Why I Turned Down a Guest — and How It Defines My Podcast’s Purpose
“Watch clouds, trees, and birds. They carry messages. Accidentally dropped words do too.”
I wrote those lines in my manifesto, and they came back to life the day a man named “Steve” pitched himself as a guest on She Became CEO.
On paper, he looked like a great fit. He was a coach with a story of trauma, transformation, and redemption. His email praised my “honest celebration of leadership through adversity.” But something felt… off.
I did my homework. His story was compelling, but his words carried subtle signals — including one line about being “lucky” to have a wife 15 years younger. For my audience, that didn’t sit right. Not because of the age gap, but because of what it implied about value and worth.
And here’s the thing: this space is for women like Ellen, Marta, and Nicole.
Ellen is in her early 60s, juggling a demanding job and caregiving for her mother with dementia. She dreams of starting a business but feels trapped by exhaustion and fear of age discrimination.
Marta left a fulfilling life in Mexico to be with her grandchildren in the US, only to feel isolated and dependent. She longs to share her culture and creativity, but worries about her English and fitting in.
Nicole is a talented pottery artist rebuilding her life after divorce and loss. She wants to turn her art into income but battles brain fog and self-doubt.
These women share more than their age bracket. They share the invisible scars of trauma — acute, chronic, or vicarious — and the physical and mental changes brought on by menopause. They’re not broken, but they need solutions that understand their reality: the slower processing speed, the hormonal shifts, the layers of cultural bias against aging women.
I turned down Steve’s pitch not because he lacked expertise, but because he didn’t speak to these women’s hearts. My future guests will need to do that.
This isn’t about celebrity names or perfectly polished stories. It’s about offering hope, tools, and insight to women in their second half of life — women ready to reclaim their creativity, health, and financial freedom, one step at a time.
If you pitch me, ask yourself: Will my story help Ellen, Marta, or Nicole take a step toward her dream?
Key Takeaways
Listen to full Episode 22 here.
