School of Midlife

94. Midlife Gap Year: 12 Months to Figure Out Who You Want to Be When You Grow Up | Moya Dolsby

• Laurie Reynoldson • Episode 94

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In this special Friday episode of the School of Midlife podcast, I'm talking with Moya Dolsby, one of the members of the Founding Cohort for the Gap Year.

The Gap Year is the School of Midlife's 12-month experience-based group coaching program for high-performing midlife women. The yearlong course help women figure out who they are now, what they actually want, and what matters most to them in this season of life and beyond.

Doors to the 2025 Class are now open! This only happens twice a year, and the class roster will be final when the doors close at 11:59pm on December 20, 2024. You can learn more about the Gap Year and claim your spot in the 2025 Class at www.schoolofmidlife.com/gapyear.

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Welcome to the School of Midlife podcast. I'm your host, Laurie Reynoldson. This is the podcast for the midlife woman who starting to ask herself big life questions. Like, what do I want? Is it too late for me? And what's my legacy beyond my family and my work. Each week we're answering these questions and more. At the School of Midlife, we're learning all of the life lessons they didn't teach us in school and we're figuring out finally what it is we want to be when we grow up. Let's make midlife your best life. Hey friends. Welcome back to a bonus episode of the School of Midlfie podcast dropping on Friday of this week. I wanted to pop on and let you know that the Gap Year, which is the School of Midlife's 12 month experience-based coaching program. The doors are open. This only happens twice a year. The Gap Year is a year long course for high achieving mid-life women who have been crushing it in their professional life. Whether that's in a traditional office setting or a CEO of their household. But they seem to be craving a little bit of alignment in their personal life. so for. 12 months we dive deep to figure out who you are. What you actually want and what matters most in the season of life. Because the doors are open. I thought it would be fun for you to hear from one of the members of the founding cohort that started last July. Moya Dolsby, who is the Executive Director of the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers C ommission. Moya has generously agreed to come on the podcast and talk about her experience in the Gap Year for the last six or seven months. I think once you hear her, you are going to be excited to grab your spot in the 2025 class. Because, like she says, I just love this program. Thank you so much for creating it. The doors are now open. They will close on December 20th at 1159 Pacific time. You can learn more about the Gap Year at. www.schoolofmidlife.com forward slash gap year, all one word It will also drop a clickable link in the show notes. But grab your favorite beverage. Sit back, listen to Moya and I talk all things Gap Year, and if you are ready to make 2025, your best yet, then I'd love to see you inside the Gap Year. Now let's dive into today's episode.

Laurie:

Moya, I am so excited to talk to you today about the Gap Year. How are you doing? Tell me all the things. What's new?

Moya:

Yeah. I just appreciate you like having me and I am like, I'm loving the Gap Year. I think it's fun and challenging and frustrating in good ways. So yeah. Oh,

Laurie:

I can't wait to dig in. Can you, before we get started, maybe just Introduce yourself a little bit. Tell the audience who you are, what you do, where you're at in life, all those, yeah. Yeah. Kind of fun things.

Moya:

Yes. So I am Moya Dolsby. I am the Executive Director of the Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission. I've been there for 16 years, which I think is a long time. Has it been that long? Yeah. Amazing. Right? Amazing. I know. And then I'm 42 and I have two boys that are 10. And I am married and want to retire someday and I love to travel and read and drink wine and hang out with my friends.

Laurie:

So pretty good life, yeah? Yeah,

Moya:

It is. I'm pretty lucky.

Laurie:

And with two boys, 10 years old and a full time job and all the things, you've got plenty going on in your life.

Moya:

Yes, I do. And it can sometimes be hard to take time for myself because I'm running them everywhere they need to be.

