Midlife Business Academy - Business strategies for midlife entrepreneurs ready to grow and get more clients.

Hosted by Lori Lyons, Business and Marketing Strategy and Coaching

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357

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Oct 2026

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About the show

You're not starting from scratch — you're starting from experience. And now it's time to build a business that actually fits your life. If you're in your 50s, 60s, or beyond and ready to grow a coaching practice, rebrand your service business, or reinvent your next chapter — the Midlife Business Academy is your go-to space for clarity, clients, and practical strategy. You're in the right place if you've ever asked: How do I grow a business that fits my life in midlife? What stage of the client journey am I missing in my marketing? How do I get more aligned, long-term clients without hustling harder? How can I simplify and streamline instead of constantly starting over? What should my website or lead magnet actually be doing for me? Am I charging for tasks or for transformation? How do I use my energy, not just effort, to attract the right clients? What does it mean to run a business that supports your SOUL? Whether you're shifting out of corporate, scaling an encore business, or turning decades of experience into a new source of income, you'll get smart coaching, marketing strategies, and a fresh lens on what it really takes to succeed in midlife. Subscribe to the Midlife Business Academy for high-impact episodes that help you grow a sustainable, profitable business — one that feels deeply aligned with who you are today. Lori Lyons is a business strategist,digital marketing coach and website agency owner who helps entrepreneurs over 50 build profitable businesses that support the life they want now — not the other way around. Resources: Click HERE to receive your free gift – Get Clients to Say "YES!" The Ultimate Social Proof Checklist Every Business Needs to Build Trust and Boost Sales Link - https://ignitingyourbusiness.com/socialproof Join Lori's private Facebook group – The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation! A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now! (Link - https://www.facebook.com/groups/2401957983398808) Connect with Lori (Link - https://lorilyons.me/contact/) Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here!

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November 3, 202614 min

359: Are We Losing the Human Side of Business?

We've automated our marketing, streamlined our follow-ups, and gotten really good at turning people into leads. But somewhere along the way, have we forgotten that we're dealing with actual human beings? Technology has made running a business more efficient, but efficiency doesn't automatically build relationships. And treating every conversation like a potential transaction isn't exactly a winning long-term business strategy. Inspired by a message shared at her mother's memorial service, Lori explores a simple framework for bringing genuine human connection back into business. Through a personal story about her son, some uncomfortable truths about marketing, and a fresh look at how we use AI and automation, she challenges business owners to rethink what it means to build relationships that actually matter. Because sometimes the smartest business strategy is to stop trying to turn every interaction into a business opportunity. What You'll Learn Why treating every conversation as a potential sale can undermine genuine business relationships How listening, paying attention, and caring about people can change the way you work with clients How to use AI and automation without losing the personal connections that make your business valuable Schedule a call to discuss personalized coaching at TalkWithLori.com Schedule your Profitable Path Blueprint call. If you're considering working together and want to see if it's a fit, book a Profitable Path Blueprint Call. It's a simple, no-pressure conversation to decide whether working together makes sense. Resources: Click HERE to receive your free gift - Get Clients to Say "YES!" The Ultimate Social Proof Checklist Every Business Needs to Build Trust and Boost Sales Join Lori's private Facebook group - The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation! A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now! Connect with Lori Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here! Apply for a "Hot Seat" coaching session to work through your business challenges live: MyCoachLori.com

October 27, 202615 min

358: Stop Waiting for Someday: Build a Business That Gives You Your Life Back

You're building a business to give yourself more freedom. So why do you keep putting your life on hold? There's always another client, another project, another revenue goal. And somehow, the time you're working so hard to create never actually shows up. After the recent loss of her mother, Lori is looking at time, business decisions, and the meaning of success through a different lens. She's questioning which clients deserve her time, why entrepreneurs keep chasing more, and what happens when the business you once dreamed of no longer fits the life you want. This isn't about working less just for the sake of it. It's about making intentional decisions so your business supports your life instead of consuming it. What You'll Learn Why waiting for your business to slow down is a strategy that rarely works How to define what "enough" looks like when it comes to income, clients, growth, and time Why protecting personal time on your calendar is a business decision, not a luxury Schedule a call to discuss personalized coaching at TalkWithLori.com Schedule your Profitable Path Blueprint call. If you're considering working together and want to see if it's a fit, book a Profitable Path Blueprint Call. It's a simple, no-pressure conversation to decide whether working together makes sense. Resources: Click HERE to receive your free gift - Get Clients to Say "YES!" The Ultimate Social Proof Checklist Every Business Needs to Build Trust and Boost Sales Join Lori's private Facebook group - The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation! A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now! Connect with Lori Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here! Apply for a "Hot Seat" coaching session to work through your business challenges live: MyCoachLori.com

