Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

So much of the popular lore around midlife leads us to believe that it's just a slog to endure. And, honestly, so many women in midlife feel like that's true. But it doesn't have to be this way. Our midlife years can be full of vibrancy, joy, passion and reinvention. How do we make that happen? Our guest Carla Wainwright knows how. Tune in to find out what she has to say about adding some joy and vibrancy to midlife.

Carla Wainwright is a Holistic Wellness Coach, Sexual Awakening Facilitator, and Midlife Alchemist. She supports women 40+ to boost energy, balance hormones, and reconnect with their pleasure and vitality through a blend of metabolic health strategies, nervous system healing, and feminine embodiment practices.

With a background in biology, homeopathy, and over two decades of experience in the healing arts, Carla bridges science with sacred wisdom. She is especially passionate about helping women reframe midlife as a transformative rite of passage – a portal to deeper clarity, creative power, and authentic expression.

Where to find Carla Wainwright:

Website: https://vibrancyreset.com/

Instagram: @carlawainwright

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarlaWainwrightCreatrix/

Free Gift ~ Vibrancy Guide: https://vibrancyreset.com/

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

When someone is harmed, whether by an individual or a system, the harm is often holistic - meaning the effect of the harm is not contained to one area of that person's life. That said, it makes perfect sense that the justice and healing be holistic as well. But what does that look like? How is that put into practice? It starts with a new understanding of justice and a new type of justice system - one that is empathetic rather than punitive. That's where today's guest, Leah Brown, comes in. Tune into our conversation to hear more about restorative justice and how it can be utilized by individuals, organizations, systems, and societies.

Leah Brown, a lawyer and accredited mediator, is the founder of The WayFinders Group, a change management consultancy, where she helps organizations navigate high-stakes transitions and institutional crises through restorative approaches. She's also the host of The Longest Day Podcast and the new podcast, Address the Harm.

Where to find Leah Brown:

TikTok and Instagram: @leahtalks_

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leahbrown-frsa/

YouTube: @leahtbrownfrsa

Websites: www.leahtalks.com, www.thewayfindersgroup.com, www.thelongestdaypodcast.com and www.addresstheharm.org

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!

Join the conversation by letting us know what you think about the episode!

Women's rights are being dismantled in so many ways around the world. One place where this dismantling has happened in the extreme is Afghanistan. In this week's episode we talk Cara Cruikshank about how some of the women in Afghanistan are surviving, maintaining their humanity, and maintaining connection.

As a writer, director, producer, advocate and educator Cara brings an artist's vision to humanitarian work, and something rarely seen in crisis response: the understanding that people experiencing trauma need more than survival skills—they need spaces to imagine, to heal, and to become.

After the Taliban seized Afghanistan in 2021 and the world watched its women disappear from public life, Cara asked Afghan women what they needed most—then listened deeply to their response. The result is Voices Unveiled, a holistic underground school and self empowerment program that stands nearly alone in the digital education landscape for recognizing what Afghan women themselves identified as their deepest need: not just marketable skills, but psychological healing, feminist consciousness, and the reclamation of their right to dream. What began as a comprehensive 12-week self-empowerment course has blossomed into a full educational ecosystem, now offering over a dozen elective courses spanning the humanities, arts, mindfulness, sciences, and technology—all grounded in the principle that sustainable transformation requires addressing the whole person: mind, body, and spirit.

Today, Voices Unveiled works with hundreds of women and girls ages 13 to 30 across Afghanistan and beyond. As founder and executive director, Cara leads a global network of over 30 volunteers creating what one student calls “a revolution within me”—proving that education, when it addresses the whole person, becomes a powerful act of resistance.

Where to find Voices Unveiled and Cara Cruikshank: Website: voicesunveiled.org

IG: @VoicesUnveiled_Afghan

Facebook: @CafedelaCulture

LinkedIn: Voices Unveiled

Support the show

Be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts about this episode, what you may have learned, how the conversation affected you. You can reach Raquel and Jennifer on IG @madnesscafepodcast or by email at madnesscafepodcast@gmail.com.

Share the episode with a friend and have your own conversation. And don't forget to rate and review the show wherever you listen!

Thanks!