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K Pop Demon Hunters, Saja Boy's Breakfast Meal and Hunt Tricks Meal have just dropped at McDonald's. They're calling this a battle for the fans. What do you say to that, Rumi? It's not a battle. So glad the Saja Boys could take
Wendy Valentine
breakfast and give our meal the rest of the day.
Travis
It is an honor to share. No, it's our honor. It is our larger honor.
Chef Meilin
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Travis
Ba da ba ba ba.
Wendy Valentine
And participate in McDonald's while supplies last.
Travis
You're listening to the Travis Makes Money podcast presented by GoHighLevel.com for a free 30 day trial of the best all in one digital marketing software tool on the planet. Just go to gohighlevel.com travis. What is going on, everybody? Welcome back to the Travis Makes Money podcast where it's a mission to help you all make a little bit more money. Today on the show, I have a new friend, Wendy Valentine. She's the author of Women Waking up, the Midlife Manifesto for Passion, Purpose and Play. It's inspiring book that became a number one Amazon new release. And the creator of the Freedom at Midlife program. She's also the host of the Midlife Makeover show, the top rated podcast inspiring women worldwide to embrace midlife as a powerful new beginning. Wendy, what's up? Welcome to the show.
Wendy Valentine
Thank you so much. Travis makes money. Money. Wendy's making money. We're all making money.
Travis
That's the goal. That's the goal. Yeah. It seems like you have found a way to monetize your, your passion, your purpose, your. The thing that you really enjoy doing or talk, which is something I think a lot of people are trying to do. So let's talk about that. Before you did this, what were you doing to make money?
Wendy Valentine
Oh my gosh. Okay. I'm going to take you back about seven, eight years ago. I'm going to give you this sad story and then we're going to turn it around. Thank God.
Travis
Break down real time. Let's do it.
Wendy Valentine
Yeah. So I was about 45, 46 years old, going through my second divorce. I was unemployed, empty investor, about 150 grand in debt. Black mold toxicity, chronic Lyme disease, and about six weeks, my dog died, my cat died, and my brother died.
Travis
It sounds like you're writing a country song right now.
Wendy Valentine
I always say that. I'm like, everyone, take out your violins. I'm going to play you a sad song. So all of this happened at Once it was insane in the membrane. Needless to say, I was depressed. I was suffering from anxiety, depression, everything, right? And I had this crazy, out of the blue vision of me driving an RV across the country. And it sounded super crazy at the time, kind of still does, but it was the only thing that gave me hope. And I thought, you know what? My whole life has fallen apart. And maybe think of the. The quote by Robert Frost. Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. And I realized that I was at a crossroads because I could stay on the same familiar road of misery that I had been leading for most of my life, actually, or I could choose a new road that was kind of scary because it was chasing a dream. But I thought, well, whichever road that I decide to take, it would require a ton of. Of effort. And I thought, I'm going to have to work hard. I might as well choose the road that leads to a better life for myself. And thank God I did. And so from that moment, I decided, all right, what's the next step? I got to get a job. So I sent out my resume all over the world, and I was living in Virginia at the time, and I thought, whichever one comes back, I'm going to take that job. Four weeks later, I took a job selling new construction houses in Chicago, something I had never done before. And here's the thing, a point I want to make is that sometimes to get to your dream job, you might have to take some temporary jobs that you're not that crazy about, live in a place that you're not crazy about. But if you keep your eye on the prize, then you'll get there. And actually, the prize for me was, interestingly, it wasn't so much the RV or someday becoming an author, an inspirational speaker. It was the woman in the driver's seat of that rv. It was the woman that was happy and healthy and financially free and a woman that finally followed her dream of becoming an author. Right? That's what I was after. And I think that's what a lot of us miss out on, especially with writing goals and New Year's resolutions. We think about the what, when, where, why, and how, but we forget about the who. And for me, it was figuring out who I wanted to be and who. Who I needed to be to make those dreams come true. Right? So fast forward. So two years. It took me about two years, and I ended up becoming the number one sales consultant in Chicago for that division. Yes. Sold over $45 million worth of homes, which then a lot crazy, which then allowed me to leave that corporate job. Although very nice and very comfy, it wasn't where I really needed to be. And bought the rv, took off across the country, and probably about eight months after that is when I got my book deal.
