance of using positive imagery as well when tackling your goal.
It’s time to shift from hurt to heart, should choose, can to can, and have to desire! You can then feel the softness of the words and the emotions it creates.
At the end of the day, count your victory instead of your defeat!
Our journey starts with self-awareness! Where am I? How do I feel? What’s going on in my life? Take the time for self-reflection without judgment.
Links:
Connect with Edwige Gilbert
Watch and try the Dexxtra Technique
Connect with Deborah Voll
Take The Midlife Quiz
Need a new resume? Connect with me for your Resume Audit here Leave the work to me!
Passion and Purpose Digital Workbook

About:
Priscilla Long is a Seattle Based writer, poet and longtime independent teacher of writing. She is the author of seven books to date and numerous publications in literary journals. She grew up on a dairy farm on the eastern shores of Maryland attending Moravian Seminary for Girls and Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio.
She writes science, poetry, history and creative nonfiction, essays and fiction. Priscilla lives in the seattle area and serves as the founding and consulting editor of Historylink.org which is a free online encyclopedia for Washington State History
Today we are discussing her book: Dancing with The Muse in Old Age.
What you’ll learn in our conversation
- Priscilla wrote this book not only for herself but for everyone over the age of forty! Shy of turning 80, she wanted to approach this new era proactively with information and the knowledge of science. Priscilla wanted to draw from people who were thriving, creating, and connecting in their communities.
- In writing this book, Priscilla learned a lot about the science of aging gracefully which involved cognitive development v ( which works the same in children as in older individuals ) and movement. As a result, she now bonds with her fit bit and makes sure to get regular exercise.
- Throughout the book, there are many people sited who are in the 70,80, 90’s who are continuing to put to use their creativity and/or learning something new in the arts! Helping with cognitive creative development. Priscilla gives us several inspiring examples from the book of some famous and not so famous people who are active, learning and being creative!
- You can also express your creativity in different ways by garding, cooking, social justice, and community involvement.
- The models that Priscilla shares in the book are inspiring and following their dreams right up to the end of their life. Even when they run into limitations they continue to find a way to contribute in the best way possible.
- We discussed Angela Glendening who didn’t feel that she had any “creativity” in her body but knew she was good at supporting the underdog. She picked a mission to support and that became her passion and purpose. A great story!
- When you do choose what to do, there will be a community around it and you will make connections and start meeting like-minded people. This will help your overall health and wisdom.
- Is it possible to be more proactive in composing one’s life towards flourishing?
Links:
Connect with Priscilla Long
Connect with Deborah Voll
Take The Midlife Quiz
Need a new resume? Connect with me for your Resume Audit here Leave the work to me!
Passion and Purpose Digital Workbook

About:
Kamini Wood is a certified professional coach who helps people take the courageous steps to identify their limiting beliefs, the reasons for their stagnation, or feelings of not-enoughness, so they can have what they want professionally and personally to live a fulfilled life.
She is the creator of AuthenticMe® and CEO of Live Joy Your Way, a coaching company helping individuals shake free of their fears, unhelpful mindsets and behaviors in order to have healthy relationships and move forward on the professional path they choose.
Kamini herself has gone from a people-pleasing, perfectionist, holding herself back by playing small into someone who recognizes her worth and sees that by embracing it she can create room for others to do the same.
She is a best-selling author, holds specialty certifications in various modalities including life, wellness, teen life, conscious uncoupling, calling in the one, new money story, breathwork, meditation and diversity, equity inclusion and belonging. She is also trained in conscious parenting and coaching for children.
Here is what you will learn from my conversation with Kamini
- Kamini went through her own self-transformation. She realized that she could take her personal experiences with her business acumen and service people from a coaching perspective. With formal training, she is now servicing her clients and living her true authentic life!
- The importance of relational self-awareness
- The Concept of self-compassion and self-forgiveness
We don’t need to be carbon copies of one another! We can come into our true selves and then beautiful things will start to happen!
- How to deal with imposter syndrome which we all face from time to time!
We have the ability to control our narrative and challenge our beliefs about ourselves.
Links:
Connect with Kamini Wood
Connect with Deborah Voll
Take The Midlife Quiz
Need a new resume? Connect with me for your Resume Audit here Leave the work to me!
Passion and Purpose Digital Workbook