October 20, 202618 min

357: Zone of Genius Is Good Business Advice and Lousy Life Advice

Lori has spent years teaching business owners how to market, and the reel she thought was pretty darn good got 14 views. She hasn't had this much fun in years. In this episode, Lori shares what happened when she started a brand new Instagram account from absolutely zero: no audience, no content library, no plan for where it's supposed to lead. What started as a way to tackle an overwhelming garden turned into something she didn't expect, the freedom of being a beginner again. This isn't a social media strategy episode. It's about what we lose when we only do the things we're already good at, why not every interest needs an offer, and the question every business owner chasing freedom should be asking: what do you actually want that time for? 3 Main Takeaways: Staying in your zone of genius is good business advice and lousy life advice. If you only ever do what you're already good at, you never discover anything new. Being a beginner again comes with a kind of freedom expertise doesn't. Give yourself an out-of-state license plate. Mistakes made while learning cost almost nothing. A small audience is a gift, because it lets you experiment, bomb, and fix things in a relatively empty room. Not every interest needs an offer, and not every hobby needs a revenue stream. Being a beginner makes you better at what you already do. Learning something outside her expertise reminded Lori what it feels like to be one of her clients, and how easy it is to skip the steps that have become second nature. This Week's Action: Think of one thing you've been curious about but haven't tried, and take one small step toward it in the next seven days. Don't research it for weeks or sign up for an expensive program. Just do one thing. The rule: you're not allowed to turn it into a business project, at least not this week. Afterward, ask yourself one question: did I enjoy it enough to want to do it again? Resources Mentioned: Follow Lori's new lifestyle account on Instagram: Living with Lori [insert handle/link] Related episodes: 348 (redefining success) and the What Do You Really Want mini-series, 353 to 355 Book a call: talkwithlori.com Schedule a call to discuss personalized coaching at TalkWithLori.com Schedule your Profitable Path Blueprint call. If you're considering working together and want to see if it's a fit, book a Profitable Path Blueprint Call. It's a simple, no-pressure conversation to decide whether working together makes sense. Resources: Click HERE to receive your free gift - Get Clients to Say "YES!" The Ultimate Social Proof Checklist Every Business Needs to Build Trust and Boost Sales Join Lori's private Facebook group - The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation! A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now! Connect with Lori Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here! Apply for a "Hot Seat" coaching session to work through your business challenges live: MyCoachLori.com

October 13, 202612 min

356: The Physics of Momentum: Stop Planning and Start Moving

Objects at rest stay at rest. In the final episode of the What Do You Really Want mini-series, Lori closes the loop on Embrace and Act with the step where a clarified, specific want either becomes an actual life, or quietly stays a nice idea you had once. Momentum isn't a mindset, it's basic physics: one small step is what breaks the cycle, not a massive perfect plan. Lori walks through how she named who else her boundaries would affect, what was really stopping her (and it wasn't logistics), and the single small step, blocking one Friday before she told a single client, that turned into a standing, non-negotiable part of her week. This is the last of three episodes built around the What Do You Really Want workbook. If you've worked through all ten questions across this series, you've done something most people never do: figured out what you actually want, instead of chasing someday. 3 Main Takeaways: Momentum is physics, not motivation. Objects at rest stay at rest, objects in motion stay in motion. Waiting for the perfect plan keeps you stuck. One small, doable step is what actually breaks the cycle. Name what's really stopping you, logistics and mindset both. For Lori, the real obstacle wasn't scheduling, it was her own mindset around always being available. She had to walk her own walk on boundaries before she could coach anyone else on theirs. You don't need the whole staircase, just the next step. Lori's whole shift started with blocking one Friday, before telling a single client. That one small step became the pattern the rest of the change was built on. This Week's Action: Finish pages 6 through 10 of the workbook . Name who else is affected by getting what you want. Name what's actually stopping you, both logistics and mindset. Take stock of the resources you already have. Then pick one small, specific step you can take in the next few days, not someday. Resources Mentioned: The What Do You Really Want workbook Part 1 of this mini-series: Episode 353 (Embrace) Part 2 of this mini-series: Episode 354 (Act) Book a Dream Business Design Session Schedule a call to discuss personalized coaching at TalkWithLori.com Schedule your Profitable Path Blueprint call. If you're considering working together and want to see if it's a fit, book a Profitable Path Blueprint Call. It's a simple, no-pressure conversation to decide whether working together makes sense. Resources: Click HERE to receive your free gift - Get Clients to Say "YES!" The Ultimate Social Proof Checklist Every Business Needs to Build Trust and Boost Sales Join Lori's private Facebook group - The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation! A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now! Connect with Lori Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here! Apply for a "Hot Seat" coaching session to work through your business challenges live: MyCoachLori.com

