Late Bloomer Living Podcast

Johanna Walker is a public speaking coach and storytelling expert who helps entrepreneurs and leaders craft talks and presentations around stories that matter, but that’s not the career she planned on.  For years, she worked as a multi-disciplinary artist, eventually finding her way to the stage. Her body of on-stage work spans over 20 years - including performing at poetry slams, creating solo theater pieces.  Eventually she began helping others find their voices. She’s worked with adolescent girls, incarcerated women, senior adults, corporate CEOs, fledgling entrepreneurs, TEDx speakers and passionate change-makers. In this episode we talk about how opening her speaker coaching business at 49 forced her to grow in ways she couldn’t have imagined.

Cat Corchado joined the Air Force as a young, single mother and served a full 20 years. She retired when she was 42 years old and found herself unprepared for the transition to civilian life.  She found that her 20 years of military project management experience did not translate to getting hired for a comparable civilian position. She ended up becoming a personal trainer and a Pilates instructor in her 40s.   She's 64 now and still teaching Pilates, but that's just part of her story.  Cat found that she was missing the connection to other military women, so she began working with the Women’s Veteran Network which is a nationwide network of peer support groups specifically for Women Veterans.  A little over a year ago, Cat saw a need to be able to reach more women veterans with information and inspiration, so at the age of 63 she decided to launch a podcast called Sisters in Service where she helps other women veterans make the transition from military to civilian life.

Welcome to Season 2 of Late Bloomer Living!  After a brief break I'm back to talk about where the podcast might go from here.  I will continue to bring you inspiring stories of people who are continuing to grow and take on new challenges in midlife.  In addition, we'll be talking about the tools you can use to get past roadblocks and self imposed limitations.   

Welcome to the LAST episode of Season One…  When I was thinking about how to wrap up the first season, I wanted to do something special for you.  I reached out to a few of my guests from early in the life of this podcast and asked them to send me a short recording to give us an update on their lives since they first sat down to chat with me.  So…. this is officially a “Where Are They Now” episode!

When Charlene Lam’s mother passed away unexpectedly at age 66 from a stroke she found herself unmoored.  As an only child, she was tasked with having to sell and empty her mother’s dream home.  Charlene had a background working with makers, artisans and designers to help them curate and sell their creations. Now, faced with a lifetime of collected, precious items that had been important to her mother she found herself feeling overwhelmed and unable to let go of anything.  That’s when she asked herself, “OK, if I was to do an exhibition about my mother, which 100 objects would I choose?”

Bruce Wilhelm was in his late twenties when he was given the responsibility of running a successful tree service business that his father had built. He took on the challenge even though he didn’t feel ready.  After successfully growing the business he’d been given for many years, he made the decision to sell the business when he was 42.  He struggled with that decision, because he felt responsible for his employees' livelihoods, but he knew his personal growth waited for him on another path.  Many years later, he has discovered a passion for helping others develop their leadership skills.   

Jessica Abel is an award-winning cartoonist, illustrator, and writer, and is the chair of the  Illustration program at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.  In the past few years, she has evolved to become founder of the Autonomous Creative where she works with ambitious mid-career creative pros and businesses to help them stop grinding and carve out the deep focus needed to finish—and launch—the game-changing work they want to be known for.  In this episode we explore the messy middle of the creative process and how that relates to the messiness of a midlife reinvention. 

Julie Holly started off her career as a public school teacher after graduating early from college.  She thought she had it all figured out and was on her way to a “successful life”, until life threw some “smack downs” her way.  She pivoted to a real estate career for some time before deciding that she really wanted to pursue a childhood dream.  Allowing herself to pivot and follow her instincts has prepared her for the next leg of her journey in which she’s combined teaching, writing and real estate investing into a new mission that is filling her with energy and purpose. 

Wendy Deacon is a master of PLAYtime!  She left a successful corporate career and took some time to think about what she truly wanted to do next.  She ended up writing a book which has since led her to establish a company called DestinationU with the mission of empowering women to identify and create the lives they truly want to live.  She also leads the Inspiring Your NEXT Community! which is a community of women over 40 who are going after their next adventure and prioritizing playtime.  Do you want to explore more but need ideas or are unsure where to start? Do you feel like there must be more fun out there?

Deena Baikowitz started doing stand up comedy when she was 50 years old! As a coach, she helps professionals develop new business and career opportunities through strategic networking, branding, and marketing.  Deena brings her signature fireball energy to every space and every audience. Her happy place is in a room full of people – both virtual and live.  A turn of events during the Covid shutdown meant that she had to relocate from her beloved home in New York City to Toronto where she’s been isolated for 7+ months.  As an extrovert with an expertise in networking the lack of direct human connection has been a distinct challenge for Deena, but she’s learned a little something about herself along the way and she’s keeping her options open as she navigates a life she didn’t plan on.