say YES to yourself! | Midlife Reinvention: Real Stories, Bold Moves
Say YES to Yourself! is a top midlife podcast for women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond who are reinventing their lives and navigating major life transitions.
This podcast is for you if you're asking:
1. Why do I feel lost as a woman in midlife?
2. Who am I now that my kids are grown and I have an empty nest?
3. Is it too late to reinvent myself in my 40s or 50s?
4. How do I rebuild after a divorce or a major life change?
5. Why do I feel guilty for wanting more for myself in midlife?
6. How do I stop people-pleasing and start putting myself first?
7. How do women reinvent themselves after caregiving or burnout?
8. How do I rebuild confidence and trust myself again in midlife?
9. How do I navigate a midlife transition without losing myself?
10. How do I make a career pivot in midlife that actually feels aligned?
Each week, host Wendy Harrop interviews inspiring women who are reinventing their lives in midlife. From career changes and creative pursuits to empty nest transitions and personal breakthroughs, you'll hear real stories of midlife transformation, courage, and joy.
Topics include: midlife reinvention, starting over after 40, second chapter living, empty nest syndrome, midlife career change, women's empowerment, personal growth for women over 50, midlife transitions, rebuilding after divorce, and finding yourself again in midlife.
Say YES to Yourself! is for midlife women ready to shed outdated expectations, rewrite their stories, and put themselves first—without guilt or apology.
Your best chapter starts now.
say YES to yourself! | Midlife Reinvention: Real Stories, Bold Moves
How to Stop People Pleasing (A Somatic Coach's Approach) | Darshana Avila
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Join Wendy for her dreamy Summer Solstice White Party on Saturday June 20, 2026 —an al fresco evening of delicious food, intention-setting, and celebration at the Phineas Wright House. Wear white, gather at the long table in the field, and toast to the season ahead.
Save you seat here: phineaswrighthouse.com/the-shop/p/summer-solstice-white-party
In this episode, Wendy sits down with Darshana Avila, somatic experiencing practitioner and body-based trauma healer. Darshana is a recovering people pleaser who's spent years unwinding the cultural scripts we're all handed unknowingly: the ones about gender roles, perfectionism, and who we're supposed to be.
They explore:
- Why people pleasing is rooted in cultural conditioning (and how to recognize the script you've been reading)
- How trauma lives in your body and healing means changing your present relationship to the past
- Why forgiveness is a beautifully selfish act that frees you from resentment
Darshana talks about softening into embodiment, surrender as a practice, and what happens when we embrace our wholeness. This is a conversation about unwinding the people-pleasing patterns we didn't know we were practicing, and what becomes possible when we soften into our bodies and choose to lay down our armor.
Connect with Darshana:
Website: darshanaavila.com
Instagram: instagram.com/darshana_avila
Deeper with Darshana Podcast: darshanaavila.com/podcast
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Instagram: @wendy.harrop
Facebook: Phineas Wright House
Website: Phineas Wright House
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Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective
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