Dare To Be Brave with Joy Foster
Redundancy. Maternity leave. Perimenopause. Menopause. Illness. Caring for ageing parents.
Sound familiar?
If you're a woman in midlife, chances are you've faced one - or several - of these life transitions. And somewhere along the way, you may have pressed pause on your career… your confidence… or even your sense of direction.
But what if this chapter isn’t the end of your story—what if it’s the moment you learn to be brave?
Dare To Be Brave with Joy Foster is a powerful solo podcast that blends real-life insight with the neuroscience of courage, confidence, and change.
Each episode unpacks what’s really happening in your brain when you feel stuck, overwhelmed, or afraid to move forward—and shows you how to work with your brain, not against it.
You’ll learn how to:
- Rebuild confidence after a setback
- Take action even when fear is loud
- Break free from overthinking and self-doubt
- Navigate change with clarity and resilience
- Redefine success on your own terms
Whether you're returning to work, starting something new, or simply trying to figure out what’s next, this podcast will give you the tools - and the courage - to move forward.
Because bravery isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you build.
And this is where it begins.
Episodes
298 episodes
Perimenopause at 41? You’re Not Too Young! | E285
Turning 40 can feel daunting - but what if the real challenge isn’t ageing… it’s the lack of information?In this episode, I share my personal journey from feeling fearful about turning 40 to navigating early menopause symptoms at 41 - de...
Why You Freeze Even When You’re Safe (It’s Not a Confidence Problem) | E284
I Was Perfectly Safe, So Why Did My Brain React Like I Wasn’t?Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were completely safe and yet your nervous system behaved as if you weren’t?Your heart is racing. Your thoug...
E283｜Want stronger immunity, better sleep or sharper focus? Could this be the answer?
If you feel like you pick up every cold going, regularly get a poor night’s sleep, or experience constant brain fog, you’ll know how much of an energy sap they can be.But what if the secret to no longer feeling like you’re running on em...
E282｜Why your career crisis might be your greatest gift with The Wobbly Middle's Susannah de Jager and Patsy Day
What happens when your carefully built career suddenly... crumbles?For Susannah De Jager, who was a hedge fund CEO at 32, it was losing her biggest client at work and realising her role was untenable while watching one of her closest fri...
E281｜Fern Fuller made £77k last year working 20-25 hours per week. Here's how you can do the same
Four years ago, Fern Fuller was juggling it all – a single mum with a full-time job as an Executive Assistant, COVID-induced home-schooling chaos, and the curveball that is perimenopause. Cue a moment of complete exhaustion that saw...
E280｜Collagen, career pivots and can you have it all? With Kate Prince, founder of Ancient + Brave
There’s been an explosion in the popularity of collagen supplements over the past few years, and social media feeds are now full of posts from influencers bigging up the benefits.If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, you’ll pro...
E279｜Feeling lost and confused about your future? Joy Foster’s 12-day challenge will give you clarity
What if 12 emails could completely transform how you think about your future?What if you could wake up and find that the familiar voice that says ‘there has to be more to life than this’ has been replaced by a sense of excitement? Becau...
E278｜62% of mid-career women want a change. So what’s holding them back?, asks Jenn Barnett
Jenn Barnett turned a life-altering health crisis into a life-affirming career pivot. But a comprehensive survey of 600+ mid-career professional women (those with 10-25 years’ experience), commissioned by Jenn in her role as...
E277｜Autism, ADHD and the business that’s breaking down barriers to work with Lillie Jamieson
If you’re neurodiverse…Or know someone who is constantly battling an exhausting cycle of trying to fit in to workplaces that just don’t seem to get them…Or you’re an employer and want to better understand how you create a more i...
E276｜Bias in the boardroom. Is your weight affecting your pay and career progression? With Napala Pratini
We all know gender inequality exists in the workplace. But there’s another kind of bias that’s been quietly derailing women’s careers… and it’s time we brought it into the spotlight. According to Napala Pratini...
E275 | In perimenopause or post-menopause? Alison Urquhart asks, Are you getting enough protein?
