Half Betty

About Half Betty

Podcast founder Andrea Rathborne and the iconic Betty White share the same birth date - January 17th. In 2022, as Betty would have celebrated her 100th birthday, Andrea turned 50—Half Betty's age. This milestone sparked a powerful reflection: Betty White achieved more between 50 and 100 than in her first 50 years, suggesting that midlife is not an end but a bold, new beginning. Inspired by Betty's legacy, Andrea saw turning 50 as the gateway to a second, even greater life chapter - one full of possibility, reimagination, and purpose.This vision gave rise to Half Betty, a bold and vibrant community where midlife women come together to feel supported, inspired, informed, and deeply valued. It's a space where the stories of their next chapter take shape and the extraordinary potential of their second scene unfolds. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Half Betty - Andrea Rathborne and Krista Gruen

Category

health & fitness · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

Yes

First episode

28 Nov 2024

Latest episode

23 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

37 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   23 Sept 2026

   Mandy Balak - Enough Is Enough

   "The more we chase enough, the further away it gets." -Mandy Balak Mandy Balak spent years building a life that looked successful from the outside. An entrepreneur, community builder and founder of The Gathering Festival, she had created the kind of life many of us are taught to want. And yet, somewhere along the way, she realized she was exhausted from maintaining a life that required her to abandon herself to keep it going. That realization became the beginning of a very different kind of success story. Mandy is the author of Chasing Enough, a book about something most of us are chasing without ever really stopping to decide what it means. How much is enough? How will we know when we get there? And why does "enough" seem to keep moving just when we think we've found it? In this episode, Mandy is in conversation with Krista and I about the ideas we carry about what a successful life is supposed to look like, how easy it is to get caught up in all of it, and what happens when we stop and ask ourselves what we actually want. We hear from Mandy about burnout, but also about that feeling of simply not having anything left to give. She talks about the difference between burnout as the crash and capacity as the math behind it. We talk about the patterns we inherit, and the ways achievement can become so wrapped up in who we think we are. We also talk about what happens when keeping everything together starts to cost us far too much. Mandy shares the deeply personal story of the moment she walked out of a football stadium during a difficult time in her marriage and, in her words, "walked into the most important work of my life". We talk about therapy, the stories we carry from childhood and the ways those stories can quietly become the blueprint for our adult lives. And then there is the idea of enough. Not as a finish line, and certainly not as giving up on ambition, but as something we get to define for ourselves as our lives change. Mandy's book is part memoir and part guidebook, inviting us to notice, let go and reimagine. And perhaps that is what this conversation is really about.  Not becoming someone entirely new, but noticing the life we are living, questioning the parts we inherited and deciding what we want to keep. Because sometimes the life that looks perfectly fine from the outside is asking for a rewrite.And sometimes enough isn't something we find. It's something we decide. "Success used to look like a full calendar, and now it looks like how present can I be?" - Mandy Balak Book available in  Canada starting September 22nd and in the the United States October 20th. Bio Mandy Balak builds communities where high-performance leaders think bigger and stay resourced. As President of The Gathering, she's building North America's most distinctive brand leadership community. It is a gathering place where 2,500+ CMOs, brand leaders and founders connect annually to lead with clarity, build legacies, and create competitive advantage. She's also the director of The Brand Hall of Fame, the first industry recognition program built on the principle that brands with the deepest devotion win. A 3x founder with a successful exit, Mandy has spent 18+ years advising executives on how to scale impact without burning out. Her first book, Chasing Enough: The High Achiever's Guide to Sustainable Success, launches fall 2026. It's a direct challenge to leaders building in a broken way - You can't build what lasts on empty. Mandy speaks on leadership, community, brand strategy, and the business case for well-resourced teams. Website: mandybalak.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mandybalak/ Podcast: https://mandybalak.com/podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mandy_balak/videos Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandybalak/ Chasing Enough book: enough.mandybalak.com Meet Mandy on her Book Tour: https://tour.mandybalak.com/ The Gathering:  www.thegatheringfestival.com Brand Hall of Fame: www.brandhalloffame.org Substack: https://mandybalak.substack.com/ Mandy's Words -  "Stop shoulding on yourself" References Vancouver Sept 26th book tour https://do604.com/events/2026/9/26/chasing-enough-live-tickets The 8 Questions my Husband and I Ask Each Other Every Sunday https://mandybalak.substack.com/p/the-3-questions-my-husband-and-i?r=22jdj0&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Connect with us Website link here Instagram link here LinkedIn link here Facebook link here Leave a voicemail for us https://www.halfbetty.com/voicemail/ Guest: Mandy Balak Founder/Host/Producer: Andrea Rathborne Producer/Co-Host: Krista Gruen Editors: Andrea Rathborne & Krista Gruen Audio Engineer: Alex McCarthy

2. 

