Reinvent Yourself (Lesley Jane Seymour)

Join Lesley Jane Seymour in an intimate talk with writer, feminist, multi-talented entrepreneur Marianne Schnall who is now creating new leadership platform for women. 

Yes, says Patrick Hanlon, CEO of Thinktopia. Join Lesley Jane Seymour as she welcomes a uniquely unconventional thinker and the first male voice of reinvention to the CoveyCast.  

Grade school buddies Alison Matz and Linda Sawyer had storied careers in media then got together after 40 to launch an upscale cleaning product. Coveyclub.com founder, Lesley Jane Seymour, digs out their, useful “Dos” and “Don’ts” of how to make a life long friendship work in business. 

Reinventing to pay it forward? That’s what serial entrepreneur Eileen Gittins, founder of Blurb,  did by developing an app called Bossygrl.com that allows you—and generation Z— to set up a business in 20 minutes. Lesley Jane Seymour, founder of CoveyClub.com, gets Gittins to spill all her secrets to her many successes.

Take a breakthrough idea—and improve it. Agathe Assouline-Lichten and her sister, Arielle, sweetened the dinner-in-a-box craze by making theirs about pre-measured ingredients for delicious cakes and cookies. Their Red Velvet Baking company (https://redvelvetnyc.com/) turns even the most kitchen-phobic person into an accomplished chef. Alert: Special holiday offer for CoveyClub members at the end of the podcast!  

Only 4.2% of female-founded businesses have revenues over $1 million. Serial entrepreneur, scaling-up expert, and author of the book “Million Dollar Women”, Julia Pimsleur, wants to change that. She says you too can get there with coaching, reading, and diligent processes. CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour digs out the details including Julia’s three top recommended books (including “The Start-Up J Curve” by Howard Love) and a special download for CoveyClub listeners. 

Best-selling author (and reinventor) Laura Munson wants to help you (no matter what your level) craft your story, novel or memoir!  Join CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour and Munson in a conversation that reveals the nuts and bolts of how to get started, collectives and workshops to join (including Gotham in NY, Grub Street in Boston, Story Studio in Chicago, The Loft in Minneapolis, PNWA in Seattle, The Grotto in San Francisco), best self-publishing outlets (Girl Friday Productions), and best retreats—Munson has a special offer for Covey Cast listeners who sign up for her fabulous Haven Writing Retreat.

Amy-Willard Cross wondered why there were labels that helped consumers shop for fair-caught fish but not for businesses that treat women fairly. So she created Genderfair, an app and label that lets you shop your values. Join CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour as she downloads serial reinventor Cross on how she did it—and what you can learn about reinventing to make the world fair for all genders.

From marketing and momhood to the skincare business. Savannah-based Stephanie Duttenhaver and Cindy Edwards decided that what was missing in the beauty market was southern comfort for skin. Defying the current trend for injuring/then repairing skin, they went for babying it instead—with high doses of all natural ingredients and the most gorgeous packaging they could find. Then a seat on a plane ride changed their business forever

Claire Cook was a 45 year old mom who her used her time waiting in the pickup line for her kid’s swim practice to pursue her dream of being a writer.  Now she’s a best-selling author with a movie under her belt. CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour, has a lively chat with this one-person cheer-leading squad for reinventors.  

CoveyClub Founder, Lesley Jane Seymour talks with Tracy Killoren Chadwell, Founding Partner of 1843 Capital about why, when and how to fund raise and from whom.  Tracy also reveals they whys and wherefores of her own route to reinvention, the building her own venture capital fund and why she’s so bullish on women and what she calls “sliver tech.”  

 

CoveyCast Notes: Get reading with the three inspirational books that Tracy says were most influential in forming her life’s mission:  West with the Night:  “The memoir of Beryl Markham, one of the most courageous and accomplished women in history and a great read.” (https://amzn.to/2JuGk3c) The Wicked Wit of Winston Churchill  ”Read anything about or by Winston Churchill, but this book of quotes is accessible and fun.” (https://amzn.to/2GKlDOR) The Innovat […]

She was a happy MD when her health issues interfered. So she reinvented as a T.V. doc. Until her health interfered. And now she is reinventing again. Lesley Jane Seymour speaks with this indefatigable doctor who brings intimate medical advice to women like us at her podcast “In the Ladies Room with Dr. Donnica.”

 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/in-the-ladies-room-with-dr-donnica/id1330779402?mt=2

Women hide their reinvention ideas because they’re afraid someone will steal them. Yet getting feedback on your idea early is an imperative for success. Lesley Jane Seymour, founder of CoveyClub, speaks with Candice Cook Simmons, Esq., who offers a unique  “subscription” type of legal service to start-ups instead of costly hourly rates.  She explains why good legal services shouldn’t break you and how and when you should get started. Cook is a writer, philanthropist, and business strategist in the technology, entertainment, and corporate sectors.    CoveyCast Notes: Here are some important links from the show.  Reach Candice at The Cook Law Group–http://ca-coglobalinc.com or through Instagram @CandiceSC1of1 Twitter @CandiceSC1, or Linkedin: 

How do you jump back into the workforce when you’ve been out for an extended period of time? How do you catch up on the tech you will need to know? On how to handle a video interview? On how to dress informal but chic? Lesley Jane Seymour speaks with Reboot Accel co-founder and reinventor Diane Flynn who has all the answers and more.  Plus her offer of a free set of get-your-career-going-again videos at CoveyClub.com.  

Female Quotient’s Shelley Zalis was a gigunda success in digital research, sold the company for millions, then jumped back in to reinvent as a catalyst for getting women to 50% of top level executives. Zalis talks to CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour about what it’s like to start all over again from the bottom—and how mission sets her agenda.  

Margaret Roach had it made: a top job at Martha Stewart Omnimedia, a killer wardrobe and the ability to drop $20 for an average lunch at her New York desk. But she traded it all in to cook her own lunches and spend 24/7 in her garden as the founder of A Way to Garden. CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour gets  Roach to dish her tips on satisfying your inner self.  

One of the keys to reinvention? Being open to ideas that literally happen all the time. Jana Brown talks with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour about a chance encounter during an interview that led to a screenplay and an award-winning film. 

Lesley Jane Seymour talks with Mother of Re-entry, Carol Fishman Cohen, CEO of iRelaunch.com about how to restart your career after one or more (even 25!) years out of the workplace. How to position yourself, rework your resume and contacts to find the job you love and deserve.

Follow me on Twitter @lesleyjseymour, at Facebook Lesley Jane Seymour, Linked-In (Lesley Jane Seymour), Instagram (LesleyJSeymour) 646-262-9842

Join Lesley Jane Seymour in an interview with Sanyin Siang, author of “The Launch Book”, who reveals the simple steps for poll-vaulting over your fears.

Lesley Jane Seymour talks with Founder and former President of Working Mother Media, Carol Evans about moving from corporate cog to political social-preneur, how to create your own second life, and the new un-retirement.   

Pamela Donnelly was a glamorous T.V. soap star who was married to a famous rock-star; money poured in.  Then she gave it all up to go back to school to help kids master college admissions. Today she’s democratizing high-end SAT and ACT tutoring (with the GATE system) that will reach every kid who needs help—especially the underprivileged. Lesley Jane Seymour speaks with this serial reinventor, about how to find meaning in your life—and her tips for getting there. 

Join CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour in an intimate talk with former New York Times reporter and editor Jeanne Pinder, founder of clearhealthcosts.com, about her new tool for comparison shopping medical tests plus her tips and tricks for women reinventing themselves.

In this debut episode of “The CoveyCast,” join host and Covey Club founder Lesley Jane Seymour as she discusses Eva Dillon’s book “Spies in the Family: An America Spymaster, His Russian Crown Jewel, and the Friendship That Helped End the Cold War.”

 

The two discuss Dillon’s childhood, unknowingly growing up the daughter of a CIA agent, the struggles of writing a book for the first time and much more.

CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour talks frankly with Ann Shoket, author of The Big Life: Embrace the Mess, Work Your Side Hustle, Find a Monumental Relationship, and Become the Badass Babe You Were Meant to Be, about tips for keeping Millennials engaged at work, creating mutually rewarding cross-generational relationships, and what Millennials secretly fear.

Join CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour in an honest talk with Karen Cahn, founder of iFundWomen.com, about the secret advantage older women have with crowd-funding, how to close the funding gap (only seven percent of women get VC dollars), and how to know if your reinvention idea is ready for primetime.

Join CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour in a talk with PR maven and reinventor Jennefer Witter for unique tips on launching your personal brand plus her 101 tricks for getting your “fair share” of PR.

"She'll hate to hear this, but I'll say it anyway: she's developing into her mother." So says Dr. Shaula Yemini of her daughter Noa Arias. In a Reinvent Yourself first, Lesley Jane Seymour interviews this mother-daughter entrepreneurial duo who founded Bloomers Intimates together in 2020. Formerly a computer science professor, Dr. Yemini was isolating with her daughter Noa during the Covid pandemic when a laundry-folding session led to a conversation about the lack of full coverage, comfortable intimates that are also sexy and confidence-boosting. “I can't be the only older woman who still wants to wear pretty underwear,” says Yemini. When they realized there was an opening in the market they decided to take the leap. In this warm, witty conversation mother and daughter explain the exact process they followed – and how they manage to keep a healthy relationship while also running a business together.

 

Bio: Dr. Shaula Alexander Yemini is an entrepreneur, an angel investor, and an advisor to technology startups. In 2021 Yemini transitioned from software to soft-wear, co-founding Bloomers Intimates with her daughter Noa Arias.

 

FREE GIFT! 31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub:

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Join CoveyClub

"Reinvention is not a straight path; it's a journey of unexpected turns and newfound opportunities," says Coco Brown, the founder and CEO of Athena Alliance. In this episode of the Reinvent Yourself podcast, CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour chats with Brown about her remarkable journey from a psychology major to a leading figure in the tech industry. Learn how she leveraged her passion for people and engineering to climb the corporate ladder, navigate the challenges of being a woman in tech, and ultimately create a platform that empowers women to achieve their executive career goals. Whether you're looking to pivot your career, break into the tech industry, or find inspiration for your next big move, Brown’s story offers invaluable insights and practical advice.

Bio:

Coco Brown is the founder and CEO of Athena Alliance, an organization dedicated to helping women advance their executive careers and secure board positions. With over 30 years of experience in Silicon Valley, Coco has a unique perspective on career development and the importance of building a diverse portfolio of impact.

 

Timestamps:

• (02:35) - Coco Brown's personal reinvention
• (03:58) - A woman building websites and doing other tech-related jobs 
• (04:56) - How psychology and business intersected to form Athena Alliance
• (08:14) - Athena Alliance was founded in 2005 to help women get on tech boards
• (13:50) - Does Brown still do work of getting women on boards?
• (19:47) - Why do we still use the word retirement?
• (21:03) - Brown's tips and tricks for following her reinvention

Key Points:

• Reinvention often involves unexpected career pivots and leveraging diverse skill sets.
• Building a diverse portfolio of impact is crucial for long-term career success.
• Women should embrace a holistic approach to career development, beyond the traditional corporate ladder.
• Believing in your potential and taking incremental steps can lead to significant achievements.

