There comes a point in many women's lives when the old version of who they've been no longer fits.
The roles they've played, the expectations they've carried, and the stories they've told themselves about what's possible begin to feel restrictive. Yet knowing something needs to change and actually changing it are two very different things.
In this episode of The Midlife Rebel Podcast, I sat down with author Teri M. Brown for a conversation about courage, reinvention, and what can happen when you stop assuming your best years are behind you.
What struck me most about Teri's story was that she didn't begin her transformation from a place of confidence. Quite the opposite.
After leaving an emotionally abusive marriage, she found herself questioning who she was and what she was capable of. Like many women navigating major life changes, she had spent years adapting to circumstances that slowly chipped away at her self-belief.
Yet instead of accepting that this was simply how life would be, she chose to challenge that story.
Not through a dramatic overnight reinvention, but by doing something that felt impossible.
Riding a tandem bicycle more than 3,000 miles across the United States.
When Teri first shared this part of her story, I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer scale of the challenge. She wasn't a lifelong cyclist or elite athlete. In fact, she openly admits she wasn't particularly fit and hadn't been on a bike in decades.
And that's exactly why the story matters.
The journey wasn't really about cycling.
It was about discovering what happens when you keep going after your mind tells you to stop.
As Teri explained, once you've pushed through discomfort, fear, exhaustion and self-doubt, something shifts internally. You begin collecting evidence that you're capable of more than you believed.
That lesson doesn't stay on the bike.
It follows you into every other area of life.
The conversation also explored another chapter of Teri's journey: becoming an author later in life.
Many people dream of writing a book. Far fewer talk about what comes next.
Writing the manuscript is one challenge. Learning how to market it, build an audience, grow a newsletter and consistently put yourself out there is another entirely.
Teri spoke honestly about launching her first book and seeing almost no sales. Instead of giving up, she treated it as part of the learning process and kept showing up.
There was something refreshing about that perspective.
So much of what we see online focuses on overnight success stories, yet most meaningful achievements are built through hundreds of small actions repeated over time.
The same principle applies whether you're writing a book, changing careers, rebuilding your health, or creating a life that feels more aligned with who you are becoming.
We also spent time discussing Teri's novel, Peg Unhinged, which explores menopause with humour, honesty and compassion.
While the book is fiction, the experiences woven through it will feel familiar to many women.
The hot flushes.
The disrupted sleep.
The mood changes.
The frustration of feeling dismissed or unheard when seeking support.
Teri and I talked about the importance of women advocating for themselves, continuing to ask questions, and finding practitioners who genuinely listen. Midlife can bring challenges, but it can also be a time of greater self-awareness and self-respect.
Throughout our conversation, one simple message kept resurfacing.
Remember who you are.
Remember that you are enough.
Ask yourself what you genuinely want.
Then take one small step towards it.
Not next year.
Not when everything feels perfect.
Today.
Because reinvention rarely arrives in one dramatic moment. More often, it grows through small decisions that gradually create a different future.
Whether you're navigating divorce, menopause, an empty nest, a career change, or simply a sense that life is calling you towards something more, Teri's story is a powerful reminder that it's never too late to surprise yourself.
Your next chapter doesn't have to look like anyone else's.
It simply has to be yours.