About Lisa
Midlife Alchemist
Lisa Petty, PhD
This page is supposed to be about me. But I can’t seem to write it without making it about you, too.
As a Midlife Alchemist, I help women start to think about their lives in new ways. (That’s what alchemy means: turning the mundane into something marvelous!) And I do it from the intersection of research and woo. (Don’t worry. I’ll explain!)
I got here as a result of a few things, including my own journey of midlife self-discovery after a nearly 20-year career as a women’s nutrition educator and coach, casual reiki practitioner, and success at raising two children safely (yet imperfectly) to adulthood in a solo-parent household.
And my own path involved getting a PhD while in my 50s that centred on the well-being of women at midlife. My research made it very, very clear to me that the many social expectations on women to be, look and act a certain way get in the way of us taking care of our own well-being. No wonder you’re exhausted.
Not only do we get smothered by the expectations that others have of us, but we’ve bought into the messaging that we can have it all. Which, as my research has shown, is a clever way to get us to do it all – and do it all perfectly.
Instead of feeling empowered and autonomous, we can start to feel overwhelmed, confused and resentful. (And if that’s you, you’re right on track.)
Worse? That’s only one example of the social “programming” that may have you Be-ing and acting in ways that may not align with your own inner knowing about who you are and what you bring to the world.
Yes, I said that. You have an inner knowing about the world and your place in it.
But if you’re like a lot of women, you’ve stifled your intuition and your emotional wisdom because our culture prioritizes logic. I’m sure you’ve heard that old trope: “Stop being so emotional!” That’s like saying a map isn’t useful when you’re lost. (And if you’re reading this, I’m going to assume you’re feeling a little bit lost.)
I certainly know that was true for me! I followed my curiosity everywhere my logical brain lead me while I looked for the answers to life’s questions. Finally, I realized I was walking the same path over and over again and not making progress. The scenery never changed. The challenges were on repeat. I made no headway being who I thought I was “supposed to” be, and living how I thought was “supposed to” live. I was lost.
Not until I learned how to move out of my brain and into embodied ways of knowing did I finally grasp who I came here to Be.
Not until I found practical tools to help me manage my own energy – both physical and spiritual – was I able to shift the course of my life.
Not until I accepted and trusted the power of my own intuition did I finally start to create a new path for myself.
I invite you to do the same, even (especially) if you don’t think you have intuition. Because you do. In fact, research supports it. See? Research and woo.
If you’re ready to explore a different path, to let go of beliefs and expectations that are keeping you stuck on your own treadmill, and to create a life that inspires you instead of one that, let’s confess, may bore you a little bit, you’re in the right place.
After hundreds of interviews, thousands of hours of conversations with women, my own journey, and coaching countless women through their confusion, I’ve formulated a simple, step-by-step strategy that can help you figure out who you are now, what’s next for you, and how to take the important first steps in creating the life you really, really want.
And I have lots of tools to help you do that! (Because if you’ve been stuck in your head and are learning how to get into your body, you’ll want tools.)
Pick up the book Forget About Having It All: The Midlife Woman’s Guide to Creating the Life You Want (Buy it here). Take a tour around the site to check out the blogs and published articles. Consider grabbing the self-guided 30 Day Self-Care Journal (#nofluff), and browse the store for tools to help you reprogram your thoughts. (Not sure how these items can help? Read this blog.) Listen in on a few podcasts.
Please also click through this link to join our free Facebook group of like-minded women who want to learn and support each other. We’ll talk about all the expectations that others have of you (and the expectations you have of you!) and how to let go of the ones that don’t serve you.
I’m excited to watch you create midlife alchemy in your own life!
Dr. Lisa
PS If you’d like to explore how I can help you on your journey to creating the life you really want, go here. Please email if you’d like to discuss whether private coaching is right for you.
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