Rekindling Connection: A Live Event for Couples in Midlife and Beyond

Karen has spent four decades understanding what makes relationships not just survive, but genuinely thrive, especially through the transitions and complexities of midlife and beyond.

A licensed clinical psychologist, she brings a grounded perspective to intimate partnership: one that honors both the emotional landscape and the lived realities of aging bodies, changing roles, and evolving desires.

She’s taught at the University of Illinois, Northwestern University, and the University of San Diego, where she launched the region’s first doctoral program in Advanced Practice Mental Health Nursing.

Karen is also the author of many books, including Positive Couple Therapy, Couple Resilience, Growing Married, and the memoir Tell Me Again How I Know You?

Mary Hofstedt is an experienced non profit leader and educator who strives to advance a more hopeful, caring, and connected world. Her passion for youth and community development led her to work with Challenge Success, spearhead a coalition of youth and adult partners to develop a community arts center, and serve for over a decade within Stanford University’s John W. Gardner Center. She recently wrapped up a mid-career break to reflect on purpose, study Spanish, travel, and volunteer with whale shark research and conservation. She serves as a Senior Associate with Heartwise Learning and is thrilled to be based back in Santa Fe after a 22 year stint in the Bay Area!