 

Links and Resources:

• Visit Athena Alliance
• Connect with Coco Brown on LinkedIn
• Explore Covey Club

If you found this episode inspiring, please follow the podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. For more resources and community support, join us at CoveyClub.com. Until next time, keep reinventing!

 

 “You can’t learn to write a book without writing it,” says New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Eva Lesko Natiello. From her early days as VP of Global Communications at Estee Lauder to becoming a self-published author, she shares her pivot to writing and provides invaluable marketing insights, advice on career reinvention, and the importance of granting oneself permission to change. Whether you're an aspiring author or looking to reinvent your career, her story will inspire you to embrace your passions and take that first step towards change.

 

 

Links

Website

Substack

LinkedIn

Instagram

FREE GIFT! 31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub:

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Join CoveyClub

If you found this episode insightful, please follow the podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. For more resources and community support, join us at CoveyClub.com. Until next time, keep reinventing!

What does a girl from Queens with a degree in PR do when she and her friends can’t find a date? She writes a dating guide: “How to Marry a Mensch”.  What about when she becomes a mom at age 35? “I felt there was judgement about being a later-in-life mom,” says author, Tony-nominated producer, and love coach, Robin Gorman. “There was no sense of community.” To increase connections she created the site, motherhoodlater.com. “It’s not like I launched it and thought it would be a thing. It was very personal at the time.”  In fact Gorman uses her personal pain points to invent solutions for others.  “I connect people for the greater common good,” Gorman says. “I’m a little type A. Definitely a do-er...I’m not afraid to put things out there.”  Gorman says she also tends to think big. “I think, ok, if I tried. I’m not afraid to fail if I really believe in what I’m doing. I go for it. It’s a personality thing.” To wit, her motherhood work led her to think there was a trend for mom shows. A highschool theater buff, she picked up the phone and called a theater in California that was producing a mom show. “I left a cryptic message introducing myself to the producers of the show. Weeks later they called me back.” When the show came east to New York, the producers invited Gorman onto the project:  “I had a background in PR and a life-long love of theater and an understanding of the parenting space. It was a perfect fit.” 

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

"With the way we establish boundaries, it's all about how each person has a voice in the process to be heard and understood," says Jan Yuhas. Her sister Jillian adds, "Boundaries are a way of connecting because we're addressing the disconnect." Identical twins, psychotherapists, and authors of Boundary Badass—about how setting healthy boundaries can transform your relationships and your life, Jan and Jillian Yuhas offer practical tools to communicate with confidence, shift from trauma-based patterns to collaborative connections, and build a more authentic, empowered version of themselves—both personally and professionally.

About Jan and Jillian: 

Jan and Jillian, Relationship and Boundary Experts, identical twins, are dedicated to helping individuals in navigating the intricacies of interpersonal dynamics. With their background in psychotherapy and family mediation, they are committed to resolving relationship disconnects, and as business consultants, leveraging their insights to assist companies in establishing thriving workplace cultures. As co-authors of Boundary Badass - it is more than a book; it's a transformative journey designed to empower readers to voice their value, fulfill their emotional needs, and cultivate valuable connections through mastery of setting boundaries. When Jan and Jillian aren’t embarking on their multi-entrepreneurial endeavors they continue to fulfill their passion for guiding individuals toward personal and relational empowerment

 

Connect:

Website

Book

Instagram

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour:

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Substack

If you found this episode insightful, please follow the podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. For more resources and community support, join me on Substack. Until next time, keep reinventing!

"Change is inevitable," says Niamh McAnally, an Irish-born author, speaker, and former TV director. "You've got to be ready for the next kind of reinvention." In this conversation McAnally shares her incredible journey of reinvention, from working in television to becoming a scuba instructor, to living on a sailboat with the love of her life. Discover how McAnally found her true calling and a profound love in the most unexpected places. This episode is a testament to the power of embracing change, following your passions, and finding love later in life. 

 

Bio: Niamh McAnally y is an Irish-born bestselling author, keynote and corporate speaker, and former TV director. She is the youngest daughter of the late BAFTA award-winning actor Ray McAnally and actress Ronnie Masterson. Neif has traveled the world, living and working as a volunteer in many island nations in the Caribbean and the South Pacific. She is known for her adventurous spirit and her new memoir, "Following Sunshine: A Voyage Around the Mind, Around the World, and Around the Heart."

 

01:28 - Introducing Niamh McAnally

03:04 - Growing up in Ireland taught her that change is inevitable

04:06 -McAnally's background

06:09 - Work life and history

08:11 - How did you get published and where were you published?

12:53 - When you have a major change, it's very helpful to stop and think

15:27 - McAnally's through the middle age from homelessness to a captivating global quest

19:28 - One of the most important things as you get older is staying curious

25:17 - Stay present in the moment is the key to success in life

25:35 - McAnally's tips and tricks for older women traveling alone

28:21 - McAnally talks about saving money by traveling the world as a volunteer

 

Key Points:

• Embracing change can lead to unexpected and fulfilling opportunities.
• Following your passions can help you reinvent yourself at any stage of life.
• Finding love later in life is possible and can be incredibly rewarding.
• Volunteering and minimalism can provide a path to personal growth and adventure.
• Staying curious, adaptable, and grateful are essential habits for reinvention.

 

Links and Resources:

• Niamh McAnally's Website
• Visit Covey Club

 

If you found this episode inspiring, please follow the podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. For more resources and community support, join us at CoveyClub.com. Until next time, keep reinventing!

 

“When I left [corporate] it was a difficult transition,” says Kate Isler who’d spent 20 years (most of them overseas) in international executive leadership and as a CEO for a digital health startup. “I always identified myself as a corporate executive. I had business cards and a persona. When I left I had nothing. People stopped returning my calls. I was just Kate Isler….It made me look across my life and reevaluate: what did I want to do?” Her first steps? Kate reached out to people on LinkedIn to set up coffees or phone calls: “98% of them said yes.” She then asked them to tell her about their job: “what are your aspirations? What did you learn? I got to know people who did a variety of things,” she says. When the calendar rolled around to International Women’s Day, however, she realized that while the holiday is a major celebration of women around the world, it’s not very big in the U.S. What was missing: A market place focused on women’s small businesses. So Isler co-founded TheWMarketplace, an eCommerce platform which supports women-owned businesses, service providers and gender balanced companies. “The site is [an] economic engine for women,” she says, “and [we] earned revenue from the launch day.”

 

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

“My family was advised that they needed to come very quickly to say goodbye," says Geralyn Ritter. "My brother packed a dark suit for my funeral.” For Ritter, a near-fatal experience on the 2015 Philadelphia Amtrak derailment was the life-altering catalyst for a complete life and career reinvention. Her 2022 book, Bone by Bone: A Memoir of Trauma and Healing, details the story of her remarkable journey to recovery, moving through grief, trauma and healing. “The main reason I wrote it was to try to help other survivors,” she tells CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour in this candid conversation. “It has been enormously healing for me to be able to share my story.” Listen in to hear her insights on overcoming and the resources that supported her along the way.

 

Free gift! Grab our new ebook, 5 Days to More Time for You! We've packed it full of our favorite time management hacks to help you conquer your to-do list and create more time for the things that matter most.

 

About Geralyn Ritter

Geralyn's doctors use the word "miraculous" to describe her survival and recovery. Today she lives a full life inspired by gratitude and offers hope and healing to many others. She is known for her distinctive laugh that fills a room and determined resilience in the face of personal and professional challenges. ​ A recognized expert in healthcare policy, Geralyn was determined to re-start her career after years of disability leave following the accident. She is currently executive vice-president at Organon & Co., a new company dedicated to women's health. Prior to the launch of Organon in 2021, she was a longtime senior vice president of Merck & Co., Inc., one of the largest biopharmaceutical companies in the world. At Merck, her passion was leading the Company's engagement on social and community issues and supporting forward-thinking governance at the highest levels of the company. ​ Geralyn and her husband Jonathan have been married for almost 25 years. Jonathan and their three sons traveled every step of the recovery journey with her, and their experiences as unexpected caretakers are an important part of her story.

 

Connect with Geralyn: Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Join CoveyClub

 

Doug Noll claims he can calm an angry person in 90 seconds or less. Growing up in an affluent Southern California community, he was born with many disabilities: partially deaf and almost blind, he couldn't walk until he was three years old. Although he had a loving family, the community and society at large didn't fully understand how to interact or connect with a disabled child. Noll  cites learning to overcome his physical disabilities and emotional turmoil as his introduction to reinvention. Watching his father go through bankruptcy and rebuild himself as a stockbroker gave him a second window into reinvention. Eventually, Noll went on to become a trial lawyer for over 20 years, learning martial arts, tai chi, and energy healing work in his free time. By his mid-40s he had chosen to go back to school for a master's in peacemaking and conflict studies. Walking away from a ten million dollar law practice, Noll  chose to become a mediator. Working in prisons, courtrooms, and beyond, he developed a simple technique for calming anger in less than a minute and a half. “Once you start doing this, you start to change yourself,” Noll observes. Listen in on his conversation with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour to learn how you can adopt this simple technique and bring more peace, compassion, and authenticity into your life.

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

 

Bio: Doug Noll speaks about and teaches people how to solve difficult, intractable, and highly emotional problems. He was a business and commercial trial lawyer for 22 years before turning to leadership development, problem-solving, and peacemaking. He is a Senior Consultant with Mobius Executive Leadership and maintains a high-level mediation and arbitration practice.

Key Links: Website Book Join CoveyClub: If you like what you hear, you can support the CoveyCast podcast with a five-star rating, and subscribe to CoveyClub for more inspiring conversations. 

Social & Website CoveyClub website Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn

“I use the heart chakra in relationship to money,” says Leisa Peterson, Founder of wealthclinic.com and author of "The Mindful Millionaire”(https://amzn.to/35ZzkZ8). “The heart is about receiving. How great are you at receiving money? It plays out when you’re running a business and you don’t feel comfortable being paid for the value you offer to an employer or [to a] client. When we understand that this is a symptom, we look inside.” Peterson, who grew up in Northern California, began her career as a fit model to pay the bills, eventually segueing into an MBA in finance. In 2014, after losing her father, she decided to merge her interest in spirituality with her interest in finance and helping others build their businesses, create their brands, and messages. “The journey of maturing in life is what chakras — really an ancient form of psychotherapy —  inspire… I found money is merely a physical manifestation of who you are.”  For some, Peterson says, "fear is what’s under it all.”

Her father was a lawyer; her mother went to law school when Shai was 6. “I didn’t make a conscious choice,” Littlejohn says about why she picked law as a profession. “My selection process was: the job was high-paying and there were lots of women [at the firm]!”  After 14 years, however, it was time to pursue her “nagging bucket list thing.” She didn’t like her boss, her mother had brain cancer, and she felt, “this is the time….I don’t want regrets about not spending time with music.”  Though Littlejohn had only played piano as a child and sung in a quartet, she knew music made her super happy. So she booked an unconventional summer vacation with The Berklee College of Music and eventually packed up for Nashville. “I was back to being a beginner,” she says. “I was writing songs and recording in the studio with top people. But I felt like I was the weakest link.” After a year spent touring as a musician, however, Littlejohn explains to CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour, how she found her way back to balancing both professions plus a family.

