Stronger Bolder Wiser

Most of us were handed three stages of womanhood and then silence. There is a fourth one, and midlife sits right in the middle of it.

In this episode I sit down with Ali Knight to talk about the four stages of womanhood, and the one most of us have never been told about: Maga, the years between motherhood and elderhood. Ali explains why this stage can feel like losing yourself when it is actually a return to yourself, why midlife anger is valid rather than just hormonal, and why we are not a problem that needs fixing. This conversation changed how I feel about aging, and I think it will do the same for you.

Key Takeaways
-Anger in midlife is information, not a symptom to be managed. It usually points at injustice, and putting everything down to hormones lets everyone else off the hook.
-Two opposite things can be true at the same time. You can grieve a version of your life and feel excited about the next one without having to choose between them.
-Resentment is the signal that a boundary has been crossed, and usually crossed a long way back.
-Ali’s daily practice: ask what is happening in my head, what is happening in my heart, what is happening in my body. Three answers give you something to act on.

Timestamp:
The Four Stages Of Womanhood Explained (00:00)
Motherhood Burnout And Lost Boundaries (07:00)
What Is The Maga Phase (08:55)
When Alcohol Stops Working In Midlife (18:32)
Midlife Is Not A Decline (26:29)
Why Am I Angry In Midlife (39:20)
Perimenopause Is Not A Problem (53:38)
How To Navigate Midlife Change (58:11)

Struggling to know what to do when stress, boredom or big emotions hit?
Join Thrive after 40, starting 9th November. Learn the protein and nutrition requirements your body needs in perimenopause and post menopause, and how to build a plate that keeps you full for hours.
Grab your place → https://bit.ly/4hxbWHA

Ali Knight is a coach and facilitator who works with women through the natural phases of womanhood, drawing on the work of women like Jane Hardwick Collings and Hoppy Wimbush. Her focus is the Maga phase, the years between outward nurture and elderhood, which she frames as a time of sovereignty, truth telling and self permission rather than decline. At 50, having reached menopause herself and having stepped away from a marriage that no longer fit, she speaks about this stage from lived experience as well as practice. She has been a guest speaker inside my Rediscovering Me program and my membership, The Hub, and she writes on Instagram and a newly launched Substack.

Website: https://www.aliknightcoaching.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aliknight_soulmedicine
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ali.knight.111/
-One to one soul coaching: https://www.aliknightcoaching.com/one-to-one-offerings
-Retreats, small group gatherings in beautiful places: https://www.aliknightcoaching.com/retreats
-Group spaces, programmes, immersions and ceremonies through the year: https://www.aliknightcoaching.com/groupspaces
-SoulKin Circle, her new group space, waitlist here: https://www.aliknightcoaching.com/soulkin-waitlist
-Soul Tools, her free and paid resources: https://www.aliknightcoaching.com/soul-tools

Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia’s leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast, Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven’t already, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help more women find this community.

Eating less is the fastest way to gain fat around the middle in perimenopause. Ange Clark explains what to add before you take anything away.

In this episode I sit down with Angelique Clark, advanced sports dietitian and exercise physiologist, to answer the questions you have been sending me about weight gain in perimenopause. Ange explains why declining estrogen shifts fat to our middle, how much protein we actually need, and what a day of eating looks like for muscle, gut health and steady energy. We also bust the biggest midlife weight loss myths and cover her first three steps for a busy woman who feels stuck.

Key Topics Covered
- Ask what you need to add before you remove anything. More protein, more fibre and more resistance training do more than another calorie cut.
- Ask what you need to add before you remove anything. More protein, more fibre and more resistance training do more than another calorie cut.
-Four ingredients or less is a quick supermarket test. A protein label on an ultra processed food does not make it a protein food.
-Stress and sleep come before another diet. White space in the calendar, breathwork and screens off in the evening often shift more than food changes do.