Laurie:

So then, I guess I'm curious what attracted you to the Gap Year? Why was it important to you to be able to find time in your schedule to, Devote some development time to yourself

Moya:

because I wanted to be when it sounds like cliche. I wanted to be happy Not that I'm not happy. I just felt like there was more. What can I do? I think I'm overachiever better. I'm always on such a pusher I think I could be better. What do I want? Like I love my job, I don't want to necessarily change my job But what can I how can I be more fulfilled than outside of that? Right? What does that mean? I'm still figuring that out. I

Laurie:

think that's a lifelong journey, isn't it?

Moya:

Yes.

Laurie:

I think we all want to be happy. We certainly all want to feel fulfilled. I think a lot of us don't necessarily spend the time to figure out what does that actually mean? It's just like this destination this push that we're constantly seeking and moving towards. And if we step back, like you said, you've got a, you've got a great life. But it just feels like maybe there's. There's a next level. There's a little something more.

Moya:

Yes. Yes. And I think, too I was listening to one of your talks about, basically, you have to do something, right? To make change, you have to do something. And I just like that. So I I've been wanting to do the Duolingo Spanish. for years. It is not hard. It's not hard, but you just have to do it. And it's nice oh gosh, I have to be someone, I'm accountable to somebody, right? It just makes you think a little bit, right? It's even exercising. You're not going to get healthier and lose weight if you don't move, which is logical. You're right. That makes

Laurie:

sense. You have to move. The whole idea of you can't read about pushups and expect that, you're going to get all the benefits from doing it. You actually have to get out there. Yes. You mentioned Duolingo would you explain why you started doing that as part of the Gap Year? Yeah. And I'll fill in.

Moya:

It's because, yeah, I think, sometimes I'm a little, it's interesting because I might feel like I, I'll talk to anybody, but like a little nervous about putting myself in certain situations. I'm a little nervous and travel around the world and go to these Spanish speaking places because I don't know the language. Mind you, there's all these different translator things you can get it's stupid, right? But I would feel a lot more comfortable if I, Could ask, how do I get to the bathroom, right? Right? Yeah. Or, I drink a lot of water, right? I need to go to the bathroom. Yeah. So that, you're drinking your water. Yes, right. So I think that's why I think it'll make me feel more comfortable because I want to go everywhere, right? And why not? And also I feel like we should all know Spanish, right? It's, I just feel like we should. I took French in high school. Why didn't I take Spanish? Moi aussi! Right? I could say, Je fais du ski. I do ski. Okay. That's like my one thing. I can't even say how to get to the bathroom, but I should probably learn that one too. Où est

Laurie:

la toilette? So I did take French in school because it's just the way my school was set up. And I agree with you. I wish I would have taken Spanish, but I picked up Duolingo, I don't know, probably three years ago. Don't you have a crazy record, don't you? I do, yeah, I'm, I, let me see, I'm 1, 300, no, 1, 033 days in,

Moya:

Laurie, that's so good. Because at some point

Laurie:

I will spend part of my year in France. I will live probably in the south of France, maybe Paris, and Like you, I want to be able to speak the language. And there's something about. And I think that's, at least when I put out the Gap Year that's what I want for women is to, instead of waiting until retirement or waiting until their kids are out of school. And you've got a little bit of time left because your boys are still 10 or they're only 10. So they're going to be at home for a little bit, but I think it's so important to think about what is that second half of our life look like before we're in it. Right. Right. Right.

Moya:

Yes. Yeah. What do I want? And sometimes gosh, I don't know what do I want? Right? Like I think you had us like write down these a hundred things and it was so like, so many of mine were travel, right? I'm like, gosh, I need to get on this. Right. And so it was just amazing to think about Oh, what makes you happy? And sometimes it's almost easier to think about what do I not want for me? It's like someone's I don't want that. Okay. Helps get things flowing.

