Advertise on podcast: The Present Day Wise Woman

At 16, Vicky Feeney told her dad she wanted to be a midwife. He asked if she thought she was clever enough. She shelved the dream for 10 years, then went back and flew through it. Since then she's been a midwife, a Dominatrix for 20 years, a club owner running a team of 54, and now the producer of The Padded Cell Podcast from her own home studio. She's also survived estrangement from her minister father, the death of her mother, and a breakdown after 15 years of 100-hour weeks. Now 51 and menopausal, she's working 40 hours, sleeping properly, and doing what brings her joy. Unapologetically. If you're still giving everything to everyone else and wondering "what if?", this one is for you. Press play. SHOWNOTES: Career Metamorphosis: Vicky's career path, from midwife to dominatrix and club owner, was driven by seeking joy and escaping burnout from the broken NHS system.Resilience from Adversity: A strict upbringing and parental estrangement (her minister father disowned her for her lifestyle) forged a strong character and a commitment to authenticity.Authenticity Over Approval: Vicky prioritizes self-care and joy, focusing on her supportive audience ("the 50% who get me") and advising others to pursue their passions to avoid "what if" regrets.New Chapter of Self-Care: After years of 100-hour workweeks, Vicky has shifted to a 40-hour week, focusing on personal well-being and hobbies like gardening and metal detecting. CONTACT Apple Podcasts - The PaddedCell Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-padded-cell-podcast/id1707169404 Spotify - The Padded CellPodcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/4OwbhaA2Ncqyd6ZgxBnc1l?si=76bd1e404a574c8e Youtube -@ThePaddedCellPodcast My website www.thepaddedcellpodcast.co.ukMy Merch store www.thepaddedcellpodcast.store    Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ThePaddedCellPodcast   Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ThePaddedCellPodcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thepaddedcell_podcast TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thepaddedcellpodcast

Twenty-three years. That's how long the medical establishment buried the truth about HRT while women disappeared from public life.Award-winning filmmaker Alicia J. Rose could've accepted the erasure. Instead, she picked up the camera.Menopunks is her documentary-in-motion: a 23-year reckoning and a refusal to fade.This is what happens when a woman at the threshold chooses expansion instead of shrinkage.If you've built the life you were told to want, and the world is calling you finished, this is your revolution.The 2002 Women's Health Initiative (WHI) study's flawed press release created a 23-year health scandal, causing HRT use to plummet from 40% to ~1% and leading to widespread hormone-deficiency illnesses.The FDA recently reversed course, declaring HRT can add 10% to life and that estrogen alone reduces breast cancer risk by 23%, validating the "Menopunks" project's mission."Menopunks" is a documentary and podcast using artists' stories, such as Peaches and Neko Case, to reframe midlife as a powerful era and spark a feminist movement for hormonal access.The project is gaining rapid traction, exemplified by a teaser video featuring artist collaborations that reached nearly 600K views, proving the power of collective storytelling.MENOPUNKShttps://www.menopunks.com/https://www.youtube.com/@MENOPUNKSALICIA J ROSE https://www.facebook.com/aliciajrosehttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573935737397https://www.instagram.com/menopunks