Travis
Wow. Okay, well, that's. Before we get there. Before we get there, I want to drill back in on something that you mentioned at the beginning of this. Do you believe that you have to have that rock bottom moment in order to be able to decide that the path was worth taking? Finally? Does that make sense? Like, because it seems like. Because it seems like there's. You're. We're wired to seek comfort. We're wired to move away from fear. And so what you mentioned earlier about, like, being in misery, it's like, well, one path is. Is in misery. And most people look at that and go like, well, why would you choose the path that is misery? But it's also because it's comfortable, because you're used to it, because it's. It's. It's neurologically habitual. Quite literally. Like, it's easier for your brain to end up in this direction. And because you spend so much time there, it. It ironically, even though it's misery feels comfortable and doing anything other than that feels uncomfor. But there was finally a moment where you were like, it is now worth it for me to pursue this discomfort and leave this misery behind. Did the. So my question is, was the rock bottom moment required in order to be able to make that decision?
Wendy Valentine
No, I think it was for me. And I think it forced me to finally give myself permission to go after my dream. And I would actually have to say, for me to be me. And up to that point, I was a perfectionist, a people pleaser, approval seeker, codependent, you name it. I rocked those labels for over four decades of my life. And once I realized, I was like, you know what? I've been jumping through hoops for everybody else. It's gotten me nowhere. I'm miserable. I'm living a life that I don't love. I'm not using my gifts and talents. And it's just, yeah, I think I needed to. I don't think everybody else needs to. I always say I'm like, try to be proactive rather than reactive in your life. And there's a quote by Marianne Williamson that I love that changed my life during that time. And the quote is, our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. And I remember when I read that quote, I thought, why would I be scared of my light? But I actually was because I knew if I stepped into my light, then that would mean, okay, I might need to file for divorce. I might need to move across the country. I might have to take a job I don't like. I might have to do all these things for a little while temporarily to get me to that next level where I truly want to be.
Travis
Yeah. And it demands change, uncertainty and discomfort.
Wendy Valentine
Oh, for sure. Yeah. I mean, a comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there, right?
Travis
Yeah.
Wendy Valentine
Like if you want to grow and evolve as a human being, no matter your age or no matter where you're at, you have to consciously continue to push yourself out of that comfort zone. And I'm even doing that now. I mean, I like about to go into keynote speaking. It's like, okay, I, I've kind of taken this business in phases. Right. Podcast, then the book, now I'm going into keynote speaking. I'm constantly trying to level up for myself because I know there's more in here within me to share with the world. Right. I think we, I know we all have that within us. We. I know we all have more to share, but we have to give ourselves permission to step into that light.
Travis
Tell me about the book deal. How did this come about?
Wendy Valentine
Yeah, that was kind of crazy. So again, I had Trading at Schwab
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Wendy Valentine
Pretty taken off in the RV. And I started the Midlife Makeover show on 22222 at 2:22pm not that I have a thing for numbers. In Malibu, California. And I started to get pretty popular. Social media, things like that. They're like following this chick that's driving this RV across the country, Right. And then I get an email out of the blue from a very large publisher. I won't say who it is. And they were asking if I would write a book for them about midlife. And I was like, well, that's kind of cool.
Travis
Do you know how they found you?
Wendy Valentine
What's that?
Travis
Do you know how they found you?
Wendy Valentine
Social media. They were following me on Instagram and all these things that I was doing. And then they found the podcast, and so I thought, well, shoot. But honestly, I was not excited about the book that they wanted me to write. And so I asked a friend, I said, you know, what do I do? Should I sign this contract? She goes, you know, maybe you should find an agent first. And I had no idea even how to do that. I was like, how do you get an agent?
Travis
Good question.