October 6, 20268 min

355: Getting Specific Is the Action

"I want more freedom" isn't a strategy. It's a wish that gets swallowed up by a 40-hour work week you never even wanted. In part two of this mini-series, Lori turns vague desires into boundaries specific enough to actually build a calendar around. Act doesn't mean go do something, not yet anyway. It means get specific. Using her own example, trading garden time for a protected weekly afternoon with her 93-year-old mother, Lori walks through the simple sentence structure that turns a vague want into a non-negotiable boundary, plus how to name the real trade-off behind it and define exactly how you'll know when you have it. This is part two of the three-part What Do You Really Want mini-series. If you haven't listened to part one (Embrace) or grabbed the workbook yet, start there, this episode builds directly on what you wrote in it. 3 Main Takeaways: Vague wants stay wishes. Specificity is what makes them buildable. "I want more freedom" doesn't tell you what to protect on a calendar. Getting specific is the actual work of this step, not a delay before the real work starts. The fix is one sentence: "I want blank, so that blank." Fill in both blanks until it's concrete enough to see, hear, and feel, not just the outcome, but what having it actually looks like day to day. Name the trade-off next to the benefit, and define how you'll know you have it. Every real want costs you something else. Naming both, and picking something measurable instead of "more balance," is what keeps the boundary from quietly dissolving. This Week's Action: Work through pages 3 through 5 of the workbook. Write your "so that" sentence and make it real, paint the picture in detail. Name the trade-off and the benefit. Decide exactly how you'll know when you have it, and get specific about when, where, and with whom. Resources Mentioned: The What Do You Really Want workbook: themidlifebusinessacademy.com/whatdoyouwant Part 1 of this mini-series: Episode 353 (Embrace) Referenced episode: 348 (where this mini-series was first promised) Schedule a call to discuss personalized coaching at TalkWithLori.com Schedule your Profitable Path Blueprint call. If you're considering working together and want to see if it's a fit, book a Profitable Path Blueprint Call. It's a simple, no-pressure conversation to decide whether working together makes sense. Resources: Click HERE to receive your free gift - Get Clients to Say "YES!" The Ultimate Social Proof Checklist Every Business Needs to Build Trust and Boost Sales Join Lori's private Facebook group - The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation! A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now! Connect with Lori Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here! Apply for a "Hot Seat" coaching session to work through your business challenges live: MyCoachLori.com

September 29, 20269 min

354: The "Wild Idea" Trick to Designing Your Dream Business

Most of us build the business before we ever admit what we actually want, then wonder why it looks right on paper and feels wrong in real life. In part one of this three-part mini-series, Lori kicks off the What Do You Really Want exercise with the first and hardest step: naming it, completely unedited. This isn't a strategy episode. There's no plan, no tactics, not yet. Before any of that, Lori walks through the exercise she built years ago, originally learned from her own coach, for getting past the polished, reasonable-sounding answer and down to what you actually want, plus the trick for getting there: making sure at least one idea per page sounds a little ridiculous. This is the first of three episodes built around the What Do You Really Want workbook. Grab it now (link in the show notes), you'll need it for all three episodes. 3 Main Takeaways: You can't build a strategy toward a want you've never let yourself name. Most of us jump to tactics before establishing the why. Before any strategy conversation, Lori has her clients get clear, and honest, about what they actually want first. Naming what you don't want is what clears space for what you do want. It's the first question in the workbook, and it's the one people skip. Naming the opposite direction uncovers things you'd never think to ask for directly. The wild idea is doing real work. For every three things you write down, make at least one impractical. It's rarely the literal goal, but it almost always points at something true underneath: freedom, permission, adventure. This Week's Action: Download the What Do You Really Want workbook and sit down with pages one and two before the next episode. Answer both questions, what you don't want and what you do want, completely unedited. Don't clean it up, don't skip ahead. If you want to share what you wrote, email it to lori@themidlifebusinessacademy.com. Resources Mentioned: The What Do You Really Want workbook: themidlifebusinessacademy.com/whatdoyouwant Referenced episode: 348 (the Success Blueprint, where this exercise was first introduced) Email Lori directly: lori@themidlifebusinessacademy.com Schedule a call to discuss personalized coaching at TalkWithLori.com Schedule your Profitable Path Blueprint call. If you're considering working together and want to see if it's a fit, book a Profitable Path Blueprint Call. It's a simple, no-pressure conversation to decide whether working together makes sense. Resources: Click HERE to receive your free gift - Get Clients to Say "YES!" The Ultimate Social Proof Checklist Every Business Needs to Build Trust and Boost Sales Join Lori's private Facebook group - The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation! A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now! Connect with Lori Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here! Apply for a "Hot Seat" coaching session to work through your business challenges live: MyCoachLori.com