   10 Sept 2026

   Tami Wong: Hair Loss Pride

   "It does not determine your worth. It does not define your beauty. It is not why people love you. And you are enough with or without it." Tami Wong has lived with hair loss since she was 15. For more than two decades, she kept it largely to herself, hiding something that had become such a significant part of her life while trying, at the same time, not to let it become the story of who she was. There is something about the things we feel compelled to hide. They can become wrapped up in shame and in how we see ourselves and imagine other people see us. For Tami, that journey eventually found her telling her story and turning the pain of what she had lived through into something bigger - a way to help, advocate and create change for others experiencing hair loss. Today, she is the founder of Hair Loss Pride, a coaching and support community helping women and teens navigate the emotional journey of hair loss and alopecia. She is also an advocate for greater representation of women with hair loss in beauty, fashion and media, and the host of Shedding the Shame, a podcast exploring the stories women are often taught to keep hidden. In this episode, Tami is in conversation with Krista and I, sharing her own experience with hair loss, but really, we talk about so much more than hair. We talk about beauty and identity, shame and confidence, representation and the strange ways we can attach our sense of worth to something that was never meant to carry that much weight in the first place. And because we recorded this one together, in person, you'll be able to watch the conversation as well as listen to it (which feels especially fitting for an episode that is, in so many ways, about being seen). We talk about what it means to stop hiding, and what can happen when something we have carried with us for years becomes something we choose to talk about instead. For Tami, telling her story has become something much bigger than her own experience — a way to turn what she has lived through into advocacy, connection and change for other people experiencing hair loss. Because our hair can be part of our story, but it is not our worth, our beauty or why people love us. And sometimes, telling the story is where the real story begins. Bio Tami Wong is the founder of Hair Loss Pride, a coaching and support community helping women and teens navigate the emotional journey of hair loss and alopecia with confidence, connection, and compassion. After living with hair loss herself since the age of 15, she spent over two decades hiding in shame before choosing to share her story publicly and advocate for change. Today, Tami is on a mission to redefine what beauty looks like by increasing representation of women with hair loss in the beauty and fashion industries. She partners with brands to create more inclusive campaigns and works to ensure women with alopecia see themselves represented in the spaces where beauty standards are shaped. Before founding Hair Loss Pride, Tami spent more than 20 years in the healthcare industry, giving her a unique perspective on patient advocacy and the emotional gaps that often exist alongside medical care. She now bridges those worlds by supporting women beyond their diagnosis through coaching, education, community, and honest conversations about identity, confidence, and self-worth. Tami is also the host of the podcast "Shedding the Shame", where she explores the stories women are often taught to keep hidden. Through conversations about hair loss, chronic illness, infertility, menopause, mental health, and other stigmatized experiences, she helps women release shame, reclaim their voice, and realize they are never alone. Whether she's speaking on podcasts, sharing her story through television and print media, collaborating with brands, or building community, Tami's mission is simple: to create a world where women no longer feel they have to hide parts of themselves to be accepted, and where every woman can see herself represented in the spaces where beauty is defined. Website: https://hairlosspride.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hairlosspride/ Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1VEOWtuHZo0U3iqt8qXWo7?si=3f867234088a4bab YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@hairlosspride Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tami-wong/ Tami's Words - Resilient, humour, loyal, uplifting,  inclusive. References Sept 27th - Vancouver Strides of Support for Alopecia Areata HERE Tami's individual fundraising walk page HERE Canadian wig brands Tami loves: Bijoux, JE Salon, Flox Hair, and Madison US wig brands Tami loves: Collections by Kimberly,  Radiant Hair Co. Global News Morning Sept.1 2026 - 4min watch HERE Connect with us Website link here Instagram link here LinkedIn link here Facebook link here Leave a voicemail for us: https://www.halfbetty.com/voicemail/ Guest: Tami Wong Founder/Host/Producer: Andrea Rathborne Producer/Co-Host: Krista Gruen Editors: Andrea Rathborne & Krista Gruen Audio Engineer: Alex McCarthy

3. 