There's an exhaustion that has nothing to do with sleep. In early 2025, after 30+ years as a naturopath and activist, Jennifer Jefferies' hit it, hard enough to tell her wife, Alice, "I don't want to live in a world like this." Alice's answer: "We have to fight." What followed: a TEDx talk, "Who Killed the Crone?", and the birth of the Present Day Wise Woman Movement. You are not finished. Press play. Catalyst: A personal crisis in early 2025, sparked by policies eroding women's rights, led to profound disillusionment and a near-abandonment of activism. Turning Point: A reminder from her wife, Alice, and the historical example of the suffragettes reignited her purpose, shifting her from despair to action. Outcome: This journey culminated in a TEDx talk, "Who Killed the Crone?", and the formal launch of the "Present Day Wise Woman" movement. Core Message: The movement reclaims the "crone" archetype, arguing elder women were deliberately erased by systems that profit from their self-doubt, and calls for women to claim their full power. After 30+ years as a naturopath and activist, a crisis of purpose hit in early 2025. Cause: Policies systematically dismantling rights for women and minorities. Impact: A deep, personal sense of loss and exhaustion, leading to a near-abandonment of activism. Wife's Challenge: Alice's direct challenge ("We have to fight") reframed the despair as a call to action. Historical Inspiration: The example of the suffragettes, who endured mockery, imprisonment, and force-feeding, provided a powerful model of resilience and the principle that rights are taken, not given. Result: This dual inspiration transformed her disillusionment into a clear mission. TEDx Opportunity: In July 2025, she pitched her idea to a TED Global Idea Search, securing one of 90 spots from over 5,000 applicants. Talk Recording: "Who Killed the Crone?" was recorded in Sydney in November 2025. Talk Release: The talk was released in late March 2026. Core Argument: The "crone" (wise elder woman) was deliberately erased by systems that profit from women doubting their authority as they age. Novel: During the 11-month preparation, she wrote her first novel, When the Wise Woman Rises, to explore themes too complex for the keynote. Foundation: Built on over a decade of work, evolving through several groups: "Ascendants of the Feminine" (Facebook group) "Smart Sassy Seniors" (2023) Target Audience: Women who feel dismissed by a world that tells them they are "finished" just as they are coming into their own. Call to Action: Stand fully in your power and live your full life. The movement is a mission "with teeth," not a "wellness Key Takeaways Catalyst: Disillusionment in Early 2025 Turning Point: Reigniting Purpose Outcome: TEDx Talk & Movement Launch The Present Day Wise Woman Movement

When you’re successful on paper but exhausted in your bones, the instinct is to optimise harder. Angela Counsel built that empire. Embrace Menopause was thriving, with hundreds of women getting results. So she walked away from it all. Not because it failed, but because she realised the real crisis wasn’t perimenopause. It was that women had stopped trusting themselves. This conversation moves past the symptom-fixing into something deeper: What happens when the answer you built stops being enough? How do you hear your own wisdom again after decades of listening to everyone else? And what if perimenopause isn’t a problem to solve, but it’s training for who you’re actually meant to become? Show Note: Pivoted from success: Angela Counsel closed her multi-six-figure “Embrace Menopause” business, feeling disconnected and joyless despite its success. Shifted focus to “Reclaim”: The pivot was driven by a need to shift from a “masculine paradigm” of constant growth to a “feminine embodiment of power” focused on helping women reclaim their inner wisdom. Perimenopause as a catalyst: Counsel views perimenopause not as a problem, but as a challenge that trains women to become the “wise woman” through listening to their bodies’ messages. Counsel closed her successful business at its peak, driven by a feeling of disconnection and a lack of joy despite strong client results. The decision was prompted by a mentor’s simple question: “What if you don’t run that program?” This gave her permission to pause and re-evaluate. The pivot was a deliberate move away from a “masculine paradigm” of constant growth and external validation, which she felt led to burnout. The hardest part was letting go of staff who relied on her for income. The new focus is on helping women “reclaim” their inner wisdom, not “reinvent” themselves. This involves trusting one’s own intuition, a concept Counsel now owns with her podcast title, “Wise Women’s Conversations,” after hesitating to use it previously. The new business model must support a lifestyle driven by personal values, specifically allowing for two multi-day hikes per year. Counsel views perimenopause as a challenge that trains women to become the “wise woman.” She suggests many symptoms attributed to hormones are actually caused by adrenal burnout from chronic stress. The key is to listen to the body’s messages during this time, which sets the stage for a fulfilling life post-menopause. The Pivot: From “Embrace Menopause” to the UnknownThe New Direction: Reclaiming Inner WisdomPerimenopause as a Catalyst for Growth. Contact Angela: Substack – Wise Women’s Conversations Facebook - @angelacounsel YouTube - @angelacounsel Instagram - @angelacounsel LinkedIn - @angelacounsel Website – www.angelacounsel.com

