Rachel Wixey’s Third Act Reinvention

Written By Fina Valenzuela

In this powerful and deeply resonant episode of Third Act Unscripted, we sit down with Rachel Wixey—educator, entrepreneur, dancer, and mindfulness leader—for a conversation that reaches into the very heart of what it means to live a conscious, aligned, and liberated third act. Through Rachel’s story and the wisdom she shares, this episode offers a roadmap for anyone ready to release old patterns, reconnect with their true self, and start living with more presence, purpose, and joy.

Redefining the Third Act

At the core of our podcast is the belief that your third act is not defined by your age, but by your stage. It’s the moment when life invites you to stop living by someone else’s script and start tuning in to your own. Whether you’re 35 or 75, this phase begins when you realize that something in your current way of being no longer fits—and that a deeper, truer version of life is calling.

For Rachel, that calling came in the form of a quiet but persistent discomfort—a sense that something needed to change. On paper, her life looked successful: she was running a family business, raising kids, doing all the things that defined a “good” adult life. But internally, she was living in a state of judgment, resentment, and fear. That dissonance—between how life looked and how it felt—became the catalyst for profound transformation.

The Wake-Up Call: There Must Be Another Way

Rachel described her turning point as a moment of deep knowing: “There has to be another way.” That seeking led her to a daily contemplative practice that, over time, evolved into meditation. It didn’t start with hour-long silent retreats. It began with a minute a day—eyes closed, guided prompts, quiet reflection. And slowly, everything began to shift.

What changed wasn’t just how she thought—it was how she lived, how she related to others, and how she responded to the world around her. A telling moment came when she realized that the irritation she felt toward her husband’s casual question—“What sounds good for dinner?”—was more about her own inner narrative than the words themselves. Through meditation, she began to observe the storylines she had unconsciously adopted, and with that awareness came freedom.

This, Rachel says, is where the rubber meets the road: in our daily relationships, in our small reactions, in how we choose to show up moment by moment.

A New Relationship to Control

For so many of us in our third act, letting go of control is one of the most challenging and transformative parts of the journey. We’ve spent decades perfecting the art of productivity, achievement, and managing outcomes. But as Rachel points out, that same control often comes at a cost—to our nervous systems, to our relationships, and to our sense of inner peace.

A recovering Type A herself, Rachel speaks candidly about how mindfulness allowed her to see her controlling tendencies not as flaws, but as learned strategies for feeling safe. The shift, she says, is not about abandoning responsibility or giving up on ambition. It’s about learning to observe those impulses rather than becoming them.

As she puts it: “I can observe my frustration rather than become my frustration. I can observe my controlling tendencies rather than act from them.” This is the power of presence. With practice, our awareness becomes our new choice point—the space where transformation happens.

When You Can’t Not Do It

Rachel eventually left her family’s business and launched a company of her own—one built on values that reflected her truest self: honesty, integrity, transparency, and creative freedom. When asked if she was afraid to make the leap, she responded with something many listeners will recognize:

“I knew I could not be in integrity with myself and not do it.”

She didn’t jump without a net. She jumped with the full support of years of personal practice, deep inner trust, and the embodied knowledge that she was safe. Not because of external assurances, but because of her connection to something deeper.

That’s one of the core truths of this episode: when you’re aligned with your inner knowing, you don’t wait for permission. You are the permission.

Even when it doesn’t make logical sense. Even when it’s scary. When the pull of purpose is that strong, you don’t really have a choice.

Letting the Inspired Action Come

Another gem from this episode is the distinction between action that comes from fear or urgency and action that arises from inspiration. In a world obsessed with hustle and productivity, we often confuse movement with meaning. But as Rachel reminds us, “Higher wisdom is not in the density of worry, doubt, and fear. Higher wisdom is in upliftment.”

She speaks about the importance of creating space—emotionally, spiritually, even physically—for that higher wisdom to emerge. “Meditation is the unhooking,” she says. It’s what allows us to step out of the noise of old habits and into the clarity of the present moment.

Katie echoed this in her own reflection, saying that as an entrepreneur, it’s easy to fill blank space with ideas and to-do lists. But sometimes, the most courageous act is to pause, to surrender the urge to “figure it out,” and to let something greater guide the way.

Dance as a Metaphor for Life

In one of the episode’s most joyful turns, we learn that Rachel is also a competitive ballroom dancer. Not only is this a fun fact, it’s also a beautiful metaphor for what the third act can be. Dance requires discipline, presence, flow, and self-expression—qualities that are cultivated through practice and come alive when we feel safe enough to let go.

Rachel spoke with love and reverence for dance as her first creative outlet. It’s clear that for her, dance is not just a hobby; it’s an embodiment of the creative freedom she so values—and it reminds all of us that joy is not frivolous. It’s vital.

When we’re safe, we can play. When we play, we create. And when we create, we come alive.

Built for Wellness, Intended for Joy

If there’s one line that captures the heart of Rachel’s message, it’s this:

“We are built for wellness and intended for joy. Those should be our benchmarks.”

That isn’t just a feel-good mantra—it’s a radical reframe of what life can look like in our third act. Most of us weren’t raised with that belief. We were taught to strive, to achieve, to control, to conform. But as Rachel says, “Nobody told me I was the essence of pure love.” And without that knowledge, we try to earn our worth instead of remembering it.

This episode is an invitation to come home to yourself—not by doing more, but by being more. Being present. Being real. Being love.

Resources

Key Takeaways

  • Your third act isn’t about your age—it’s a stage of awareness and awakening.

  • Meditation and mindfulness can shift your relationships by shifting your internal narrative.

  • Control is often a response to fear. Awareness gives you the freedom to choose differently.

  • Inspired action comes when you create space for it—not from urgency, but from clarity.

  • Creative freedom and joy are not luxuries—they’re signs of a nervous system at peace.

  • We are all built for wellness and intended for joy. That is our birthright.

Fina Valenzuela
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