say YES to yourself! | Inspiring Women in Midlife to Create a Life They Love

Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself!
When Lisa Cutshaw was a teenager, her dad gave her some practical advice: be a farmer, after you’ve made your money. So she built a 20-year career as a landscape architect, then bought a farm in western North Carolina near her family. Now she’s finally saying out loud the ideas she’s carried for years, through a newsletter, a podcast about plants, and a free nature journal, all built around one belief: a real relationship with nature makes all of life better. Wendy and Lisa talk about making time for what matters to you, letting help in, and dreaming bigger than your current capacity.
In this episode, they discuss:
Why Lisa finally decided that the things she thinks are important are important, and why someday is now
What a real, two-way relationship with nature looks like, and why Lisa believes it could save the world
How a dream keeps growing once you start tending it, from a farm stand to a podcast to a possible wellness retreat in Europe
If you’ve been putting off something that matters to you until there’s more time, this conversation is a good place to start.
Connect with Lisa:
Website: rootstemleaf.com
Instagram: instagram.com/rootstemleafblog
Podcast: Plant Connection: plant-connection.captivate.fm
Referenced in this Episode:
Come along for the adventure. I’m headed back to France, and my emails are where I share it all: the cooking school, the chateau, and first word on new bespoke travel experiences. If you’d love to join me someday (or just follow along from home), get on the list here: wendy-harrop.myflodesk.com/letter
Wendy's Bespoke Travel Experiences: wendy-harrop.com/journeys
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Connect with Wendy:
Linkedin
Instagram: @wendy.harrop
Facebook: Phineas Wright House
Website: Wendy-Harrop.com
PWH Farm Stays
Bespoke Journeys

Interested in being a guest on the show?
Send your pitch to podcast@wendy-harrop.com

Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective
Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat!

If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself!
When Stacie Shifflett sat down with Wendy, she was in the middle of a big change. She had just decided to sell her home on Siesta Key, her favorite place in the world, and the grief that followed caught her off guard. Wendy and Stacie talk about why a clear, aligned decision doesn’t always bring relief, how to make room for grief and even rage without getting stuck there, and why old feelings can resurface long after you thought you’d healed. Stacie, the founder of Modern Consciousness and author of Treasure Map to Joy, also shares why she believes disruption is not destruction.
In this episode, they discuss:
Why clarity rarely brings certainty right away, and how to take just the next step when you can’t see the rest of the path
Making space for grief and rage after a change you chose, without shaming yourself or setting up camp there
Why feelings from a divorce can resurface years later, and why Stacie sees that as a deeper layer of healing rather than a setback
If you’ve made a decision you know is right and you’re surprised by how much it hurts, this conversation is a good place to start.
Connect with Stacie:
ModernConsciousness.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ModernConsciousness
Instagram: instagram.com/modernconsciousness
Get her book, Treasure Map to Joy: amazon.com/Treasure-Map-Joy-Journey-Disruption/dp/B0FWYMCNZD?=syty-20
Her book with Les Brown, Ignite the Hunger in You: amazon.com/Ignite-Hunger-You-Greatness-Humanity/dp/1792341768?=syty-20
Referenced in this Episode:
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo: amazon.com/Life-Changing-Magic-Tidying-Decluttering-Organizing/dp/1607747308?tag=syty-20
________________________________________________________________________________________
Connect with Wendy:
Linkedin
Instagram: @wendy.harrop
Facebook: Phineas Wright House
Website: Wendy-Harrop.com
PWH Farm Stays
Bespoke Journeys

Interested in being a guest on the show?
Send your pitch to podcast@wendy-harrop.com

Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective
Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat!

If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself!
Lisa Woodruff, founder of Organize365 and author of Escaping Quicksand, is back, and this time she shares a story she says she’s never told: hiring a house cleaner and then not knowing what to do with herself while someone else did the work. Wendy and Lisa talk about why receiving help feels so uncomfortable, from paying someone to mow the lawn to giving yourself a raise. Lisa also unpacks the obligations so many women pile up in their 20s and 30s, and how she let go of entire categories of housework, grocery shopping included, to make room for herself.
In this episode, they discuss:
Why it’s so uncomfortable to receive support, whether that’s help at home or paying yourself what your business can afford
Lisa’s three questions for letting housework go: Does it need to be done at all? Does it need to be done at this level? Do you need to be the one doing it?
Her five-level Productive Home CEO framework, and what changes when you lead your household instead of just running it
If your to-do list has outgrown you and you’re ready to take some of your time back, this conversation is a good place to start.
Connect with Lisa:
Get her book, Escaping Quick Sand: amazon.com/dp/1637635648?=syty-20
Website: Organize365.com
Organize365 Podcast: organize365.com/podcast-landing-page
Instagram: instagram.com/organize365
Lisa’s previous episodes: 
Ep. 153: Saying YES to Owning Your Power and Thriving Beyond Expectations with Lisa Woodruff (Pt. 1) buzzsprout.com/1872382/episodes/15827476
Ep. 154: Saying YES to Becoming the CEO of Your Home with Lisa Woodruff (Pt. 2) buzzsprout.com/1872382/episodes/15865432
Referenced in this Episode: 
Stories, Sourcing & Styling at Château de Brives: Join Wendy Harrop and Sarah & George Haslett for an intimate French antique experience at Château de Brives, November 17–23, 2026. Spend six nights at the château, source alongside the experts at local brocantes and Bordeaux’s renowned Quinconces Antique Show, cook and gather around the table, and experience France through the lens of the collector. Limited to just six guests.
→ Learn more and reserve your place: wendy-harrop.com/experiences-cart/p/antique-experience-france
A French Christmas with Chef Eric Duvin: Join Wendy Harrop and Chef Eric Duvin for an intimate French Christmas culinary experience, December 4–11, 2026. Cook alongside Chef Eric at The Walnut Grove Cookery School, explore Brittany at Christmastime, and enjoy three fabulous nights in Paris filled with incredible meals and chef-led culinary experiences. Limited to just six guests.
→ Learn more and reserve your place: thewalnutgrove.fr/christmas-in-france-experience
________________________________________________________________________________________
Connect with Wendy:
Linkedin
Instagram: @wendy.harrop
Facebook: Phineas Wright House
Website: Wendy-Harrop.com
PWH Farm Stays
Bespoke Journeys

Interested in being a guest on the show?
Send your pitch to podcast@wendy-harrop.com

Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective
Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat!