About:
Alice Inoue is an award-winning author and life expert who has dedicated her life to helping others find answers to life challenges. Alice has created a great number of books on self-love and happiness and allowed herself to grow more through her long-running column in Hawaii’s largest publication, Midweek.
Alice’s multiple exposures living in places such as San Francisco, Taiwan, Japan, and now Hawaii definitely led her to this wonderful path of guiding others through their journey of life and now has established Happiness U – a business with a heartwarming purpose for organizations and individuals who are seeking unprecedented clarity.
Her capability of translating languages in English, Chinese and Japanese do not only resonate in linguistics itself. It potentially connects one energy to another being and allows us to answer our purpose in the progress of self-transformation, may it be personal or professional.
This episode will surely allow our growth to cross-pollinate with other aspects in life — starting a business, building a relationship with other people, touching base with our clients or even just loving ourselves.
Let’s take a look at what Alice shared on this episode!
- Her journey from living an unhappy life to finding happiness
- Finding aspects such as strengths and purpose in people’s lives that they didn’t know they had
- Establishing the curriculum of Happiness U by defining ‘purpose’ and ‘happiness’ that originally didn’t exist in the life of Alice
- Acknowledging the challenges that one faces but still learning one’s purpose and serving values that are beneficial towards our growth
Series of questions that Alice asks to clarify one’s purpose:
- Where do you nurture others in your life on a daily basis?
- Where do you provide structured discipline?
- Where are you a connector, an ambassador, a cross-pollinator? Where do you connect people to people, places and services?
- Where are you a catalyst for change in others?
While we fuel ourselves up in finding our purpose with endless opportunities, we also have the ability to make these with the greatest love, heartfelt love, and powerful principles of life.
Alice challenges us to consistently use one minute of our morning. Sit, close our eyes, take three deep breaths and ask ourselves: what do we need today? As we ask ourselves this question, answers in finding ourselves will follow through with enough desire and attention – indeed Happiness.
How about U? Find out more about how Happiness U leaves an indelible mark in the lives of people by having numerous training, classes, sessions, and programs. May it be mastering many facets of change, increasing energy for greater productivity, using the power of body language, or thriving during shifting times, allow Happiness U to become a part of your life.
Links:
Connect with Alice
Grab Alice’s Destination to Happiness here
Alice’s Special gift to listeners here
Attend classes in Happiness U
Connect with Deborah Voll
Take the Midlife Quiz
Need a new resume? Connect with me for your Resume Audit here Leave the work to me!
Passion and Purpose Digital Workbook

About:
In November, Cassie Christopher and I presented a live workshop titled, How to set intentions for the holidays and into 2023! We had wonderful participation during the event and thought it would be helpful to play you a recording of the workshop AND give you access to the accompanying worksheet! Just in case you missed it live, you haven’t missed the content!
Cassie Christopher has been the podcast before and is a registered dietitian nutritionist and supports her community to break free from the all or nothing diet mentality! Who couldn’t use that when entering the holidays! She has helped over 100 women eat with joy in her Courage to Trust Method where you create a supportive relationship with food, your body and your health.
Since we are both coaches we wanted to bring to you during this season an opportunity to create some self care for yourself around the holidays! This was the perfect partnership and I hope you enjoy the training and take a moment to click the link to access the worksheet!
In this training, you will
- Brainstorm what’s important for you this holiday season
- Identify your top three intentions
- List the steps for your top intention to create movement and confidence!
- Ask yourself, Why is this intention important to you?
- Who will hold you accountable?
- How will you create space in your day/week to focus on your intention?
Grab your worksheet in the show note links below!
Links:
Connect with Cassie Christopher
Grab the Worksheet for you to complete!
Connect with Deborah Voll
Take The Midlife Quiz
Need a new resume? Connect with me for your Resume Audit here Leave the work to me!
Passion and Purpose Digital Workbook

