Second Act with Barbara Brooks

About Second Act with Barbara Brooks

Welcome to The House of Middlescence, your unofficial HQ for Living Agefully, the solo life, second acts, careers and entrepreneurship. This isn’t a quiet chapter. It’s a glow-up and this is your mixed-tape of all thing's life after 40. I’m Barbara Brooks (http://barbarabrooks.com), founder of SecondActWomen (http://secondactwomen.com) and the 40+Lab, solo-aging pup mom unapologetic champion of middlescent women (and the allies who get it), and your host here inside the content house for grown women rewriting what midlife really looks like. Each week, we’re serving up LIVE real talk about career pivots, starting over, dating, building something new, personal branding, aging in the workplace, and everything else they don’t tell you about life after 40. Expect unfiltered stories, expert convos, behind-the-scenes of running my second act, and a whole lot of “wait, what just happened?” moments because that’s life, and we’re living it boldly. Whether you’re shifting careers, growing your own thing, or simply tired of being underestimated, this space is for you. Because age isn’t a decline, it’s your damn rise. Welcome to The House, houseguests. Grab a chair.

Publisher

Barbara Brooks

Category

business · education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

11 Mar 2024

Latest episode

11 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

27 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   11 Dec 2025

   Managing Holiday Stress Solo After 40: Your Ultimate Guide

   The holidays hit differently when you live solo after 40. Some women feel relief. Others feel pressure from family, traditions, or the world’s obsession with “coupling.” And for many, there is a mix of loneliness, stress, and “I should feel happier than this, it’s the holidays.” In this fireside, I sit down with a licensed therapist to unpack the mental and emotional load of the season. We get into why the holidays can be a trigger, why single women (especially if you’re over 40) feel judged, how family expectations create pressure, and what to do when your mood drops instead of lifting, no matter how many Hallmark movies you watch. Find Sara Senst at sarahsenst.com Get on my Living Agefully monthly newsletter at secondactwomen.com 📢 Find me on socials: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@BarbaraBrooks⁠ https:/.linkedin.com/in/barbaralbrooks https://instagram.com/barbarabrooksspeakshttps://www.facebook.com/barbarabrooksspeakshttps:/youtube.com/@BarbaraBrooks 👉🏽 Find My Community of Women 40+ on socialshttps://www.facebook.com/groups/secondactwomenhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/secondactwomen/https://www.instagram.com/secondactwomen

2. 

   20 Nov 2025

   Caregver Crisis Today. the Reality, Resources & Tools to Get Ahead of Game

   The Caregiver Crisis is real and hitting women 50+ with force. I sit down with Nadine Cornish and Sarah Scheuneman of #AARP Colorado to talk about the realities of caregiving, the emotional and financial strain, the missing conversations inside families, and the practical steps that every woman needs to take now. They cover state resources, AARP support, power of attorney basics, the next of kin box, and why planning is the strongest form of self care in midlife. A smart, honest conversation for anyone juggling work, life, and the growing responsibility of caring for loved ones. QUICK LINKS: The Nokbox: https://share.google/zI1V0SUyDQP8QGl3x Caregiving Guide: https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/prepare-to-care-planning-guide/ FAMLI: https://famli.colorado.gov/individuals-and-families/self-employed-workers TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Welcome to the House of Middlescence 02:15 Why caregiving is hitting women fifty plus the hardest 08:20 The emotional load no one prepares us for 15:12 How caregiving affects careers, money, and our own health 22:48 Nadine on legal and paperwork must-haves 1:05 Sarah on navigating state resources and real support 40:14 Barbara’s story about care, planning, and what she learned 47:10 AARP resources you should actually use 47:50 Why your next of kin box matters 48:28 Closing conversation with Nadine and Sarah 48:47 Sign off and what is coming next week =================================== Get in touch with me at barbara@bloomcopresents.com or learn how you can book me to speak at https://www.barbarabrooks.com. 📧 Get on my Aging Out Loud monthly newsletter at secondactwomen.com 📢 Find me on socials: https:/.linkedin.com/in/barbaralbrooks/ https://instagram.com/barbarabrooksspeaks https://www.facebook.com/barbarabrooksspeaks/ https:/youtube.com/@BarbaraBrooks/ 👉🏽 Find My Community of Women 40+ on socials https://www.facebook.com/groups/secondactwomen https://www.linkedin.com/company/secondactwomen/ https://www.instagram.com/secondactwomen

3. 

   6 Nov 2025

   Women 40+ Solopreneur Loneliness: Real Talk from the Middle

   In this candid session we explore what it really means to be a solopreneur in midlife, especially when the usual boxes no longer fit. We talk about the isolation that can follow leaving corporate life, what it means to carve your own path after 40, and how loneliness can become a turning point instead of a setback. With women over 40 now leading the charge as the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs nearly half of all new women-owned businesses are started by women over 45 this episode is a reminder that even when you’re building alone, you’re not the only one feeling it. Find Tasha Jones at www.linkedin.com/in/tasha-jones/ What you’ll walk away with: ✅ Recognizing the loneliness phase you might be in and why it matters ✅ A new perspective on midlife business as strength, not deficit ✅ Simple ways to find community, redefine support, and step into your rightful space If you’re ready to stop playing small, own your story, and build with purpose in your 40s and beyond, this episode is for you. Visit SecondActWomen.com to download The Midlife Power Plan and join the community for more age inclusive conversations.

Reach and audience

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

YouTube views

24,634

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

3.7 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 52 / 100

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

Quality

43

Social presence

94

YouTube

76

Engagement

31

Contact Second Act with Barbara Brooks

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

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