She's been to 150 countries. Published ten bestselling books. Built a global platform most people dream of. And learned that none of it was the answer. Catherine DeVrye has spent two decades helping organisations and leaders turn obstacles into opportunities. But somewhere on those roads less travelled, she realised the real obstacle was internal. Today, she's here to talk about hope that's earned, resilience that sticks, and why the woman who has built a career, a life, everything, only to find it no longer fits, might be standing exactly where she needs to be. What I love about Catherine is I still remember the day I met her. Boat in Sydney. Key Takeaways New Book: Beyond Timbuktu is a travel memoir challenging media narratives by showing the kindness of people in places like Iran and Saudi Arabia. Resilience: Built through travel's constant problem-solving and reframing challenges as "first-world problems" to maintain perspective. Midlife Adventure: Devrye and Jefferies are part of a growing trend of women over 50 pursuing physical challenges like surf lifesaving and surfing. Core Message: The only regret is not telling loved ones you care while you have the chance. Contact Catherine DeVrye Website: ⁠www.beyondtimbuktu.com⁠ Website: ⁠www.greatmotivation.com/⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠www.linkedin.com/in/catherined1/⁠ Facebook: ⁠www.facebook.com/catherinedevrye⁠ YouTube: ⁠www.youtube.com/@catherinedevrye⁠

You're fifty, perimenopausal, running on empty, and you've got less years ahead of you than behind you. So what do you do? You pick up a guitar. You form a punk band. You play a dingy venue in Newport so raw and chaotic that other musicians call it "the most punk rock thing I've ever seen." This is the story of The Nannas: five women over fifty who met at a free punk workshop and accidentally became a band. Not to inspire anyone. Not to find themselves through music. But because something inside them refused to go quietly, and they got tired of waiting for permission to be unapologetic. They're on BBC documentaries. They're touring Australia in November. One of them is a nurse who said "I've got less years ahead of me than I have behind me... I have to speak my mind." Another navigated perimenopause by deciding "You're going to be anxious about something. You might as well be anxious about being in a cool band." Key Takeaways Accidental Formation: The Nannas formed by chance after meeting at a free punk workshop for women over 50. Their first chaotic gig was so well-received, they decided to become a band.Midlife Catalyst: The band was a direct response to midlife changes (menopause, caregiving). It became a powerful outlet for channeling frustration and finding a new, unapologetic voice.Community Impact: The Nannas inspire a diverse audience (teens to octogenarians) by proving it's never too late to start something new and by fostering a supportive, non-competitive creative environment.Australia Tour Pitch: The band is actively seeking funding for an Australia tour in November to coincide with the Loud Women Festival, offering workshops and Q&As. CONTACT THE NANAZ Youtube: NaNaz Instagram: NaNaz Facebook: NaNaz Spotify: NaNaz Bandcamp: NaNaz NaNaz Merch: https://thenanaz.bandcamp.com/merch

If you've built a life that looks right but doesn't feel right anymore, this one's your permission slip to ask the harder question. Ann Wax RN has spent fifty years at the bedsides of people facing cancer, and what she's learned isn't just about illness. It's about what matters when we stop performing and start telling the truth. As an oncology nurse, Oncology Doula™, and author of the upcoming Be Your Own Lifeguard, Ann shares what her patients have taught her about resilience, self-worth, and becoming a "Present Day Elder." Key Takeaways Pivoted from Nurse to Doula: After 50 years as an oncology nurse, Ann Wax became an oncology doula to focus on the emotional support patients need, rather than the physical demands of chemotherapy administration. Core Philosophy: "Be Your Own Lifeguard": This principle, which is also the title of her upcoming book, advocates for radical self-preservation. It teaches that you must save yourself from drowning relationships or situations before attempting to help others. Empowering Patients to Speak Up: Wax's work involves giving patients permission to voice their needs and concerns, especially women who are often conditioned to remain silent. She believes authenticity is crucial to healing. Legacy as Healing: Legacy is not just what we leave behind, but also the unconscious wounds and patterns passed down through generations. Wax's goal is to help people recognise and heal these wounds to create a positive legacy for the future. Contact Ann Wax LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annwax/

She wakes at 2am, not from a deadline, not just the hot flush. She wakes because a question has surfaced she's been outrunning for years: whose life is this? Naturopath Jennifer Jefferies has spent nearly four decades working with burned out women, starting with her own burnout in her twenties. In this episode, Jen unpacks why burnout and identity exhaustion get confused, why sleep and supplements can't fix a life that no longer fits, and why the loss of self so many women report in midlife is now a documented clinical finding, not just a feeling. If you've built the career, raised the family, held it all together, and started to wonder if there's anyone left underneath the coat you've been wearing, this one's for you.