“Reinvention is sexy and glamorous, but it doesn’t have to be a huge transformation,” says business strategist, coach and serial reinventor, Diann Wingert. Wingert, who likes to be challenged by the new and unfamiliar, has reinvented her marriage, her career, and even her religion. “I’m the kind of person who can make big, bold sweeping changes in a very short period of time,” she tells CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour. “But frankly, most people don’t need to do that.” Listen in to this conversation in which Wingert reveals what made her decide to transform her beloved career as a psychologist (backward looking) into becoming a life coach (forward looking) when she felt stifled by a traditional practice. Follow her tips for examining your own career and shifting into a model that feels more challenging and new!

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

Bio: Diann Wingert became a business strategist, coach, and consultant after a 20-year career as a licensed psychotherapist. Her mission is to help women with big ideas and busy brains become focused, fired up, and flame-retardant. Diann is the creator of The Boss Up Breakthrough and host of The Driven Woman Entrepreneur Podcast.

Connect with Diann:

Website • LinkedIn • Facebook • Instagram

Join CoveyClub: If you like what you hear, you can support the CoveyCast podcast with a five-star rating, and subscribe to CoveyClub for more inspiring conversations. 

Social & Website

CoveyClub website

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

 

“First thing: get clear on what you want,” says Jennifer Pate, the very practical founder of FeelAgeless.com, a site dedicated to making women feel good about aging. “Take out paper and pen and write down how much time [you can dedicate to your reinvention]. Be realistic about what you can do.”  Ask yourself, she says:  “How much money do I need [to make]? What do I want to do? Can you name it? What are you good at? What do people compliment you on? The more you can define these things—things will start opening up.” That’s exactly how Pate made her way from being a professional dancer to casting director, co-author of a book ( “The Mothers of Reinvention”), and television contributor. Facing empty nest and turning 55 forced Pate to reassess what she wanted to do next and when she discovered “so many women at the height of their creativity and drive [who] felt we weren’t being talked to….I want to change the narrative of what it is to age today.”

 

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

 

“I was working in interior design, I had this new language, and I started seeing things in my clients homes or in their life that was reflected one with the other,” says Carrie Leskowitz, founder of Carrie Leskowitz Interiors. “So if there was something going on in their life, often I found it reflected in their home. And if there was something going on in their home, I had often found it reflected in their life. To some degree, one mirrored the other. So I started coaching design clients, and it was just so fascinating to me the things that I saw and learned.” It became a “cool niche” and she says she was “able to give my design clients not only a transformative solution to their home, but ... a transformation of their heart or their mind.”  When Leskowitz was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that left her bed-ridden, she pivoted to placing all of her interior/exterior wisdom into a book, “Om for the Home”. “That [is] really the message that I wanted to send out in my book,” she says. “That home--our home, our soul, our body...it's all one. It's all connected.” 

"We should be treated like owners of our own bodies," says ER physician and CEO of Carte Clinics Dr. Gina Siddiqui. “The medical system should give you a map, and you can choose where you want to go. CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour sits down with Dr. Siddiqui to discuss her mission to transform the patient-doctor relationship. Dr. Siddiqui shares her journey from emergency medicine to founding a concierge-style medical service that offers personalized care, research, and second opinions for patients navigating the complex healthcare system.

Time Stamps

3:33 How Dr. Siddiqui got into medicine

06:47 How Carté Clinics are a reinvention of the relationship doctors have with patients

08:07 Carté Clinics help consumers navigate the medical system and get the right help

15:12 How do people get help with breast cancer diagnosis through electronic medical records?

23:51 The difference between how men and women handle healthcare

26:27 Covey recommends women take more charge of their healthcare

29:31 How to get your doctor to listen

32:34 What do you do as a patient when you are feeling ignored

34:23: Gina Siddiqui is launching Carté Clinics to help women reinvent themselves

Key Points:

• Dr. Gina Siddiqui is transforming the healthcare experience through Carte Clinics, offering personalized medical care and research.
• Patients can access a range of services, from second opinions to comprehensive health management, tailored to their unique needs.
• Carte Clinics aims to empower patients by providing unbiased, thorough medical advice and aligning with their health goals.
• Women often face unique challenges in healthcare, and being proactive and assertive is crucial in managing their health.
• Healthcare professionals and individuals in adjacent fields can find inspiration and practical advice for reinventing their roles within the system.

Join us live on Zoom with Gina Siddiqui on Wednesday, June 12 at 2pm ET! This talk will touch on unique health considerations for women after 40 and the ways women in particular must be vigilant for our symptoms and needs being minimized or dismissed.

Links and Resources:

• Visit Carte Clinics for more information and services.
• Connect with Dr. Gina Siddiqui on LinkedIn and Twitter.
• Explore CoveyClub for resources, support, and community for reinvention.

If you found this episode inspiring, please follow the podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. For more resources and community support, join us at CoveyClub.com.

 

“I can’t control what happened, but I can control how I react to it.” This was Jane Enright’s guiding thought as she navigated the worst year of her life. When three consecutive tragedies occurred in the span of a year, Enright found herself recovering from physical injury, caregiving for a loved one, and grieving her best friend - all at once. A committed “glass half-full girl,” she was determined to become the CEO of everything. She wrote her first book, Butter Side Up, about the challenges she faced in that year while overcoming a traumatic brain injury. “When disaster strikes,” she tells CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour, “having a positive mindset is our best defense against getting swallowed up in that hamster wheel of dread and grief and loss. That’s not denying the feelings, but rather letting them go.” Listen in to her conversation to learn her advice for not just surviving but thriving through unimaginable sudden change.

 

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

Bio: Jane Enright is an ordinary person who has survived some extraordinary things. An inspiring and humorous inspirational author, speaker, and positivity expert, Canada-based Enright is a former kindergarten teacher, strategic planner, and university lecturer, as well as the founder and CEO of Everything at My Super Awesome Life Inc. She is also the author of Butter Side Up: How I Survived My Most Terrible Year & Created My Super Awesome Life and Jane’ Jam: Inspiration To Create Your Super Awesome Life.

 

Jane speaks to audiences seeking answers to overcoming a fear of the unknown, grief, stress, loss, depression, anxiety, stagnation, indecision, sadness, and more. From top executives to stay-at-home moms, she is helping audiences throughout North America land “butter side up” find joy, successfully manage change, and learn how to create their super awesome after unexpected change.

 

Key Links:

Website

Books

My Super Awesome Life

Instagram

 

Join CoveyClub: If you like what you hear, you can support the CoveyCast podcast with a five-star rating, and subscribe to CoveyClub for more inspiring conversations. 

Social & Website

CoveyClub website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

13 years ago Danielle Butin, founder of Afya Foundation (afyafoundation.org) which rescues and collects discarded medical supplies to ship to 83 nations,  had a significant senior job in health care. “It did not fit what I wanted to do any longer,” she says. “I was ready to make a change. I kept making that clear. Ultimately I got a severance package to launch Afya.” Divorced, with her kids at summer camp, Butin decided that instead of looking for a job, she would travel to Tanzania to clear her head. “In the Serengeti I saw a woman bawling her eyes out. I sat down with her,” she says. The woman was a doctor in London who volunteered in Africa. She was upset because she was watching children die because she didn’t have IV starter lines. “There are moments in your life when you hear something and something inside rumbles and you have to do something about it,” Butin says. “That’s what happened to me.”  Though Butin knew nothing about international health or shipping, she knew she could “bring programs to life and inspire people.”  Back home, she began dumpster diving in hospital alleyways to see what their garbage looked like. “Because of [U.S.] hospital regulations, anything in the [operating] room has to be discarded because there could be germs or exposure,” she explains. “There are millions of pounds of [discarded] supplies.” Listen to Butin explain how Afya weathered the storm of Covid19--where hospitals who used to supply her actually called her for PPE (personal protective equipment)--and how she skirted the red tape to get supplies where they were needed. 

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

 

"Almost all women will have to reinvent," says veteran journalist and author Joanne Lipman. "There's no guidebook for us...that's what I wanted to do." During the pandemic, she embarked on the journey of writing her bestselling book, Next!: The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work, to be such a guide. Listen in to her enlightening conversation with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour to learn Lipman’s secrets for revamping your life and career through practical tips and empowering stories drawn from her groundbreaking work on closing the gender gap. You’ll discover the foundations of Lipman’s four-stage process for reinvention and the steps you can take today for lasting change.

Free gift! Grab our new ebook, 5 Days to More Time for You! We've packed it full of our favorite time management hacks to help you conquer your to-do list and create more time for the things that matter most.

 

Connect with Joanne Lipman:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Facebook

 

Join us in NOLA: CoveyClub's Connection Convention

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub: Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Join CoveyClub

 

 "Our deepest fears contain the keys to our extraordinary lives,” says Craig Stanland. "Self trust is the deep inherent wisdom that regardless of how things turn out, we know we will be okay." After defrauding a tech giant and losing everything he once held dear, Stanland was sent to federal prison where his life - and mindset - were changed. Rather than succumb to despair, he found purpose in his struggles, emerging as a beacon of hope for those navigating their own midlife crises. Listen in as Stanland reveals what he learned about self-worth, identity, and the importance of community support in the face of adversity. Discover how he transformed his life by connecting with his authentic self and helping others do the same. Tune in for practical insights on overcoming fear, embracing change, and creating a meaningful second half of life.

About Craig

In 2012, Craig made a choice that would change the trajectory of his life; he defrauded a tech giant and landed in federal prison, losing everything along the way, including his will to live, but this was not the end.  Today, Craig's mission is to help individuals master midlife so they can create their extraordinary second half by connecting to their authentic selves, discovering their Life Calling, and unleashing their full potential to live purpose-driven, meaningful lives. 

Time Stamps

02:02 - Stanland's history as a personal trainer before entering sales

04:13 - "I was planning to commit suicide when FBI called."

10:25 - Getting help for depression while in prison

14:58 - Transforming to coaching and helping others find their identity in midlife

17:56 - "One of the most rewarding things that I can do from my work is helping others."

19:16 - How minimalism helps people find their authentic self

21:35 -The most challenging part of reinvention

25:28 - Self-trust is the key to a successful reinvention

27:28 - Stanland's advice for others experiencing crisis

 

Connect with Craig Stanland:

Website

Book

TedX Talk

Instagram

LinkedIn

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour:

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Substack

If you found this episode insightful, please follow the podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. For more resources and community support, join me on Substack. Until next time, keep reinventing!

“In 2015, the influencer industry was a half a billion dollar industry,” says Aliza Freud; “This year it’s projected to be close to $25 billion.” As the founder and CEO of SheSpeaks, a global community of female influencers, Freud connects brands with the social media entrepreneurs who can help them amplify their message. “I think it’s giving women a huge opportunity,” she tells CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour. In fact, in a recent study her company spotted a rising trend of women embracing social media entrepreneurship as a side hustle. In women between the ages of 45 and 54, 30% said they already have a side hustle while 22% said they plan to start one. In this insightful conversation Freud explains why more and more women are looking at side hustles in midlife and how you can take the steps to starting your own!

