"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Howard Thurman

I've worked with thousands of midlife women since I received my Master's degree in psychotherapy twenty-five years ago. I was a renegade as a psychotherapist, more engaged by what lit women up rather than what dragged them down, I was delighted when the field of coaching began, and got professional training through Coach University. I have had a fabulous time helping women create the finest, most inspiring lives possible.

Midlife: a call to new life

I've always been intrigued by how life offers us periodic summons to release outworn beliefs, self-concepts, and life structures. Make room, life says, for a life that is genuine for who you are now, not who you were yesterday, or a decade ago. Women in midlife are offered a feast of such invitations:

• menopause 
• empty nest (sometimes I call it "empty next"!)
• deepening awareness of mortality
• the wearing out of old dreams and passions
• relationship changes (lots of divorce, lots of recoupling)
• parents ageing and dying

...is that enough yet?

The most radiantly alive older women I've ever known have said Yes to these invitations, leaned into the challenges, and emerged flourishing on the other side. What they found-and what so lights me up!-is that living the life that was truly theirs to live, whatever that looked like, released breathtaking amounts of energy, creativity, and love.

About me personally: I was born smack-dab in the middle of the Boomer generation. I have a wonderful daughter and husband, both of whom I adore. The Daughter has been with me for 20 years; The Husband, for three--here's our official wedding reception photo (Yours truly, the happy bride, is the one with the Groucho glasses).

Being a mom has shaped my adult life, teaching me about love, commitment, patience, perseverance, and the importance of thinking way beyond myself. The Husband, a landscape designer and professional instrument maker, has taught me much about steadfastness, love, integrity,and the importance of laughing myself silly with my beloved.

I relish gardening and landscaping, reading, walking, traveling, and playing with family and friends. I have meditated regularly for almost 40 years, love to dance (particularly Cajun waltzes), and am a dyed-in-the-wool, born-and-raised, gumbo-eating, Mardi Gras-parade-marching New Orleanian.

My personal mission in the world is to wake up, love, and play, and to help others do the same.

Delightedly yours,

Contact Melissa at Melissa@MelissaGayleWest.com or 206-427-1325