New Podcast Episode: Midlife Gender Pivot

A midlife gender pivot

My guest is a transsexual in her mid-50s. She is an architect and principal of her own firm with two sons from a marriage that ended in divorce during her transition.

You think YOU are going through a transition? Midlife changes come in different sizes, scopes, and packaging. Caroline Leyburn transitioned from a male body to a female body. That is a big pivot!

I interviewed Caroline in an evening Skype session that lasted well over an hour and I think it is fair to say that we could have talked for hours more. She literally embodies that spirit of a non-negotiable midlife pivot. I was enchanted by her honesty and the sense that she was victorious in her decision to pivot.

I hope that you, listener, will forgive me as Caroline did, for my many politically incorrect bumbles throughout our conversation. Even Caroline had to catch herself a few times with respect to today’s language and terminology regarding gender. She gave me a big pass several times.

Midlife Pivot Trigger

There is so much to learn from her story. Here is just one thing I picked up on that I want to reiterate: She points to the 4-day DragonCon event she attended in full drag as her trigger moment – when she knew that she must go forward and change her gender, that she would become a transexual (male to female). Here she found her tribe.

I think this is wonderful advice to all of us considering changes because:

We see ourselves differently when we move away from our routines and our usual family members and co-workers
When we can try on a new persona, away from judgment, it gives us a chance to freely experiment

Enjoy this episode, please share your comments and I hope you will find inspiration to take some risks and find your way closer to being the person you were meant to be.

Listeners who support the podcast through Patreon can watch the full-length unedited video of our conversation.