When Death Knocks: Menopause, Near-Death & the Sacred Art of Surrender

About this episode:

In this episode of the Wellness Pro Academy Podcast, Cate Stillman sits down with Dr. Claudia Welch, Doctor of Oriental Medicine and Ayurvedic educator, to explore the profound transitions that define the second half of life. Moving far beyond typical wellness protocols, they dive into the “sacred art of surrender”—a radical shift in perspective that views identity collapse, health crises, and menopause not as problems to be fixed, but as mythological initiations.

Together, they unpack what happens when life strips away the roles we play—the expert, the leader, the “strong one”—and invites us into a deeper state of presence. Dr. Welch shares her visceral experience of a near-death encounter with MRSA pneumonia and how it dismantled her attachment to certainty, offering instead the “purchase of bewilderment.”

This conversation bridges ancient Ayurvedic wisdom with modern psychological insights, offering a roadmap for high-achieving leaders and wellness professionals who find themselves in the “forest dweller” stage of life. It is an exploration of how death awareness, hormonal shifts, and the release of ego-driven striving can lead to a more mature, integrated, and vital way of leading and living.

Key Takeaways:

Sacrifice as Sanctification: Shifting the definition of sacrifice from “loss” to its original meaning: “to make sacred.”
The Initiation of Menopause: Moving beyond the “hormone problem” to view midlife as the Vanaprastha (forest dweller) stage of contemplation and withdrawal from ego.
Dissolving the “Expert” Identity: How over-identifying with being the knowledgeable authority can create tension that blocks true aliveness.
The Power of Bewilderment: Why “selling your knowledge” and embracing not-knowing is often the most transformative step in healing.
Death as a Leadership Tool: How a practical awareness of mortality clarifies priorities, softens grudges, and sharpens presence.
Right-Brain Leadership: Why midlife transitions demand a shift from analytical categorization (left brain) to context, myth, and wholeness (right brain).