Natasha Dworkin is The Midlife Mama: Celebrating Moms Over 40

OH, HEY! I'M NATASHA

It still surprises me to be called Mama

I didn’t plan to have a child at 46. But the universe— and biology— had other plans! Becoming Finn’s mom has been my greatest joy; it’s also the biggest life shift I’ve ever navigated. It’s made me wiser, stronger, and a more effective change maker.

Hello! I'm Natasha.

The craziest thing that ever happened to me was getting unintentionally “knocked up” at 46. I hadn’t planned to have children (I didn’t think it was possible after an infertility diagnosis in my 20’s), and when those first signs of pregnancy presented themselves, I figured it was menopause. Spoiler: it wasn’t.

So here I am, at the confluence of motherhood and middle age, juggling parenting and peri-menopause, anti-aging products and aging parents, carpools and colonoscopies…. And I’m here for every minute of it.

After a 25-year career helping mission-driven organizations tell their stories, amplify their impact, and drive lasting change, I now leverage my professional expertise as a change-maker with my personal experience navigating the monumental change of becoming a mother at midlife, to help other women create and sustain meaningful change in their own lives, communities, and the world.

I'm a Northwest girl, world traveler, outdoor adventurer, and storyteller.

I grew up in a mossy, rain soaked corner of Washington state, the daughter of a documentary filmmaker and the granddaughter of social justice warriors. From an early age, I was instilled with the twin values of being creative and making a difference.

My parents were hippies who moved west from New York in 1971 to live closer to the land and to their values. To my great fortune, they ended up in a small creative community with like-minded souls, where art, music, and theater were part of my daily life.

From that launchpad I sprung to college in Vermont followed by years of traveling and living abroad, exploring the external world and the one within me. And I wrote along the way. Always writing, always a storyteller, I had a sense that stories–the ones we tell each other and the ones we tell ourselves–have the power to change the world.

Helping "do-gooders" do better.

It’s not really surprising that I ended up in the field of strategic storytelling. I started out as a Public Relations professional, working in a variety of nonprofit organizations, and from there became an independent communications strategist.

After earning my MA in 2009, I founded the Seattle-based creative agency, MATTERHORN, to help purpose-driven organizations tell their stories and drive meaningful, lasting change.

Working with NGOs, government agencies, social purpose companies, and other change making entities, my small team and I leverage the power of traditional and new media to help our clients raise funds, build thriving communities of advocates, and advance their missions.

A new child, a new mama, and a new purpose.

I love what I do with MATTERHORN, but along with motherhood came a yearning for work that is more deeply resonant to me as a woman and as a mom.

So I pivoted. I now work with purposeful women who, like me, are straddling that always-interesting and often-precarious balance between motherhood and midlife. Through my coaching programs, courses, retreats, and the Midlife Mama community, I help other mamas harness their unique gifts and make meaningful change in their lives, communities, and the world.

I like to think that Finn’s arrival in my life also ushered in a new, more authentic, version of myself. Do you feel like you’re more authentically yourself since having a child at midlife? I’d love for you to share your story!

Quick Facts

FAVORITE THINGS

Slanted afternoon light, big grassy fields, old pickup trucks, lilacs, contrast stitching, deep red wine with dear old friends on dusky front porches. Aahhh....

FIRST LOVE

I was five. He was John Travolta. No man since has had such a hold on me. His love was systematic, hydromatic, ultramatic.... Why, it was Greased Lightnin'!

BIG BOLD GOALS

To spend as much fun, adventurous, time with my boy as I possibly can. I want to show him our world and to bear witness as he explores the one within himself.

FEATURED IN

Ready to build a life, and a legacy, you love?

Let’s work together to explore and discover your deeper purpose, then turn that purpose into practice.