Connect with Aliza:

Website

LinkedIn

Instagram

Podcast

 

Time Stamps:

2:58 – Leaving the job she loved for entrepreneurship 7:20 – How Influencer marketing has evolved 12:20 – The pitfalls of the industry: why women still face a pay gap and other challenges 19:00 – How content creation has changed since Covid 23:00 – The best monetization platforms and side hustles for women 27:30 – Social media and the search for work-life balance among women

 

Free gift! Grab our new ebook, 5 Days to More Time for You! We've packed it full of our favorite time management hacks to help you conquer your to-do list and create more time for the things that matter most.

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub: Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Join CoveyClub

Allie Egan is a queen of reinvention. She began her career in investing before transitioning into marketing for the beauty industry, became CEO of Cynthia Rowley – all before launching into entrepreneurship and establishing Veracity, a holistic beauty brand rooted in hormone health. "We've heard so many stories from our customers," she tells CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour. "Women will go to their doctors...and they don't really feel listened to. They feel like they're just prescribed a pill." Drawing from her own experience with Hashimotos, a little-known thyroid issue that occurs in 50% of women, Egan aims to help women identify their symptoms and treat their root cause. "We're meant to be the first stop in the journey and also to help empower people to have better, healthier relationships with their physicians." Listen in to get Egan's best advice on how to achieve open, reciprocal communication with your doctor, and learn the exact steps she made to transition her career through multiple reinventions.

 

Allie Egan is the Founder and CEO of Veracity Selfcare, a next-generation beauty and wellness brand empowering women to understand the connection between their skin and their broader health through at-home testing and a holistic, data-driven approach to skincare. Their products are at the forefront of clean performance, excluding all endocrine disruptors and safe for all life moments, including pregnancy and breastfeeding. Prior to founding Veracity, Allie was the CEO of the women’s fashion brand, Cynthia Rowley where she led the transformation to direct-to-consumer and more than doubled the business in two years. She has extensive experience in the beauty industry through her time at some of Estee Lauder’s best brands, including Origins, Clinique, and La Mer. She also has broad consumer experience through her time as an investor at L Catterton. She holds a BS in Finance and Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia and an MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School. Instagram • LinkedIn

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub: Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Join CoveyClub

Linda Fears had been the Editor-in-Chief of Family Circle magazine for 12 years when four years ago, she was suddenly laid off. “It was the biggest shock of my life,” she says. “Was I stupid? Naive?…I felt sorry for myself for a few months and was really depressed.” But Fears, who was only in her early 50s, wanted to keep working. “It was clear the magazine industry was on a deep downward slide,” she says. “Of all the magazines I worked at only one is still in existence.” Fears took her interest in health and food (she loved cooking since a child), grabbed a nutrition certification at her alma mater Cornell, and started coaching friends, then clients on how to eat better and lose weight. Later, she began the blog GoodFoodRx.net, a weekly themed newsletter that dissects a nutritional issue and offers a corresponding recipe.   Covid forced her coaching online but Fears now has clients from different states. “The silver lining for me in the pandemic is that people are eating poorly and not moving or exercising,” she says.  “I thought I’d really miss my old life. But I’m really happy to be in charge of my own hours and not clock in."

How does a professional musician and self-described “book worm” start a fabulous niche beauty product for under $20,000? By noticing a “glaring hole” with a “low barrier to entry” and jumping in. Amanda McIntosh, was on her way home from a concert when she realized she didn’t have any more washcloths for her special skincare routine. She was grossed out by the grey, half-wet wash cloths left on her shower rail.  “My practical brain got started, asking, ‘How do you change the process?’”  McIntosh began by researching how to make a washcloth that was stain-resistant, quick drying, and would “feel fancy.”  Dozens of trips to the fabric store led her to an incredibly soft polyester used in baby blankets that met all of her qualifications. Her washable makeup remover clothes called Take My Face Off, Inc (TakeMyFaceOff.com) was born. Today, Take My Face Off products  disrupt the unsustainable makeup wipe business by selling amusing reusable wipes that last for 4-5 years.  “I invested a good portion of my retirement account” to get started, she says. “I never wanted to lose more than I could earn back in a year.” 

“Women [who have had a career break] feel dislodged from the rest of the world and they feel everybody sees it,” says Mika Brzezinski co-host of TV’s Morning Joe, founder of KnowYourValue.com, and co-author with her sister-in-law Ginny, of the new handbook “Comeback Careers” Rethink, Refresh, Reinvent Your Success at 40,50, and Beyond” (https://amzn.to/2NqJBUM).  “I want to tell them, it’s all right not to know what’s next. They have value. They may have to take a big step back, use a side hustle or go sideways in the door.” Listen in as Mika and Ginny divulge some of their research on how to network more strategically, how to pitch your volunteer work to a corporate recruiter, and how to short circuit your negative mindset.

“I didn’t set a stone ’till I was 55,” says Susan Lister Locke, who owns the eponymous gallery on Nantucket (https://susanlisterlocke.com/) and was voted Best Jeweler on Nantucket from 2017-2020. “Real estate had slowed to a crawl. I had been there for the booming years. But it wasn’t working and I didn’t see it coming back.” Metalsmithing had been a passion which Susan had explored in schools and workshops in the States and Italy.  She had a studio at home and when the real estate dried up, a great location for a shop came up, and she decided to take the leap. “I didn’t have a lot of money so I let the big boys do diamonds,” she says. “The first stone I bought was a colored stone. I worked with pearls and Australian bolder opals. I wasn’t a gemologist.” What Locke especially loves about the engagement and wedding rings she creates: “Those are heirlooms; they get passed down….You’re part of their story.” Her advice for those trying to make the leap from corporate to art:” Be prepared for greatness. I wasn’t.”

"The thing that's holding you back is what you think you know for sure," says Wendy Perrotti, one half of the dynamic coaching duo behind Camp Reinvention. Her co-founder Dana Hilmer agrees: “We humans don’t love uncertainty, but being in that place…that is the birthplace of possibility.” After years of running their own independent coaching practices, Hilmer and Perrotti created Camp Reinvention to help women over 50 stop “should-ing” and live their best lives. In this conversation with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour, they break down the many barriers women face to reinvention (including pre-set ideas of what’s possible), how they can correct them, and what they need to take the first steps towards their dream careers. Listen in as they explore topics like redefining success, giving ourselves permission, debunking the myth of fulfillment, and much more.

 

Join Camp Reinvention for their free live webinar, How to Make a Professional Pivot When You're Over 50. Times include Tuesday, October 18th at 9pm ET  or Thursday, October 20th at 7pm ET. Sign up here!

 

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

 

DANA HILMER is a certified coach, positive psychology consultant, speaker and trainer and is passionate about helping women live courageously so they can build their dream and love their life. Dana is no stranger to reinvention herself as “middlescence” is when she finally listened to her heart and stopped “shoulding all over herself” to do the work that she loves today. Dana has been featured on hundreds of radio and television shows across the country and she speaks on topics related to mastering your mindset, optimal living, the habits of success, and creating the life and work you love. Dana lives in Madison, CT with her husband and their three teenage boys. To receive free tips and videos to help you create the life and work you love, go to DanaHilmer.com.

 

WENDY PERROTTI is a Certified Professional Coach, speaker, and leadership trainer with over 25 years of experience in helping individuals and groups nationwide to affect change in themselves and others. Wendy believes anything is possible when you know what you want and “you’re all in” and she navigated her own successful reinvention when she realized her vision of success had nothing to do with the company she spent years building. Wendy is a sought-after speaker and the author of the forthcoming book, Reclaiming Muchness: Tap into a Life of Love, Purpose, and Connection. To receive big doses of actionable inspiration, sign up for her Mindful Monday Newsletter at WendyPerotti.com.

Key Links:

Website: https://www.campreinvention.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campreinvention

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

Join CoveyClub: If you like what you hear, you can support the CoveyCast podcast with a five-star rating, and subscribe to CoveyClub for more inspiring conversations. 

Time Stamps

5:07 - Should fulfillment really come from your job?

8:37 - The Great Resignation is becoming the Great Regret

14:45 - Why Dana left advertising for positive psychology

17:00 - What holds women back in their second half

25:38 - Turning the Great Regret into the Great Reinvention

 

Social & Website

CoveyClub website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

 

“I can make money and live a good life rather than trying to figure out how to make money,” says Kim Daly, creator of the Millionaire Mindset program, “because it's in that trying time that most startup businesses fail.” Before becoming one of America’s top franchise consultants, Daly had a successful career as a sought-after entrepreneur in the health and fitness industry. Having experienced life at both ends of the career spectrum, she shares her observations in this insightful conversation with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour. Listen in to discover the ways franchise business ownership can revolutionize your life and why it’s not just about flipping hamburgers anymore. Plus, gain all of Daly’s tips and tricks to find out if franchise ownership is right for you: she’ll give you everything you need to get started.

 

Time Stamps:

4:10 - How her personal reinvention led to entrepreneurship

6:00 - Franchising as a career option

11:00 - Finding the right franchise for you

17:00 - Franchise opportunities for older women

22:00 - What you need to know before you start

31:00 - Achieving entrepreneurship, franchsing, and business success

Free gift! Grab our new ebook, 5 Days to More Time for You! We've packed it full of our favorite time management hacks to help you conquer your to-do list and create more time for the things that matter most.

Join us in NOLA: CoveyClub's Connection Convention

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub: Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Join CoveyClub

 

“Until I was open and honest [about my Parkinson’s Disease] I couldn’t unlock my reinvention,” says Terri Bryant, makeup artist and founder of GUIDE BEAUTY, a company that is rethinking the ergonomics of beauty tools and products for all users. Bryant, who had done makeup for fashion runways, films, print ads and cosmetics got her diagnosis five years ago and found herself having to sit on her shaking hands during television interviews. And when she could no longer hide them, she decided to rethink and redesign the beauty tools that she used on her job. Gone is that pesky eyeliner brush that requires perfect small motor skills. In came a Precision Tip applicator that looks like a surgical tool that allows anyone to create a perfect cat eye in seconds. “The opportunity to embrace [your disability] is the opportunity to find your community,” Bryant Says. "Then you are not alone.”  

Do you ever wonder how the most popular speakers and coaches land guest spots on top podcasts? Writer and podcast publicist Alice Draper knows the secret sauce. “Let’s say you’re leaving corporate and you’re starting a business,” she says. “Look at the examples around you…you’re bringing your own unique value.” With podcasts becoming the new platform for information and visibility, it’s important for entrepreneurs to understand how to use podcast guest-speaking to enhance their personal brand. In this conversation with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour, Draper shares her practical advice on creating the perfect pitch to secure great podcast appearances. She also provides a downloadable outline for crafting a compelling pitch and shares actionable steps to get started.

 

Free gift! Grab our new ebook, 5 Days to More Time for You! We've packed it full of our favorite time management hacks to help you conquer your to-do list and create more time for the things that matter most.