September 22, 202610 min

353: Comparisonitis: The Sneaky Habit That's Costing You Your Business

Have you ever wanted to trade places with somebody else? If you say no, congratulations, you're the first human being alive to say that and mean it. In this episode, Lori uses the country hit "Be Her" by Ella Langley as a jumping off point to talk about comparisonitis, that quiet habit of measuring your business against somebody else's launch, calendar, or overnight success until your own offer starts to feel smaller. She also names a sneakier version of the same problem, the exhaustion that convinces you everyone else's business must be easier, even with no specific person or post to point to. Both versions, she argues, skip the same question: not "do I want to be her," but "do I even know what I want to be?" That question kicks off a brand new three part mini-series starting next week, What Do You Really Want. This week's action: Go listen to "Be Her" by Ella Langley (yes, even if you're not a country fan, it topped the pop charts too), and ask yourself: is she talking about another woman, or a version of herself she hasn't let herself become yet? Ready to figure out what you actually want your business to look like? Book a Dream Business Design Session at TalkWithLori.com 3 Key Takeaways Comparisonitis is deadly because it's specific. It's not just looking at someone else's business, it's quietly changing your offer, your pricing, and your strategy to match hers, even when your original approach was working fine. There's a sneakier version of comparisonitis with no name and no target. It's fatigue dressed up as a belief that everyone else's business must be easier, with no post or account setting it off, just exhaustion projected onto other people's lives. Both versions skip the same unanswered question. When you haven't defined what you actually want, of course someone else's defined life looks better by comparison. The fix isn't to stop comparing, it's to answer the question underneath it. Schedule a call to discuss personalized coaching at TalkWithLori.com Schedule your Profitable Path Blueprint call. If you're considering working together and want to see if it's a fit, book a Profitable Path Blueprint Call. It's a simple, no-pressure conversation to decide whether working together makes sense. Resources: Click HERE to receive your free gift - Get Clients to Say "YES!" The Ultimate Social Proof Checklist Every Business Needs to Build Trust and Boost Sales Join Lori's private Facebook group - The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation! A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now! Connect with Lori Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here! Apply for a "Hot Seat" coaching session to work through your business challenges live: MyCoachLori.com

September 15, 202619 min

352: Title: Stop Chasing Revenue: The Truth About Real Profit

Somewhere out there, a seven-figure business owner is spending seven figures just to say the number out loud. In the final episode of the Dream Business Blueprint series, Lori breaks down why that's not an empire, it's a headache, and why the number that actually funds your dream life isn't revenue at all. This isn't a lecture on spreadsheets. It's the difference between the number you're chasing and the number that's actually left over once you pay for chasing it, plus the pricing, client selection, and offer decisions that quietly decide which one you end up with. This is the last stop in the Dream Business Blueprint series. Ten weeks ago it started with your ideal week. Today it closes the loop: none of the other blueprints survive very long without the business actually keeping what it earns. 3 Main Takeaways: Revenue and profit are two different numbers, and treating them the same will run you into the ground. Lori shares her own founding story: fully booked, referrals everywhere, and making about 10 cents an hour. Revenue funds the vanity metric. Profit is what's actually left to build a life on. Pricing sabotage starts in your body, not your spreadsheet. If a new price makes your stomach drop, that's not a sign to back off it, it's the feeling that shows up anytime you ask for more than you're used to. Practice saying the number out loud until it stops catching in your throat. Not every dollar of revenue, or every client, is worth the same. A poor-fit client costs more than the invoice shows. Complexity, scope creep, and underpriced packages all quietly eat margin. Better clients paired with better offers, not bigger ones, is what actually funds a dream business. This Week's Action: Pull the dream life number you set back in episode 348 and ask honestly: is that a revenue number or a profit number? If it's revenue, build in the real cost of delivering it before you call it your target. Referenced episodes: 325 (transformational messaging and the Four R's), 342 (kicking off the Dream Business Blueprint), 348 (the Success blueprint and the Camino Trail client) Ready to figure out where your business is costing you freedom? Book a Dream Business Design Session at TalkWithLori.com Resources: Download your Dream Business Blueprint workbook HERE Join Lori's private Facebook group - The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation! A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now! Connect with Lori Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here! Apply for a "Hot Seat" coaching session to work through your business challenges live: MyCoachLori.com

