When reinventing what success means in the second half of life, few are as uniquely qualified to serve as guides as Alison Jacobson. As an entrepreneur since her 20s, Alison built businesses even while enduring unthinkable personal losses, including the death of her infant son. Rather than let grief or adversity define her, she channeled those painful experiences into fuel for empowering other women to live life to the fullest.

Now a passionate coach and advocate for midlife women, Alison urges us to expand our definition of milestones like success beyond society's rigid metrics. "If I say to someone, well, what does success look like? What is abundance? And they'll say, well, I want to make $100,000. Well, why $100,000 doesn't mean anything," Alison explains. "It's literally either electronic wires going through the air now or that piece of paper. Does it buy you peace? Does it buy you joy?"

The path to genuine abundance lies instead in boldly staring down our worst fears and dismantling the stories holding us back one "What if?" at a time. Through her signature 5 step process to vanquish insecurity and self-doubt, Alison provides a battle plan to emerge stronger no matter the obstacles we face. "You get one shot at life. What are you doing? Why aren't you happy?" she asks with tough love born of experience.

That's why Alison stresses that real self-care goes deeper than manicures or pedicures. It means carving out time for solo trips that provide space for introspection absent everyday pressures to take care of others. "If you didn't, it would be that old analogy of put your own oxygen mask on first. Right? Right. Mama goes down. The whole family goes down," Alison cautions.

Rather than dread the passing years, Alison wants midlife women to proudly embrace their maverick status to live life on their own terms going forward. Why view midlife as a crisis when it offers the perfect jumping off point to finally chase long deferred dreams and ditch relationships or situations no longer serving our growth? At 57, Alison provides living proof that our best and boldest chapters may still be unwritten.

Whether you seek to start a business, run a marathon, write a book or just reclaim your confidence, Alison's story stands as inspiration to take control and manifest the life you desire. What adventure will you embark on next?

Listen to the full episode here: