Are you playing the role of the "perfect" daughter, wife, or mother while feeling like your true self has vanished? In this powerful episode, Brenda Ridgley sits down with Chris Wasco—a spiritual counselor, psychic medium, and author of An Old Soul’s Journey—to discuss breaking free from narcissistic abuse and a silenced nervous system.

Chris shares her raw "Midlife Funk" story: the terrifying moment she realized the abuse she endured as a child was beginning to touch her own children. This "straw that broke the camel's back" led her to cut ties with her parents and begin a massive life transformation. We explore the "Mother Wound"—the generational shadow that shapes how women relate to themselves and their friends—and how unmasking toxic family dynamics can literally heal your physical body.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The Breaking Point: Why it often takes a threat to our children to make us stand up to our own bullies.
• The Narcissistic Spectrum: Understanding the difference between overt abuse and the mental manipulation of the "silent treatment."
• Healing the Nervous System: How trauma "mutes" our intuition and why Chris’s psychic gifts only came "online" once she finally felt safe.
• The Mother Wound & Enmeshment: Why having your mother as your "best friend" can actually be an energetic red flag for your marriage.
• Somatic Recovery: Moving from a "stressed breath" to a grounded life through mirror work and chakra exploration.

Actionable Insights:

1. Grounding Check: Learn to anchor your "roots" to exit fight-or-flight mode and breathe from your belly, not just your chest.
2. Solar Plexus Power: Use the "I am powerful" check-in to see if you are standing in your personal sovereignty.
3. Mirror Work: Start with just 20 seconds of looking at yourself with love to reclaim the identity trauma tried to hide.

About Our Guest: Chris Wasco is a spiritual counselor, energy healer, and creator of Spicy Old Souls, a deep-level soul healing program. She specializes in reading the chakra system and listening to the stories the body wants to share.

Connect with Chris:

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@energyhealingwithChris

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chriswaskomedium

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#FindYourLadyTribe #MidlifeReinvention #MotherWound #NarcissisticAbuseRecovery #ChakraHealing #RoleToSoul #SaveTheWorldSisterhood #BrendaRidgley

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You can do everything “right” and still feel lost when the boxes run out. That’s the moment we dig into with Sheree Holt, founder of Why Not Rome, a boutique travel brand created for midlife women who crave culture, community, and real connection. Sheree’s path moves from performer to corporate leadership, then straight into the midlife funk that hits when success stops feeling like you.

We talk about the identity shift so many women over 40 experience but rarely name: the gap between who you’ve been and who you’re becoming. Sheree shares what it felt like to leave an unfulfilling job without a perfect plan, how fear and control show up during a career pivot, and why waiting for a single “big epiphany” often keeps us stuck. The real breakthrough, she says, comes from small actions that disrupt routine: new rooms, new people, new choices that slowly reveal what fits.

You’ll also hear practical midlife reinvention tips you can start this week, including how to name your biggest pain points, stop spiraling into self-diagnosis, and use simple tools like journaling and tiny goals to rebuild momentum. Sheree also points you to her free Midlife Playbook so you can create your own next chapter with intention.

If you feel that quiet restlessness creeping in, listen now, then share this with a friend who needs it. Subscribe, leave a review, and come connect with us in the Save the World Sisterhood Facebook group.

Ways to Connect with Sheree:
Personal site: www.sheree-monique.com
Company: www.whynotroam.com

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The Midlife Playbook

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The hardest moments don’t need perfect words, they need a steady witness. Brenda sits down with Reverend Christine Vaughn Davies, an ordained Presbyterian minister and hospital chaplain leader, for a candid conversation about midlife funk, grief, and the surprising power of presence when life falls apart.

Christine shares how her early pull toward spirituality and her work as an EMT shaped her calling, then how becoming a patient herself changed everything. She opens up about navigating an epilepsy diagnosis, feeling dismissed by medical professionals, and what “medical gaslighting” does to your sense of self and trust. From there, we dig into a practical definition of spirituality that goes far beyond religion: connection to yourself, to others, and to the divine, and what happens when any of those connections rupture.

We also talk openly about miscarriage grief and the phrases that can sting even when they are meant well. Christine breaks down spiritual toxic positivity and offers real alternatives, including the simplest rule most of us resist: show up and shut up. You’ll leave with concrete ways to support someone in pain, plus gentle spiritual practices you can try right now, even if you don’t consider yourself religious. We close with midlife hope, perimenopause honesty, and how to build a “lady tribe” with intention instead of waiting for schedules to magically align.

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Rev Christines's Social Media Links:

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The moment you’re labeled “strong,” the world starts handing you more to carry and you learn to smile while you do it. Today we sit down with Karin Del Maestro, a breast cancer survivor and trauma-aware health coach, to talk about the real cost of being the capable one for decades and what it takes to rebuild after your body and nervous system finally say “no more.” Her story moves through stacked trauma, grief, and the shock of a breast cancer diagnosis plus a BRCA genetic mutation, then into the complicated reality of treatment choices, surgery, hormones, and the pressure to make fast decisions when you’re terrified.