September 8, 202622 min

351: You're a Business Owner, Not an Influencer (Dream Business Blueprint Bonus: Social Media)

Somewhere out there, someone's putting off recording one more reel. In this bonus episode of the Dream Business Blueprint series, Lori explains why you may not need to post it at all. This isn't a tutorial on how to use Instagram or beat the algorithm. It's about where social media actually belongs in the business you're designing: not as a popularity contest, but as one tool doing a specific job. 3 Main Takeaways: You're a business owner, not an influencer. Every post exists for one reason: so people who could become your clients find out who you are and how to work with you. Stop asking "what should I post?" and start asking "what job does social media need to do in my business?" Pick one primary platform based on the job, not the trend. LinkedIn builds professional relationships and opportunity. Facebook is where your personality comes through. Instagram builds your brand and personal connection. TikTok and YouTube are built for discovery, and YouTube in particular works as a searchable library of expertise. Choose the one that fits the job you need done, give it your consistency, and let everything else play a supporting role. Engagement beats followers, and five mistakes are costing most business owners. A smaller, engaged audience beats a bigger, silent one. The five most common mistakes: trying to be an influencer instead of a business owner, no call to action, no link, inconsistency, and not sounding like yourself. This Week's Action: Pick one platform, the one you're already on or the one that fits the job you need done. Look back at your last five to ten posts and ask honestly: what job was each one doing? Building relationships? Building your brand? Getting found? Or just noise because you felt like you had to post something? Resources Mentioned: Dream Business Blueprint Assessment Workbook (social media bonus section added), Grab Yours Here Referenced episodes: 342 (kicking off the Dream Business Blueprint), 346 (visibility without becoming an influencer) Ready to figure out where your business is costing you freedom? Book a Dream Business Design Session at TalkWithLori.com Resources: Download your Dream Business Blueprint workbook HERE Join Lori's private Facebook group - The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation! A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now! Connect with Lori Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here! Apply for a "Hot Seat" coaching session to work through your business challenges live: MyCoachLori.com

September 1, 202628 min

350: AI Is Your Business Partner, Not a Vending Machine (Dream Business Blueprint, Week 9)

Most business owners are using AI like a high-tech vending machine - put a prompt in, get a generic answer back, and wonder why their business feels less than human. But what if AI wasn't there to replace your brain, but to act like a partner that buys back 10 hours of your week for your family, your business, or whatever you wish? In this milestone 350th episode, Lori shares the exact "thinking partner" blueprint she uses to stay creative without burning out - and why AI isn't going to build your business for you, but it might be the fastest tool you have for getting where you actually want to go. This is week 9 of the Dream Business Blueprint series, and it's not about AI replacing jobs or creativity - it's about how AI can help you build the business you actually want, not a generic one. 3 Main Takeaways: Treat AI like a partner, not a brain. A brain hands you a finished decision to execute. A partner is something you think alongside - you bring it a half-formed idea, push back on what it gives you, and build something together. That shift is what turns generic output into something that actually sounds like you. AI doesn't kill creativity - it clears the runway for it. The organizing and sequencing work that used to eat up Lori's creative energy now happens fast, which leaves more time for the part that actually makes content hers: the stories, the phrasing, the personal spark. Efficient isn't the same as finished - the real value shows up in the 2-3 hours of refining after the first draft. AI is most useful as business infrastructure, not just content generation. Beyond writing, AI can spot patterns you're too close to see (recurring client objections, energy-draining clients, content themes), turn a narrated task into a repeatable system in minutes, and build an ideal client profile from your actual best clients instead of a guess. This Week's Action: Pick one thing - play devil's advocate on a decision you're sitting on, write down a system you've been meaning to document, or dig into who your real dream clients are. Try it with AI this week, and give yourself permission to actually refine what it gives you instead of judging it by the first draft. Ready to figure out where your business is costing you freedom? Book a Dream Business Design Session at TalkWithLori.com Resources: Download your Dream Business Blueprint workbook HERE Join Lori's private Facebook group - The Midlife Business Academy. A Facebook group for The Typewriter Generation! A community to share business growth strategies that work for us! Join now! Connect with Lori Follow me on social media - grab other free resources of book a call - it's all right here! Apply for a "Hot Seat" coaching session to work through your business challenges live: MyCoachLori.com