 

About Alice Draper

Alice Draper is a podcast publicist who is on a mission to make publicity easy and accessible for underrepresented women entrepreneurs at all stages of their businesses. When Alice started building her business, she knew that publicity, in the right places, would garner her the authority she needed to position herself as a high-end copywriter. And so, she started pitching magazines like VICE, Refinery29, HuffPost, and Business Insider. This came with an unplanned skill — the art of the pitch — which is how she ended up pivoting her business towards publicity. She has been running Hustling Writers for over two years and in this time, she has secured her clients in over 500 podcasts including countless top 1% and top 0.5% podcasts. When Alice isn’t building out publicity strategies or thinking of new story angles, she is taking advantage of her location independence by house-sitting with her partner in places like Tbilisi, Nairobi, or Cape Town.

 

Connect with Alice: Instagram | Website

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Join CoveyClub

“I come from 7 generations of restaurateurs,” says Ariane Daguin, owner of D’Artagnan gourmet foods, which 35 years later has 260 employees and $132 million dollars in sales. “I grew up gathering mushrooms in the forest.  But it became clear that my brother would take over the business and the girl would leave home.” Daguin moved to the US which she believed was “the land of the cowboys,” where “the country was behind the leader and united and doing things.”  She says the name came from a similar belief in Gascony: “We have a one for all, all for one [attitude]. It’s the [principle] the Three Musketeers lived by. We think we are descendants of [D’Artagnan].” She says D’Artagnan products are sourced from heritage breeds which she says "have better taste and use no medication." 

Mississippi native Janet Gurwitch was destined to join the fashion industry. Her father owned a chain of shoe stores and she herself graduated college with a degree in retail. After spending 14 years with Houston department store Foley’s, Gurwitch went on to become the Executive Vice President for Neiman Marcus. While there, she met make-up artist Bobbi Brown, then just beginning to launch her make-up line. Although she never intended to become an entrepreneur, Gurwitch was inspired by Brown to start her own business. At the age of 42, Gurwitch left Neiman Marcus and sought a makeup artist with whom she could build a beauty brand. After networking with beauty editors at Vogue and other magazines, she made her choice, invested her life’s savings, and created Laura Mercier. But after 13 years, when Nemain Marcus was sold to a private equity company, their 51% investment in Laura Mercier went with it. Gurwitch was forced to sell and she once again faced a career reinvention. Listen in to her conversation with CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour, to learn how Gurwitch joined the private sector and bought five beauty brands in the course of ten years.

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

Bio:

Janet Gurwitch is an operating partner with Advent International, where she serves on the board of Olaplex, Inc. Gurwitch is the founder and former CEO of Laura Mercier Cosmetics & Skincare, a global brand of high-end niche cosmetics.  Prior to founding Laura Mercier, Janet Gurwitch was the Executive Vice President of Neiman Marcus, where she developed strategy and managed 80% of Neiman Marcus’ $2 billion sales volume across 35 doors. 

 

Key Links:

 

Social media:

Instagram

LinkedIn

Join CoveyClub: If you like what you hear, you can support the CoveyCast podcast with a five-star rating, and subscribe for more inspiring conversations. 

 

Time Stamps

4:40 – Growing up in Mississippi and fashion

5:38 – What being an entrepreneur means and makeup brands

7:33 – Giving up everything to start a business 

14:16 – The secret to a good elevator pitch

19:00 – The importance of headhunters in private equity 

23:13 – Knowing the industry vs educational background 

29:50 – How you can work past doubt

30:53 – How to use networking to your advantage

 

Social & Website

CoveyClub website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

She fell in love with the energy on the trading floor; it led her to Salomon Brothers as a Bond Options Trader and a Managing Director at Bank of America. When she left, she found her way into a coaching certification class.  “What made me a success at my [former] job was getting people to do what they needed to do,” Ezekiel says. “I saw an opportunity to help people.” Before she even had her certification, Ezekiel was working 80-100 hours per week coaching 30 clients. Not wanting to be limited by her physical capacity, she opened Conductive (https://www.conductivecoaching.com), which allowed her to scale coaching with staff. Post Covid, Ezekiel believes consumers will need more coaching than ever. “”It’s hard to embrace the unknown,” she says. “But that is where the magic is. It will unfold and …let the reveal of the reinvention happen."

Business was a driving focus for Christine Bader from a young age. Growing up in Manhattan with two parents both working in corporate America, she followed their lead and received her MBA from Yale. Community interest was also a focus for her, working both with AmeriCorps and in NYC government to support misplaced youth. Bader enjoyed serving in communities that needed support, but when John Browne, then-CEO of BP, spoke to her business class in 1998, Bader knew she’d found her company. She went on to work for BP for eight years and fell in love. But then the Deepwater Horizon explosion spilled over 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and everything changed. 

 

Bio: Christine calls herself a “Thought leader, community/program builder, consigliere/facilitator/advisor/evangelist on all things business and society.” She is the Co-Founder, Storyteller, The Life I Want.co. 

 

Key Links: Christine’s Book: The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist When Girl Meets Oil.

LinkedIN

Her website: Storyteller, The Life I Want.co

 

For everything reinvention: Join the lifelong learners at CoveyClub 

FREE! Download: CoveyClub’s starter guide “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

 

Please leave us a review or 5 stars! Subscribe to the podcast and share with friends who are reinventing! 

 

Timestamps  [00:03:02.650] Falling in love with her job in sustainability at British Petroleum, BP. [00:07:52.990] Working on human rights and community issues in Indonesia [00:14:27.820] What happens when the Deepwater Horizon rig explodes [00:17:35.210] Writing her book: The Evolution of A corporate Idealist When Girl Meets Oil [00:26:13.140] Quitting Amazon and giving up the identity she’d worked to build for 20 years [00:26:45.040] Moving the family to Bali [00:35:50.140] Christine’s 3 best steps for people transitioning from corporate life (plus one you’ve never heard before)

 

Social & Website

CoveyClub website

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

LinkedIn

Cherie Buziak had a cosmetology and aesthetician license plus a BA from Fashion Institute of Technology, and managed global product development for Avon. Then she lost both her parents when she was 36, “which left a legacy for me and my siblings,” she says.  For 14 years she  “struggl[ed] with infertility” and found herself in “a great position to become pregnant.” She went to her supervisor and HR and told them she “wanted the company to know, I don’t need another position. I’d be happy to leave with a package.” After the birth of her son at 44, she “took the leap and became a consultant”, eventually opening BeautyEdge, LLC “to help brands launch from concept to product.” Now she had both a new company and an infant. “I had no mom to ask, what do I do,” she says. “My girlfriends pulled me through." 

TW: Sexual abuse of a child, eating disorders "I became incredibly skilled at disassociating," recalls dancer-turned-author, Antonia "Tunie" Deigan. With a lifelong passion for dance, Deigan used ballet to help herself cope with traumatic experiences at home and in school. She launched herself into a successful dance career despite trying to deal with her truama with substance abuse and an eating disorder. When Deigan became a mother her world was transformed. A bike accident forced a reinvention that made her look back at everything she had been through and find the threads to recovery. Listen in to this gentle, honest, and thoughtful conversation with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour to hear Deigan's phenomenal story of survival, how she navigated facing her traumas, and how she used writing to process her grief and heal her soul.

 

Antonia Deignan is a mother of five children by choice, a dancer by calling, and a writer by necessity. She was born on the East Coast but spent most of her life in the Midwest, where she danced with multiple dance companies and raised her children. She opened her own dance studio and directed a pre-professional dance company before a bike accident wish-boned her path, and her identity. Instagram 

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub: Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Join CoveyClub

"Gender is between the ears, not the legs," says Wendy Cole, a Transition Mentor with a focus on self-acceptance and personal empowerment. Knowing she was a woman since childhood, Cole transitioned at age 67 and was fully able to embrace her true identity. Now she helps others navigate their own life’s changes with compassion and mindfulness. “Life is about possibilities,” she tells CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour. “They have to change their beliefs of what’s possible.” In this conversation Cole discusses her courageous journey of self-love and transformation. She shares her story of confronting societal and familial expectations, overcoming decades of internal struggle, and finally finding joy in being herself. A must-listen for anyone facing personal challenges and seeking to reinvent themselves.

03:07 - Wendy’s background and life before transitioning

06:50 - What it means to be born transgender

11:06 - Dealing with depression and anxiety

15:33 - Wendy says she started cross dressing in 2014 after 30 years

21:56 - Starting hormone replacement therapy in March 2010

31:35 -What you need to do to change your beliefs

34:48 - Wendy says it's never too late to change your life

Key Points

Wendy Cole transitioned at 67, proving it's never too late to be yourself.

Her journey highlights the importance of self-acceptance and confronting internal fears.

Wendy now works as a transition mentor, helping others navigate their own changes.

Mindfulness and shifting beliefs were crucial in Wendy's successful transition.

Despite societal pressures, self-acceptance is key to overcoming challenges.

Links and Resources

Meet Wendy Cole - Connect with Wendy and learn about her services.

CoveyClub - Join a supportive community for women navigating change.

Love Knows No Gender – Parenting a Transgender Child

If you found this episode inspiring, please follow the podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. For more resources and community support, join us at CoveyClub.com.

Failing on the front page of the Wall Street Journal is a whole other level of grief. But Sallie Krawcheck not only survived it, she thrived, going on to found Ellevate Network and co-found Ellevest investments. She speaks with CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour about how being the seventh grade girl in the lunchroom with whom no one would sit, taught her to overcome adversity, lead, and believe in the power of money and women.  Read: "Own It: The Power of Women at Work" by Sallie Krawcheck (https://amzn.to/2LTI7Q2). 

After her divorce, Susan McPherson moved herself from Seattle to New York and started her life all over. She knew no one. Susan speaks with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour about how she created her own community and became a super-connector running her own consulting business called McPherson Strategies which helps corporations with social responsibility.

 

Susan's reading list for a successful reinvention includes: "Drop the Ball" by Tiffany Dufu, "90s Bitch" by Allison Yarrow, "Give and Take" by Adam Grant, "The Power of Onlyness" by Nilofer Merchant.

She was a best-selling author (“Younger,” “The Possibility of You”), owned a successful baby-naming site, had marriage of 33 years, a big house in the suburbs, kids and a picket fence.  And then she turned the age at which her mother died.  Her book “Younger” was optioned by "Sex & The City’s" Darren Star and she decided to start over. 

“I was pregnant with my third kid when I opted out,” says Kelley Biskupiak, co-founder of PrepareToLaunchU.com, a one-stop source for instruction, inspiration and community for women navigating a maternity leave, mid-career pivot, or childcare break.  “I didn’t realize when I made the choice what a sense of loss it was going to be. I could go all in on momhood...but it was not so fulfilling. I had to ask: who are you and where do you want to go?”  She joined forces with Susan Rietano, a mother of four with experience in tech and placement and launched the site. “Women approach the next [job] opportunity with too much gratitude and apology,” says Rietano. “[We] want them to thank you for being at the opposite side of the table.”

