Yesterday we attended a moving "Ceremony of 13" at our church for my teenage son. Cultures around the world share a tradition of marking the transition from childhood to adulthood beginning at age 13 (in the Jewish tradition this is called a Bar or Bat Mitzvah). Our ministers shared why it's key to pause and honor this threshold or "crossing over" with ritual--just like we honor other thresholds such as baptisms, births, weddings, deaths, turning 18 and more.

After each youngadult received a blessing and anointing, parents took turns sharing what they loved and honored in their young teens. It was powerful and moving.

Tears streamed down my face for most of the short ceremony and it dawned on me that my 13 year-old and I are at a very similar place. I'll be 50 in January and I too, am at a threshold. My midlife transition has amped up in the last 18 months--physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually-- and just like my son, I too am at an axial time. A time that calls for more self-compassion, self-acceptance and time/space to digest and integrate all these internal--and external--changes so I can prepare for my second course.

For the last year, I've been exploring this journey through leading women's "Embracing the Wild Unknown" groups in Austin, TX focused on becoming your own best friend in the second half
of life. Whenever I hit a major life shift, I love to make the voyage in the company of other women (this tendency was the catalyst behind our 10 year-old international Personal Renewal Group Program which I started after I crossed the threshold into motherhood; in some ways this calling is similar).

Are you a woman in your 40's-50's, in transition and asking, "What's next?" Here's a short three min. clip my son recorded of me last night sharing why I felt called to create/launch an Embracing the Wild Unknown: Nurturing Yourself in Midlife & Beyond Telecourse this September so women outside Austin could join me on this journey as well (video can be awkward, but hopefully this helps convey the essence of where we'll be going):

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There is a natural tendency when women hit this midlife stage to want to retreat or withdraw. I get that (and I'm an extrovert!). Spending time alone is essential and nourishing as we go through this midlife "rewiring" as Dr. Christiane Northrup calls it. But being in the warm, safe, nurturing company of like-minded women while navigating these new, often turbulent waters, can also be incredible sweet. (Did you catch my blog last week on how women's friendships affect our health?)

If my message speaks to you and you are feeling called to develop a kinder/gentler relationship with yourself as you move into the decades to come, check out the details below for Embracing the Wild Unknown: Nurturing Yourself in Midlife & Beyond Telecourse launching Sept. 10 (and don't be shy about emailing us if you've never done a telecourse and have questions; it's easy-peasy, if you can use a phone, you can do this!). I'd love to welcome you to our circle of women in a couple of weeks and personally support you during this pivotal time.

TAKE ACTION: Are you in your 40's-50's and craving high-level mentoring/support and authentic connection from a circle of like-minded women?  Join me for four Thursdays Sept. 10-Oct. 1 from 12-1 p.m. CST  and enjoy resources/inspiration/new tools for becoming your own best friend as you journey into the second half of life. Learn/more register for Embracing the Wild Unknown: Nurturing Yourself in Mid-Life & Beyond--a live telecourse (that means via phone; all classes are recorded). Early bird rate of $99; space is limited-reserve your spot today! Participate live or you can download the recorded classes/mp3s at your convenience.

Subscribe here to Live Inside Out, a weekly blog written by self-care author/speaker/coach and Career Strategists president, Renée Peterson Trudeau. Offering custom self-care workshops/retreats, training, books/telecourses and individual career coaching her work has appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Spirituality & Health and more. Thousands of women in ten countries are becoming RTA-Certified Facilitators and leading/joining Personal Renewal Groups based on her award-winning curriculum.  She is the author of The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal and Nurturing the Soul of Your Family: 10 Ways to Reconnect and Find Peace in Everyday Life. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and 13 year-old son. More on her background here.