Timestamps Why Eating Less Backfires In Perimenopause (00:00)
Insulin Resistance And Why Cutting Carbs Backfires (09:24)
Protein Labels, Bread And The 4 Ingredient Rule (19:01 )
Gut Health, Fibre And Belly Fat (25:53)
How Much Protein Women Need And DEXA Scans (35:21)
Plant Protein And A Perimenopause Day Of Eating (45:34)
Intermittent Fasting In Midlife (53:30)
Myths: Lifting Heavy, Cardio, Abs And Protein (59:23)
3 First Steps For A Busy Woman Who Feels Stuck (1:06:20)
Body Dissatisfaction And A Digital Detox (1:12:21)

Join Thrive after 40, starting 9th November. Learn the protein and nutrition requirements your body needs in perimenopause and post menopause, and how to build a plate that keeps you full for hours.
Grab your place → https://bit.ly/4hxbWHA

Angelique Clark is an Accredited Dietitian, Nutritionist and Exercise Physiologist, a Perimenopause Nutrition Specialist and Advanced Physique Sports Dietitian. She helps women in their 40s and 50s understand what is happening to their body in perimenopause and use it to build better body composition, preserve muscle and bone, reduce visceral fat, and improve their quality of life. Her approach is clinical, structured, and evidence-based, grounded in science rather than trends, and built for real life and sustainable results.

Website: https://www.angeliqueclark.com.au/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angeliqueclark_nutrition/
Free midlife macro calculator: https://www.angeliqueclark.com.au/midlife-macronutrient-calculator
Peri Set Go 7 Day Belly Fat Challenge

The Peri28 Program (online group nutrition and lifestyle program)

The Peri Lean Method (1:1 Coaching)

Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia's leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast,  Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle.

If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help more women find this community.
Find out more about my other programs here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/

If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don't always say out loud and connect with others going through the same, join my free Facebook group, Women's Wellbeing Collective here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342319476897067

Why does that evening glass feel so hard to give up? 

I explore the stress and nervous system patterns behind drinking to switch off, and share practical ways to start changing the habit.

For 29 years, alcohol was my way to unwind. Then, in my 40s, I found myself waking at 3 a.m., feeling anxious and watching my life get smaller. In this solo episode, I share why I look beyond the evening glass when helping women change their relationship with alcohol. We cover the build-up of daily stress, how drinking becomes linked with relief, and why I start with what happens in the morning. From phone-free time and a protein-rich breakfast to calming breaks and alternative evening rituals, this is about understanding what you need from that drink and finding other ways to meet that need. 

Key Topics Covered:
- Why your evening wine can feel like the only way to switch off.
- How daily stress can build from the moment you wake up.
- The connection between your nervous system, stress and alcohol cravings.
- Building a personal list of ways to unwind without alcohol.

Timestamps
My Experience With Grey Area Drinking (00:00)
Why You Crave Wine in the Evening (02:05)
Changing Your Evening Habit Starts in the Morning (03:00)
Taking Calming Breaks Throughout the Day (03:45)
Finding Other Ways to Unwind Without Alcohol (05:20)

Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia’s leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast, Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle.If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven’t already, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help more women find this community.

Explore Reset, my app designed by women, for women, to help you change your drinking habits. Find out more through my website: https://sarahrusbatch.com/ 

Join my free Facebook group, Women’s Wellbeing Collective, a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don’t always say out loud and connect with others going through the same:https://www.facebook.com/groups/342319476897067
And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here:https://sarahrusbatch.com/beyond-booze

Lift heavy or lose the fight against aging is the default advice for midlife women, and it leaves too many of them injured or on the sidelines. There is another way to build muscle, and it takes 20 minutes and light dumbbells.

In this episode I sit down with Ashley Selman, a strength coach of more than 30 years and the founder of Seli Strength, to talk about blood flow restriction training. Ashley explains why heavy lifting gets harder as our estrogen declines, and how light weights with BFR bands build muscle in 15 to 20 minutes. We cover the results of her six month study with midlife women, and exactly what week one looks like if you have not been in a gym for years.

Key Takeaways
-Professional cuffs are an investment at around 500 dollars, though they come with a 30 day money back guarantee. Wrapping straps or belts around your limbs is not the same thing and is not safe.
- A 2025 meta-analysis of adults over 50 found BFR matched heavy lifting for bone mineral density. Adding gentle impact work builds the bone architecture that density alone does not cover.
-You do not need to understand the science to do this. You need to learn what your burn feels like and what band pressure gets you there.
- Consistency beats intensity. The women in the study trained two more days a week than before, simply because the workouts were short and did not leave them in pain.