   21 Aug 2026

   We are all Golden

   Lynn Harris S2 E13 Date: August 20th, 2026 Title: We are all Golden Summary Lynn Harris has spent much of her life making people laugh - finding the funny.  As the founder of GOLD Comedy, a place where women and non-binary creators can hone their craft, find their people and build something of their own, Lynn has had no shortage of twists, turns and adventures in her own life. There was journalism, activism, book writing, politics and even a Tonya Harding lookalike moment (which is probably best explained by Lynn herself). And then, midlife. The chapter of change, where some things can feel lost, forgotten or set aside. But sometimes, what we thought was long finished shows up again. An old dream. A part of ourselves we haven't thought about in years. Something we thought we'd outgrown, only to realize maybe we hadn't. And maybe that's part of what midlife shares with us - the chance to find our way back to the dreams, visions, and joys that still matter. For Lynn, this has meant finding her way back to writing and performing. Back to comedy. Back to some of the parts of herself that may have been waiting patiently in the wings - the side of the stage. In this episode, you’ll hear more about where Lynn came from, what shaped her, why she built GOLD Comedy, and what happens when the woman who has spent years helping other people find their funny starts listening more closely to her own. Because comedy can be a job, a business, a community and, sometimes, it can be a lens for looking at life that feels changed and recognizing that the community is still there, gathered, laughing and creating. And, maybe that is the Goldenest part of all. Bio Lynn Harris is a culture-shifting producer, award-winning journalist, and author/co-author of six books. Her comedy and campaigns for social justice and gender equity have changed laws and conversations from Capitol Hill to NASCAR. She is founder and CEO of GOLD Comedy - the comedy school, professional network, and content studio where women and non-binary creators grow their comedy careers, build powerful communities, and make themselves and their communities laugh. Harris co-created Breakup Girl (acquired by Oxygen), one of the first multiplatform internet success stories, and co-hosted, with Ginna Green, The Forward’s A Bintel Brief: The Podcast. Lynn served as the first VP of Communications at Global Human Rights Group Breakthrough, where her blend of humour and advocacy powered some of the team’s most effective U.S. campaigns. She has also worked as a Tonya Harding lookalike, which is another story. GOLD Comedy (http://www.goldcomedy.com/) Instagram  (https://www.instagram.com/lynnharris/?hl=en) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/lynncorinneharris/) YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCouZonFaA5xoW4QXU3kOaLg) Linkedin (https://www.linkedin.com/company/goldcomedy/) Lynn’s Five Words Collaborative Creative Impatient Salty Hungry References GOLD Comedy (http://www.goldcomedy.com/) is a comedy school, professional network and content studio where women, non-binary creators can hone their craft, find their people and build something of their own. Through classes, community, shows and more, GOLD creates space for comedians to develop their voices and bring their work into the world - wherever and whomever they are. Sponsor Information Zaleska (https://zaleska.ca/) size-inclusive jewelry Use the code HALFBETTY and receive 20% off your first purchase Connect with us Website link here (https://halfbetty.com) Instagram link here (https://www.instagram.com/halfbetty) LinkedIn link here (https://www.linkedin.com/company/half-betty) Facebook link here (https://www.facebook.com/share/19DTURdGkS/?mibextid=wwXIfr) Youtube link here (https://www.youtube.com/@HalfBetty) Leave a voicemail for us https://www.halfbetty.com/voicemail/ (https://www.halfbetty.com/voicemail/) Guest: Lynn Harris Founder/Host/Producer: Andrea Rathborne (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-rathborne/) Producer/Co-Host: Krista Gruen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristagruen/) Editors: Andrea Rathborne (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-rathborne/) & Krista Gruen (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristagruen/) Audio Engineer: Ryan Clarke (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-clarke-301750b2/) Episode sponsors:  Zaleska size-inclusive jewelry

Who has been a guest on Half Betty

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Ragini Kapil
• Madeleine Shaw
• Andréa Bendewald
• Betty White

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

130

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 73 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

89

Social presence

91

YouTube

66

Engagement

32

Contact Half Betty

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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Questions about Half Betty