 

Enrollment in Prepare to Launch U's Fall Career Relaunch Course is open until September 21st. Here is the link to a recording of a recent info session Susan and Kelley hosted to overview the program and answer prospective students' questions:  

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/WocwR3_OOulW0Xtehk9NfntE32Ja1y_D7GYckMUT4pKyxXid0-B1ZD2AO6zdgWwH._BNR24RrUlwBlHgn?startTime=1599666775000

  If you are interested in securing for a spot in their 10-week program (9/28-12/4), you can apply here:  https://bit.ly/Fall2020CohortApplication    Resources: 8 Question Next chapter Questionnaire: http://bit.ly/NextChapterFreebie

 

Explore and Access Your Next Career Path Freebie: http://bit.ly/EXPLOREANDASSESSFREEBIE

“I was playing a lawyer. Fake blood was coming out of my mouth. Fifteen hours into the shoot lying on a filthy floor waiting for the director and sound, [I said to myself]: ‘What am I doing here? Is this what success looks like? I need to do something different...I have to do more.” So begins Lesley Jane Seymour’s discussion with Alexa Fischer, an actress (NCIS, CSI, Numb3ers, Bones), coach, and motivational speaker who is on a quest to “give wishes the power they need to become a reality.” Fischer said  “a prayer to the universe” and a friend called looking for a media trainer. 126k students from around the world took Fischer’s courses on confidence and communication. Then one day in the shower she “heard and saw” the name Wishbeads.  “I knew it was intention-setting jewelry,” she says. Dripping wet, she ran to the computer and grabbed the trademark and dot com and tried to figure out how to pull it off. Today Wishbeads (wishbeads.com) allows customers to visualize their wishes, write them down, and roll them up and place them in a bracelet.  “You wear the wish every day,” Fischer says. “When you see the wish you can focus on it.” 

 

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

 

"You are the only one that's responsible for your own happiness," says Karen Amster-Young, a strategic advisor, author, and journalist. She joins Lesley Jane Seymour to discuss the art of getting unstuck and the nuances of reinvention in today's fast-paced world. With her extensive background in communications and public relations, Amster-Young shares insights from her book, The 52 Weeks, and her personal experiences of overcoming life's hurdles. This episode delves into the reasons why people get stuck, particularly women over 40, and explores practical steps to regain momentum. From embracing baby steps to revisiting past passions and establishing new rituals, this conversation offers a treasure trove of advice for anyone seeking to navigate life's transitions with resilience and creativity. 

 

Bio:  

Karen Amster-Young is a strategic advisor for communications agencies, an author and a journalist. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Insider.com, Hamptons magazine and many other regional and national media platforms, and the author of the nonfiction book The 52 Weeks: Two Women and Their Quest to Get Unstuck, with Stories and Ideas to Jumpstart Your Year of Discovery (Skyhorse, 2013). She shares stories and gives back to various causes.

 

Timestamps:

01:28 - Karen Amster-Young's history as a public relations consultant and author

04:44 - Her year of getting unstuck and reinventing herself

05:24 - Why do women over 40 get stuck? What are they getting stuck on?

09:53 - What she learned about getting unstuck from interviewing experts

15:48 - "I think there's evergreen messages about getting unstuck and reinvention"

22:53 - What are the advantages of working remotely now versus 20 years ago?

24:05 - What else have you seen that can help people get unstuck today?

29:29 - How giving back is really important for keeping you mentally and physically healthy

 

Key Points:

- Taking baby steps can help overcome paralysis and fear.

- Revisiting past passions and trying new things can reignite joy and creativity.

- Community support and friendships are crucial in navigating life's transitions.

- The current flexibility and accessibility of resources make reinvention more achievable than ever.

- Giving back can provide a sense of purpose and fulfillment.

 

Links and Resources:

Visit Karen Amster-Young's Website

Follow Karen on Instagram

Connect with Karen on LinkedIn

Explore CoveyClub

 

If you found this episode inspiring, please follow the podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. For more resources and community support, join us at CoveyClub.com. Until next time, keep reinventing!

“I always come back to passion,” says Robin Salls, the pro-age powerhouse behind Tangled Silver magazine and the #IAmSilver beauty movement. “Look at what your passion is and see if you can turn it into something else where you can build a revenue to support yourself.” In an industry where glossy pages often tell tales of youth and retouching, her vision is a refreshing call to action. Lesley Jane Seymour sits down with the fierce entrepreneur to discuss the ins and outs of cultivating a niche magazine at a time when print is said to be on the decline. Salls shares her personal journey from a business-minded mom to a magazine founder, her insights on the gray hair revolution, and the unexpected challenges and triumphs of starting a magazine from scratch. For anyone contemplating a change – whether it’s your hair color or your career path – this conversation will teach you how you can turn your passion into a successful reinvention.

If you're inspired by Robin's story and seeking your own reinvention, join CoveyClub for resources, support, and community with like-minded women. Don't forget to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and subscribe for more inspiring stories of transformation!

Connect with Robin:

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Tangled Silver Magazine

 

FREE GIFT! 31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub:

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Join CoveyClub

“Depression is the number one reason in the world for disability,” says Audrey Gruss, Founder of Hopefragrances.com and Hopefordepression.org. “Thirty-five percent of people don’t respond to the meds out there.” Gruss, who began her career as the assistant to the Medical Director at the Revlon Research Center, says that since 1985, every medication has been a spinoff of Prozac, which doesn’t work for everyone. One of those who Prozac failed was her mother, Hope, who had struggled with depression since her thirties.  “It was called a nervous breakdown,” Gruss says. “It had stigma.” When visiting her mother at the hospital Gruss would ask why there was no cure and why the top companies in the brain science business were not doing research. The answer she got: research “was too expensive and it was too lucrative to simply repurpose drugs.”  After her mother passed away in 2005, Gruss, who had spent the majority of her career in the beauty sector working for name brands like Elizabeth Arden and creating the Doral Saturnia Spa in Miami, launched Hope Fragrances to fund her research foundation, Hope For Depression.  “We put together a group of leaders in each discipline of neuroscience and cellular biology,” she says.  “They are collaborating and sharing research. We are in clinical trials at Columbia University Medical Center and Mount Sinai with a brand new category of medications for people who don’t respond to Prozac.”  

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

 

What do you do when your biggest source of revenue is also your biggest source of serious, detrimental stress? Monica Froese found herself in that position 11 years into her career in technology. She was managing $15 million marketing campaigns while unknowingly suffering from postpartum PTSD. “The fear of failure is what holds us back,” says Froese now. “I fail all the time…but here’s the thing: when I set my mind to something, I don’t fail.” Listen in to her conversation with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour to learn how she reinvented her career by becoming an entrepreneur and healing her postpartum trauma, how a visit to the White House inspired her to take action on an important cause, and her advice for navigating your own career reinvention.

 

FREE GIFT! Let CoveyClub support your 2023 goals with our 2023 Intention-Setting Workbook!

Connect with Monica:

Website

Instagram

A special gift from Monica! Visit http://monicafroese.com/reinventyourself for the latest updates, downloadable content, and more

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Join CoveyClub

Fran Pastore grew up in a tight male-dominated Italian family.  She watched how all her female relatives were disempowered and forced to become dependent on a male for their future. Fran talks to CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour about how and why she decided to gather her fate into her own hands by applying to college (her mother stopped talking to her because of it!) and eventually opened the Women's Business Development Council of Connecticut (CTWBDC.Org) that supplies free support services for female business owners.  Fran's #1 tip for reinventing out of your disapproving family: “Surround yourself with people who have skills and knowledge you don’t have.”

 

Anne Bokma spent four years writing a column about people who are spiritual but not religious; then she spent a year actually trying 24 different ideas for her book called “My Year of Living Spiritually” [https://amzn.to/3lqB03D]. “I did drumming circles, reiki, singing in choirs, and a pilgrimage to Thoreau’s pond,” she says.  “I gave up booze. Did witches. Learned to read tarot cards and even did magic mushrooms!” All of which is surprising if you know Bokma’s religious heritage. She grew up in a town of 1000 people in Ontario, the daughter of Dutch immigrants in a very religious household which taught her that we are all born sinful and should not mix with those outside the culture. Bokma went to journalism school and in her 20s, left the sect:“My family was devastated by my departure…. I had to struggle with my loss of family—especially my mother; I felt I’d lost my best friend.” Bokma talks with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour, about how she reinvented herself spiritually, found her way back to a relationship with her mom, and how she designed a morning routine to change the way she approaches each new day. “None of us get to midlife without loss,” she says. “It’s a universal truth. But if you can speak honestly about loss, you can connect."

What do you do when you have an MBA from Stanford with a focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, but you’re also loving your corporate job? That was the conundrum Nicole Malcolm-Manyara faced after spending ten years at P&G.  “I worked in their oral care portfolio for kids...the Gillette business. I worked in their incubator...so it was pretty much like working for a startup but at a big company,” she says. She also worked on their CVS customer team and at Duracell. But Malcolm-Manyara always had “the entrepreneurial bug.”  After Duracell, she took a job working--mostly remotely-- for Organic Girl, the salad company.  “During that translation this whole idea came to me for Rad Royals,” cool satin pillowcases for young Black girls. Her three-year-old daughter was refusing to tie her hair in a satin scarf or bonnet to protect it from getting tangled overnight.  “And so I thought, well, why don’t I get her a satin pillowcase.” But Malcolm-Manyara couldn’t find anything that was made sustainably or whimsically designed to intrigue her daughter. For two years Malcolm-Manyara, who lived on the east coast, worked her day job on California time and used her mornings for motherhood and Rad Royals: “It evolved very quickly into a business, a brand.” She says:  “If you really want to do something, you figure out how to do it...That has driven me to carve out time...and be really really focused….I try to say, ok, if i can spend one hour a day on Royals then, you know I’m good.”  One of the things Malcolm-Manyara learned when working in the incubator was the concept of figuring out your killer issue. “If you have an idea, you sit down and try and figure out what the two or three things that absolutely have to be true in order for [you] to be successful with this idea...and you solve for those things.” 

 

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

“It’s important to understand that you must go through life happy,” says Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum. “If you wake up every day and are miserable, it’s not right.” So says this unconventional cardiologist who just left big-hospital life to join an acupuncture and Ayurveda group to create a more “personalized” kind of care for her patients. "I believe no one needs to get heart disease,” she tells CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour. “Using genetics, physiology, anatomy and data” she says she can figure out where her patients are on the spectrum toward heart disease and create a specialized prescription for diet and exercise that helps arrest, or even reverse, the progression. “People see me when they are ready to feel good and be the best they can be,” she’s says.  "When they really see changes they are motivated.”  

Vani Murthy came to the U.S. from India and was totally economically dependent on her husband. She talks with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour about how, when he became abusive, she made a plan—and escaped.  Vani's miraculous story tells of believing in herself, finding help, getting her accounting degree, and forging a new life. Lesley and Vani are joined by Yesenia Maldonado, who runs BetweenFriends.com, the agency that helped Vani (and women like her) escape abusive relationships. 

She claims she’s not a coach but a “transitional life strategist” who uses her own reinvention—from corporate cog to entrepreneur—to help others reimagine themselves. She instructs on shifts in thinking, time management, and most important, on how to catch your inner confidence thief: “fear.” 

“Life comes with an end date—so we have to make the best of whatever we have now.” So says former television producer Tamika Felder who was given a cervical cancer diagnosis at age 25.  Felder joins CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour to explain how beating the odds gave her a new direction in life and offers her tips for women facing the ultimate reinvention mandate from cancer.