About:
Meghan is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with over 19 years of experience treating patients with a multitude of diagnoses, injuries, surgeries, and medical complications to help them achieve their optimal mobility and functional ability. She’s worked with all sorts of people – whether it be kids with a sprained ankle, or their moms with lingering post partum pains. Meghan also likes to think of herself as one of her patients. She acknowledges that everyone has flare ups and pains once in a while, but the long term solution to that is not giving your body more rest, rather engaging it in more movements. Of course, almost everyone has busy lives, but Meghan encourages making little adjustments in your life to combat your joint and pain issues – like multitasking when you’re on a walk, or fixing your computer alignment while you’re sitting at your desk, or carving out just an hour in the day for active movement.
Meghan is extremely passionate about moving the body and working the muscles. With that, she’s found another passion: Yoga. She managed to find the right community and instructor that made her feel empowered, push her limits, and also quiet her to-do lost brain.
Now, she is on a mission to teach people about their joint pain so they can live the active, pain-free life they want. Meghan has developed How to Move Without Pain to reach more people who want to live, work, and be active without joint pain and strain holding them back. She’s even in the process of developing a program – Bone Boost – to help people with osteoporosis engage in the right types of movement and work all parts of their body!
What we discussed:
As we age, it’s important to be consistent with movements instead of just doing them abruptly for a couple months and then stopping. As our muscles, fibers, and overall flexibility changes, Our bodies need to get used to the movement, it has to feel lived in, instead of just a binge of movement.
General movements like walking, stretching, or swimming is key to loosening up the tightness in your body and soothing those irritated muscles.
The difference between hurt and harm – what are the short term and long term pains and irritations? What is the pain threshold like for each of them, and what can we do to identify and curb these sorts of issues?
It may be counterintuitive, but the way to get your body to get over soreness and pain is not to sit down and rest more, but to move!
Osteoporosis is something that you cannot feel, and you aren’t aware of when it’s happening. So, it’s important to ask yourself: What’s my balance like? How strong am I?. Although you may not be able to identify your degrading bones, you can control the types of movements you do and make adjustments to your lifestyle to counteract those issues.
Strength training coupled with mobility exercises are key to controlling osteoporosis. Meghan is developing a program for people to follow, which incorporates a diverse basket of exercises for controlling osteoporosis!
Using your muscles will work wonders for you! Staying still is detrimental.
We talked about her online community. Meghan publishes an informative article every week about things that her patients normally ask her, like “what’s a rotator cuff?”. She aims to make it informative, but also relatable! She also publishes an email newsletter on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Meghan’s Timed Loaded Standing Test measures the time a person can stand while holding their arms straight out in front of them, holding 2lb dumbbells.
Set Timer for 30 seconds!
How many can you do?
How to do the test:
Stand tall with feet hip-width apart while holding 2lb weights
Hold weights out in front of you, elbows straight with thumbs up and hands at shoulder height.
As soon as the arms are out straight, the timer starts.
When the weights can no longer be held out, the timer stops.
This test is a great way to know your back and upper body strength and endurance. This test can be very helpful as a starting place and then work to increase the time, especially in the years when osteoporosis is a concern.
Meghan’s community is growing day by day, with more and more people getting empowered to be consistent with moving their bodies!
Links:
Connect with Meghan Griech
Follow Meghan Griech on Instagram
Connect with Deborah Voll
Take The Midlife Quiz
Need a new resume? Connect with me for your Resume Audit here Leave the work to me!
Passion and Purpose Digital Workbook