From Perfectionist to Purpose: How Erin Washington Found Freedom in Midlife

What if the biggest problem with midlife isn't that you're falling apart, but that you're still trying to hold every damn thing together? Perimenopause, career changes, aging parents, shifting identities, and the never-ending pressure to have it all figured out. Is it any wonder so many women hit midlife and think, What the hell happened, and how did I get here? In this episode of Midlife Strategies for Badass Women, Sue Willoughby sits down with health and wellness coach Erin Dougherty for an honest, funny, and refreshingly practical conversation about navigating midlife without losing yourself in the process. From perfectionism and people-pleasing to emotional overwhelm, self-worth, and the pressure to reinvent yourself, Sue and Erin explore why so many women feel compelled to keep doing more, achieving more, and fixing everything, even when they're running on empty. Erin shares her personal journey through perimenopause, career reinvention, and recovering from perfectionism, along with practical strategies for creating sustainable change. Together, they dig into the power of self-compassion, listening to your body, questioning old beliefs, and learning to recognize when resistance is fear versus when it's your intuition telling you something isn't right. And yes, there are horses involved. Because sometimes a thousand-pound animal can teach you more about yourself than another five-year plan ever will. In this episode, we explore:

Welcome back to Midlife Strategies for Badass Women! In today's episode, I am thrilled to chat with fellow podcaster and award-winning writer Angela Briones. Angela hosts "The Gay Podcast for Everyone" and a show about indie podcasting called "Thank You for Joining Me". She shares the unbelievable story of arriving late and sweaty to the Broadway play "Every Brilliant Thing," only to be pulled on stage to perform alongside Mariska Hargitay. Beyond the glitz of New York theater, Angela gets deeply vulnerable about her personal journey. We discuss the heavy cultural conditioning she faced growing up Catholic and Latina, specifically the spoken and unspoken message that women are prettier when they are quiet. Angela shares what it was like to come out at age 30 after hiding in the closet for a decade, how she navigated conversations with her parents about her "roommate," and why representation matters so much today. We also talk shop about the reality of indie podcasting, battling the inner critic, and why taking a break from your creative passions is perfectly fine as long as you do not quit. In this episode, we cover:

Welcome back to Midlife Strategies for Badass Women! Today, host Sue Willoughby sits down with Natalie Nicholas, the owner of OsteoStrong in Reno, Nevada, to discuss a foundational pillar of aging fiercely: our skeletal system. At 39 years old and freshly divorced, Natalie suffered a severe spinal injury from a ruptured disc that required a microdiscectomy and left her dependent on a catheter for nine months. Faced with a diagnosis of severe arthritis and a loss of confidence in her physical abilities, Natalie began searching for ways to heal. That search led her to OsteoStrong—a global franchise utilizing "impact emulation" to safely trigger bone growth without the risks of heavy lifting or high-impact jumping. She opened her own center in 2020 and has completely rebuilt her body, even joining a flat-track roller derby team at age 48! If you have been told you have osteopenia or osteoporosis, or if you simply want to prevent bone density loss as you age, this episode unpacks exactly how you can stimulate new bone tissue safely. In this episode, we cover:

Welcome back to Midlife Strategies for Badass Women! Today, host Sue Willoughby sits down with Preeti Suri, the founder and CEO of AdventureTripr. Growing up in India and building a fast-paced corporate career in finance in London, Preeti spent the first 35 years of her life believing she simply wasn't an outdoorsy person. After relocating to Seattle with a six-month-old baby, she found herself battling severe postpartum depression and carrying an extra 60 pounds. Looking for a way to heal, she started going on short neighborhood walks with her baby on her back. Those walks turned into hikes, and eventually, Preeti found herself standing at the summit of Mount Rainier on her son’s second birthday! Realizing that moving her body in nature was the ultimate tool for processing trauma and burnout, Preeti founded AdventureTripr—an online platform connecting beginner adventurers with vetted local guides for curated multi-day trips. In this episode, Preeti breaks down the social, cultural, and economic barriers that keep women from exploring the outdoors and shares her ultimate badass philosophy: don't wait until you're ready; just sign up. In this episode, we cover:

Welcome back to Midlife Strategies for Badass Women! Today, host Sue Willoughby is joined by professional photographer and entrepreneur Scott Proposki. Over 27 years, Scott built a massive, highly successful event photography business, working with heavy hitters like Tom Brady, Miley Cyrus, Google, and the White House. But when the pandemic halted live events, Scott lost a $4.2 million client overnight. Instead of walking away, Scott leaned into a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis to entirely reimagine his future. He realized the very traits he once brushed off were the superpowers that built his empire. Now, Scott runs the Photography Business MBA Operating System, a 50-week intensive program helping midlife creatives stop winging it and start building sustainable, profitable businesses. In this episode, Scott shares wild stories from his career, breaks down why creatives need to view AI as "gasoline" rather than a threat, and explains why consistency will always win the game. In this episode, we cover: