Does any of this sound familiar?
- Even with all your life achievements, you long for a larger purpose in life.
- You often feel alone as you navigate midlife. You know you’d benefit from a community of like-minded women, but don’t know where to find them.
- You’ve done inner work—through therapy, coaching, spiritual practice—but there are still persisting issues you’d like to work on (e.g., boundaries, negative self-talk, anxiety, hormonal mood swings, low-grade depression).
- You’re an old soul with a young spirit.
- You want to make a difference in the world, but you don’t know how—or even if you’re ready.
The Awakened Women Mentors Community supports women over 40 who seek a deeper sense of purpose and connection in their lives.
Main Features of the Community:
- An active message board for connection and collaboration
- The Foundation of Self program—live classes all year long to support your psychospiritual journey
- $50 discount on 1:1 therapy and coaching sessions with me
- Additional special events to fill out your Foundation of Self-work
- Ongoing support for your personal life and your mentoring journey from me and your community sisters
All this and much more for $97 a month—significantly less than the cost of individual therapy with the added benefit of community support.
Purpose = Sharing your wisdom
Connection = Our Community
Here are two unfortunate truths . . .
1. Midlife coaches can help you live your best life. But that’s not enough.
What good is self-improvement if it doesn’t serve anyone but you? This is often the source of feeling adrift and without a real sense of purpose.
2. There is no other community like this one.
The Awakened Women Mentors Community offers both personal growth and investment in our human family through wisdom-keeping and wisdom-sharing. You’ll not find that combination anywhere else. That’s unfortunate. But—
– that makes you a pioneer.
And here’s the secret
In order to be a sharer of wisdom, you need to do is be your most
grounded, compassionate, and authentic Self.
Living in this way makes a tremendous impact on the world.
What matters is that you are strong in your foundation of self.
Once you are living as your true self, everything else comes naturally.
Why a Membership Community?
(And Why Me?)
When I was in my 20s and 30s I never asked for help. I was one of those self-sufficient women who prided herself on getting shit done without bothering anyone else. But as accomplished as I was, I felt like a failure.
I spent much of my life taking cues from an asleep society in order to fit in and it fucked my life up for decades. I didn’t want to do that anymore.
So, I rolled up my sleeves and got into the hard, beautiful slog of self-work.
I meditated, did yoga, changed my diet, read shelves of books by spiritual gurus and self-help teachers. I lit the candles, rubbed the crystals, chanted the mantras.
But like everything else, I did much of it alone.
Listen, I’m proud of the work I did. But it would have been so much easier if I had women—even just one woman—to guide and believe in me.
We women in midlife have been through a lot. We’ve seen life at its best and ugliest. We’ve loved and raged. We’ve wrestled with our dragons and come out relatively uncharred. All of this has provided us with the mettle and strength that makes us powerhouses in the world.
What hurts is that no one seems to recognize our worth as much as we do. Maybe a handful of friends, but that’s preaching to the same choir, week after month after year.
To make matters worse, that same asleep society tells us that after 40, we’re “past our prime.”
It’s not a surprise, then, that by the time we reach midlife, many of us feel confused. We can’t quite figure out what our purpose is on the world stage.
Looking back, I would have loved to have a mentor as I embarked on my journey of self-discovery.
Looking forward, I would love to connect mentors with one another—and with the mentees who need them.
As to the Why Me? part…
I began my life as a writer and actor. I have a soft spot in my heart for other creatives.
I am a licensed psychotherapist and transformational coach with over a decade in private practice.
I am also an educator, having taught and developed curricula at the university level for over 30 years.
This community is an amalgam of all that I do, and all that I am.
My vision for our group is a gathering of women supporting each other in midlife—a hub, a coven if you will—helping each other be strong, working on our personal shit, then going back out into the world to be of service.
That’s what this membership community is about and why I have dedicated myself to bringing it to you.
Rachel is a rare blend of creative spirit and keen intelligence wrapped in humor
with much good energy!