We also go to the place few people talk about honestly: what happens after treatment ends. Karin shares why the “done” moment can feel isolating instead of joyful, how PTSD can show up for breast cancer survivors, and why your nervous system may still be stuck in fight or flight long after the medical plan is complete. If you’ve ever felt like your foot is on the gas but you can’t move forward, this will land. We connect the dots between trauma, workaholism, perfectionism, people-pleasing, and the exhaustion so many midlife women normalize.

You’ll leave with practical tools you can use immediately, including Karin’s simple framework “Pause, Check, Choose” to step off autopilot, plus a powerful boundary reframe: you’re not saying no to someone, you’re saying yes to your peace. If you’re navigating breast cancer recovery, midlife healing, nervous system regulation, or burnout, share this with a friend who needs it and subscribe, rate, and review so more women can find this support.

Guide: 7 Boundaries to Safeguard Your Energy: https://karin-del-maestro.mykajabi.com/pl/2148664959

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You can check every box and still feel like something is missing and that’s the moment we’re naming out loud today. I’m sitting down with Jen Carew, a former corporate leader who spent more than 20 years mastering external success, only to realize at midlife that the life she built didn’t match the peace she craved. What happens next is honest, brave, and deeply relatable: she walks away, creates space, and begins the slow work of remembering who she is beneath the roles.

Jen shares one of my favorite images for midlife transformation: the inner spring. When we’re young, our spirit flows naturally, but over time we drop pebbles into that stream. Expectations, people pleasing, and the pressure to be “useful” can restrict the flow until we barely recognize ourselves. We talk about the dark night of the soul that can follow big change, the grief of letting go of a “good” identity, and why a brief spiritual awakening can be followed by anxiety when the ego fights to stay in control. If you’ve ever felt stuck in your head, we break down ego vs soul in clear, practical terms.

We also go into ancestral healing and epigenetics, including the visibility wound many women carry and how inherited trauma and family patterns can shape your confidence, voice, and sense of safety. You’ll leave with grounded next steps you can try this week. If you’re craving purpose after 40, spiritual direction, burnout recovery tools, or a gentler way to come home to yourself, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s been hustling on autopilot, and if it resonates, leave a review so more midlife women can find our circle.

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The weirdest part of midlife isn’t the hot flashes or the changing metabolism. It’s the moment you look up and realize you don’t feel like yourself and you can’t explain why. Brenda Ridgley sits down with holistic menopause coach Eliza Riley to name what so many women experience in silence: the sleep disruption, the crushing fatigue, the painful cycles, the brain fog, and even the scary emotional flatness that can show up during perimenopause and menopause.

Eliza shares her personal health journey through cervical cancer, years of confusing symptoms, and the long road to realizing hormones were at the center of the storm. We talk about why the medical system can feel fragmented, why symptom-by-symptom fixes often miss the root cause, and how it’s possible to rebuild trust in your body by learning its patterns. You’ll also hear a grounded take on HRT, including why it’s not one-size-fits-all and why women deserve to understand their full menu of options for menopause support.

Then we get practical. Eliza explains what she means by “losing your rhythm” and how modern life pulls us away from the circadian and metabolic cues that regulate the nervous system and hormone balance. She offers two simple shifts you can try this week. If you’re ready to stop running on fumes and start feeling clear and capable again, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with the biggest midlife symptom you want to solve next.

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Are you high-achieving, over-scheduled, and yet... quietly unfulfilled? You’ve mastered the roles—the powerhouse professional, the dedicated partner, the doting mother, the reliable daughter—but somewhere along the way, you lost the woman with the spark in her eyes.

In our Season 4 premiere, I’m stepping into the guest seat to share my own raw journey through the "Midlife Funk." I’m unmasking the truth about what happens when we prioritize our roles over our souls, and how I used my professional background to engineer my own escape from autopilot.

In this foundational episode, I’m sharing:

The "Mom-bot" Trap: The high-stakes trauma of my son’s birth that led me to trade my personal identity for a "protective shield" of motherhood for 18 years.

The Jane Moment: The one vulnerable conversation that gave me the "breath of relief" and the permission to stop faking "okay."

The Professional Pivot: How I transitioned from a Corporate HR Manager to becoming a Mindvalley Certified Life Coach obsessed with female connection.

The Save the World Sisterhood: Why I believe that a midlife woman who has reclaimed her purpose is the most powerful force for global change.

This episode sets the stage for a powerful season of expert guests and survival stories of reinvention. Whether you are navigating a career transition, an identity shift, or just a heavy dissatisfaction in your gut, this is your invitation to stop being a "placeholder" and start being the hero of your own life.

Subscribe now and join the circle. Your next chapter doesn't just start here—it ignites here.

Save the World, Sister!

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Over the next week I will be sharing interviews with the Leaders of the October 16-19, 2025 Whole YOU Retreat. In this video I introduce our Photographer and retreat storyteller Sophia Reamsnyder. Owner/Brand Digital Storyteller of Reamsnyder Media, Sophia focuses on the B-to-B and Non-Profit space. Whether out with family, or working with clients, she strives to capture a moment, a memory, or tell an unforgettable story through portrait photography, event photography, documentary shorts or the written word. Sophia is passionate about her work and believes in continuous growth.

Learn more about the Whole YOU Retreat at www.wholeYOUniverse.com​

#womensretreats #photographer #wholeYOUretreat #wholeYOUniverse

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