Flourish After 45

Fiona Schneider is a Licensed Lay Minister at All Saints’ Church in Ilkley, with a unique background that spans medicine, coaching, and spiritual direction. She originally trained as an obstetrician and gynaecologist in London, Leeds, and Oxford, and has worked extensively in England, Germany, and in the US Armed Forces Hospital in Frankfurt. Her international experience gave her a broad and holistic understanding of women’s health.

While running her own women’s health clinic in Germany, Fiona expanded her expertise into herbal medicine, psychosomatic care, and nutritional health. On returning to the UK, her work in gynaecology and sexual health brought her face-to-face with the deeper challenges women face — from trauma and exploitation to the hidden impact of adverse childhood experiences. These encounters led Fiona to pursue further training as a coach, focusing on supporting women who juggle multiple responsibilities and risk burnout. She now runs the successful online programme Flourish After 45 and wishes to now offer this as an in-person retreat. This would be led by Fiona Schneider but with others addressing some sessions.

To complement her coaching work, Fiona trained as a Spiritual Director with the Diocese of Leeds, where she discovered the deep interconnection between prayer, healing, and personal transformation. She served as Chair of a charitable House of Prayer in Ilkley, and has a passion for prayer, mission, and encouraging others in their spiritual journey.

Fiona has wide-ranging ministry experience, from planting children’s groups in Silsden, supporting rural congregations in Blubberhouses, to serving as a visiting chaplain in the tourist resort of Zermatt. Whether through healthcare, coaching, or spiritual guidance, Fiona’s calling is to empower and equip others to live with purpose, balance, and renewed faith.

Day 2: Deep Dive & Renewal
7:30 AM – 8:00 AM
Morning Exercise outside (Optional)
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Breakfast
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Session 2: “Career & Calling at the Crossroads”
• Navigating job loss, stagnation, or late bloom • How faith and identity intersect with vocation
10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
Session 3: “Marriage, Loneliness & Relationship Changes”
• Healing, reconnection, or redefining love after decades
• Breakout groups: married, divorced, single.
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Lunch
1:15 PM – 2:15 PM
Movement Session: “Joy in Motion”
2:30 PM – 3:45 PM
Session 4: “When Teens Become Strangers”
• Navigating adolescence as a parent
• Faith, communication, and healthy detachment
4:00 PM – 5:15 PM
Session 5: “Menopause & Mental Health”
• Hormones, fatigue, fog, and mood
• Whole-person approach to new freedoms
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Dinner
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Session 6: “Faith in the Wilderness”
• Devotional, testimony time, quiet worship
• Rediscovering God in the middle years
8:30 PM – 9:00 PM Campfire or Candlelight Reflection
• Guided prayer: “What is God calling me to release or embrace?”

Day 3: Integration & Vision
7:30 AM – 8:15 AM
Optional Movement: Walk or Stretching
8:15 AM – 9:15 AM
Breakfast If this is a Sunday an option to join Rydal Hall service would be available and organised sessions around this time
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM
Session 7: “Weight, Wellness & Worth”
• Letting go of shame.
• Sustainable, joyful health
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Final Session: “Vision & Purpose After 45”
• Spiritual gifts inventory.
• Goal setting
• Writing a personal “Midlife Manifesto”
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
Closing Blessing & Prayer
• Group affirmation & sending forth. Either of these retreats could be modified to a one-day retreat but some elements may be missing.
These are examples rather than rigid outlines.