Christine, Digital Marketing
Working with Rachel helped me to see things in a more neutral way after seeing things negatively for a long time. She helped me with forgiveness—of others and more importantly of myself—and to have more daily self-love and acceptance.
What You Can Expect
- A sense of direction and purpose to help carry you through the rest of your life
- A community of kickass peers—other women in midlife to be inspired by
- Group and one-on-one support with individual issues and big changes that come up in this stage of life such as perimenopause, relationship transitions, empty nesting, body changes, grief, and mortality
- To be able to take your personal development and pay it forward to future generations
- The gratification of being the mentor you wish you had when you were younger
What Not to Expect
- Articles, courses, eBooks, or workshops about how to mentor.
Although we will certainly talk about mentorship and what it looks like in your life, the how-to of mentorship is not the main purpose of this community.
You intuitively know how to be a mentor: Give support and guidance to those in need. You don’t need to be taught about active listening or not giving unsolicited advice…
And if you don’t know or don’t feel comfortable with those skills, the Foundation of Self program will help you get there. You can also grab a one-on-one with me.
The community is here for you so that you can be here for us.
Working with Rachel is like giving a gift to myself.
It’s time to stop caring so much about
being seen and
start being heard.
- How many more photos of fifty-something women in bikinis will you have to endure as the benchmark of aging gracefully?
- How many more chauvinistic pundits will you let into your psyches with the message that women are “past their prime” after 40?
- How many young women will you watch shrink themselves literally and figuratively to fit into the image of what a woman “should” be and “should” look like?
Your voice is needed. You are needed.
This Membership Might
Be a Fit for You If . . .
-
You’re in midlife (or close to it)
-
The term “anti-aging” makes you want to spit like an incensed Italian grandma.
-
You see the value and necessity in elevating middle-aged women’s voices.
-
You are nonjudgmental and open-minded.
-
You want a worthwhile purpose in life.
-
You understand that all beings are interconnected.
-
You have something to offer, whether that’s a skillset or a philosophy or some ideology that you think is important and progressive—the idea of giving back in a healthy way.
-
You have the intention to better yourself and help others do the same.
-
You’re not afraid of being alone, doing work in solitude.
-
You have strong Internet service and some comfort level with technology.
This Membership Might
Not Be for You If . . .
-
You’re more interested in personal development and stopping there. (In which case, 1:1 sessions might be perfect for you.)
-
You tend to sign up for things and drop them or procrastinate.
-
You are devoutly pessimistic about life and about where we’re all headed.
-
You’re uncomfortable diving deep into self-work.
-
You want a quick fix to your problems.
-
You don’t believe in your connection to Great Mystery/Great Spirit/God/Godhead
-
You’re a perfectionist who expects precision in all things. (There will be tech and organizational glitches in our community; we’re human. Also, Mercury goes into retrograde four times a year. So, there’s that.)
So… What benefits do you get for $97 a month?
Besides having a community of like-minded women in midlife for support, connection, and networking—which is priceless, really—here are a few more benefits of joining the Community.
Plus, you’ll get the 2023 eBook edition of Celebrating Solitude: How to Discover and Honor Your Highest Self along with dozens of articles, videos, and podcast episodes—all included in your Community investment.
What it’s like to be in the
Awakened Women Mentors Community
Imagine this: You wake up, grab your morning bevvy and pad over to the laptop to check out your AWM Community page. Hey, now! There’s a response from yesterday’s post where you asked the community how to approach your nineteen-year-old niece who feels alienated from her peers because she’s a “freak” who lives for Doctor Who and has no desire to ogle boys on dating apps. But, wait. There isn’t one response. There are thirty-blessed-six of them!
Take her out for tea. Offer to make it a regular thing.
Tell her about a time you felt alienated and what you did about it.
Bring her to the Awakened Maidens Mentorship Call this month.
