Starting over during perimenopause and midlife doesn't always mean changing careers—sometimes it means creating entirely new solutions the world desperately needs. In this episode, meet Tara Miko Ballentine, founder of Bright Littles, who transformed her experience of childhood sexual assault into a company helping parents have crucial conversations with kids about consent, boundaries, safety, and diversity.

For women over 40 navigating midlife reinvention, Tara's story offers powerful proof that your second act can combine personal healing with public purpose. She launched Bright Littles during the pandemic while parenting full-time, and four years later continues building without breaking even—side hustling, pivoting constantly, and facing the unique challenges female founders encounter when seeking funding.

This conversation offers practical wisdom for midlife women pursuing dreams that matter: how to start before you feel ready, how to find courage capital when everyone questions your path, and how to build something meaningful while managing all the other responsibilities of life after 40.

What You'll Learn:

• How to change careers after 40 with purpose — Tara shares her journey from fashion and marketing to founding an education company, proving midlife career pivots can create entirely new industries
• Starting over during menopause with limited resources — Learn how to launch a business while working full-time, parenting, and navigating the financial realities of midlife entrepreneurship
• Building confidence after 40 as a female founder — Discover strategies for persisting when funding goes to men with ideas while women with products face barriers
• Perimenopause motivation for women entrepreneurs — How to maintain your North Star mission when the journey tests every ounce of your resolve
• Women over 40 starting businesses — Practical wisdom about pivoting, learning new skills (even tech!), and building sustainable side hustles
• Midlife transformation through purpose — How personal pain can fuel public mission when you're ready to turn wounds into wisdom
• Second act career success stories — Real talk about what four years of building looks like without breaking even, and why mission sometimes matters more than metrics

Key Timestamps:

0:00 - Introduction

2:15 - The pandemic moment that sparked Bright Littles

6:30 - Crossing personal and business life for the first time

10:00 - The "am I ready?" questions every founder asks

13:00 - Why 95% of childhood sexual abuse is preventable

18:15 - How to start conversations before problems happen

22:00 - Pivoting from physical products to digital during tariffs

26:00 - The "Periods and Polish" event and online backlash

31:00 - How to support Bright Littles' mission

Key Takeaways:

• For midlife career changers: Start with what you know, then pivot as you learn—Tara began with fashion/product experience and adapted everything as she discovered publishing, retail, and subscription models
• For women over 40 seeking purpose: Your personal experience isn't a liability; it's your competitive advantage. Tara's childhood trauma became her deepest source of mission clarity
• For perimenopause entrepreneurs: Side hustling is sustainable—Tara worked as a CMO while building Bright Littles, still consults for income, and has built something meaningful without traditional funding

Featured Quote:

"I feel so passionate about what I am doing. I think most people probably would've quit. I've not financially broke even in four years. That is not for everybody. But I feel like when I started this company, it was more of a vitamin than a painkiller—I'm asking you to do something before there's a problem." — Tara Miko Ballentine

Resources & Links:

• Bright Littles: brightlittles.com
• Free conversation resources available on website
• Nominated by: Christina Testut (Episode on body image and children's literature
• Tara nominates: Christine Godfrey of Godfrey PR

About Tara Miko Ballentine:

Tara Miko Ballentine is a serial entrepreneur and founder/CEO of Bright Littles, an education company helping families have important conversations about diversity, safety, consent, boundaries, and health. A survivor of childhood sexual assault, Tara transformed her personal experience into a mission preparing children before problems happen rather than addressing trauma after the fact. She partnered with a structural educational engineer and PhD in family therapy to create conversation cards, interactive journals, and a digital Conversation Club serving families nationwide. Tara lives with her daughter and continues building Bright Littles while navigating the challenges of female entrepreneurship, including pivoting to entirely digital offerings in response to tariffs.

About Your Host:

Aransas Savas is a wellbeing and leadership coach specializing in helping women over 40 navigate midlife transitions, career changes, and second-act reinvention. With 20+ years of behavioral research experience partnering with companies like Disney, Weight Watchers, and Best Buy, she hosts The Uplifters Podcast, featuring women doing transformative work in the second half of their lives. Aransas brings both research rigor and personal experience to conversations about courage capital, midlife transformation, and building meaningful second acts.

Connect with Aransas:

• Instagram: @aransas_savas
• Podcast Instagram: @the_uplifters_podcast
• TikTok: @theuplifterspodcast
• Facebook: Aransas Savas
• Website: theuplifterspodcast.com
• YouTube: @theuplifterspodcast
• LinkedIn: Aransas Savas

Keywords:

perimenopause career change, women over 40, midlife reinvention, menopause second act, starting over at 40, women changing careers 40s, midlife transition women, second half of life, courage capital, midlife transformation, women entrepreneurs over 40, female founders midlife, perimenopause motivation, starting business during menopause, midlife purpose women, second act career women, women 40s new career, building confidence after 40, midlife dreams women, perimenopause fresh start