Invite Yolanda to speak

Conversations on midlife, belonging and the return to the authentic self

Yolanda McAdam is an author, certified astrologer, and life coach whose work explores the hidden patterns that shape our lives and what becomes possible when we no longer abandon ourselves to belong.

Drawing on memoir, mythology, depth psychology, spirituality and astrology, Yolanda brings intellectual depth and emotional honesty to conversations about midlife, inherited identity, and retrieving the authentic self.

Her first book, REWILDING: A Woman’s Return to Her Wild, Authentic Self at Midlife, will be published by AOS Publishing on November 5, 2026.

Beginning in November 2026, Yolanda will be available for a limited number of author conversations, speaking engagements, workshops, retreats and book-club gatherings.

Based in Vancouver, Canada, she welcomes selected invitations from across Canada and internationally, as well as virtual events.

Additional Speaking Topics

Menopause as Initiation

What if the disruption of midlife is not evidence that something has gone wrong?

This talk reframes menopause as a psychological and spiritual threshold: a period when the roles, identities and coping strategies that once secured our belonging may no longer be able to contain the women we are becoming.

Yolanda explores why restlessness, anger, grief and disorientation can accompany this passage—and how women can listen for what these experiences are asking them to relinquish, reclaim or reimagine.

Returning to Yourself Is Not Reinventing Yourself

The language of reinvention suggests that we must construct yet another identity. But what if the task of midlife is not to become someone new?

In this conversation, Yolanda explores the difference between self-improvement and self-retrieval. She invites audiences to recognize the voice, instincts, desires and creative gifts that may have been hidden—not because they disappeared, but because belonging once required their concealment.

What We Inherit and What Must End With Us

Every family passes down more than stories, traditions and physical characteristics. We also inherit beliefs about safety, love, success, sacrifice, visibility and what we are permitted to become.

This talk explores how unconscious loyalties can keep us living within the limitations of those who came before us. Yolanda offers a compassionate framework for discerning what deserves to be carried forward, what must be released and which ancestral gifts may finally be ready to find expression through us.

Retrieving the Self at Midlife

In the old selkie stories, a seal woman’s skin is hidden from her, preventing her return to the sea. She may build a life on land and love the people within it, yet some part of her continues to remember the water.

Using the selkie as a mythic guide, Yolanda explores what happens when a woman rediscovers an essential part of herself that she once surrendered for love, security or belonging.

This lyrical talk is especially suited to literary events, women’s circles, retreats and communities interested in mythology, creativity and the deeper meaning of women’s life transitions.

Event Formats

Each appearance can be shaped around the needs and interests of your community.

Yolanda is available for:

  • Keynotes and featured talks

  • Author readings and conversations

  • Moderated interviews and panel discussions

  • Bookstore and library events

  • Women’s circles and spiritual communities

  • Retreats and conferences

  • Experiential workshops

  • Book-club gatherings

  • Podcast, radio and media interviews

  • Virtual talks and discussions

Events may range from a warm, conversational author interview to a structured keynote or reflective group experience.

Let’s Work Together

About Yolanda

Yolanda McAdam is a certified astrologer, life coach, author and retreat leader with more than twenty years of experience helping people navigate transformation and live more meaningful lives.

Born in South Africa to Portuguese parents and raised partly by her grandmother, a psychic medium, Yolanda grew up moving between the conventional world and a more intuitive understanding of life.

Before returning to her earliest callings, she built a career spanning finance and marketing across three continents. She now works at the intersection of astrology, mythology, spiritual growth and ancestral healing..

Her writing and teaching examine the identities we inherit, the adaptations we make to belong, and the lifelong retrieval of the self from the expectations of family and culture.

Yolanda lives in Vancouver, Canada. REWILDING is her first book.