SoAgeless

1010 Park Place Makes It Count

Ageless Provocateurs June 21, 2016

Make life count. That’s the mantra of 1010 Park Place. Most of us have been told all our lives to “make life count”, “live with no regrets” or “keep calm and (insert verb)” – which is – let’s be honest – a lot easier said than done. So what does “make life count” mean and is that meaning different for women over 45? Over 50? Yes. It is. Instead of “How to Get the Man of Your Dreams” you have “Endings and Beginnings”; instead of “Budget Vacation Tips” you have an entire “Finances” section; health topics vary wildly; and there’s a patient wisdom to the writing that can only surface with experience. While people at any age can agree that…

Patricia Gras: If you want a seat at the table…

Ageless Provocateurs May 31, 2016

When I turned 52, my world turned upside down. I had not thought much about my age as I was too busy with work and life to even consider it. My stress level was off the roof. There was little time to think about anything, frankly. I was happy with the work I was doing in TV journalism, but had (over time) disliked where I was doing it. Then the unexpected happened. I was laid off. In fact, they laid off anyone who was over 50 years old. I guess the local PBS station where I worked didn’t want to have to pay us for our experience and wisdom. Besides being in “shock and awe,” I was scared. I had been diagnosed…

Lori Finnila: What Could I Do at My Age of 50?

Ageless Provocateurs May 19, 2016

If anyone ever told me I would be a rock singer, especially at my age – and successful – I would have laughed. I was called a wallflower at parties because I was so shy, although playful with close associates and confidants. I had aspired to model, sparkled to acting, and never took my Sony headphones off while roaming New York City in my early twenties. After surprisingly becoming a single mom in my mid-thirties (another story) any fantasies to strive or put physical actions toward my dreams were put on hold. I could still feel that excitement and longing to be seen, though. Homeschooling, hosting a radio show, and becoming an author while being a mom, my dreams –…

the Kind Mirror

Ageless Provocateurs, Gigi-isms May 9, 2016

When I was growing up I was the ugly duckling amongst my five beautiful sisters. I suffered from lots of bullying, from outsiders, because of that. Even though I was considered ugly, I did not let that bother me. When I turned 18 the same people who bullied me said that I was finally a beauty, and again treated me differently based on my appearance. Because I was shy and introspective, I knew all along that I was good inside, and being ugly or beautiful did not make a difference or change my attitude, and especially in front of the mirror. It was then that it became clear to me that mirrors are simply a tool used for dressing up,…

Jeryl Brunner: Never Too Late to Follow Your Dream

Ageless Provocateurs May 6, 2016

From the time I was a very little girl, I wanted to be an actress. I once heard Lauren Bacall say that she loved acting so much because every time she played a new character, she was able to step into a new identity and discover a new part of herself. Or I think of Edward Norton’s take on his craft, “I always felt that acting was an escape,” he said. “–– like having the secret key to every door and permission to go into any realm and soak it up. I enjoy that free pass.” I wanted to have that secret key too. I was born with a birth defect called a unilateral cleft lip and palate. So instead of lip,…

The Future is Ageless!

Ageless Provocateurs, Gigi-isms May 2, 2016

A message to the ageist society: There is no more denying that the future will be ageless. The tide is in our favor, so would you please stop treating us, the Baby Boomers, as if we are invisible? We will no longer accept that. I have always refused to apologize for growing OLDER. For me, turning 50 was a celebration! When I created my personal Facebook page after I turned 50, I was proud to state my FULL birth date: July 4th, 1958. I was surprised when people told me that I was courageous for doing so, especially being a woman! Similarly, when I created the Over 50 & Irresistible Facebook page in 2010, people started saying, “50 is the…

Stop Self-Ageism!

Ageless Provocateurs, Gigi-isms April 25, 2016

When I joined Facebook in 2009, I noticed that people were in distress about turning 50. I turned 50 in 2008 and felt great! That observation led me to create a Facebook page called, Over 50 & Irresistible. I was especially inspired by Coco Chanel’s famous quote, “You can be gorgeous at 30, charming at 40, and irresistible for the rest of your life.” I will always believe this is true! We expect society to not be ageist, yet I have often observed that people turning 50 can be some of the biggest ageists toward themselves! One is mirroring the other, yet they are all in denial. So many people start to look at themselves through the paradox lens of…

Cameron Diaz Champions Women and Aging in New Book

Ageless Provocateurs April 20, 2016

How great is it that Cameron Diaz, at 43 years of age, is championing women in their 40s before they hit the infamous (although not for me) “big 5-0” by helping them embrace “aging with longevity”. In her new book, “The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time”, published by Harper Collins in an effort to change the discussion about aging (Kudos to them!), Diaz conveys that aging is a privilege and should be celebrated. “If you’re aging, that means you’re alive.” This has been part of my mantra since I turned 50 in 2008. I’m fortunate enough to have never gone through an aging crisis, but I know that for many…

Patty Wolfe: To Become Static is to Become Extinct

Ageless Provocateurs April 19, 2016

A couple of universities often ask me to speak to senior media classes to offer real world advice. I approach my talks from the same perspective in which I raised my kids, and that is: Adaptation is the only predictor of success for any species or individual. Now that I am asked to blog to a Boomer generation and the beginning Generation X-ers like myself turning 50, my approach is no different. The river of life takes turns we can never predict or imagine, and yet, we survive and thrive by virtue of our ever-sharpening navigational skills. I tell the students and my children not to hold fast to one dream or one reality set out there in the future.…

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