The Empowered Women Life Leaders Podcast

This week on Empowered Women Life Leaders, Karen is joined by Sarah Thomas, a menopause wellness practitioner and educator with over 35 years’ experience. Sarah shares her powerful journey through premature menopause at 29, dissociative seizures linked to trauma, and the lifestyle and therapeutic changes that helped her reclaim her health. Together, they explore the hidden symptoms of menopause, the impact on identity, relationships, and career, and how women can better understand their bodies to lead more empowered lives.
 
www.mightymenopause.co.uk
The Menopause Cafe: www.menopausecafe.net 

This week on the Empowered Women Life Leaders podcast, host Karen Bashford talks with Paula Ralph, a sports therapist and ultra-endurance cyclist whose story embodies courage and commitment. What started as a spontaneous decision to cycle the world’s longest route, from Cape Town towards Russia, turned into a solo, unsupported ultra-ride after sponsorships fell through and her plans were upended. Paula shares how she turned setbacks into fuel, why she chose to ride alone, and what it really takes to keep going when fear, doubt, and pressure to not “let people down” all collide.
 
Becoming Whole Again: From Emotional Survival to Personal Transformation https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1965480578
 

In this week’s episode of the Empowered Women Life Leaders podcast, host Karen Bashford is joined by David Margo, former City lawyer and founder of Divorce Solutions, the UK’s first dedicated divorce consultancy. After nearly 40 years in commercial law, David transitioned into helping individuals navigate the complex and often confusing divorce process. He explains how a chance conversation led him to discover the many different – and little-known – ways to divorce, and why so many people waste money and emotional energy due to poor guidance. Supported by a team of highly experienced family law specialists, David now focuses on empowering clients at every stage of their divorce journey, from those just considering separation to those unhappy with their current legal representation.
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/divorce-solutions-7422705491987898369/
Website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/divorce-solutions-london/ 

In this episode of Empowered Women Life Leaders, host Karen Bashford reflects on the first Being You Circle, an intimate women’s gathering built around her Sloth or Beaver self‑coaching and wisdom cards. Drawing on stories from the circle and her own journey through a nervous breakdown, Karen explores themes of validation, inner wisdom, and inner child healing. She shows how trusting intuition, revisiting childhood dreams, and creating space for honest reflection can help women release inherited expectations, reconnect with their true selves, and begin living a more authentic, fulfilling life.
 
https://slothorbeaver.com
https://karenbashford.com/being-you-circle
https://karenbashford.com/self-sabotage-masterclass
https://karenbashford.com/resources
 

In this episode of Empowered Women Life Leaders, host Karen Bashford is joined by Rebecca Pate, a leadership mentor and career coach who left an 18-year career in corporate tech to champion women in the workplace. Rebecca shares how building a gender equality network took her from male-dominated boardrooms to Buckingham Palace, and how she now uses dance and yoga to help women heal, lead, and thrive.
 
linkedin.com/in/rebeccapate
Rebecca Pate (@iamrebeccalove) | Stan
If you need help contact 
Crisis tools for mental health support | Get help now | Mind
The UK's Eating Disorder Charity - Beat

In this week’s episode of Empowered Women Life Leaders, Karen explores what real courage looks like when you stop abandoning yourself. She shares candidly about her nervous breakdown, the decision not to seek quick external fixes, and the daily acts of bravery involved in setting boundaries, listening to your body, and choosing yourself—even when it feels uncomfortable. This is an invitation to pause, reflect, and ask: Where am I finally ready to choose me?

In this episode of Empowered Women Life Leaders, Karen Bashford talks with JJ DiGeronimo, author, speaker, and host of the Together We Seek podcast about the crossroads that led her from a 30-year tech career in Silicon Valley to a life rooted in spiritual awakening and energy work. JJ shares how personal and professional collapse became a doorway to inner work, the six phases of spiritual awakening, and why “fuel stations” and saying yes to yourself are essential for women balancing career, motherhood, and personal growth.
 
Quiz: What Phase of Awakening Are You In?  https://quiz.jjdigeronimo.com
Book Quiz: What Book Should You Read Next?  https://links.jjdigeronimo.com/widget/quiz/u2CtvMjDflydvC6H2mr0
Website: https://jjdigeronimo.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jjdigeronimo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jjdigeronimo
Together We Seek YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TogetherWeSeek
Together We Seek Community: https://togetherweseek.online
 

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Empowered Women Life Leaders podcast with your host Karen Bashford.
In today’s deeply personal and sensitive conversation, Karen shares the story of “Sophie”—a woman navigating the heartbreak of menopause, the grief of lost motherhood, and the crushing impact of feeling abandoned by those meant to support her.
This episode explores fertility, menopause, suicidal thoughts, and emotional resilience, and how one honest conversation helped Sophie step back from the edge and reclaim hope.
Listener note: this episode discusses suicidal ideation and may be triggering for some. Please take care while listening.
 
https://karenbashford.com
https://karenbashford.com/exploratory-call
https://slothorbeaver.com
www.linkedin.com/in/karen-bashford-empower-you
 
 

In this episode of Empowered Women Life Leaders, Karen speaks with inner peace specialist Meryl Hayton, who pivoted from a 28-year career as a successful salon owner into the healing arts. Meryl shares how the loss of her father, career burnout, and a wrist injury became catalysts for honouring her inner knowing, creating her CLEAR method, and helping women release deeply stored stress so they can finally trust themselves and live with genuine inner peace.
 
7 - day Tapping Into Worthiness Mini Masterclass. https://mailchi.mp/5590cb270a86/tappingintoworthinessYoutube videos - https://youtube.com/@merylhayton4852Website: www.merylhayton.comFB Personal profile: https://www.facebook.com/meryl.haytonIG: https://www.instagram.com/merylhayton/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/merylhayton/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@merylhayton33

This week on the Empowered Women Life Leaders podcast, Karen Bashford explores how to stop living on autopilot and start consciously leading your life. Drawing on her own experience of a nervous breakdown and recovery, she talks about the power of pausing, asking better questions, and reclaiming your time, energy, and boundaries from family, work, and constant demands. If you’ve been giving everything to everyone else and feel drained, this episode will help you rediscover your needs, your peace, and your right to choose differently.
 
https://karenbashford.com
https://slothorbeaver.com
www.linkedin.com/in/karen-bashford-empower-you