Hey Schmidlifers. I have a question for you: when was the last time you listened to your Inner Wise Woman, aka your Inner Knowing, in other words, your intuition?

She is the one who whispers to take a new route home, and you later find out there was a bad car accident on your usual route. Or she whispers that a particular person gives you the creeps, so you steer clear. She is also gut-feeling when a new opportunity feels right (even if it's a bit scary). If we listen hard enough, we can hear her whisper about what we really want.

Marianne de Kleer did! She is a Canadian ex-pat living in the French countryside. Her intuition told her precisely what she REALLY wanted in the early stages of her career - but she took the way that most of us do…she chose what seemed like the practical choice…

This week's podcast guest is Valerie Albarta. Valerie is a, author, blogger and podcaster at Midlife-a-Go-Go, a speaker, a TedX Charlotte presenter, and is working on another novel. She is a kick-ass woman. Despite her diagnosis in 2020, Valerie continues to show up and inspire us to do the same.

A little over a year ago, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 57. "It's been a difficult journey filled with unexpected dips and turns, but I continue to navigate life as best as I can. The good days far outnumber the bad days, so I hold onto that."

We are diving into our series, "How they got started." In this week's conversation with me, Moira Cleary shares how being inquisitive opened one possibility after another. From Googling what she loves to land on life coaching, to seeing a need she wanted and creating it.

Moira Cleary is a professional life coach and mindfulness practitioner as well as a big geek when it comes to online technology. She created Surviving the Waiting Room and coaches moms of kids with chronic illness & medical conditions.

I love hearing about a person's journey - where they began with the twists and turns that led them to where they are now. But, here's a hint - where we all end up isn't always where we had planned. And thank goodness for that! I mean, I would have never thought I'd be a podcaster!

My first guest for 2022 and the series, “How they got started” is Clarissa Castillo-Ramsey, a multi-passion entrepreneur: abstract artist, leadership & life coach, and author. Clarissa is a serial career pivoter. She's worked in various industries from retail to higher education to healthcare and other places in between. Art and championing/developing others have been her through lifelines. In 2010 she landed her dream job as an internal development coach for a top-ranking healthcare organization. By 2018, Clarissa knew it was time to pivot again. That's when she decided to write about her desire to move to entrepreneurship. In 2020 she self-published her book Painting Your Path. I'm also featured in the book, so check it out!