Laurie:

And you're not alone in that. A lot of times it's a lot easier to figure out what don't we want. You know, and then by figuring that out, then we can back into what is, if we know we don't want this. Then that's going to help us figure out what we want. And I think that midlife women in particular struggle with this because it's not that we've never been asked what we want, but there was just this expectation when we grew up that, you're going to go to school and then you're going to get a job. And at some point you'll probably get married and then you'll have some kids and you'll raise them up. And there's, we've just been doing everything that we thought we were supposed to do. And then we get to midlife and it's like, what now? Yeah. Who am I? Do I recognize myself anymore? I feel like I'm still chasing happiness and fulfillment and how do I get there? And yeah.

Moya:

And also being like, happy with who we are, too like I'm okay, right? Yeah. Like I'm just being like, like I can still sit in the read a book, and I also love too Laurie, what you said like especially I the Duolingo thing I took and it wasn't specifically like with Duolingo you don't have to do it every day if you don't want to, like giving yourself that grace, I'm like, yeah. Oh, and that was such like, less pressure, I'm like, yeah. I don't have to do it every day. Okay. I can do that. Sometimes I can't do it every day or do anything every

Laurie:

day. We are conditioned to believe that if we want to make massive change, or any change, that We have to be like, if the bar scale went from zero to 10, we have to be at a 10 every day, right? That's the only way that it's going to work for us. And there's something about consistency, which is some days it's going to be a 10 and other days it's going to be a one, and maybe it'll be a one or a two for the next. 7 to 10, 12 days, right? Instead of stopping or throwing in the towel and thinking, Oh, this isn't my year. This isn't, I'll do it again later. I just start

Moya:

tomorrow.

Laurie:

We can start tomorrow. And if we can take the next day off and start again the next day, it doesn't, you don't have to start on a Monday. You don't have to start on January one. You don't have to start on the first day of the month. So there's so much opportunity for women, which I think is fantastic. You talked about that there are, there have been points in the Gap Year that have been a little hard. Can you describe what you meant by hard? And is, was there a specific exercise we were doing or a module that we were working through that just felt heavier than some of the others?

Moya:

Yeah, one is like time tracking. Laurie I'll admit, I didn't do it. I did not want to track my time. And I was just like, Oh my gosh, what is my problem? But then I think I read something said Oh, maybe it was one of the books, like giving yourself permission not to finish the book and I'm like, oh my gosh, I'm going to be a failure. Like I had these so internal debates but I just think it was like, I don't know. That can be really hard, right? It's like those struggles, right? Of like, why am I putting up such like resistance towards this, right? Is it because do I feel like I get a lot done in a day? Do I feel like I don't get a lot done in a day? Like I. I think I do a lot, but maybe I don't know. Or am I like adult ADHD and I'm all over the place? I don't know. So yeah, that was like

Laurie:

very interesting. And resistance is interesting, isn't it? Because I'm, I think that a lot of times we just get. We're moving in a certain direction and someone offers up something to us that feels a little different and I'm always Interested in the resistance like where is that? Yeah, why right? Why am I worried about that? I don't

Moya:

usually say no I don't usually say no to things and I was like, can I say no to this? I knew you weren't going to get mad at me, so I like, maybe it's just because I felt comfortable. But you'll be okay with

Laurie:

this, right? No. But, that's the thing about any, anything that we're doing in our life, particularly in the Gap Year, which is the Gap Year is made to be this container for you to Maybe step out of your comfort zone a little bit, try something new, have some experiences that it already, that would just compliment your current life. Right. Very few of us have the ability to be like, put our hands up in the air, wipe them off. We're going to start again. That doesn't work. So what can you do now to just experiment a little bit and adopt that beginner's mindset in a very safe space so that. When it comes time the kids are gone or it's time to retire or it's someday, or we're finally at that point where we can do what it is we want. What is that? What is that? Can you think about a specific module or exercise that we did that felt. Maybe you had your biggest ah ha or felt particularly transformative to you.

