Episode Details

On Healthy Mind, Healthy Life, host Avik Chakraborty speaks with Kyra Faison Gardner—certified transformational life & retirement coach, author of Who Do You Think You Are?, and founder of Prospect & Refuge Life—about “threshold alchemy”: using life transitions (midlife shifts, retirement, loss, reinvention) to create purpose. Kyra unpacks practical rituals (silence at sunrise, gratitude journaling, mindful community) and a direct message: you don’t need permission to change direction. This episode is built for listeners seeking midlife reinvention, post-career identity, spiritual grounding, and daily practices that stick.

About the Guest:  

Kyra Faison Gardner is a transformational life & retirement coach and author of Who Do You Think You Are? After more than 20 years as a founder/CEO—and rebuilding after a devastating house fire—she now helps people in their second and third acts redesign life with intention through Prospect & Refuge Life.

Key Takeaways:

• Threshold alchemy defined: transform uncertain life stages into meaningful new chapters by reframing identity beyond roles and titles.

• Identity ≠ job: you are not your career, marital status, or parental role; reinvention starts when you expand who you believe you are.

• Rituals over routines: morning silence, sunrise, brief meditation, and gratitude journaling stabilize mood and sharpen purpose.

• Body-markers for intention: simple anchors (remove shoes, anoint hands/feet, light a candle) signal your nervous system it’s time to focus.

• Community matters: find cohorts or circles that see your current self and support who you’re becoming.

• Permission slip: you already have permission to be happy, change your mind, and pursue long-delayed curiosities.

• Spiritual flexibility: you don’t need the “right” label for the sacred; name it how it resonates and keep going.

• Micro-choices win: small, repeatable acts (feed the birds, a poem, one page of writing) accumulate into identity change.

• From trauma to truth: healing isn’t linear; honest writing and coaching help you share without losing peace.

• Aging as expansion: retirement and midlife aren’t endings—they’re invitations to create, learn, and serve.

Connect with the Guest  

• Website: https://www.prospectrefugelife.com/

• Substack: Seeking Prospect & Refuge (poetry, blessings, essays)

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Disclaimer: This video is for educational and informational purposes only. The views expressed are the personal opinions of the guest and do not reflect th