“Change is a given,” says Chip Conley, author of “Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder” (https://amzn.to/2SDjkG2) and founder of Modern Elder Academy (https://modernelderacademy.com/), “the world’s first midlife wisdom school".  “You need to adapt to it and be resilient.” Conley who sold his first business (a boutique hotel brand) and went on, after age 50, to become a mentor/intern at Airbnb speaks with CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour, about how to use your accumulated wisdom and connections to create a leg up in the job world. “Become an SME: Subject Matter Expert — the librarian, the person who knows how [an industry runs] and who is in that industry,” is one of his pieces of advice. Conley says women adapt better to the modern workplace than men because we have “less sense of entitlement…and know how to do the work.” And it all begins by asking yourself: “What mastery can you offer to the world?” Now ask it 5 times until you get a real answer. 

"There is throughout this theme of reaching a certain age and feeling like I'm entitled to the ground I'm standing on, at least," says New York Times bestselling author Ann Leary "Sometimes just being overly nice isn't authentic." CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour sits down with the writer to discuss her latest essay collection, "I've Tried Being Nice." Leary shares her personal journey of reinvention, her writing process, and the humorous yet poignant moments that inspired her new essay collection. Perfect for anyone navigating midlife changes, Leary’s stories resonate deeply, especially with women over 50. She discusses her childhood of frequent moves, which shaped her observational skills and writing talent, and offers invaluable tips like writing authentically as if to a best friend. Highlighting the episode is Leary’s candid talk about overcoming lifelong people-pleasing, finding her voice, and the empowerment found in her essay "I've Tried Being Nice." For aspiring writers, Leary’s practical advice includes starting the writing day early and maintaining flow. This episode is a must-listen for its blend of inspiration, humor, and practical advice.

Time Stamps:

02:25: Ann Leary talks about her new book

06:18: What inspired you to go back to memoir after having written several novels?

10:15: How does moving play into being an observer and being a writer?

14:26: When did you decide that you were going to take your writing seriously?

18:45: Do you write every day or do you have a process?

23:34: Do you share your work with anybody while you're working on it?

25:28: Leaving the people pleaser club

28:30: The freedom of midlife

Key Points:

• Ann Leary's essay collection, I've Tried Being Nice, is a must-read for midlife women, filled with humor and relatable insights.
• Frequent moves during childhood helped Ann develop her observational skills, crucial for her writing.
• Writing should feel like a conversation with a friend who gets you, making it more authentic and engaging.
• Ann shares her struggle with being a lifelong people pleaser and the liberation that comes with age.
• Having a supportive writing community is essential for feedback and encouragement.

Links and Resources:

• Visit Ann Leary's Website for more information and upcoming events.
• Order I've Tried Being Nice on Amazon or wherever books are sold.
• Follow Ann Leary on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

If you found this episode inspiring, please follow the podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. For more resources and community support, join us at CoveyClub.com. Until next time, keep reinventing!

 

 

FREE GIFT! 31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub:

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Join CoveyClub

Join CoveyClub.com founder Lesley Jane Seymour’s rollicking discussion about reinventing in the fashion world with Barbara Warren, co-founder of White + Warren and now PerennialProject.com a fashion site for women 50+. Learn how her eye for seeing the missing items in a woman’s wardrobe led to the invention of the cashmere “Travel Wrap” and perfect cashmere T-shirt.  Warren reveals hot new labels to watch that will make women look fabulous while staying comfortable. 

“When you choose better men,” says author and dating coach Evan Marc Katz, “The whole world opens up the same way that if you ate healthier food versus eating junk food.” With more than 35 million readers on his blog, 2.5 million podcast downloads, and 13,000 women transformed through his Love U course, Katz is the go-to guru for smart, successful women seeking romance. Discover why Katz believes men look for sex and find love, why your next partner should complement rather than clone you, and how to navigate the dating world with confidence, not checklists. Plus, snag his FREE exclusive gift for listeners: a 25-page PDF on the seven dating mistakes you're likely unaware of.

About Evan: Dating coach Evan Marc Katz is the author of 4 books and has been featured in hundreds of media outlets since 2003. His blog has over 35 million readers, his podcast has over 2.5 million downloads and 13,000 women have taken Love U, his video course that helps smart, successful women find love. Evan is happily married and lives in Los Angeles. Connect on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Youtube.

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub: Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Join CoveyClub

She was a successful magazine and newspaper writer whose photographer husband had wanderlust—forcing them to uproot and home-school their kids around the world—from South America to Mexico.  She even wrote a book about the successful lavender farm she ran outside of Dallas. Then when her last child left home Ralston launched NextTribe.com, a virtual and IRL space for women 45+ to connect and create new friendships. 

What do you do when you’re raised in Canada and Europe with a father who is a professor of applied mathematics and chemistry who hobnobbed with the most famous scientists on the planet? What do you do when you have a PhD in electrical and electronics engineering from Stamford and have already helped make health treatments available to kids with muscular dystrophy and own a handful of patents? And when you have created and sold a company and now invest in others as a VC? Why, you tackle the beauty business of course—using your scientific eye to create a range of totally sustainable products (you can eat them)—that are good for your skin and beautiful to use! Join CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour, in this enlightening conversation with one of the most innovative beauty (and beautiful) minds on the planet, Barbara Paldus, CEO at Codex Beauty (https://codexbeauty.com/). 

She had a southern accent, wore a leotard and cowboy boots with holes in them. She even had a learning disability. Louise Phillips Forbes talks with CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour, about how she used hard work,  her "gift of gab,” and an incredible spacial memory to create a $200 million real estate business. 

"Just follow your curiosity,” says expert reinventor Claire Campos-O’Neal, daughter of a first generation Mexican-American who ran for Texas State Representative for House District-51 in 2022. “If you want to know about the school board, just go to a school board meeting.” For Campos O'Neal, following her curiosity took her from volunteer work to politics to real estate and beyond. "Women don't self-nominate as much as men do and they run because they care about their community, not because it's a stepping stone to something else.” In this conversation with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour she shares what running for office without a political background taught her. Listen in to learn her tips for stepping into the political scene as a civilian and what she learned about making your voice heard.

 

FREE GIFT! Let CoveyClub support your 2023 goals with our 2023 Intention-Setting Workbook!

 

About Claire Campos-O'Neal

Claire Campos-O'Neal is a former candidate for the Texas House of Representatives, an education advocate, mother to two young boys, and budding entrepreneur. Since running for public office Claire has had a passion to share her campaign journey and give others a glimpse behind the political curtain.

 

Connect with Claire:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub:

Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Join CoveyClub

 

She wanted to be an aid worker in Zambia but after college, got sucked instead into management consulting.  After she quit, she couldn’t find a job but noticed her $300 interview dress was burning a $1000 dry-cleaning hole in her budget. Sarah LaFleur, CEO of MM.LaFleur, talks with CoveyClub founder, Lesley Jane Seymour, about how that simple problem prompted LaFleur to explore and create a multi-million dollar fashion  business based on her “idea for better workwear for working women."

When the pandemic shook the world in the spring of 2020, Stacey Birch, a career bartender with a special-needs son, was in Bali working on a 12-month plan to reinvent her life. “Bringing Bob his beer and ranch dressing was no longer fulfilling,” she observes wryly. So after turning 50, she entered a contest to learn social media in Bali. Then Covid struck. “I crashed hard,” she CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour in this wildly candid and humorous conversation. Hear how Birch pivoted her goals, made the decision to uproot her life to Mexico, and reinvent herself as a retreat host and social media entrepreneur. 

About Stacey: This Canadian single mama and career bartender turned her passion for puppies, margaritas and the 'gram into a total midlife pivot. At age 50 I moved to Mexico, healed myself through dog rescue and started a thriving social media business. It took a lovely combo of luck, determination, insanity and, well, the magic of IG to completely start anew. And now I would like to in turn take all that I have learned and help others rewriting their stories, starting anew to truly embrace this free marketing tool and community builder! I am launching a full course called the Midlife Social Savvy Course as well as hosting 1:1 personal branding retreats in Tulum Mexico...a content creator's dream.

 

Connect with Stacey:

Instagram

 

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Join CoveyClub

 

Laura Dinsmore had the perfect life. Then a drunk driver killed her husband and left her alone with a two year old child. “Responsibility moved me forward,” she says. Join CoveyClub Founder Lesley Jane Seymour in discussion with Dinsmore who explains how visualization and “flipping negative self-talk" helped move her through several reinventions and finally to Founder, President and CEO of Quadrant Health Strategies. 

"Anxiety is like a cult leader in the home—it’s controlling and demands attention, but understanding it helps break its power." – Laura Morton.

In this compelling episode of the Reinvent Yourself Podcast, host Lesley Jane Seymour sits down with Laura Morton, co-director and producer of the award-winning documentary "Anxious Nation." Morton, a bestselling author and mental health advocate, shares her deeply personal journey of navigating her daughter's anxiety and how it inspired her to create a film that offers hope and strategies to families dealing with similar issues. This conversation is a must-listen for any parent dealing with anxious children, providing insights, encouragement, and practical advice.

Timestamps:

• 02:31 - 05:20: Lesley introduces Laura Morton and her impressive background.
• 05:21 - 07:45: Laura discusses the inspiration behind "Anxious Nation."
• 07:46 - 10:15: Laura shares her personal story about her daughter's anxiety diagnosis.
• 10:16 - 15:40: The impact of social media and modern challenges on children's anxiety.
• 15:41 - 18:30: The importance of open conversations about mental health in families.
• 18:31 - 22:45: Laura's advice on seeking help and the common mistakes parents make.
• 22:46 - 26:10: The making of "Anxious Nation" and Laura's experience with documentary filmmaking.
• 26:11 - 28:30: Tips for parents on managing their child's anxiety.
• 28:31 - 31:00: How to access and benefit from watching "Anxious Nation."
• 31:01 - 33:00: Laura’s final thoughts and encouragement for parents.

Key Points:

• Laura Morton’s documentary "Anxious Nation" sheds light on the crisis of anxiety among children and provides practical solutions.
• Open conversations and early intervention are crucial in managing children’s anxiety.
• Social media and modern societal pressures significantly contribute to rising anxiety levels.
• Parents should be aware of their actions and how they might unintentionally add to their child’s anxiety.
• Strategies such as mindfulness, therapy, and community support can make a significant difference.

Links and Resources:

• Watch "Anxious Nation" on Amazon and Apple TV.
• Visit the Anxious Nation website for more information and resources.
• Learn more about Laura Morton on her Instagram and LinkedIn.

If you found this episode helpful, please follow the podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. For more resources and community support, join us at CoveyClub.com.

She was the daughter of pharmacists and a busy copywriter in the beauty business.  She was also raising kids. But she loved making organic body scrubs and selling them at local fairs. Then she got in front of the buyer from Whole Foods and her weekend gig, Gilly’s Organics, took off. 