Feeling like your energy’s on empty? Struggling to climb the stairs without needing a breather? Metabolism slowed to a snail’s pace? Welcome to the rollercoaster of perimenopause and post-menopause, where hormones go haywire, energy...
E274｜How to leave a toxic workplace when you have no plan B with Dr Victoria Stakelum
Would you walk away from a high-paying job……with no backup plan, a new baby, and a hefty mortgage on a new house?This was exactly the situation Dr Victoria Stakelum was faced with when she returned from maternity leave and found t...
E273｜Struggling with heavy, painful periods? Anna Maxwell has the solution
Heavy, painful periods: the £8.4 billion problem nobody was solving.You’ve seen the ads – smiling women skipping through their ‘time of the month’ like it’s no big deal.But if you live with heavy, painful periods, you know the tru...
E272｜What’s it like to pitch on Dragons’ Den? Eco-friendly cleaning pioneer Laura Harnett reveals all
If you think it’s too late to reinvent yourself and turn the seed of a business idea into something that can make an impact, Laura Harnett’s story is one for you.After setting up Seep, an eco-friendly cleaning tools business that has so...
E271｜Creating the UK's first disability discount site with Georgina Colman
Would a life-changing health diagnosis stop you in your tracks or spur you on to create something extraordinary? For Georgina Colman, being diagnosed with MS has been the catalyst for a business that is making a difference to the li...
E270｜Surviving redundancy and mastering a money mindset with Avneet Sachdeva
Losing a job once is tough. Losing it twice? That’s an emotional rollercoaster that forces you to dig deep. For Avneet Sachdeva, her redundancies were a challenge, but they also became an opportunity to channel her entrepreneurial ...
E269｜Is our obsession with winning holding us back? Cath Bishop thinks it is
What does ‘winning’ mean to you?As a World Champion rower, three-time Olympian and Olympic silver medallist, Cath Bishop spent a decade embedded in a high-performance winning culture.But when Cath transitioned from the world of el...
E268｜How to break free from trauma with Philippa Smethurst
*This podcast episode discusses trauma, which some listeners may find triggering. In 1989, tanks rolled into Tiananmen Square, and the world watched in horror as a brutal moment in history unfolded. But for Philippa...
E267｜Money is power. But are you managing your finances?
Let’s be honest: most of us want more of it, and most of us want the money we do have to work harder for us. What if you could download a free app that looked at your current finances and then helped you make a plan to get them to...
E266｜Do you feel lost at 50? Eleanor Mills did
Hands up if you’ve been through any of these:✅ Redundancy✅ Bereavement✅ Divorce✅ Caring for elderly parents✅ Chronic illness✅ Menopause✅ Abuse✅ Raising tricky teenagersChances are, you’ve just ticked ...
E265｜Why Mel Robbins Thinks Social Media is STILL the Most Important Thing For Your Business in 2025
“People will have negative opinions about you and every single thing you do. Let them.” – Mel RobbinsEveryone is talking about Mel Robbins’ latest book, The Let Them Theory. And trust us when we say you’ll be nodding along to wh...
E264｜How could energy medicine help you?
Rub your hands together and slowly pull them apart. What do you feel? Warmth? Tingling? ⚡For Jodi Law, this sensation is energy. And as a transformational energy medicine practitioner, she believes we can tap into the body...
E263｜Fertility coaching and pivoting for business success
*Trigger warning: this podcast episode discusses infertility.*Your husband quits his job to help you build the next phase of your business only for the panic of the pandemic to hit just a couple of months later.
E262｜Pivoting and parenting with Annie Ridout. How to build a fulfilling career while raising a family
Life is rarely a straight line; it’s often more of a doodle full of unexpected twists and squiggles. Just ask Annie Ridout. Her journey – from being ousted from her job while pregnant to creating a thriving, multi-dimension...
E261｜How to leave a corporate career and start a business in your fifties
“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take, the relationships we were afraid to have, and the decisions we waited too long to make.”– Lewis CarrollYou’d think escaping violence in your home country and arriving in the UK...