Timestamps
Why Lift Heavy Advice Fails Midlife Women (00:00)
What Is BFR Training And Is It Safe (06:30)
How Light Weights Hit Type 2 Fibres (11:57)
Fast Results And Why BFR Is Not Mainstream (15:17)
What A Full BFR Week Looks Like (23:06)
4.5 Inches Off Her Waist In 6 Months (33:07)
Bone Density Results And Your First Week (37:36)
How To Mix BFR With Heavy Lifting (46:23)
Band Cost And The 30 Day Guarantee (50:06)
Free Workout Plan And Why 6 Minutes Works (55:05)

Join Thrive after 40, starting 9th November. Learn the protein and nutrition requirements your body needs in perimenopause and post menopause, and how to build a plate that keeps you full for hours.
Grab your place → https://bit.ly/4hxbWHA

Ashley Selman, known to her clients as Coach Seli, has spent more than 30 years as a strength coach, working with elite athletes, university programs at Stanford and Oregon, and women in midlife who want to stay strong for life. She is the founder of Evolution Trainers in Mountain View, California, voted the number one health club in Silicon Valley, and holds a master’s degree in sport psychology. After chronic pain and a hip replacement ended her own heavy lifting, she found blood flow restriction training and built Seli Strength, a virtual BFR program for women in midlife. Around 500 women have now been through her program, and her six month study showed gains in strength and muscle, better heart health and a significant drop in pain.
Website: https://www.selistrength.com/join Get the bands for $100 off and the first 30 days free!Instagram: https://instagram.com/selistrength
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If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven’t already, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help more women find this community.

Taking 30 days off alcohol in midlife rarely feels the way social media promises. Boredom, flatness and broken sleep often come first, and none of it means you're doing it wrong.In this video I share the five most unexpected things women discover in their first 30 days without wine, from the 5 to 7pm boredom to the friend who suddenly goes quiet. I explain why your brain can feel flat once alcohol stops lighting up your dopamine reward centre, and why sedation is not the same as restorative sleep. Most importantly, I explain why all of it settles.Key Topics Covered- Why boredom hits hardest between 5 and 7pm when you stop drinking, and why taking alcohol out means adding something in, like an evening walk, a class or a hobby.- Feeling flat after quitting alcohol: how years of drinking dysregulate your dopamine receptors, and why it evens out with time.- What to do when friends get weird about you not drinking, and why talking to your closest friends first helps.- Why sleep without alcohol can get worse before it gets better, and how to ride the emotional rollercoaster of the early weeks.Timestamps What Happens When You Stop Drinking For 30 Days (00:00) Thing 1: Boredom Between 5 And 7pm (00:40) Thing 2: Feeling Flat After You Stop Drinking (02:01) Thing 3: When Friends Get Weird About You Not Drinking (02:44) Thing 4: Why Sleep Gets Worse Before It Gets Better (03:37) Thing 5: Feeling Emotional Over Nothing (04:40) Free Support To Change Your Drinking (05:20)Also Watch My Previous Episodes:- Seven Signs You Are a Grey Area Drinker- Six Reasons Successful Women Are Quietly Quitting Alcohol- Three Reasons Women Cannot Metabolise Alcohol as Effectively as Men***Struggling to know what to do when stress, boredom or big emotions hit?Download my free guide "100 Things to Do Instead of Drinking", a toolkit for sitting with those feelings instead of reaching for a glass of wine.Get your free guide → https://bit.ly/4qOiGUw***Sarah Rusbatch is an accredited Health and Wellbeing Coach and one of Australia's leading experts on grey area drinking. Her podcast, Stronger, Bolder, Wiser, is the go-to space for women who are questioning their relationship with alcohol, navigating life alcohol-free, or simply curious about what life could look like on the other side of the bottle.
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with someone who needs to hear it. And if you haven't already, subscribe so you never miss an episode, and leave a review to help more women find this community.Find out more about my other programs here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/If you want to join a space where women feel safe to be seen, ask the questions they don't always say out loud and connect with others going through the same, join my free Facebook group, Women's Wellbeing Collective here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/342319476897067And if changing your relationship with alcohol is something you want to explore further, you can find my book Beyond Booze on Audible, Spotify, Kindle and Amazon. Click the link here: https://sarahrusbatch.com/beyond-booze