Reinventing on Your Own Terms, Not Someone Else’s

What if the very thing people told you was “too much” about you was actually your greatest gift?

What if it was about reinventing on your own terms?

In this soulful conversation, Wendy talks with Oneika Mays — meditation teacher, storyteller, and author — about what it really means to bet on yourself in midlife. Oneika shares how she moved from 20 years as a bookseller to teaching mindfulness (including groundbreaking work at Rikers Island), and how grief ultimately gave her the permission to pursue her lifelong dream of writing.

At 54, Oneika is stepping fully into a creative life — with a debut book on the way and a TV pilot already winning awards. Her story is a powerful reminder that reinventing yourself is not one bold leap, but a series of brave choices to trust yourself again and again.

If you’ve ever been told you’re “too much,” this episode is for you.

What you’ll hear in this episode

• 💛 Permission & self-trust: learning to listen to your own vision
• 📚 From books to mindfulness: Oneika’s journey from bookseller to teacher
• 🧘🏾‍♀️ Metta (lovingkindness): why self-love is the foundation of reinvention
• 🎯 Betting on yourself: celebrating small steps — even after 15 rejections
• ✨ Reinventing at 54: why it’s never too late to claim a creative life
•  🤝 Reinventing doesn’t happen alone: the village that helped her bet on herself

About Oneika Mays 

Oneika Mays is a meditation and yoga teacher, storyteller, and author of Sit With Me: A No-BS Journey to Mindfulness and Meditation (HarperOne, March 3, 2026). She previously served as the first Mindfulness Coach at Rikers Island.

Connect with Oneika

• Website: https://oneikamays.com
• Instagram: @oneikamays
• Substack: https://oneika.substack.com/
• Preorder her book: Sit With Me (here or available wherever books are sold)

Mentioned in this episode

• Women Over 70 — Aging Reimagined Podcast
  The 2025 ASTRA award-winning weekly show celebrating women 70–110 who are rewriting the script on aging — plus their monthly Aging Reimagined Circle online.

Thank you for listening

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