Wendy Valentine
Yeah. So I looked up some of my favorite authors, and coincidentally, they all had the same agent, which was Michelle Martin. And so, yeah, Andrea Owen, Gabby Bernstein were some of my favorite authors during that time. And so their agent was Michelle Martin. So I emailed her and I said, hey, I'm about to sign a contract with Da Da Da. You know, you know, I just like to talk to you for a few minutes. She calls me immediately. And then I signed a contract with her the next day. And then after talking to her a little bit more, we both decided that I should start from scratch and not sign with them. And I'm so glad I didn't. So glad I didn't. And from there, I ended up getting a book coach, Amy Scherer. And we spent about six months writing a killer proposal, which, as you know, is. You were talking about that on your last episode.
Travis
Yeah. You have basically as much work as writing a book. Yeah.
Wendy Valentine
Yeah. But you know what? By the time I wrote the book, it only took. It took me 63 days to write this book. That's it. Because I already had the whole outline. I knew my story. I know I knew what I wanted to teach. And so, yeah, once you have that proposal, then it's so much easier. And it took probably about four months of her submitting the proposal to different publishers, and then finally got a book deal with New World Library. And it's been amazing. But Writing the book was the easiest part of the whole deal. It's everything else.
Travis
Well, what's, what's, what's great to me about that story though, is that you chose to make the difficult decision yet again, is that, yeah, for promote. Like a lot of people, myself included, might have even just taken the initial deal and been like, yeah, it's not really a book I want to write, but it's a publishing deal and I'll write this book for them and then next book, once we, you know, I'll be able to write the thing I really want to write. And this is just a step in the right direction. But you had enough, I think, clarity, confidence, and, you know, self awareness and security to basically make the decision to be like, you know, what if I say no to this and nothing ever comes out of it? I'm okay with that because I would prefer to work on something that actually is meaningful to me.
Wendy Valentine
Yeah, I, and I agree because, and here's the thing, for me, I had spent most of my life not being me, not being authentic and not being true to myself. And I thought I, I worked my ass off to get to that point. There was no way I was gonna go, you know what, fine, I'll go ahead, make this sacrifice and write something for somebody else, even though I don't totally agree with it. So I just couldn't do it. There was just no way I would be able to sit down and write that book for them. If I wasn't, it wouldn't have been really about me. It would have been for them. So, yeah, you definitely have to stay true to yourself. And just like even I was telling you too, with that last episode, were you talking about traditional versus self publish? To each his own. Right. But I can tell with you in your heart, you're like, I really gotta go after the traditional publishing.
Travis
Yeah.
Wendy Valentine
And I'm glad I did. I'm really glad that I did.
Travis
Yeah. Like you said, it's sort of a to each their own thing. I just, it feels more like a personal goal at this point, you know what I mean? To like to go through that process. And I want to put out the best product that I possibly can. And I know, like in my heart of hearts, I know I'm not, I'm not a writer, I'm a podcaster. And like, they're somewhat adjacent, you know, because they're, they're somewhat similar, but they are two different skill sets at the end of the day. And so I just like, I want that friction with somebody who's been doing this for their entire career to help me put out the best possible product that I can put out. It sounds like you were also able to do that. You're able to put, put, put a product out into the world that you're actually very proud of, which also is very helpful when you go to promote the book. You know, like writing the book is one thing. Promoting the book is a whole nother venture that. And it also is a long time to, you know, and a lot of work to get out there. What's been your experience now with the, with the, with the promotion of the book?
Wendy Valentine
I have been having so much fun, first of all. And as a first time author, I felt it was important to have kind of like those big names out there, the abc, NBC, cbs. So I did hire a big PR firm, Sarah hall out of New York. Same PR firm for like Tony Hawk.
Travis
Yeah, yeah, I know, I know, I know. Tony Hawk's some agent there.
Wendy Valentine
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I ended up, I hired her and it was amazing. And I did a book tour in the RV and went Miami, Louisiana, New York, had a blast. And it's nice to have those, those names on your resume, if you will, right. On your media and your press page, because that does help you to get into bigger podcasts or into magazines and keynote speaking. All sorts of things can lead to that. So I did that also hired a podcast agency, scouts agency, and then. And really just my own connections. I mean, just like you, right? You meet tons of people on this podcast with networking, connecting and going back to them and saying, hey, can I get on your show? Can I get podcasting? I would say is, I would say there's two things that are for sure that every single author needs to do. Number one is podcasting. Being a guest on as many podcasts as you can possibly get on. Thank you. And then also Amazon, Amazon Marketing. 70% of books are sold on Amazon.
