We're a group of real 40 & 50+ women carving out our own path with purposeful intent and we're unstoppable. Ageism is real and we're working to rescript it as #workwives and a 10+ year friendship. Watch us. We can and will with our power tribe of badass women living life in full color.
#secondact #owningourage #betterthanever #gamechangers #ageless
Founder & CEO
Barbara Brooks at 53 years-young is the founder and CEO of SecondActWomen. Built by and for women 40 and beyond, the company is an IRL and virtual club for women 40 & 50+ that provides access to professional and self-development courses and workshops led by industry experts, resources and on-demand content, and a network of women entering middlescence with vigor. Founded to counter the ageist bias waged against females 40 & 50+ in corporate, business ownership and in society, SecondActWomen gives women the opportunity to ReThink, ReTool and ReBoot in order to design their future on their terms.
A 26-year marketing and public relations specialist, Barbara launched her award-winning career in the shopping center industry where she oversaw regional and super-regional malls and downtown districts like Trolley Square in Salt Lake City, Sundance Square in Fort Worth, and Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas. In 2001, she began an eight-year career in broadcasting where she worked as a senior sales and business development representative at I Heart Radio, CBS Radio and Gannett before returning to shopping centers where she marketed Denver’s own, Park Meadows Retail Resort.
In 2011, Barbara stepped into her own second act when she launched her first entrepreneurial venture, Brooks Marketing Group, a boutique marketing and public relations agency. She then went on to co-launch DECIBEL Marketing, a marketing and PR firm in 2016 with now SecondActWomen business partner Guadalupe Hirt, 46. As a three-time entrepreneur, Barbara is a powerhouse community leader and public speaker with the vision, savvy and heart to inspire women 40 & 50+ to take their career and lives off auto pilot.
She graduated from Colorado State University and is a member of Sigma Kappa Sorority from both University of Northern Colorado and Colorado State.
Recognition and Awards
Barbara received several awards and accolades from the International Council of Shopping Centers for producing high-level marketing projects, public relations strategies and special events. She has been a featured speaker and panelist at non-profit, community and corporate events and has graced the pages of the Denver Post, Business Den, Daily Blast Live, 5280 Magazine, various TV news segments and Tarrant County Business Journal.
Giving back
- Sense of Security, Board vice president & development chair
- St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, St. Jude Glamour & Giving Denver two-time chairwoman
- Children’s Hospital Colorado, Development committee volunteer
- Colorado Firefighter Calendar, Founding board member
- Ronald McDonald House, Salt Lake City, Board member
Co-Founder & CCO
Guadalupe Hirt (46) is the co-founder and CCO of SecondActWomen. Founded to rescript the social narrative that women 40 & 50+ are past their prime, SecondActWomen is an IRL and virtual club platform that doubles as a resource hub and community support system to spur the careers, business ventures and big ideas of women in middlescence. Built by and for women 40 & 50+, members gain access to a curated collection of professional and self-development workshops, resources, on-demand content and a thriving network of like-minded women poised to ReThink, ReTool and ReBoot.
A 24-year public relations professional turned four-time entrepreneur and social justice advocate, Guadalupe now champions women’s issues and is helping breakdown female ageist bias that lingers in corporate America and society. Most recently, she worked as an associate producer on a short-subject documentary that explored the intersection of culture, identity and belonging from the lens of first-generation American born Latinos. During this time, she also co-authored a cultural workbook that helps middle school and high school teachers bring this important conversation into the classroom.
Her entrepreneurial journey began in 1991 when she first launched MindSpeak Public Relations to provide strategy and programs to drive results for the hospitality, travel and tourism industry in Colorado. Soon after, she co-launched RedSlate Studios, a video production agency and then went on to co-launch DECIBEL Marketing, a marketing and PR firm in 2016 with now SecondActWomen business partner Barbara Brooks.
Through her work with SecondActWomen, she has been a guest speaker and panelist and has been featured in media outlets like KUNC, NPR Denver affiliate, the Denver Post, Business Den, Daily Blast Live, and Lioness. A California native, she graduated from Santa Clara University and now resides in northern Colorado.
Giving back
- Project PEACE, volunteer and interim board member
- Girl Scouts of America, troop co-leader
- Boy Scouts of America, awards chairperson
- Bolder Boulder, race volunteer
Michelle Fox, age 47, is a mom, partner, friend, yogi, spiritual healer and occasional chef. She also loves to write when she finds the time. She has spent the last 25 years working in the field of financial services and now has a growing passion to help other women create wealth.
Michelle's SecondAct is a new marriage, a growing consulting practice, and a new phase of life now that her children are more independent. She is passionate about helping others thrive and is excited to be on our team to support our members.
Project managements' her game and we suggest Michelle for your special marketing and management projects.
Brielle Killip is a driven design professional who can help solve all your creative needs as the founder of Blue Linen Creative. She offers companies a fresh perspective on their branding and visual communications, and is the genius behind SecondAct|Women's branding.
With more than 15 years of experience in the design world, she has a unique background combining both business sense and creative skills. She brings both an aesthetic design focus as well as a practical, quantitative mindset that adds value to individual creative solutions.
If you're in need of a graphic designer with marketing and growth hacking acumen, we highly recommend Brielle.
Co-founders of SecondAct|Women insist on changing the narrative.
Hear how Barbara and Guadalupe started it all from passion to purpose. They share their back story with the national audience of Daily Blast Live.
Founder, Barbara Brooks (53) and Co-founder, Guadalupe Hirt (47)
A world of gratitude for these amazing women - our moms.
Bobbie Brooks (83) Colorado Springs by way of Houston, Texas
Victoria Montes (79) San Jose by way of León, Guanajuato, MX
Children come in all shapes, sizes and species.
Miss Riley B. | Barbara's kiddo
Mr. Rigglesworth | Lupe's 'lil man
We're on a mission to set the record straight about women 40 & 50+. The time is now to challenge status quo and reclaim our narrative. We know we're preaching to the choir when we say that life is just getting started and we're done being told otherwise.
"My 40s have had me jumping into my Second Act everywhere. I stopped trying to be who I thought I was supposed to be, and stepped into authenticity."
SecondAct|Women is a subsidiary of Bloom+Co Presents, a minority- and female-owned company based at WorkAbility Co-working space (also femaled-owned). 1576 Sherman Street, Denver, Colorado 80203 hello@secondactwomen.com