Midlife Reckoning: Rock the Boat, Choose Yourself with The Selfish Year Author Valerie Jones
Selfish Isn’t Selfish at All
What happens when you realize the life you’ve built no longer fits?
In this powerful conversation, Wendy sits down with Valerie Jones, author of The Selfish Year, coach, entrepreneur, and host of The Selfish Woman Podcast, to explore what it really means to choose yourself in midlife.
After decades of being the good girl, people pleaser, and selfless woman who always put everyone else first, Valerie reached a breaking point. Living in a beautifully restored apartment in Spain with her second husband, she had everything she thought she wanted. Yet she was deeply unhappy.
That realization sparked a life-changing experiment:
What if she spent one year being selfish?
What followed transformed her life, her work, and her understanding of self-trust.
Together, Wendy and Valerie discuss:
💔 Why so many women lose themselves while caring for everyone else
🏰 The difference between a life that looks beautiful on paper and one that actually feels aligned
✨ How to recognize self-abandonment before it becomes your default
🌊 Why midlife often brings a powerful reckoning you can no longer ignore
💡 The story behind choosing “selfish” as her word of the year
💛 What Valerie calls extravagant permission and why women need more of it
🌱 How tiny micro-changes can lead to massive transformation
🚣 Why you must be willing to rock the boat if you want to feel proud of your life
📝 A simple question that can help you begin your own reinvention journey today
One of Valerie’s most powerful questions:
What do you not want anymore?
If you’re standing at a crossroads, questioning what’s next, or feeling called toward something bigger, this episode offers both inspiration and practical wisdom for taking your next step.
This conversation is a beautiful companion to last week’s solo episode, Midlife Awakening: When You Finally Stop Explaining Things Away, where Wendy shares her own journey of listening to what she knew deep down was true and what happened when she finally stopped ignoring it.
Connect with Valerie Jones
🌐 Website: ValerieJones.ca
📖 Book: The Selfish Year: The Power of Putting Yourself First
🎙️ Podcast: The Selfish Woman Podcast
🎭 Take Valerie’s free Reveal Your Mask Quiz
Resources Mentioned
📥 Download Wendy’s Free Guide: Do It Scared, Do It Anyway
Valerie’s story is a powerful reminder that the life you want often sits on the other side of a decision you’re afraid to make.
If you’re standing at your own crossroads, Wendy’s free guide, Do It Scared, Do It Anyway, will help you move through fear, strengthen your self-trust, and take the next step toward the life that’s calling you.
Because waiting until you’re fearless isn’t the answer.
The answer is learning to move forward anyway.
Download it here: [link]
🎙️ Podcast Recommendation
💜 Dementia Decoded with Jennifer Fink — A thoughtful and practical podcast for family caregivers and anyone navigating the challenges of dementia. Jennifer shares expert insights, compassionate guidance, and real-world strategies to help caregivers feel more informed, supported, and empowered on their caregiving journey.
Favorite Quote
💛
“If you really want to feel proud of yourself, if you really want to end your life and go, ‘Damn, look at what I did,’ so proud of myself, you have to be willing to rock the boat.” — Valerie Jones
If this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend who might need a little extravagant permission to raise her standards, trust herself, and choose what comes next.
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