If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself!
Monica Rodgers grew up in a high-control religious home where questioning wasn’t allowed, and it took a divorce and a dark night of the soul that kept her in bed for almost nine months to begin what she calls her unbecoming. Wendy and Monica talk about the trance of unworthiness so many women grow up in, why we leave our bodies to survive it, and what it takes to come back. They also get into why so many women freeze when asked what they want, and what changes when women gather in circle.
In this episode, they discuss:
The trance of unworthiness: how Monica first noticed it in church at six years old, and why so many women end up living in their heads instead of their bodies
Why “What do you want?” stops so many women in their tracks after years of people-pleasing, and how knowing what you don’t want can point you toward what you do
Saying yes to the mess: treating doubt, rage, grief, and the dark stretches of reinvention as part of the path
If people keep telling you you’ve changed and you’re starting to take it as a compliment, this one’s for you.
Connect with Monica:
Website: jointherevelation.com
Instagram: instagram.com/revelationwoman
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/lifeisarevelation
Podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-revelation-project/id1472881107
Referenced in this Episode:
A Course in Miracles Links:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/acim-remind/id737568020
https://www.amazon.com/Course-Miracles-Combined-Quality/dp/1883360242?tag=syty-20
marianne.com/acim/
________________________________________________________________________________________
Connect with Wendy:
Linkedin
Instagram: @wendy.harrop
Facebook: Phineas Wright House
Website: Wendy-Harrop.com
PWH Farm Stays
Bespoke Journeys

Interested in being a guest on the show?
Send your pitch to podcast@wendy-harrop.com

Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective
Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat!

If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.

Fan Mail: Tell Wendy how you're saying yes to yourself!
Dr. Michelle Machado spent two decades as a high-achieving medical educator, moving continents with her young daughters, until one night at the height of the pandemic she hit a breaking point. That night became the start of what she calls an awakening, and eventually her book, Alive Again: Four Steps to Reclaim Your Life in a Distracted World. Wendy and Michelle talk about what it takes to stop running on empty, why they both guard their early-morning practice, and what our kids learn from watching us take care of ourselves.
In this episode, they discuss:
How Michelle defines disconnection, the gap between who we are on the outside and what we feel on the inside, and how constant distraction widens it without our noticing
The non-negotiable morning practice that kept her grounded, even on the day she was rear-ended on the way to the airport
How to start a morning practice when you’re “not a morning person,” and why Michelle says we’re all choice people
If you’ve achieved what you set out to and still feel empty, this conversation is a good place to start. 
Connect with Dr. Michelle Machado:
Website: michelledmachado.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/michelledmachado
Instagram: instagram.com/drmichellemachado
Get her book, Alive Again: Four Steps to Reclaim Your Life in a Distracted World: amazon.com/Alive-Again-Reclaim-Yourself-Distracted/dp/1637635869?syty-20
Her TedTalk, The One Skill AI Can't Replace: youtu.be/u22aO4Ugtgw?si=Q5bcA6AzKjufcFbm
Referenced in this Episode: 
Stories, Sourcing & Styling at Château de Brives: Join Wendy Harrop and Sarah & George Haslett for an intimate French antique experience at Château de Brives, November 17–23, 2026. Spend six nights at the château, source alongside the experts at local brocantes and Bordeaux’s renowned Quinconces Antique Show, cook and gather around the table, and experience France through the lens of the collector. Limited to just six guests.
→ Learn more and reserve your place: wendy-harrop.com/experiences-cart/p/antique-experience-france
A French Christmas with Chef Eric Duvin: Join Wendy Harrop and Chef Eric Duvin for an intimate French Christmas culinary experience, December 4–11, 2026. Cook alongside Chef Eric at The Walnut Grove Cookery School, explore Brittany at Christmastime, and enjoy three fabulous nights in Paris filled with incredible meals and chef-led culinary experiences. Limited to just six guests.
→ Learn more and reserve your place: thewalnutgrove.fr/christmas-in-france-experience
A Course in Miracles Links:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/acim-remind/id737568020
https://www.amazon.com/Course-Miracles-Combined-Quality/dp/1883360242?tag=syty-20
marianne.com/acim/
Atomic Habits by James Clear: amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299?tag=syty-20
________________________________________________________________________________________
Connect with Wendy:
Linkedin
Instagram: @wendy.harrop
Facebook: Phineas Wright House
Website: Wendy-Harrop.com
PWH Farm Stays
Bespoke Journeys

Interested in being a guest on the show?
Send your pitch to podcast@wendy-harrop.com

Podcast Production By Shannon Warner of Resonant Collective
Want to start your own podcast? Let's chat!

If this episode resonated, follow Say YES to Yourself! and leave a  5-star review. It helps more women in midlife discover the tools, stories, and community that make saying YES not only possible, but powerful.