Ep. 10 - "Stronger Together" with Michelle Jacobs + Sally Mueller

11/20/24 • 41 min

This special BONUS EPISODE, entitled Stronger Together, is the epilogue to our special nine-part series. It’s a closing conversation where our hosts Julie Flakstad & Dr. Taz Bhatia welcomed Womaness co-founders, Sally Mueller and Michelle Jacobs, to explore the importance of community and connection in midlife, their thoughts + reflections on the series overall and why they were so passionate about supporting it.

The conversation touches on how Womaness, a brand built for women by women, fosters community and trust, including a private Facebook Group called The After Party where over 9,000 women connect + share their insights and experiences about midlife. We also discuss the complex paradigm of women supporting women and why that sometimes feels difficult - both in life and in business.

We also take a valuable look back on the series, leaving listeners with valuable insights from key episodes and share more on what’s ahead for The Midlife Truth Project.

About Our Guests:

Sally Mueller and Michelle Jacobs met over 20 years ago. They became good friends early in their careers, creative collaborators, and honest sounding boards for each other. During a catchup a few years ago, Sally shared she’d been experiencing a variety of symptoms—aches and pains, vaginal dryness, and dry skin—and was surprised to learn that these were all related to menopause. After reaching out to friends and colleagues, they realized that this scenario was all too common. There was no clear education, support, or modern products for this time in a woman’s life.

So they did something about it. Leveraging their combined skills and experiences, they created Womaness, the leading women’s wellness brand, to modernize aging for women and to help them navigate their changing bodies with innovative products and solutions, essential information, and unlimited inspiration.

Connect with Our Hosts and Conversation Partner!

Womaness

Julie Flakstad

Dr. Taz Bhatia

YouTube: @DrTazMD
Instagram: @drtazmd
Website: doctortaz.com
Order The Hormone Shift book HERE
Practice - Centre Spring MD: https://centrespringmd.com/

Thanks so much for tuning in! Before you leave, please make sure to subscribe to the show so you’ll receive updates on our new upcoming season. Also, let us know how we’re doing by providing a rating and review!

This series is presented by Womaness

Created by women for women, Womaness (https://womaness.com/) offers clinically and doctor tested supplements, sexual wellness, and skincare products that help you navigate hot flashes, changing skin, vaginal dryness, sleepless nights, and more—empowering you to live your life fully and age well.

Just for you... Womaness is offering all our future podcast listeners 20% off any purchase of $50 or more. Use code: Midlife20 and Shop Now

Production:

This show is produced by Rainbow Creative with Evy Bjorn and Matthew Jones as Executive Producers, and Nathan Wheatley as Lead Video and Audio Editor. Learn more about them at https://www.rainbowcreative.co

We also take a valuable look back on the series, leaving listeners with valuable insights from key episodes and share more on what’s ahead for The Midlife Truth Project.

About Our Guests:

Connect with Our Hosts and Conversation Partner!

Womaness

Julie Flakstad

Dr. Taz Bhatia

YouTube: @DrTazMD
Instagram: @drtazmd
Website: doctortaz.com
Order The Hormone Shift book HERE
Practice - Centre Spring MD: https://centrespringmd.com/

This series is presented by Womaness

Just for you... Womaness is offering all our future podcast listeners 20% off any purchase of $50 or more. Use code: Midlife20 and Shop Now

Production:

Previous Episode

Ep 9 “Connect The Dots” with Sara Blakely

This is episode (9) of our special nine-part series entitled Connect The Dots. Our hosts Julie Flakstad & Dr. Taz Bhatia welcome serial entrepreneur, visionary and dedicated philanthropist Sara Blakely. As the founder of Spanx, a now billion-dollar global brand that revolutionized women’s apparel and, more recently, Sneex, the world’s first high-heel sneaker, Sara shares her midlife journey as a time of transformation and growth. She highlights the importance of mindset, intuition, and carving out moments for self-connection, all of which have guided her major decisions in life, including selling Spanx. She also gives valuable advice + insight on how to embrace fear and stay connected to one's "why" - especially in midlife.

Here are some key themes + takeaways ...

Midlife as a "Chrysalis": Rather than seeing midlife as a crisis, Sara sees it as a transformative period of shedding, growth and inner reflection, where ego-driven motivations give way to purpose-driven ones driven more by spirit.
The Power of Visualization: Sara shares her approach on visualization where she focuses on creating mental space for her mind to wander, daydream and allowing ideas to surface naturally.
Connecting with Intuition: From an early age, Sara explains how she learned to connect with herself, embrace intuition and manifest what she wants. She talks openly about her ongoing process of becoming intentional and clear about key decisions as well as asking the universe for specific signs to guide her.
Overcoming Fear: “The only way to overcome your fear, is to do it,” Sara says, explaining that continues to be committed to saying YES to challenging situations that could be embarrassing. Embarrassing situations become funny, vulnerable stories, she explains, and these experiences make us more resilient and allow us to embrace our imperfections.
Struggling with Perimenopause: Sara opens up about her own vulnerable experience and confusion dealing with perimenopause including extreme hormone fluctuations, sleep struggles, massive weight fluctuations and severe emotional lows.
Philanthropy and Purpose-Driven Work: Passionately dedicated to empowering women, she talks about her personal, and at times playful, approach to philanthropy, including lending out her wedding dress to women during COVID, creating a "wedding dress sisterhood."

About Our Guest, Sara Blakely

Sara Blakely is a serial entrepreneur and the visionary founder of Spanx, a brand that revolutionized women’s shapewear by turning her personal frustration with traditional hosiery into an innovative solution. Beyond her business, Blakely is committed to empowering women globally through her Sara Blakely Foundation, and became the first female billionaire to join the Giving Pledge, promising to donate at least half her wealth to charity. Today, she continues to inspire as an investor on Shark Tank, a frequent speaker, and a champion for women achieving their dreams, all while aiming to create the world’s most comfortable high-heel shoe, Sneex.

Connect with Our Hosts and Conversation Partner!

Sara Blakely

Julie Flakstad

Dr. Taz Bhatia