This week, Dawn and Tracy are joined by Christine Van Bleom, founder of the Empty Nest Kitchen. Christine, for many years, ran a cooking school, but when covid popped up and closed her business she found herself lost and dejected. She looked at her own life and realised that people of her generation were being left behind. Determined to do something about it, Christine established the Empty Nest Kitchen, a place where people over 50, whose families have left home, can come together online and cook for fun.  In this interview with Dawn and Tracy, Christine talks about her experience and recruits Dawn and Tracy into her tribe.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Christine, who is 56, came to the realisation that society was leaving behind people of a certain age and how this was making them feel neglected and alone. This, as she explains, is her reasoning for starting her empty nest cooking course. 
• Christine's previous business was a cooking school, however, when Covid hit, she lost her company. She talks about how she picked herself up and the challenges she faced in setting up a new company. 
• Once a month, Christine hosts a free course with over 500 attendees. Through sharing the story of a man who recently became a widower, she details the amazing benefits the participants receive. 
• Dawn gets emotional as the ladies discuss the numerous benefits that come with cooking in a ‘tribe’ and how it fundamentally changes the experience of cooking from something you have to do to something you want to do.

BEST MOMENTS

“Business and work will one day pass, but life does not finish there, so find something worth living for.”

“After Covid, I think people really began to realise how important connection is.”

“There’s a beauty in rediscovering the fun in something when you have sent so long doing it because you have to.”

EPISODE RESOURCES

Real Women on Instagram

Real Women Website

ABOUT THE GUEST

Christine Van Bloem is the founder of The Empty Nest Kitchen, teaching live, online cooking classes to empty nesters re-learning how to cook for one or two, while finding the fun in the kitchen with a healthy-ish vibe.

A heart attack survivor, Christine has reformed her butter-loving, heavy cream worshiping ways by making changes in how to cook, taking food in a healthier direction, while still keeping things flavorful and delightful. Plus, there's always room for dessert!

Christine hosts the Empty Nest Kitchen podcast and lives in Maryland (US) with her husband John.

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dawn and Tracy are real women who are fed up of all the “noise” out there in the real world. Life isn’t simply rainbows and unicorns, it's broken relationships, hard work, hot sweats and never ending laundry baskets.  But life as a real woman is also about being honest, having good gossip and speaking our truths. Whether it’s peeling yourself into your spandex for a night out, or running a business meeting barefoot because the heel has fallen off your stilettos, there is always something to laugh about in life. 

Dawn is mid 50’s mid menopause straight talking business maverick.  Four kids, three grandchildren, two businesses, one husband and a self proclaimed “hottie”.

Tracy is a mid 50’s awesome mum, business and property mentor. Proud of her raw, honest nature, “bonkers” sense of humour and good old-fashioned northern humility.

PODCAST DESCRIPTION

The business of being a real woman juggling life, love and work for many of us is pure sweat, grit & hustle. This podcast is for those of you who are tired of the “noise” and just want real down-to-earth gossip with no filters or fluff.  Dawn and Tracy bring heartfelt humour, raw honesty, spandex, stilettos, and intelligent conversion on being a real woman in today's world.