Travis
Wow.
Wendy Valentine
Yes. No, just in general. 70% of people buy their books on Amazon.
Travis
Oh, I see, I see. Gotcha, gotcha. So putting effort into that is worth the effort.
Wendy Valentine
Yeah, Yep, exactly. And it bumps you to the top. And there's over 44 million books on Amazon. And just like, it's crazy. And just like you guys were talking about on the episode, was it 5? Is it 5 million that came out last year?
Travis
Million came out just in 2025.
Wendy Valentine
Yeah, yeah, it's crazy.
Travis
And the stats are the stats. The stats blow my mind when it's like, especially when, especially even in traditional publishing, it's like, yeah, a large portion of these are self pub published and probably sold less than 10 copies. But also in traditional publishing, the the numbers were crazy to me in terms of the volume of books that ever sell anything more than 500 copies. And it was like, wow, that's like how much effort that goes into putting this book out there. And then you only sell 500 books. Like, I mean, yeah, I know I'm an optimist, but also like, I know I can sell more than a thousand books like that.
Wendy Valentine
I know. Yeah. Oh, for sure. Yeah. When he said those stats then I felt really good. I was like, oh, my book is like killing it then. Yeah, you know, so it's all of that hard work is definitely paying off.
Travis
Yeah.
Wendy Valentine
And I mean you have to have that platform first. Some authors will end up like, okay, I'm just gonna publish a book. Like, it doesn't work that way. Build your.
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Wendy Valentine
Platform get your following going and your super fans, I should say, get your subscriber list built up and then boom. Then you come out with the book. You already have superfans. You already have an audience to sell to. And honestly, that's what publishers look for. They're looking to make sure. I mean, really, that's what the proposal is. The proposal is, what can I do for you? Publisher, right? I can sell these Books. Because I know this person and that person, and I'm going to put this much money into it. And yeah, it's. You have to go all out for it. And honestly, it's so worth it, though. I mean, I've worked so hard to create the book, and of course, I would work hard for this thing just to get it out there. Right. Yeah, I love doing it. Yeah.
Travis
Tell me about the business now. Like, what are sort of the monetization points for you inside of your business?
Wendy Valentine
The main thing would be podcasting the book. Keynote speaking. Those are my three big buckets.
Travis
Great.
Wendy Valentine
The book. It's kind of like I would have to say all three of those feed into each other. Right. And even with the book, too. Right. I get listeners from the readers, so they buy the book they see on their, oh, the Midlife Makeover show. So then I get listeners for it. And there's also probably about three or four different ways within the book where they can sign up for something. So I gain a subscriber from that. Right. So there are lots of different ways to kind of pull people in. Into the web, if you will. It's like I just want to get them in the web. Right.
Travis
Yeah.
Wendy Valentine
And then also keynote speaking is a great way to be able to make money. And a lot of. A lot of conferences don't even allow you to be a keynote speaker unless you are an author.
Travis
Yeah, that's right.
Wendy Valentine
You have to have a book.
Travis
Yeah. It's basically like a speaking business card almost. It's like the thing that gets you the gigs. Tell me, tell me more about the podcast. Why? Why spend your time podcasting? How has that been for you?
Wendy Valentine
I love it. That was where I started with the podcast, and I'm glad that I did. It was like, what is it, you know, the chicken before the egg or egg before the chicken? But I wouldn't have been able to get this book deal if I didn't have the podcast first. Right.
Travis
Yeah.
Wendy Valentine
Because I needed that platform again. And then also with social media and things like that. Right. But the podcast was great for me to not only learn more about my audience, what they needed, my avatar, but then also to be able to make more connections. I mean, believe it or not, I don't have all the answers, so I end up getting experts on the show that do have the answers. So for me, I came out of the gate when I started this whole business in 2022, I came out of the gate. Sounds corny, but serving, not selling. And I'm so glad That I did. That was my mission. I was like, you know what? And I had faith that if I just stick to this and I keep serving, then it'll all come together. And it is amazing, though. As soon as you give yourself permission to shine, then everything just starts to fall into place. You get the call from a publisher, or you all of a sudden get invited to speak at a conference. Right. All sorts of things just happen. It's like, okay, yeah.
