Description

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...