Vicki Robin has a question for women over fifty who did everything "right" financially and still feel exposed: what if the fix isn't more money, it's more community? Her In-Home Suites project turns surplus space, basements, over-garage rooms, into dignified, affordable housing for the essential workers your community actually needs, while generating income for the homeowner. It's a real answer to a housing crisis quietly hitting women over fifty in both Australia and the US, built on mutual aid rather than waiting for a broken system to fix itself. Vicki co-wrote Your Money or Your Life, the 1.5 million copy bestseller that sparked the FIRE movement and was called by the New York Times the seminal guide to the new morality of personal money management. But this conversation is about what she's building now. If you've done everything "right" financially and still feel exposed, this one is for you. CONTACT VICKI https://vickirobin.com/about/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idsd7T-KVtk https://vickirobin.com/blessing-the-hands-that-feed-us/ https://www.facebook.com/vicki.robin https://www.instagram.com/vickirobin/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/vicki-robin-3ba9862/ https://substack.com/@comingofaging

One moment of fear changed everything. When Kathryne Imabayashi felt a flicker of unease around a group of teenage boys, she caught herself and asked a question that would define the next chapter of her life: will someone fear my son simply for being male? That question sent her thirty years deep into the emotional world of boys and men, and what she found is unsettling. The men she interviewed for her new book all described the same quiet suppression, the pressure to keep their emotions flat, never too high, never too low. She connects that suppression directly to a mental health crisis we are still refusing to name properly. Kathryne also brings the wisdom of Japan, where elders are revered rather than sidelined, and where new mothers are literally given an elder in their home to cook, guide, and support them. It is a stark contrast to how the West treats its wisest generation, and Kathryne is on a mission to close that gap. If you are raising a son, mentoring a young mother, or simply tired of trusting trends over your own intuition, this one is for you. Contact Kathryne https://www.sonhoodcoaching.com/  https://sonhood.substack.com/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryne-imabayashi/ https://www.instagram.com/sonhoodcoaching/ https://www.facebook.com/sonhoodcoaching https://www.youtube.com/@sonhoodcoaching https://feeds.captivate.fm/unlocking-the-parenting-code/

Kelly Stoetzel's dad took her to a TED event when she was young. She never really left, spending nearly two decades deciding which ideas were ready to change the world. As former Head of Conferences at TED, and now curator of projects like TED Democracy Philadelphia, Kelly has mastered the invisible skills nobody talks about: discernment, emotional steadiness, and carrying real responsibility without needing the credit. Kelly and Jen unpack why the best TED talks come from authenticity, not formula, and what confidence really looks like at 57: freedom from imposter syndrome, and a focus on impact over credit. If you've ever led a room, a team, or a life other people depend on, this one's for you. CONTACT KELLY https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellystoetzel/

"What we don't heal, we hand on." Energy healer Sharyn McKenzie joins Jennifer Jefferies to unpack how inherited trauma and childhood programming quietly run the show, anxiety, people-pleasing, the martyr pattern, and why none of it may have started with you. A grounded, practical look at ancestral energy clearing for women ready to break the cycle, not just manage it. SHOW NOTES: Inherited Trauma: We inherit unhealed trauma from ancestors at conception, which manifests as patterns like anxiety, low self-worth, and people-pleasing. Childhood Programming: The first 7 years are critical; our conscious self isn't active, making us highly susceptible to programming that forms our adult emotional triggers. Emotional Roots of Illness: Physical ailments often have emotional roots. For example, a bladder infection can stem from feeling "pissed off," or a "heart wall" built for protection can block love. Lineage-Wide Healing: Clearing personal trauma benefits the entire lineage-ancestors, peers, and future generations-by breaking the cycle of inherited patterns. CONTACT SHARYN https://www.facebook.com/sharyn.mckenzie

There's a moment many women hit in midlife, not the sports car kind of crisis, but the quieter, more disorienting version. The one where your life looks fine from the outside and feels strangely hollow from the inside. In this episode, Jennifer Jefferies asks the question that cuts straight through: Who are you when you're not doing everything for everyone else? Jen explores the identity shift that arrives when the roles that once defined you, mother, manager, the one who holds it all together, begin to loosen their grip. Why that loosening feels like terror before it feels like freedom. Why there is real grief in midlife that nobody gives you permission to fee, and why that grief is not the obstacle, it's the gateway. She also makes the case for reclaiming the Wise Woman archetype: not as a spiritual concept, but as a radical, practical act of self-recognition. Because the woman who has raised children, navigated careers, weathered losses, and survived the unsurvivable is not past her peak. She is the most resourced, most experienced, most psychologically sophisticated version of herself she has ever been. This episode is for the woman who has everything she was supposed to want, and is quietly wondering why it doesn't feel like enough. It's not a crisis. It's an introduction. To the most interesting woman you've ever met.

Death is the one appointment none of us can cancel, yet most of us are completely unprepared for it. Glenda Aurisch and Ros Berry are end of life doulas from regional Victoria who are bringing death back into community, back into conversation, and back into the hands of women and families who deserve better than silence and confusion at life's most sacred threshold. They stand in coffins for their business card photos. They wheel a shrouded dummy through wellness expos. They run free monthly death education sessions at their local library. And inspired by Jennifer's TEDx talk Who Killed the Crone?, they've just launched the Crone Collective in Moe for women who are done waiting for permission. Bold, funny, and deeply moving. This one will change how you think about living.   SHOWNOTES Interview Glenda & Ros on their end-of-life doula work and the Crone Collective. Filling a Systemic Gap: Glenda started We Assist Youth Services (WAYS) to provide transport for aged care residents outside standard hours, a service the system ignores.Empowering End-of-Life Choices: As volunteer Gippsland Doulas, they educate the community on death planning, enabling people to reclaim control from the medical system and ensure their final wishes are met.Building a Supportive Community: Inspired by Jennifer's TED Talk, they launched the Crone Collective, a local group that quickly grew to 21+ members, providing an immediate, non-judgmental space for connection.Crone Energy in Action: They embody the "why not?" spirit of midlife, using bold tactics (e.g., a shrouded dummy at expos) to normalize conversations about death and aging.CONTACT GLENDA AND ROS https://www.facebook.com/groups/1460814304622417/https://weassistyouservices.com.au/https://www.facebook.com/rosiwellnesshttps://www.facebook.com/groups/26368090286148694https://weassistyouservices.com.au/

Reinvention, relationships, emotional healing, and AI. Martha on what it actually takes to stop suffering in silence, why the goal is not to let go of the past but to gain closure on it, and how to move from I need you to I want you. Martha Mok walked away from a 19-year abusive marriage, a 22-year career, and everything she thought she was. Then she built something bigger than all of it. She is the founder of Yeah The Girls 40 Plus, a community of tens of thousands of women across Australia, and the Celebrating Women Expo and Awards. She is a confidence and business coach, international speaker, and someone who has lived everything she teaches. Sharp, honest, and she pulls no punches. Discuss Martha Mok's journey in community building, AI, and midlife reinvention.   CONTACT MARTHA Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/yeahthegirls40plusFacebook Page https://www.facebook.com/yeahthegirls40plusInstagram https://www.instagram.com/yeahthegirls40plusLinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marthamokFacebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/yeahthegirls40pluCelebrate Women Expo 2026 https://celebratingwomenexpo2026.one/Celebrate Women Awards 2026 https://celebratewomenaward2026.one/YTG40+ Digital Magazine https://ytg40pluscwecwamagazine.manus.space