Don’t Succumb to the Idea That Age Is a Reason to Settle for Less – Interview With Sharon Wright

Sharon Wright is a somatic voice coach working with women in midlife who refuse to succumb to disempowering beliefs about aging and who share her passion for living fulfilled, joyful, and successful lives, both professionally and personally. She has a holistic and somatic approach to wellness and self-expression that takes her clients into a deepened presence of their body through gentle rituals, including breathwork and voice/expression techniques. The result is greater clarity around the habits that lead to feelings of disempowerment and repetitive poor self-care and decision-making, as well as a focused commitment to breaking those cycles.

Sharon believes that reconnecting with and building a relationship of acceptance, respect, and love toward ourselves enables an authentic expression that greatly enriches us and supports our relationships to thrive.

“There’s a part of us that is hell-bent on sabotaging the natural, authentic, and wise expression of midlife empowerment. Coaching exposes this, but the somatic voice work also supports you to connect deeply with your body, be more present, and embrace your authentic self. The beauty of your true purpose is as simple as enjoying meaningful relationships, being productive and full of vitality, and trusting your expression. This should be your normal default in midlife, anything to the contrary, come see me.”

Sharon certainly has some very unique ways of supporting midlife women in this journey, simply by using the voice. Intrigued? Read on and find out more in this interview.

Sharon Wright, Somatic Voice & Relationship Coach

It’s wonderful to have this opportunity to learn more about you and your business and how you are impacting women in midlife, Sharon. Can you start by sharing a little about what inspired you to become a somatic voice coach for midlife women and how your own journey has influenced this?

Thank you. I’m drawn to working with women in midlife because it would be a very beautiful and evolving time in a woman’s life if it weren’t for the disempowering beliefs that abound. Not everyone sees midlife as beautiful because challenges such as kids leaving home, marital disharmony, aging, and menopause can cause much anxiety. However, I feel that there’s an opportunity to rediscover yourself and bring something very valuable to the people in your life at this time.

The beliefs that disempower midlife women, such as feeling you’re not as relevant as before, you have little to offer, younger women are more prepared than you are, or romance in your life is dead, can contribute to a feeling of being invisible. But what benefits do we get from these disempowering stories?

Speaking for myself, I realised that to stop feeling invisible, I should stop hiding behind ideals and beliefs imposed from the outside. With the support of my coach, I changed my movements and took more care of my body, stopped hiding, and started to walk with my natural sass. Any woman can choose to stop giving her power away to false pictures and instead tune in, take responsibility for the wise and empowered voice that is within us all, and contribute to the world as only she can. It’s so needed.

The way I support midlife women is to work on exposing the holding back when it comes to expression. This was something that affected me, so I’m good at spotting it. I love to witness a woman falling back in love with her voice and rediscovering its authentic quality, and with it, the power of her instrument body and its miraculous intelligence.

I studied naturopathy and discovered many ways to support the body’s natural vitality, but the somatic part of my coaching is more about energy alignment and the quality of the movements of the body, as well as working on more awareness of it and being less in one’s head.

The body talks truthfully; pain, tension, or stiffness shows us when we’ve been hard, overstimulated, or uncaring, but vitality and joy sing to our health, commitment, and care.

My focus on somatics helps my clients tap into this internal spring of vitality. Far removed from the distracted, often overwhelmed or overstimulated mind, the body is a grand harmoniser, and reconnecting to it has many, many benefits.

Tell us about the main challenges that midlife women have in their relationships and how you help your clients navigate them.

Firstly, I think that relationships always help us to evolve, but we struggle with them because they highlight all that we are battling within ourselves. A relationship can give someone what they need, but when expectations aren’t met, there’s often disappointment. This means that there is pressure on the relationship to perform, and it can easily become conditional and contractual.

Meaningful relationships can only flourish if you have a meaningful relationship with yourself that doesn’t fall into this kind of conditional agreement, focusing instead on evolving and enriching. Building a relationship with yourself begins with discarding all that no longer supports your present situation and appreciating what you love about yourself. It’s like going through your wardrobe and not wanting to get rid of that dress you bought 20 years ago, despite realising that it doesn’t suit you anymore! Of course, you’ve also got plenty more beautiful dresses that look great on you that you want to keep.

Secondly, not being able to express yourself authentically because you fear the reactions or rejection of others makes it difficult to be vulnerable and transparent. However, a woman who truly embraces her unique voice and realises the power of her sacredness is difficult to derail because there’s so much more awareness of the falsity of lies. Even self-criticism and judgement begin to lose their power, and more observation, understanding, and acceptance form the foundation of every relationship.

Finally, falling in love with your voice means falling back in love with yourself; therefore, your relationships are enriched as you respond from the fullness of love and not from reactions to unresolved hurts.

Your focus on the voice as a tool for connection is fascinating. Can you explain how somatic voice work helps women reconnect with their bodies and how it empowers them?

I’ve been a voice coach for around 17 years, and what I love about the voice is that we use it daily in many interactions. It’s a constant master we can learn from, though we often ignore it! Focusing on it with short and simple daily rituals brings awareness and unearths the authenticity that empowers you to express yourself powerfully. Your whole body is involved in what you say and how you say it, which highlights the difference between a response and a reaction, e.g., whether you express with the authority of decision and confidence or from control due to fear.