Travis
Well, I also want to point out, though, that you also were taking relentless action against the dream and against the decision. Decision to shine. You know what I'm saying? Like, it. It's not just. It's not enough to just be like, I decide now and then do the same stuff you've been doing. You know, it's like, that's not going to make opportunities come. But, yeah, followed it with the action is crucial.
Wendy Valentine
Yes, exactly. And I love that you brought that up because the number. The number one thing that I did to change my life years ago was changing my thinking. I knew that the thoughts and the beliefs and the values that I had were not working for me, and I really started to pay attention to the ticker tape of thoughts that were going across my mind and replacing any type of negativity or criticism, mostly at myself, you know what I mean? Like, or at my life and switching those thoughts and switching those beliefs into that woman that I envisioned in that driver's seat in the rv, driving off in the sunset in Sedona. Right. Knowing that, yes, I did it. I am the woman that I want to be. Right? There's Bronnie Ware, the author of Top five Regrets of the Dying. And the number one regret is living life for everybody else. And I was doing that. I mean, I was constantly putting myself on the back burner and. And living life for everybody else. But for me. And it's pretty wild, though, that when you do start to live your life for you, you're also living it for everybody else, too. You're able to give more and give your talents and your strengths and your gifts to the world instead of holding that in, trying to stay small. I was definitely trying to stay small. It wasn't worth it.
Travis
Wendy, I appreciate you so much for taking the time to come on the show. I know you're very busy, so I don't take your time for granted. Where can people go to get more from you? Pick up a copy of the book.
Wendy Valentine
Thank you so much. This is awesome. WendyValentine.com is the main hub, and of course you can get the book on Amazon. You can get it anywhere books are sold and the digital version is there, and also the audiobook as well.
Travis
Women Waking Up. If you are a woman listening to this right now, go pick up a copy of this if you're a man listen to this right now, then go pick up a copy of this for the women in your life. I know that they will be very appreciative for that. Wendy, thank you so much. Again, everybody else listening. Remember, money only solves your money problems, but it's easier to solve the rest of your problems with money in the bank. So let's start there here on the Travis Makes Money podcast. Thanks for tuning in. Catch you guys next time. Peace.
Host: Travis Chappell
Guest: Wendy Valentine
Date: April 13, 2026
In this inspiring episode, Travis Chappell chats with Wendy Valentine—author, coach, and host of the top-rated Midlife Makeover Show—about transforming life’s lowest moments into launchpads for money-making missions. Wendy opens up about her journey from rock bottom to thriving entrepreneur, sharing mindset shifts, hard lessons, and strategic steps that led her to monetize her passion, publish a bestselling book, and build a multifaceted business helping women reinvent themselves in midlife.
[01:36–05:48]
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” (Wendy, 02:15)
[03:38–05:48]
“Sometimes to get to your dream job, you might have to take some temporary jobs you’re not that crazy about… if you keep your eye on the prize, you’ll get there.” (Wendy, 04:09)
[05:48–08:46]
“It was for me… It forced me to finally give myself permission to go after my dream. …But I don’t think everybody else needs to. Try to be proactive, not reactive in your life.” (Wendy, 07:02)
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. …It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.” (Wendy, 07:38)
[09:35–14:17]
“I worked my ass off to get to that point. There was no way I was gonna …write something for somebody else, even though I don’t totally agree with it. …You definitely have to stay true to yourself.” (Wendy, 14:17)
[16:09–17:52, 20:25–21:19]
“70% of people buy their books on Amazon. …It bumps you to the top.” (Wendy, 17:41)
[21:19–22:39]
[22:40–24:28]
“I came out of the gate, sounds corny, but serving, not selling… That was my mission.” (Wendy, 23:53)
[24:28–26:01]
“As soon as you give yourself permission to shine, then everything starts to fall into place.” (Wendy, 23:59)
“When you do start to live your life for you, you’re also living it for everybody else, too. You’re able to give more…instead of holding that in, trying to stay small.” (Wendy, 25:43)
— Marianne Williamson (as quoted by Wendy Valentine, 07:38)