Her Podcast Helps Women Find Comfort in “Life After…” Moments

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When hardship occurs — be it a divorce, a loss of a loved one, an unexpected layoff at work, or something else — it can be difficult to find joy again. But Girl Scout alum Sylvia Beckerman, 70, is one woman helping others access the positives that come in “life after” moments with her podcast Life Après.

“I founded Life Après to help women empower themselves to embrace change,” Beckerman tells CircleAround. “It started with a community of women going through all phases of divorce and grew into women from all walks of life, going through a variety of life events. Some having lost a spouse, some taking care of elder parents, others becoming an empty nester, and others finding themselves having to reenter the workforce.”

Beckerman, who is also the host of the Sylvia & Me podcast, was inspired to start her podcasts after experiencing two tumultuous divorces, one of which cost her an email address she’d had for over 20 years. This small string of letters, numbers, and symbols was a strong part of Beckerman’s identity, a portal holding important correspondences and personal online account information, like her social media.

But after losing most of her possessions, Beckerman didn’t wallow. Instead, she empowered herself to take control of her life again. “I marched myself over to Bed, Bath & Beyond and set up a post-divorce gift registry. I registered and threw myself a party.” Realizing she could help herself in this way prompted her to help others in the wake of their negative experiences, too.

"Working together as women is a good thing,” she tells CircleAround. “Knowledge is power and we are allowed to ask questions … we can and should ask the questions. What you may consider too trivial to talk about may help someone else."

“Podcast episodes have highlighted women from around the world who are advocates, entrepreneurs, authors, artists, filmmakers, and those who have helped others after the loss of a child,” she explains. Beckerman also used to hold monthly salon-type gatherings prior to the pandemic. These salons included experts in subjects such as finance, law, parenting, image, style, self-awareness, self-care, and more. Proceeds from the events helped support local organizations in Connecticut, with a focus on community members helping those on their own life après journeys.

“Working together as women is a good thing,” she tells CircleAround. “Knowledge is power and we are allowed to ask questions … we can and should ask the questions. What you may consider too trivial to talk about may help someone else.”

Through her endeavors, Beckerman has been fortunate to promote the projects, ideas, and words of “some of the most extraordinary, inspiring women from all over the world.” She’s featured such women as Olivia Wells, the director of Nadia's Initiative, Arianna Neumann, the author of When Time Stopped, Katie Hill, former congresswoman, Mary Barneby, regional CEO of American Red Cross Greater New York, and the former CEO of Girl Scouts of Connecticut. Beckerman also often highlights organizations working to help make a difference and encourage hope in difficult times, such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and My Friend Abby.

At 105 episodes and going strong, Beckerman is currently focused on expanding her podcast series. She’s also working on a series of essays as she reflects on her work from the past several years.

As life unfolds, it’s natural to go through changes that are both exciting and challenging. While there is no handy guidebook to help us figure out the next move, there are millions of women in the world who are going through, or have gone through, similar instances. Connecting with each other can help provide wisdom or consolation in the process.