The Midlife Manifesto for Passion, Purpose, and Play
Midlife isn’t what it used to be. Today, nearly 60% of Gen X women describe themselves as stressed out and grappling with debt, care giving responsibilities, marital dissatisfaction, hormonal shifts, declining health, and career burnout–often all at once. The old mantra of “just push through it” no longer suffices. What’s missing is a modern road map tailored to the unique challenges and aspirations of today’s women.
Enter Wendy Valentine – host of The Midlife Makeover Show podcast and author of the up-coming new book Woman Waking Up: The Midlife Manifesto for Passion, Purpose, and Play, which redefines midlife not as a crisis, but as a powerful opportunity for reinvention.
“The steps I had to take to become a happier, healthier, and more peaceful woman were delivered to me in a vision – a crazy, out-of-the-blue vision of me driving an RV across the country,” writes Wendy. “Driving an RV across the country- seemed really crazy, but staying stuck in the same cycle of pain and misery seemed even crazier. I realized that either road would take a ton of effort, so I might as well put my energy into building a better life for myself.”
At the heart of the book is Wendy’s empowering seven-step F.R.E.E.D.O.M. process – a practical and inspiring road map that empowers women to create their own midlife makeover. Her signature tool called the Wheel of Midlife helps readers assess where they are in key areas of their lives – family, finance, health, career, friends, love, leisure, and growth – and choose where they want to go next.
“After years of dedicated research, deep soul-searching, and a transformative journey that awakened my superhero, I’ve crafted the ultimate guide to help you experience your own revival,” writes Valentine. “So get ready to fly high and harness the power within. Your superhero is ready to leap back into action, and the world is ready to be amazed by what you’re capable of.”
About the Author: Wendy Valentine is author of Woman Waking Up: The MidIife Manifesto for Passion, Purpose, and Play, and host of The Midlife Makeover Show, which is a top-rated podcast for women in midlife. Wendy helps women kick fear to the curb, migrate their spark and wake up to what’s possible. Learn more at http://www.WendyValentine.com.
Women Waking Up by Wendy Valentine
255 pages - $19.95- ISBN 978-1-60868-970-5
Book Release from New World Library
At a time when their rights and voices are under increasing scrutiny and challenge, it’s more important than ever for women to be able to speak up for what they believe in. Too often, women are encouraged to be nurturers and peacemakers, which carries the implied message that they shouldn’t rock the boat – when in fact, being assertive is often exactly what’s required to create the life they truly want.
In the new book, Push Back: Live, Love, and Work with Others Without Losing Yourself, popular psychotherapist, Psychology Today blogger and go-to relationship expert Tonya Lester offers conflict-averse women a bold directive: It’s OK to be difficult. Not mean, not rigid, not a bully – but the kind of difficult that makes the people in their lives see them and understand what they need.
“I want to help you learn that seeking harmony for its own sake is a trap. That there’s no winning in making everyone else happy at your own expense. And that in nearly every situation, it is within your power to make positive changes,” writes Lester “Truly intractable situations are rare. But to change your circumstances, you must be willing to push back.”
Push Back challenges advice telling women they should smooth out interpersonal struggles and equips readers with the tools to build a life that works better for everyone in it, starting with themselves. The book is filled with real client stories, powerful self-assessments, sample dialogues, and practical tools to help readers:
• Express their needs and set boundaries
• Engage in honest, productive conflict
• Deal calmly with backlash from spouses, coworkers, family, and friends
• Stand firm in their convictions
“Focusing on what we can control – how we move through the world – is how we meaningfully change our situation and set a healthy example for those in our lives,” writes Lester. “Even if we’ve been overaccommodating in the past or our needs have changed, we can still learn to assert ourselves. Our pasts don’t have to determine our futures. We’re allowed to change”
About the Author: Tonya Lester, LCSW, is a Brooklyn-based psychotherapist and writer known for her work with relationships and communication. Her essay “Couples Therapist, Heal Thyself’ was published in the Modern Love column in The New York Times, and she has bean writing the popular Staying Sane Inside Insanity blog for Psychology Today since 2020. She has been featured as an expert in The Guardian, Newsweek, Well+Good, HuffPo, Fatherly, and Bumble site The Buzz. Visit her at http://www.TonyaLester.com
November & repeat of October Book Reviews
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Book Release from New World Library