Why I Became A Second Half Of Life Coach

Mindful Breathing Thought Leader: Nancy Candea

I have been working with women my whole life.

Second Half Of Life Coach:

I started teaching dance and choreographing in my early twenties, started teaching yoga in my thirties, and became a yoga therapist in my forties. I have watched us through all the stages of our extraordinary lives. And I have watched us change.

“I was failing, flailing and anxious. Now I look back, and I can see that many of us are experiencing similar issues.”

When we were younger, we were determined to prove our worth. Although it was unwarranted that we should have felt the need to do it, it probably made us competent women. And what I saw as we got older was that instead of feeling strong and confident, I saw us start to question our worth again, but this time shrinking instead of rising. I get this.

When I turned 45, I was divorced for a second time, single parenting two teen girls, dealing with painful gut issues, my back was chronically inflamed and painful, and I wondered if this is what the second half of my life would look like. I was failing, flailing and anxious. Now I look back, and I can see that many of us are experiencing similar issues.

Losing Our Health:

I have seen incredibly capable women lose their ability to function at the level of their capacity and years of experience. Why? Because they didn’t learn the skills to take care of their body, and it is starting to rebel. Anything from brain fog, painful digestive issues, and chronic pain are clear signals that our body needs better self-care.

“Purpose and connection are vital, but the way that we orient ourselves needs to be clear and passionate.”

Losing Our Way:

I have seen women who have sacrificed their lives for others – either family or career, not knowing who they are when it comes to empty nesting or retirement.

The goal-oriented framework that we need during the first half of our lives doesn’t feel fulfilling in the second half. Purpose and connection are vital, but the way that we orient ourselves needs to be clear and passionate.

What Does A Clear Path Look Like?

How do we decide our focus in the second half of life? It needs to be unlike any other time of our life. I know this because I have personally had to deal with it myself.

In my mid-forties, I had to deal with chronic inflammation, digestive issues, the end of my second marriage, raising two teen daughters, and moving to a different state to get a fresh start. For many of my clients and me, it meant learning new skills to take care of a body that was an integral component of my career and making a conscious decision to live from a place of self-acceptance and clarity on what was important to me.

Direction Of My Life:

Now 15 years later, I am so grateful that I took the time to reframe my life and get clear on what is essential. At 61, I love the direction of my life and I feel fantastic. Of course, physical and emotional challenges aren’t going to go away.

But what I want to accomplish in the second half of my life is deeper than just goals. It is the ability to 100% express my full capacity as a compassionate confident human being. It is my ability to live in a place of emotional intelligence, lead/mentor/parent with boundaries and unconditional love, and be vulnerable without questioning my self-worth.

So I became a Second Half of Life Coach because I believe that all women in midlife and beyond can live this way too.

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