SPECIAL EDITION EPISODE:

A HEALTHY MONEY DISCUSSION WITH ANNA BARNES CFP®, CDFA®

In this special edition of Midlife: Interrupted & Unfiltered, Anne and Melissa sit down with Anna Barnes, CFP®, CDFA® for a healthy, honest conversation about money, financial independence, and the emotional baggage so many women carry around finances.

Anna is a partner, advisor, wealth and investment manager with FAS Wealth Partners, where she became the firm’s first female partner. But beyond her impressive credentials and leadership, Anna brings her own reinvention story: at age 40, she walked away from an established, successful career to start over in private wealth management, choosing meaning over momentum.

Together, they unpack why money feels so emotionally loaded, especially for women in midlife, and why so many of us avoid talking about it until a major life event forces the issue. From divorce and widowhood to career pivots and starting over, this episode explores what financial independence really means — not just as a number, but as freedom, flexibility, peace of mind, and choice.

Anna shares practical, empowering insights on:

• the biggest financial blind spots women often have
• why overwhelm, fear, guilt, and shame show up around money
• how childhood experiences shape our relationship with finances
• what women should know before making a major life pivot
• the power of compounding and why it’s never too late to start
• how to find a financial advisor who is both qualified and trustworthy

One of Anna’s most powerful takeaways: ownership.
If you don’t control your money, your money will control you.

Whether you’re navigating a big life transition or simply ready to feel more informed and confident about your finances, this conversation offers both reassurance and real next steps.

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Welcome to Episode 12: Starting Over Financially: Building Wealth When You Feel Behind

If you’ve ever looked at your bank account, your retirement savings, or your financial decisions and thought, I should be further along by now, this episode is for you. Starting Over Financially is a bold reminder that feeling behind does not mean you are finished. It does not mean you missed your chance. And it certainly does not mean you are incapable of building real wealth from where you are right now.

In this episode, we’re talking about the reality so many women face but don’t always say out loud — starting over after divorce, debt, job loss, caregiving, burnout, unexpected setbacks, or years of putting everyone else first. We’re challenging the shame, fear, and self-judgment that can keep you stuck, and replacing it with something far more powerful: clarity, courage, and action.

Building wealth is not only for the woman who started early, had all the right advice, or never made mistakes. It is also for the woman who had to begin again. The woman who is regrouping. The woman who is tired of feeling embarrassed, overwhelmed, or frozen by her finances. This conversation is about reclaiming your power, making smarter money decisions, and believing that your future can still be strong, stable, and abundant.

If you’ve been telling yourself, it’s too late, this episode will challenge that lie. You are not too old. You are not too behind. And you are not disqualified from financial peace, security, or wealth. You can start from here. You can rebuild from here. And you can create something better than you imagined.

This is your reminder that starting over is not the end of the story — it may be the moment everything finally begins!

Welcome to Episode 11: From Paycheck to Purpose: Making the Career Leap Without Losing Your Mind

Making a career change in midlife can feel equal parts exciting and terrifying. In this episode, we’re talking about what it really looks like to move from paycheck to purpose without completely unraveling in the process. If you’ve been feeling stuck, burned out, unfulfilled, or quietly wondering if there’s something more for you, this conversation is your permission slip to explore what’s next.

We dive into the fears that keep so many women frozen — financial pressure, self-doubt, uncertainty, and the worry of starting over — and why making a meaningful career leap doesn’t have to mean losing your stability, your identity, or your mind. This episode is about taking honest inventory, trusting your inner voice, and finding the courage to make intentional moves toward work that aligns with who you are now.

If you’ve been craving more purpose in your work but aren’t sure how to begin, this episode will encourage you to think bigger, move smarter, and believe that reinvention is still possible.