Moya:

I think what was really fascinating was like, like the internship thing that you said. I knew right away what I wanted to do. I put two things, like I wanted to learn the Spanish and I wanted to play the piano because I've been thinking about these two things like for years. And I'm like, Yeah. Yeah. There's just, there's another app, Simply Piano. It's you play for five minutes a day, and I have I've picked it up a little bit here and there. It's just oh my gosh it's so it's nice that it came back around and it's like the universe is being like, you need to do this, lady. It's not that hard. You can do this. And it was just like, because I knew in your talk, you said about like how it can be really hard for someone to figure out what they want to do. And I got this right here. Let's do it. Yeah. But it was just yeah. Oh, look. I don't know

Laurie:

what Moya is talking about is every quarter in the Gap Year, you have the opportunity to pick a different, what we call internship and it can be anything you want. Like Moya said, she for her quarterly internship for this quarter is to learn Spanish and you had talked about your reasons why is you want to travel and be able to speak to people. And then I thought it was really interesting too, because you're in the. The agricultural industry, you work a lot with the grape growers and the harvesters, and you want to be able to speak with them, which I thought was beautiful. There, there are no rules about the internship other than you need to select each quarter, a different activity skill, a place you want to go. And do it. You don't have to do it every day, but if say you want to travel around the world. Great. Maybe you don't have the time to take off in this season of life, but how can you research? I don't even know if they have those around the world flight packages anymore, but do some research on it. Figure out what. What excites you? What would you like to do when you went to those places? Maybe you want to learn piano. Either get a, get an app to do that, or find a teacher, or There are so many different ways that we can explore different options for what we want to do in our life. And so many of us think I don't have the time to do that, but what we're looking is small, like mini incremental steps forward, little habits that we can create that are going to make a big impact ultimately. And you might start your piano app and realize, you know what, I've had this dream to play the piano a really long time and. Turns out it's not for me. I don't like it, but isn't that, wouldn't that be great to find that out now instead of have this unfulfilled dream that, has always been in the back of your mind. And then you finally get the opportunity to do something with it. And it's yeah, it's not for me. Yes. Wouldn't it be great to channel that focus in a different direction? What would you say because we talk a lot about changing, coming up with your own definition for success did you change, did you have any changes there as far as what success means to you?

Moya:

I've always had this kind of mantra I would like, I want to do hard things with cool people to make this world a better place. Yes. And I still really like that, but I think that could change, like in the sense of it can mean different things throughout our life, right? Like I, and whether it's like friendships or, work, like where, what does that mean? Doing good, what is doing good mean, right? And yeah, I love like doing hard things with cool people for a greater good.

Laurie:

I feel like that should be in a t shirt somewhere. I should make it for us. Absolutely. I will take several. But isn't that interesting that there's nothing in there about how much money you're making or what your title is, which is how we, how society. Explains to us that we either aren't a success or we're not a success.

Moya:

Yeah. And it's sometimes you can struggle with that too, right? Because I've been in my job for 16 years, which is a long time, but it sometimes makes you doubt a little bit I'm really happy. I really like what I'm doing. Why do I need to change anything? And so then like, I don't need to change that aspect of my life, because I'm having fun and I'm doing hard things with cool people and we're making it better. So it's that applies, right? All these things apply. I'm like, this is awesome. Right. And I feel very fortunate. And not to say that I haven't had challenges. We all have challenges. It's just on how you deal with it. Yeah. I love that. Has there been a, an uncomfortable

Laurie:

Realization or a challenging realization that either you've made about yourself or your life while working through the Gap Year modules.

Moya:

Maybe a little bit like education. I, I have a four year degree, right, but that so many people like, I think about, Oh, should I go get my MBA? Should I go get a doctorate? But sometimes I feel a little bit inadequate, but like, why? That's just all on no, it's okay. It is okay. Am I happy? Yeah, like, why do I want an MBA? Just to say that I have one, that sounds cool. That's not a good enough reason, right? I don't know, like I, I'm around really educated people? And I, I sometimes feel inadequate because of that. And so that's what I struggle with. I go, is it okay? Is it not okay?

