INSPIRATIONAL women are to take to the stage at Chester's Storyhouse once more in an upcoming panel and Q&A.

Part of the Storyhouse Women Annual Programme, 'Crunchy Talks – Tales from Midlife Journeys' aims to empower women feeling stuck in the middle of their journey.

Led by lifestyle journalist Michela Di Carlo, founder of crunchytales.com, the event at 7pm, September 26 at the Garret Theatre wants to help women rethink the way they approach midlife, challenging old stereotypes, smashing preconceptions about ageing and make women in their middle age more visible.

Michela said: "Our talks aim to highlight midlife as a period of renaissance and expansion rather than contraction and winding down.

"Starting over in middle age is something more and more of us experience, sometimes because of a choice or unexpected circumstances, but a lot of us find ourselves turning down a new path."

Michela will interview a panel of inspirational women from different backgrounds on the topic of various midlife issues, ageing and repurpose in life, followed by a Q&A.

Speakers include:

  • Emma Stringfellow – A trustee of Chester Municipal Charity, The Battle of the Atlantic Memorial Fund and vice chair of governors at Upton by Chester High School. Emma graduated with

a degree in history from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, spent 25 years working in business strategy and IT programme management. Her final commercial role was as CEO for an IT firm specialising in Quality Assurance which she doubled in size and profit over three years and managed its sale to trade buyers. Since then she has achieved an MA in Archaeology and Heritage Practice at Chester University and for two years worked as Operations Director for Big Heritage and award-winning heritage CIC.

  • Rebecca Weef Smith – With over 30 years of experience in the fashion industry, an MSc in Applied Positive Psychology, Rebecca (over-50s influencer and anti-ageism activist) is the founder of GOLDIE Magazine – a glossy lifestyle publication for aspirational over the 40s (as seen on BBC, ITV and Daily Mail) and Wearing Wellbeing. Her research on Flourishing Fashion was published in the inaugural edition of Fashion Studies.
  • Theresa Robberts – Inspirational humorist author and speaker. Based in Chester, Theresa is studying for her PhD in Corporate Social Responsibility. She has only three per cent sight but has a hunger for adventure and accepts the challenges of daily life with loads of determination, tenacity and a wicked sense of humour. ‘Yes three per cent sight but 97 per cent attitude’ is how her friends describe her.
  • Kate Blakemore – Counsellor, founder and CEO of the Charity ‘Motherwell Cheshire’ that supports the mental health and wellbeing of women and girls. Last year Kate set up an open water swim challenge to raise money for the charity and 22 women took part in the challenge. Kate also took part in the challenge and since has gone on to wild swim as a hobby. This year she has competed in the Great North Swim and Dee Mile. Kate will talk about the importance of challenging ourselves in midlife and especially how wild swimming has supported her mental health.

Tickets for the event, scheduled to last about 130 minutes, cost £5 and be purchased from www.storyhouse.com/event/crunchy-tales.