The voice exercises I impart are meditative and technical but always inclusive of the whole body instrument. Observing the body’s movements, and especially the voice, tells us what’s going on, tensions, stimulation, anxiety, or a lack of connection with yourself, etc. But we can also benefit from feeling the vibrations of a delicate and gentle voice within the body. It feels healing in the body, and clients say it’s gorgeous, like coming home. Being with the body like this balances the incessant insistence of the mind.

I’ve not thought of it like that before, but does it help women cope with the big challenges such as loneliness after their children leave home or with the symptoms of menopause and other midlife complications?

Feeling lonely is so common, and our modern lives contribute to this. However, it’s mostly exacerbated due to a condition we have about needs not being met. For example, I need my family around me to not be lonely. You may emphasise this unmet need, especially if you identify with being a mum, but in reality, women are much more than a mum, a wife, or any role for that matter, and joy is not dependent on such conditions. Reconnecting to your authentic voice makes you realise that you’re much more than ‘your role,’ and so you begin to connect with something within you that feels far from lonely.

What would you say to midlife women who succumb to the idea that age is a reason to give up or settle for less? Why do women feel that it’s “too late” to pursue new dreams, relationships, or a life of passion?

If someone believes that it’s too late, you can’t just say it isn’t. It’s like saying “just stop eating it” to somebody who is trying to give up sugar! Beliefs need to be examined and questioned, and the coaching process is brilliant for deconstructing them. The thing about beliefs is they aren’t synonymous with truth, not even related sometimes. We can appreciate this by observing how many people have different religious or political beliefs.

Can there be so many truths? The Earth spins around the sun, but this was considered heresy during a certain time in our history. One question, well asked, can blow a whole lifetime of belief out of the window if the recipient recognises a flaw in their thought process. If there are women (and I know many) who are living very purposeful and vivacious lives at 70 years old and beyond, then there cannot be any truth in believing that it’s too late or you’re too old. Your purpose awaits you at any age, but you have to deconstruct that old belief and embody the truth for yourself.

What is one simple, actionable step women can take today to start reconnecting with themselves and nurturing their inner strength?

Wake up and don’t go back to sleep. Get up very gently, take the first step with absolute tenderness towards yourself and observe your movements. How you get up in the morning sets the rhythm for your whole day. Maintain it in all your movements, and when you speak, be with your body.

If you could share one powerful message with every midlife woman reading this, what would it be?

Don’t believe! Be!

Be a scientist of your own life. You have more freedom now, and you have the space to truly care for yourself and evolve, not just for your personal growth but as an inspiration to others. When you connect and express yourself in your full authentic light, you give others permission to do the same. Your innate wisdom is a gift to you and others and comes from your unique experience. It offers so much to your community.

And one more thing, if I may; don’t settle for less than joy. If life isn’t a joy, observe what is stopping that expression. Does life feel repetitive and mundane? Come back to your body, making the smallest of movements in conscious presence consistently. This will quiet the mind, and you’ll feel the settlement of your foundation.

Thank you so much for your valuable insights. Do you have any final words?

Thank you. Just to conclude; if a woman in midlife identifies all the things that keep her away from her natural vivaciousness, she is empowered to change her movements and create a new cycle of purpose in her life. Simple things such as going to bed a little earlier, avoiding foods that feel heavy and tire her, reconnecting to herself on a deeper level (making space for stillness), aligning to the call and response like the gentle pulse of the universe, God, energy, whatever you call the magic of what and why she is, the cycles, the planet, and all upon it, all bring an energetic quality to expression that supports us all to be healthy, joyful, and successful during midlife. Observe and enjoy.

Finally, can you tell us about your company Gorgeous Hearts and how women, who are inspired by your philosophy, can find out more?

My company, Gorgeous Hearts, is purposefully dedicated to providing gentle somatic solutions to overwhelm, anxiety, lack of self-worth, and relationship problems. My experience and studies have created a programme that supports my clients to explore what holds them back and identify what they need so they can move forward, reconnect to themselves and relate meaningfully with others, take care of themselves fully, reduce pain and symptoms, and empower themselves as leaders in life.

My methods encompass coaching (I’m a qualified transformational coach), somatic voice techniques (ancient wisdom study and 17 years’ experience of voice coaching and performance coaching), natural solutions (Master’s in naturopathy), and empowering people and leadership techniques (nine years in HR management and company directorship).

How I’m supporting transitions during midlife right now.

For those who wish to know more, I’m offering a 30-minute consultation to get a little more specific about what you are dealing with in midlife. You will also get my ebook that comes with a somatic voice workout, so you can try what I’ve spoken about here for yourself. During the call, I’ll explain how to connect to your full breath and steady it for immediate results, as well as a fantastic tool to support you through challenging situations. Whatever it is, be it struggling in your relationship, feeling lonely or purposeless, career insecurity, financial issues, menopause, or a plethora of other life challenges that whip through the midlife landscape with cyclonic force, this will be a stop moment to reassess and reinstate your empowered response to life.

Contact me here for your free consultation, ebook, and authentic voice workout. Thank you so much.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

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