Laurie:

So one of the, one of the things that we do is come up with our best life top 100, and it's not a bucket list. It's, 100 ways in which, or things we want to do, go see, be, that will help us create and live our best life. I'm curious, did you write down, get your MBA on that list?

Moya:

No! No, not even had to do with education. So much of it had to do with seeing the world. But then when I also really liked how you did that, it's then you map it out by like years. Like how old it's cause I had never thought of it like that before. Oh, if I want to. You know, doing some crazy hike, right? Like, then I need to probably be younger to do that and not 85 when I picked that trip. No, that was just really interesting to and then it made me think about, because my husband's nine years older than me. I'm like, oh I need to factor that in then on our timeline of when, not that everything has to be planned out, but a little bit, right? If we're going to be doing a lot of walking, like I just, yeah, went on this trip with my mom and she couldn't walk as well on this trip. And I'm like, never taken that into consideration before. Right. Yeah, because we important,

Laurie:

we feel like we're going to work until we retire. And then we're going to go do all the things that we've been putting off. And like you said, if one of your things is hike Mount Kilimanjaro or something along those lines, you better. Start front loading that instead of waiting until, okay if I wait until I'm 60 or 65 to retire, and then sure, I'll have the means to do it, but am I physically capable of doing it? So instead of waiting, how can we move that up in the timeline? So that we are having the experiences that we want to have. in the way that we want to have them. Because sure, you can wait until you're 70 and go, hike Kilimanjaro and maybe you'll be physically able to do that. Maybe you won't. Wouldn't you prefer to do it when you can enjoy it?

Moya:

Yes. And it was, I think it was just inspiring, like the Gap Years, like just do it. Like even one of the first like module things we were talking about, like I love gardening, right. And I wanted to grow my own food. And I saw yeah. You know what? I'm just gonna buy this other course and figure out how to grow more food. That's how it's like I watch all these videos. Just do it, right? Yeah, okay. And now I now I know. And now I just have to I got the knowledge. Like, why wasn't I doing that before? I don't know. You just put it off. No. So it's inspiring. Just go do it. Worst thing that you can do is I don't know, it doesn't grow. And that's fine. Try again.

Laurie:

I don't know if we have talked about this before, but I get the sense that you probably have done We'll call it personal development just because that is a great umbrella. So my guess is you've either done other personal development programs or gone to conferences or something along those lines. Is that a safe assumption? Yes. Yes. So I'm curious then, is there, how does the Gap Year in your mind differ from other personal development programs that you've tried? I

Moya:

One like there's just women at least right now. It's just women. So that's very

Laurie:

different only women I had somebody reach out to me over the weekend say I'd really like my son to do this He's in midlife and questioning himself and I'm like the School of Midlife is not co ed. We don't take the men

Moya:

Yeah, and I think it's also age right? It's like we're dealing with like similar like Things like our bodies are changing our lives and I just love I love hearing from like other women To that especially like I love hearing women's I'm like her older than me Like what did you do? Like we got any advice it's gone before me, right? Like I just because I think we can help each other and I think that's the biggest thing is the people involved Because we all care about each other and we want to do better. Right. And it's just that human connection.

Laurie:

Yeah. And don't you find as women we're a little siloed. We have our friends. But there are some things that maybe we don't want to get into with our friends because they know our husbands very well or whatever. Yes, yeah. But there's some safety in gathering strangers from the internet into a community where it's, it seems a little safer. Like you can talk about things that might be a little more, safer. Controversial or more vulnerable when you know that you're not going to run into somebody at the grocery store,

Moya:

right? Right and yeah, it's just very free and I think it's like you can ask a question without and I know like you're not gonna take offense Like I'm just asking the question like there's no harm in it, right? Yeah.

Laurie:

Yeah. Have you noticed that the program has? impacted The way that you're showing up at work differently or the way you're showing up in your marriage differently or around your friends, or has there been any change that can be linked to your experience in the Gap Year in the last, I don't know, six or seven months that has changed the way that you're showing up in your life?

