Designing Midlife Podcast

With March being Womens Month, I've spent a lot of time the past couple of weeks engaging with other midlife women sharing our stories of the pursuit of fullfilment in our respective lives.  Today I introduce you to Yolanda White, an executive leader that has managed iconic brands in the cosmetic, automotive, food and beverage industries and now revolutionizing women’s leisure fashion as CEO of her own loungewear brand, DAYO. Yolanda's transition into her entrepreneurial endeavor is backed with over 17 years of marketing leadership experience at The Coca-Cola Company. She prides herself in being a cutting-edge business leader and an inspirational force for all things related to uplifting women. With only being on the scene for 2 years, many fashion and lifestyle publications, including Essence, People, Madame Noir, Rolling Out and others have featured Yolanda's empowering brand DAYO for its style, commitment to self-love and the face of the brand, Chilli of TLC. This force to be reckoned with is steadfast in her vision of disrupting the loungewear and pajama industry in bringing women an elevated style and functionality, so they can "show up for themselves" and feel their best. Join this self-love movement, volume up and enjoy the journey of Yolanda White. Follow us on IG @designingmidlife   For more information on our inspiring guest, you can find Yolanda and DAYO here: DAYOwomen.com IG: @DAYOwomen IG: @IAMYolandaW   This episode is sponsored by: All Things Taj ~ virtual interior design consultants solving all your design dilemmas a Zoom call away!

Hi Everyone, have you been checking in on your strong friends?   We have so many moving parts in our lives in this season of midlife. It's complicated, it's stressful, it's unfamiliar in a lot of ways and honestly, it takes work to stay positive and feel confident about where our journey is taking us.   This is a bonus solo episode where I'm catching you up on recent unexpected events that resulted in a period of mourning BUT also a renewed perspective on reinvention midlife. This one's short and sweet! I urge you to check in on your strong friends, we're all going through something.   Thanks for listening, and as always, I'd love to hear your feedback. Leave a review, send me an email, let's chat!   One love, Taj XO   Follow us on IG @designingmidlife This episode is sponsored by: All Things Taj ~ virtual interior design consultants solving all your design dilemmas a Zoom call away!

Hello everyone, and welcome to episode #10.  With us today all the way from the UK is Deborah Forsythe, The Menopause Consultant. I came across Deborah's practice on social and her content spoke me.  What we all come to realize as midlife women is that our journey to menopause looks and feels different for each of us.  I've been wanting to explore and simply talk about all that well, we don't about enough when it comes to this pivotal phase in our lives. So, needless to say, I'm very excited to share this episode with you. With over 25 years of experience in aesthetic medicine, Deborah is certified by the Marion Gluck Academy, in hormone balancing therapy using Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy and body identical therapy. Her interest in Menopause and related hormonal disturbances came from her own experience. Despite knowing and understanding the process, when it happened to her, she describes it as chaos. Deborah promised herself she would find the pathways to empower other women with the opportunity to change their own experience and take control of their menopause in a productive way. Through her work, Deb's clients regain their confidence and make informed decisions about their menopause transition. Follow us on IG @designingmidlife  For more information on our special guest, you can find Deborah here: DeborahTheMenopauseConsultant.com IG: @themenopauseconsultant Facebook: Deborah Forsythe - The Menopause Consultant This episode is sponsored by: All Things Taj ~ virtual interior design consultants solving all your design dilemmas a Zoom call away!

You’re about to hear an interview with Energetic Interior Designer and Crystal Healer Rashia Bell, the co-founder of THE CRISTALLINE, a multi-faceted lifestyle company that works to help you create balance within all areas of your life. I’m always exploring tools for wellness, and how to reinforce wellness in my home (as well as for my clients). I’m sure you’ll agree, this midlife maven is passionate and could probably give a Ted talk on the journey of healing, embracing crystals and seeking healthy ways to process the valleys we experience in life. Rashia has taken a uniquely holistic approach to the spaces she transforms for THE CRISTALLINE. The foundation for her design process is specializing in personal healing work, where she has lead workshops for all ages, private events and retreats around the world. Her work is to show her clients how to find balance within themselves and greater encompassing the spaces they inhabit. To learn more about Rashia, follow her on her social channels at: IG: @thecristalline FB: @thecristalline TheCristalline.com   re-vityl.com IG: @re.vityl FB: @re.vityl This episode is sponsored by All Things Taj, LLC, an interior design boutique firm ~ providing virtual design consultations ~ with a focus on modern design and incorporating culture and wellness into our personal spaces. I'm your host, Taj.  Thank you for spending this time with me.  I hope you've subscribed to the podcast, and please leave a review.  Your thoughts and feedback mean the world.  I also invite you to subscribe to my newsletter at DesigningMidlife.com where I share a lens into my life and "midlife musings" I find along the way. If you're on Instagram, follow @designingmidlife  for inspiration and exclusive behind-the-scenes you won't find anywhere else. Afterall, we truly believe #thebestisyettocome ;-)  

Welcome to episode #8, Everyone!  Today we have a special guest who listened to that voice within, stepped out on faith and has garnered a professional legacy of working with cultural communities with a focus on amplifying the very broad lens of women of color.  Yvette Harris is the PR Publicist you need, she is always Love & Light.  She's your Sis that not only tells you BUT show's you the glass is truly half full - and, she follows it up with a dozen happy reasons why & ideas to execute.  Can we collectively shout, Yes and Yes!! As we prepare to close out 2020 and hopefully kick-off 2021 on a higher vibration, this interview is right on time.  I hope you enjoy listening to this midlifers' journey of tuning into that inner voice to lead the way.