Later that night, you’re grappling with nasty night sweats and surging hormones. Lucky for you, this week there’s a Power of Perimenopause class on Tuesday. But, damn, you have a work thing at that time. No worries. You know you can watch the replay later when you’re ready.
While lying in bed (in your second set of dry bedclothes), it occurs to you that you’ve always wanted to write about your life. But where to start? You know you need the motivation of a group to inspire you. You remember there’s a weekly drop-in Memoir Vignette writing lab where you can get started—and even finish—your memoir without critique or judgment, only the support of sisters who need your support as well.
Then there are the days you feel overwhelmed with everything going on in your life, and the world around you, so you book a half-hour session with Rachel to re-establish your psychospiritual footing and get some tools to help you re-center your divine self.
For a dose of inspiration, you hop on the monthly Awakened Maidens Mentorship Call and see the faces of the young women waiting to ask questions of your community. A sense of pride and purpose leaves you with a high that lasts the rest of the week.
In short, the AWMC is an oasis.
Your virtual happy place.
It’s a hub of deep connectivity that you have access to all day, every day.
Take what support you need—from the coursework, 1:1 sessions, and connecting with other members.
Give what assistance you can—knowing you are taking part in the betterment of not only your own life but the lives of those with whom you connect.
To sum it up, here are a few things I believe
I believe that midlife is one of the most fertile phases of our lives. Not for baby-making, for self-creating. That’s why I want you to feel confident in your choices, your behavior, your relationships with others, and most of all with your Self.
I believe we can shine a light in the darkness of what young women think middle age is like. We can let them see it’s not so bad. Even when it sucks, we have our selves (and each other) to keep us grounded and whole.
Most of all, I believe we can change the way society thinks about middle-aged women. Wouldn’t it be wild for young women to look forward to growing older and the wisdom and groundedness that comes with it?
I believe that it’s not only possible, it’s necessary for the evolution of humanity.
Any Questions?
Am I obligated to participate in community events/classes/etc.?
Not at all. Show up in whatever way you’re called to show up. Participate only in the classes or workshops that appeal to you. Share whatever feels appropriate, whenever it feels right. This is your space, your resource.
What if I’m not ready to mentor yet?
Coming in, many in the community will feel this way. The Foundation of Self program prepares you to show up in the world as the most illuminated version of yourself. That’s mentoring in its own way. Even if you’re not into the coursework, you still have a vital place in the community. Come share the kindling of your life experiences and warm up by the fire lit by like-minded women just like you. Who knows, you might warm up to mentorship as well. Also, this video might help.
What if I love the idea of wisdom-sharing and want to do the work, but I’m not sure about joining a community yet?
- Get on the email list and receive first alerts about Foundation of Self classes and other events. You can purchase a single class/event, a full course, or even a full trimester at a time. (All classes/events are free for members.)
- Book a single session whenever you need to. You can choose from phone or Zoom sessions in 30- or 50-minute lengths. (Community members get $50 off each 1:1 session, so if you decide to join us, you’ll get that benefit as well.)
Rachel takes you on a journey to your creative heart.
I hope you’re as excited as I am about this gathering that’s swirling together.
See you there!
With love,
Rachel
Still not sure? Take a video tour!
Your Community Guide
Rachel Astarte LMFT, MFA, CLC
Self Specialist • Holistic Psychotherapist • Transformational Coach • Educator
Rachel is a holistic psychotherapist, transformational coach, and spiritual counselor specializing in self, solitude, and service. She helps women over 40 learn to love their life, find their unique purpose, and create a legacy from their wild, wonderful journeys on earth.
She is the author of Celebrating Solitude: How to Discover and Honor Your Highest Self as well as novels, screenplays, and articles—all of which focus on self-development and connection with our human and non-human family. Rachel’s podcast, “Self Talk with Rachel Astarte,” helps listeners negotiate a healthy relationship with themselves and others.
We can also connect in social media land if that’s your thing.
Copyright © 2023 by Rachel Astarte | Website design by: Péter Várnai and Divi | Pro photos: Heather Swanson Photography