Moya:

Yeah, like even this morning, we were like, my husband and I, we met with our financial advisor and we're like, we've talked about where do we want to travel? Like I shared my list with him and so that takes money, right? And so my husband like, he's yeah, I want to retire at 60. I'm like, you can't do that. Right. How this doesn't equate, And he's oh, you're right. And so it's just great. And so with the financial, like we talked about this morning, like this is what you have to do. And they make little pie charts. Oh if you work another two years, you're going to be golden. So it's just like applying these things. And what is your goals? It's and it's been really fun for us. And even at work, I've talked about it so much at work. If what are your goals? What do you guys want? And what do you think about it? How are you spending your time? And it's just been like, it's fun conversations. I like sharing. It's fun.

Laurie:

You talked about goals. We talk a little bit in the Gap Year about the difference between goals and dreams. Did that change your perspective at all about when you were setting a new goal, in air quotes, that Maybe instead of that goal, you should be pursuing something more on the dream level?

Moya:

Right. Yeah, I like that. I like, too, that it's like, strength. I really want to have strength. That kind of got me thinking of I say pursue, do the Peloton every day. What's more to that? No, I'm doing the Peloton every day because I want to be stronger, right? So that's, I reframed it a little bit more for me, like, Why am I doing this? And it just just got you thinking too, right? But I still sometimes like the number thing, like I read a hundred books this year. Wow. Crazy person. But I still like having the read a hundred books, right? Because I like that push, so reframing it a little bit.

Laurie:

Did you have a favorite?

Moya:

Oh, I love the Secret Book of Flora Lee. That was so good. Historical fiction. That's awesome. 100 books in a year? Yeah. I was close last year.

Laurie:

Yeah.

Moya:

And I listen to a lot of books, like when I'm running around or going for a walk. Will you do that again next year? I think so, but then I'm like, does it need to be 105? I don't know. I'm like I don't know does it have to change?

Laurie:

You can you can also get to the point where you're like I've done a hundred for the last couple of years and maybe 50 is okay. Yeah. It doesn't always have to be bigger or better or more, right? There's a point. Go ahead.

Moya:

Oh, I just struggle with that because I'm like more and more. I'm such a pusher. Yeah. I probably push you too. Like Laurie, come on, come to the barre class with me. Come on. You got to go.

Laurie:

It's so annoying. There's a point right where it should be enough where we don't have to keep pushing. And I think as high performing, high achieving women. It's tough to be okay with that.

Moya:

Yeah. And then do less and go to bed, like just go to sleep. Okay. All right. Yes. Okay. Yeah.

Laurie:

The doing less in the sleeping that gets a lot easier as you get a little older because sleep is so hard. And for me, I like, I should just go to bed every night at eight, because I'm ready to go to bed at that point. And then if I want to stay up and maybe watch TV with Mike, or for some reason I, I don't go to bed. Then it's 11 o'clock because I get this second wind and I'm, it's awful. I need to. Do you still

Moya:

wake up? You still wake up at the same time? Every single morning.

Laurie:

Yep. Nope. I, my alarm is set for seven every morning and I don't believe that I have woken up with my alarm in, I don't know how long, because it's always between five 30 and six. Yeah. Which is a bummer. It'd be nice to sleep in a little bit more. Which means I gotta get my ass to bed earlier. And for some reason that's gonna be really hard

Moya:

to me.

Laurie:

Um, what would you tell someone who is thinking about the Gap Year but doesn't think she has time?

Moya:

I think you can make time for whatever you think is important. If you really want to do something, you can do anything. You just have to carve out the time and put it on your calendar, whatever trick it is, or hey, when I'm going to do the Gap Year listening to it, I'm going to be doing a puzzle. Okay, whatever, like whatever it takes you to excite yourself to do it, to just do it. Because why not? Sometimes I like thinking like, why shouldn't I do this? If me just having a not enough time is not a good enough. Right. Because like how I said, we need strength. We need to strengthen ourselves to do this and you just have to start somewhere. Why not? Yeah.