Today we're learning all things related to breast health with Dr. Donna Marie Manasseh.  I hope you'll agree with me that Dr. Manasseh and I covered all the bases (from what to expect from your doctors, to the impact of weight, what we eat and much more).  I'm also sharing for the first time in a public platform my personal breast story. Dr. Donna-Marie Manasseh is the Director of Breast Surgery at the Maimonides Breast Cancer Center in Brooklyn, NY. Prior to joining the Maimonides team, she was the Co-Director of the Women's Breast Center and the Chief of Breast Surgery at Stamford Hospital. She is a strong advocate of empowering women by educating them about breast health and disease, in the hopes that this education will lead to earlier detection and a better chance of being cured. Dr. Manasseh is a graduate of Harvard Medical School and I think I could have spent the entire episode listing her numerous awards and accolades {smile}.  She is a treasure, ladies.    We love to hear your feedback.  Thanks for spending this time with us. Please share, rate & review.     Stay in touch: You can find Dr. Manasseh here. Follow us on Instagram @designingmidlife or designingmidlife.com    

Lisa James is a 54 yo empty nester who started @adventurousmidlifer to encourage and inspire other midlifers not to be afraid to travel.  Her philosophy is: “there is no expiration date on having an adventure, except when we expire.” {Love that!}   If I had to describe Lisa James with one adjective, it would be FEARLESS!!!  Fearless in how she's raised her kids, how she's lived her life, her adventures.  She'll also share how she gets her amazing travel deals and what travel has been like since COVID.  This is for the fearless & fun crew, let's go! Follow along beyond this episode on Instagram: @designingmidlife  @adventurousmidlifer Subscribe for more at DesigningMidlife.com

In this episode, Taj interviews Mindset and Clarity Coach, Stacy Griner who shares her intriguing journey to becoming a Wellpreneur. We also learn Stacy's approach on how to finally get unstuck, ditch procrastination, and unlock our full potential so we can thrive in this midlife season!    Thanks so kindly for sharing your time with us today.  We'd love to get your feedback, please leave a review and don't forget to subscribe for future episodes of the Designing Midlife podcast.   IG: @designingmidlife and @iamstacygriner DesigningMidlife.com

In episode #4, Taj hosts her dear friend and Mental Health practitioner, Duchess Raufman Jefferson in a girls chat catching up on all things in this wild year of 2020.  They share what they've collectively been experiencing over the past several months, trends resulting from both COVID and BLM protests in the mental health space, and what they've been doing (or not doing) to navigate it all while reinforcing the notion that: -self-care is paramount, no matter how big or small the act; -as parents, there are different strategies to try to get our kids (of all ages) to open up; and -as midlife women, knowing that we're all in this together. Generation X, welcome!  Join our community and follow us on IG @designingmidlife and sign-up for more at DesigningMidlife.com Our philosophy is we are Made for More!  Use the hashtag and tag us with your #madeformore posts.  The best is yet to come ladies, we just have to design it that way!

Music, color and the spaces we fill all impact on our moods. So how can we take a fresh look at our homes and be intentional about creating environments that nurture our wellness? How can we turn our homes into sanctuaries for ourselves and for our families? In this episode, Taj gives us access to her home and talks about how she reworked the space to form areas of rest, fun and retreat. Today we want to encourage you to look at the place where you spend most of your time - your home - and think about how each room makes you feel. Great spaces create positive feelings and your environment is so important for your wellbeing. Learn how to make small changes for a huge impact. We’d love to hear from you midlifers. Please go to our website and tell us how you are designing your midlife. Don’t forget to follow us on social media IG: www.instagram.com/designingmidlife Web: Designingmidlife.com

There’s a common theme running amongst the women who are designing their midlife. All them in some way are saying “it’s my time now”. Many of these women are like you and I. Generation X born around 1961 to 1979 give or take a year or two; we are the generation that balance career, children and ageing parents. In this episode, Taj talks about a common feeling in Generation X women that we are made for more. She goes into detail about her health scare and how she had to take a step back to move further forward. We dive into the topics of ageing, wellness and self-care in a more holistic sense, not just a buzzword.   Follow us on IG https://www.instagram.com/designingmidlife/ Tag us with your #Madeformore posts

Midlife today isn’t the same for us as it was for our moms, let alone our grandmothers. Today, 40 is the new 25, right?! ;) Has "midlife" snuck up on you? Are you embracing what's new or is it more like, W.T.F.! LoL Join Taj Hunter Waite as she creates this space to talk about our individual dynamics of transitioning into {and mastering} this next phase of life to designing The Best phase of our lives yet. Oh, don't forget to subscribe to the show!