Kathleen Smith’s first career was as a lawyer, particularly an assistant prosecutor working in juvenile justice in New Jersey’s Hudson County. Smith loved her work, but after giving birth to the second of her three children her career became overwhelming, and she gave it up to raise them. After fifteen years away from her industry, Smith found herself with no connections and no idea what to do next. Feeling stuck, she decided to reach out to other women in the same predicament for inspiration. She traveled around the country interviewing women on video, a project that grew into the lifestyle website MorphMom.com. Smith went on to teach classes and speak at conferences before launching a radio show, a podcast, and most recently a television show. Listen in to her conversation with CoveyClub founder,  Lesley Jane Seymour, to learn how she handled the challenges of starting all over from scratch and mastered working from home in a post-Covid world. Smith also shares her advice for starting your own business and for avoiding the mistakes most people make when first stepping into entrepreneurship. 

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

 

Bio:

Kathleen Butler Smith is the founder of morphmom.com. After graduating from Holy Cross and from Georgetown Law, she served as an Assistant Prosecutor in Hudson County, New Jersey for six years. She stopped working following the birth of her second child, and later discovered that re-entering the workforce would be difficult. Kathleen quickly noticed that she was not alone and that there were, in fact, many women who found themselves in a similar position, struggling to discover their next step, be it work related, volunteer-based, or simply rediscovering their passion. She began to chronicle the inspirational stories of women (whom she named "Morphmoms") who had managed to chart their own course with the hope of helping other women do the same. Since its launch in 2012, Morphmom has become a platform to promote and to support these women and their remarkable stories. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, have three children in various stages of leaving the nest.

 

Key Links:

Website

Facebook

LinkedIn

Instagram

Twitter

 

Join CoveyClub: If you like what you hear, you can support the CoveyCast podcast with a five-star rating, and subscribe to CoveyClub for more inspiring conversations. 

When Sharon Linder saw a need gap, she left a 32-year career at IBM to jump into the world of entrepreneurship and fill it. After her mother and sisters survived breast cancer, Linder became more diligent about her own exams. It was in the waiting room where she saw the need gap. “The skinny girls were freezing in their little gowns and the big girls were basically falling out of their bigger gowns,” she tells CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour. “I thought, ‘there has to be a better way.’” As a result, she created Get Janes, a collection of dignified and comfortable hospital gowns designed for women and men in inclusive sizes and styles. In this detailed conversation Linder shares the exact process she went through, from exploring the manufacturing necessities of hospital gowns to getting funding for her business. Listen in to get Linder’s best advice for taking action on your own entrepreneurial journey.

Time Stamps:

2:50 - How she saw the need gap during a breast exam

7:56 - Improving patient experience in hospitals

14:46 - The research she did to understand what needed to be changed

20:15 - Becoming an entrepreneur and developing her product

26:46 - Creating Get Janes and selling to hospitals before going public

 

Free gift! Grab our new ebook, 5 Days to More Time for You! We've packed it full of our favorite time management hacks to help you conquer your to-do list and create more time for the things that matter most.

Join us in NOLA: CoveyClub's Connection Convention

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub: Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Join CoveyClub

 

When Lynda Bouchard left her publicity job with CBS to become a flight attendant, she was chasing a dream. “I’ve always seen my life through the prism of story,” she says, “and I always want it to be a continual process of reinvention.” Her willingness to take a risk resulted in a 20-year career caring for passengers all across the world. In an eloquent and thoughtful conversation with Lesley Jane Seymour, Bouchard explains how her wanderlust led her to the American South, where she fell in love with the culture and history. After 9/11, Bouchard decided it was time to embark on another reinvention - another leap of faith - and another career change. After meeting hundreds of authors during her flights, she became aware of the common thread: New York publishing houses were not giving their authors exposure in the Southern markets. For Bouchard, this was an opportunity; she became the first literary agent to focus specifically on Southern authors, bookstores, and events. Her first client? James Patterson. Now, Bouchard is a sought-after resource for major publishing professionals. “There will be naysayers,” Bouchard advises, “but you know what? This is your dream, your passion, and it takes courage to be different. Hang on to that.”

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

Kristine Deer knew from childhood that she was meant to create, and when her mother gave her a box of fabric, some duct tape, and a stapler, she unlocked her passion for designing clothes. Fast-forward to college: Deer, of course, majored in fashion design before moving to New York City to pursue her career as a designer. But when The Great Recession hit in 2000, the industry changed. Deer found herself working menial tasks for other designers and witnessing a harsh corporate environment devoid of creative freedom. When she later lost her job, she was disillusioned and bereft. Leaving the city, she moved back in with her parents, determined to begin again. But how? After discovering her passion for hot yoga, Deer began to design her own yoga clothes—in particular the multi-striped rainbow leggings for which she eventually became famous. Eleven years later, she is the founder and CEO of the activewear brand K-DEER. In an intimate conversation with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour, Deer shares her journey of reinvention both personally and professionally.

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

"All the things I loved about being a therapist got overshadowed by the pain," says Sarah Fruehling, "I wish I actually didn't know people were capable of treating another human being like that." Despite a successful career as a mental health therapist that spanned over 20 years, Fruehling found herself burned out from the trauma she was exposed to through her work. At the height of her career she knew it was time for a reinvention. That was when a timely conversation with an old friend changed everything. Listen in to this enlightening conversation with CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour to hear how Fruehling used her entrepreneurial skills to reinvent from her private therapy practice to become a master level coach. She'll share the tools she used to find her calling and the steps you can take to launch yourself into a successful, thriving coaching career.

Sarah Fruehling has achieved the highest level of Mastery in the field of Coaching as one of the few Master Certified Coach (MCC) in the world. Only .03% of coaches are MCCs, so they're a rare gem! That's why a Fortune 20 company came to her when they needed help creating engaged, fulfilled and passionate leaders. Her clients go deeper and are on the fast track to change. Website • Facebook • LinkedIn • YouTube  

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour & CoveyClub: Website

Instagram

LinkedIn

Join CoveyClub

"You need to respect where you are in order to get where you need to be," says Laura Moore, M.Ed., Principal of ClutterClarity. Through her work Moore delves deep into the psychology behind clutter, exploring how shame and societal pressures can trap us in cycles of accumulation. In this conversation, she discusses how she transformed her passion for beauty and organizations into a mission to empower women to reclaim their spaces and their lives. Discover the ClutterClarity way, which emphasizes self-care, emotional management, and community support as essential tools for overcoming clutter challenges.

Want to dive deeper? Join us for a special class with Laura Moore

The ClutterClarity Way: It’s Your Mess, But Not Your Fault - Thursday, February 20 at 6pm ET

About Laura

Laura Moore, M.Ed, Principal of ClutterClarity, LLC evolved over 30 years from professional organizer, downsizing coach, and move manager to Life Skills Mentor for women who want to learn how to stay in a position of power to enjoy a decluttered home and life. Laura attended the Harvard Graduate School of Education, invested and renovated rental apartments, ran Moore Communications, a marketing company for small financial, legal, medial service companies. Laura co-authored the "Retail Revolution" with labor economist Barry Bluestone, et al, and wrote "Paper Clarity: What to Keep, Where and When to Shred," now in its 3rd edition. She’s currently writing, "Live with ClutterClarity: It’s Your Mess, But Not Your Fault.” She is neither a perfectionist or a minimalist. Laura resides in Metro-west Boston, USA, and loves people, collaging, beauty, homes, and stuff.

Links

Website

Facebook

Instagram

LinkedIn

YouTube

Timestamps

02:53 - Laura Moore's history and how she got involved with decluttering 

07:07 - Why it takes, on average, 66 days to change a habit

09:21 - How shame can impact your clutter

12:22 - What is the ClutterClarity method and why is it different?

16:37 - How ADHD can impact your ability to declutter

21:52 - Decluttering as self-care

23:41 - What to do with inherited clutter

27:25 - How do you deal with regret when going through your clutter?

 

Connect with Lesley Jane Seymour:

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Substack

If you found this episode insightful, please follow the podcast and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. For more resources and community support, join me on Substack. Until next time, keep reinventing!

 

 

 

She’d worked in corporate consumer strategy at banks. But after giving birth, she noticed how unsupportive her company became when she was looking for flexibility, how suddenly she was seen as less committed and less likely to be promoted.  This “millennial feminist” created LiveWorkLead.com to instruct both companies and individuals on how to bring working mothers back into the workforce in a logical, supportive manner that will make them productive.  

“People go for their ‘type’ and that’s the worst for them,” says Sandy Weiner, dating expert and CEO of LastFirstDate.com. “Women I work with are now in their sixties and they go for CEO types. They say, ‘I’m really attracted to his resume.’ But that doesn’t make for a good relationship. You need to focus on the long term: can this person talk to me, resolve conflict? Have they created a life for themselves or are they stuck blaming someone else for who they are today?” Weiner, who is also a life coach and founder of the site, Women of Value, finds many dating clients are too “airy fairy” in their profiles which confuses men. She helps them create profiles designed to get men to think, “I’d love to meet this woman.” Quite a strange turn for a woman who graduated with a degree in art therapy, wandered through businesses in illustration and painting furniture, authoring children’s books, becoming a head writer for Nickelodeon, and eventually returning to school for her degree in coaching. When her 23-year marriage went south, Weiner found herself in midlife transition and dating again. “My friends were, too. But I was better at it and guiding them because of my training in coaching.” What has she learned? “Pay attention to your intuition. It holds the key to your ‘why’. Try things. Be bold. Make mistakes.” 

FREE GIFT! Don’t start your reinvention without downloading CoveyClub’s starter guide called “31 Badass Tips for Launching Your Reinvention Without Fear!”

Every night her mother put her to bed, telling her she could be anything she wanted as long as she was willing to work hard for it. That support created a girl who knew how to stand up and speak for herself—even in grammar school when she was put into the wrong (remedial) reading group; speaking up got her moved.  So when the former Stanford grad, Miss America and CBS and Fox anchor found herself suing her boss for sexual harassment, it was that “ability to know I worked very hard that carried me through it.” Listen to CoveyClub founder Lesley Jane Seymour’s intimate discussion with the woman who gave others the guts to launch a thousand #MeToo lawsuits. Carlson explains why making the leap over 50 made it even harder to reinvent and offers solutions beginning with the observation that "women need to stop being so damn nice.”    Episode notes: Help Gretchen keep the pressure on members of congress for passage of the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Harassment Act of 2017 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2203/cosponsors) by writing or calling your member of congress to get him/her to sign on. (Arbitration is what keeps harassment secret and abusers in power).  Follow her leadership tour (https://www.gretchencarlson.com/) and find her on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GretchenCarlson/?fref=ts) and twitter (https://twitter.com/GretchenCarlson) and instagram (https://www.instagram.com/therealgretchencarlson/).  Carlson also suggests “developing a passion for reading about others who have reinvented.” Her personal reading list includes: Daughter of Destiny: An Autobiography (Benazir Bhutto) (https://amzn.to/2MP7X9g), Can’t Is Not an Option: My American Story (Nikki Haley) (https://amzn.to/2GpeI0v), Becoming by Michelle Obama (https://amzn.to/2GbfxuA), and her own two books, Getting Real (https://amzn.to/2t2BKlU) and Be Fierce: Stop Harassment and Take Your Power Back (https://amzn.to/2t9xWz2).