Laurie:

Why not? Yeah. And you talked about doing a puzzle. It's set up in the way that you can either watch the videos or listen to them. And have you found that works pretty well with your already busy schedule? Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Moya:

Yeah. I love listening to it.

Laurie:

Like it's just,

Moya:

I just, and I've listened to them over again too, just cause I'm like, Oh wait, what did you say? Oh, I have to go back. Right. And I, that's what I like too, that they don't disappear. I really like that they're

Laurie:

all there. Yeah. No, they don't disappear. And once you're in, you will get more and more content as more videos and audio will. Replays are added you get Access to all the master classes that I do throughout the year and the different trainings and it's I'm grateful for the founding cohort because they have weathered some bugs and glitches and it's just gonna get better. So thank you for sticking with me on that as we are, you know sorting things out, but If you could go back and talk to yourself before joining the program, what would you say?

Moya:

I would probably say, what took you so long? Oh, interesting.

Laurie:

Anything else, any other thoughts or opinions or anything that you would like to share about the Gap Year that would help women who are figuring out, is this for me? Should I do it? Is now the time? Should I wait? Anything. Anything else that you'd like to add that we haven't talked about?

Moya:

Just think I think investing in yourself is so important, right? And because we could push things off forever, right? That's why I did oh, it's like learning Spanish. I can learn Spanish next year. Sure. Right. But if I learn it now, that's going to make it be so much better. So I applied that same thought process, right? Like I do it now. I'm going to have that knowledge and that skill set and I can hear it. And I just, I'm having fun. I really like it because I like to be challenged because I know I don't ever know everything. I love to learn and it's, I'm really enjoying it. So thank you for doing this program. Good job

Laurie:

you, Laurie. Good job. Oh, I'm so glad that you're enjoying it. Thank you so much. Moya, we end every episode of the School of Midlife with the same two questions. So here they are. Number one, if you could go back To your 30 year old self, knowing everything, having learned all the lessons, you've got all the information and experiences. What advice would you give her? I would say

Moya:

it will be okay. Just it will work out and continue to cultivate your friendships. And your friends are so important.

Laurie:

Aren't they though, as we get older, I feel like female friendships are. Everything. Yeah. And it's hard to find new friends when you get to a certain age. So if you can be kind to the ones that you have and bring them along with you, that's always, it's easier than starting over, it seems right. Second question is, what do you love most about being a midlife woman?

Moya:

I love feeling like, confident in myself. One of the things, too I'm wearing less makeup. I feel okay with that, right? I am feeling okay with that, right? And so I'm secure in myself, which I it's funny because you hear like people say stuff like this, and I'm like, whatever. That's never going to be me. And I'm like, oh, maybe that is going to be me. Maybe that is me.

Laurie:

I love the confidence and feeling more secure with yourself. That's absolutely beautiful. A good byproduct of getting a little bit older, huh? Yes. Yes. Yeah. Thank you so much for being here today. I've really I'm so appreciative of the time and all the energy that you've poured into the Gap Year so far and just thanks so much for coming on and talking with me today.

Moya:

Of course. Thank you. Have a good one.

Thank you so much for listening to the School of Midlife podcast. It means so much to have you here each week. If you enjoyed this episode, could you do me the biggest favor and help us spread the word to other midlife women? There are a couple of easy ways for you to do that first. And most importantly, if you're not already following the show, would you please subscribe? That helps you because you'll never miss an episode. And it helps us because you'll never miss an episode. Second, if you'd be so kind to leave us a five-star rating, that would be absolutely incredible. And finally, I personally read each and every one of your reviews. So if you take a minute and say some nice things about the podcast, well, that's just good karma. Thanks again for listening. I'll see you right back here. Next week when the School of Midlife is back in session until then take good care.

People on this episode

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Laurie Reynoldson

Host