HBD Greta Gerwig & Halle Berry • You're invited to an Artist's Way workshop
+ Introducing our brand-new community classifieds!
Meet Steph Sprenger, 47, a solo-parenting Renaissance woman who’s seeking writers and a literary agent
Divorce stories, Artist’s Way workshops, ADHD superpowers — all this and more in one Colorado creative entrepreneur.
Location: Arvada, Colorado
Previous locations: All across the Midwest from 1978–2001
Join my community: MidCircle from Her Stories Project
Read my Substack: The Reclamation Era
Follow me here: stephsprenger.com • Instagram • Linkedin
I’m in the midst of: Revising and shopping around my memoir, curating an anthology of anonymous divorce stories for Redacted: What Divorced Women Aren’t Telling You, facilitating creative writing workshops for midlife women, and producing storytelling and comedy shows for primarily female audiences.
I produce Listen To Your Mother Boulder, which is a national brand that cities can franchise, and I produce a few different comedy shows — Comedy Coven, which is an all-female lineup — and I'm My Therapist's Favorite, which is a more relatable, vulnerability-focused lineup.
My income: Sooo variable, which is the least fun part of being self-employed. My income fluctuates based on the season, current shows I’m producing, which workshops I am running, and how many clients and students I have. The flux can be incredibly stressful.
Monthly expenses in a nutshell: My mortgage, all the bills for a household where I am the sole caregiver for my teenage girls, college expenses for my oldest, and any business expenses I have for productions — venues, marketing, etc.
Personal debts: I just paid off my car, hooray! So, just my house, and fortunately I have minimal expenses for my college student at the moment thanks to scholarships. One of my greatest sources of gratitude is that I do not have credit card debt. It helps me sleep at night.
Retirement savings: I have some. Thanks to my ex-husband’s “regular job,” we were able to save considerably during our marriage, but not as much as I would like. Being a self-employed single parent is scary; I find it incredibly difficult to contribute to my retirement savings at the moment with all the flux as well as having a college student.
My office: I primarily work from home, which I love. I teach voice lessons to adolescent girls out of my home, and my writing/teaching/producing is all done from home. My shows, auditions, rehearsals, etc. are all held at other locations, and that is a welcome treat. But to be honest, working in bed will always be my favorite — and probably most productive — place to get things done. I notoriously set up camp in my California King with my laptop, planner, and notebooks next to me where my husband used to sleep, a pillow under my knees, heating pad on my back, and rescue dog fighting my MacBook for my lap.
Relationship status: I’ve been separated for just over two years; my divorce was final in May 2024.
I’d like to connect with: Midlife writers in search of community, divorced women interested in reading or submitting to Redacted, and most importantly, A LITERARY AGENT! Seeking representation for a memoir is not for the faint of heart — it’s a humbling experience requiring tenacity and maybe a touch of insanity.
I’m always looking for writers to join MidCircle AND we’re always looking for guest presenters to submit applications. We offer 2–3 monthly guest workshops about writing, publishing, midlife women's health, etc as part of our membership community.
You’re invited to attend Stephanie’s workshop that starts in September 2025.
A typical weekday schedule in a nutshell: Every day is a little different, which is both fantastic (fun!) and challenging (overwhelming!) for my perimenopausal ADHD brain. I typically start my day with journaling and meditation, try to squeeze in a workout when I can, and usually have virtual writing workshop meetings or co-working sessions in the first half of the day. I do my best, focused writing mid-morning, and I often spend afternoons editing, reading submissions, writing newsletters, interacting in workshops, and returning emails. My late afternoons-early evenings are for teaching voice students and spending time with my teenager. During a show season, I will have occasional auditions, rehearsals, or performances in the evening.
Greta Gerwig’s birthday was August 4
Halle Berry’s birthday is August 14
Jennifer Lawrence’s birthday is August 15
Ava DuVernay’s birthday is August 24
Melissa McCarthy’s birthday is August 26
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The Artist’s Way for the Midlife Woman
Join us for a 12-week Artist’s Way workshop reimagined for midlife women. Through a feminist lens, we’ll tackle real barriers — emotional labor, caregiving, silence—and help you reclaim your voice, creativity, and joy with weekly lessons, prompts, and community. September 2–November 21. Sign up here.
One of the benefits of joining the Founding MidstHer community is the ability to place community classifieds. Founding MidstHers are a new network of entrepreneurs, creators, and leaders on a mission to help women play by their own rules, together. To start the process of becoming a Founding MidstHer, upgrade your subscription to “Founding MidstHer” here. Questions? Email amy@the-midst.com.