How society handed you a story about your aging body — and why you don’t have to keep it Patricia was standing in a dressing room at Easton on a Saturday afternoon, holding a pair of jeans she’d tried on a hundred times in her life. She caught herself in
How society handed you a story about your aging body — and why you don’t have to keep it Patricia was standing in a dressing room at Easton on a Saturday afternoon, holding a pair of jeans she’d tried on a hundred times in her life. She caught herself in
How to Stop Borrowing Other Women’s Visions and Build Your Own Carol came to What’s Next Circle with a Pinterest board she’d been building for two years. River cruises through Provence. A cutting garden. Sunday dinners with grandchildren. A book club with women who’d become lifelong friends. It was a
Designing Your Time Around What Matters Now (Not Who You Used to Be) She’d worked toward this day for thirty-five years. She knew exactly what it would feel like — the relief, the spaciousness, the glorious absence of a calendar that belonged to everyone else. So when the morning finally
Why Focusing on One Area While Neglecting Others Keeps You Stuck Three women in my What’s Next Circle said almost the same thing within a single month of each other. Different words, same ache: “I’m doing everything right and still feel like something’s missing.” The first — a retired hospital
The Bridge from Self-Discovery to Intentional Design Sandra had done everything right. Two years of journaling. A retreat in the Hocking Hills. Long walks at Highbanks every Thursday morning where she let herself think. She’d read Untamed twice and dog-eared half the pages in Designing Your Life. She knew herself
It was a Thursday afternoon in November, and I was sitting on my kitchen floor. Not meditating. Not doing yoga. Just sitting on the floor because it felt closer to the ground than the couch, and the ground felt like something solid when everything else felt like it was spinning.
Six months into retirement, I sat at my kitchen table staring at the spreadsheet I’d created. Color-coded. Cross-referenced. A detailed five-year plan for how I’d spend this newfound freedom. Volunteer schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays. Fitness classes: Monday, Wednesday, Friday mornings. Book club: first Tuesday of each month. Travel plans mapped
Three weeks. That’s how long I spent planning the book club. I’d researched discussion questions, reached out to women I thought might be interested, picked the perfect book—something meaningful but not too heavy. I even reserved a table at the Worthington Library. Five people said they’d come. Two showed up.
Last Tuesday, I stood in my kitchen staring at the calendar on my fridge. Three dates crossed out in red. Three plans that fell through this month alone. The volunteer orientation that was cancelled. The friend who had to reschedule our coffee date. Again. The book club meeting postponed indefinitely.
“I’m almost ready.” A woman in my What’s Next Circle has been saying this for six months now. Almost ready to start the small business she’s been planning. Almost ready to take the creative leap that’s been tugging at her. Just one more book to read. One more person to
“Isn’t it too late for you to start something new?” I’m often asked by friends and clients, genuinely concerned. They mean well. Aren’t I afraid of being disappointed, of looking foolish, of wasting energy on something that “might not work out at my age.”? I’m reminded of what I found
A woman from my What’s Next Circle sat across from me last month, coffee going cold between us, and said: “I feel like I’ve lost my edge. I used to just… do things. Decide. Take risks. Now I overthink everything. Am I losing my courage?” I recognized that look in
A woman in my What’s Next Circle—retired from a 30-year professional career, accomplished, articulate—told me about standing in her local Whole Foods last month when someone asked what she does. She opened her mouth and… nothing. For three decades, she had an answer. Now she stood there, frozen, eventually mumbling
Here’s something worth knowing about courage. It’s not something you’re born with or without. It’s something you build, one small brave act at a time. What if the next 30 days could transform your relationship with risk, uncertainty, and possibility? Not through dramatic leaps. Through intentional practice. Courage Is Practice,
What if this next chapter isn’t about climbing another ladder—but about crafting meaningful contribution? What if the question isn’t “What’s my next career move?” but “How do I create a legacy that matters?” For decades, you’ve measured progress through career milestones. Promotions. Titles. Salary increases. Professional recognition. Those markers served
You know that thing you do “just for fun”? The one you lose yourself in on Saturday mornings. Friends often say you have a natural gift for this skill. The creative pursuit you downplay as “just something I do to relax.” What if it’s trying to tell you something? What
Has a voice in your head ever said this? “If you were going to do that, you should have started years ago. That ship has sailed. You’ve missed your window.” Maybe you’ve heard it when you thought about starting a business. Or going back to school. Or pursuing something creative.
You know that thing you’ve been putting off? The class you want to take. The project you want to start. The opportunity you want to pursue. The change you want to make. What are you waiting for? If you’re like most of us, you’re waiting for permission. Permission from circumstances
You have a vision for your next chapter. A plan for your health and vitality. Perhaps even a strategy for how you’ll spend your time meaningfully. But what about your relationships? What if the difference between loneliness and belonging isn’t luck—it’s intentionality? What if the richness of your social life
Remember when making friends felt effortless? When your social circle expanded naturally through school, work, or shared circumstances? Now, at our age, when connection matters more than ever, why does it feel so much harder to find your people? What if the challenge isn’t about you—it’s about outdated strategies? The
How many times have you left a conversation feeling misunderstood, unheard, or frustrated—yet said nothing? For decades, you expressed only what you needed—and even then, only when you could justify it as necessary. But what about what you want? What if the key to deeper connection isn’t finding the “right”
What if your relationships aren’t just part of your life—but a direct reflection of your inner world? What if the quality of your connections reveals exactly where you are in your personal evolution? And what if some of the relationship challenges you’re experiencing right now aren’t problems to solve, but
You’ve given yourself permission to play. You’ve reconnected with your creative voice. You’ve said yes to small adventures that awakened something inside you. And maybe—just maybe—you’ve remembered what it feels like to be fully alive. But here’s the question that determines whether this awakening becomes transformation or just a fleeting
When was the last time you surprised yourself? Not someone else. Yourself. When did your week last include something unplanned, unexpected, delightful? When did you last follow a whim, take an unscheduled detour, or say yes to something simply because it sparked your curiosity? If you’re drawing a blank, you’re
“I’m not creative.” How many times have you said those words? How many times have you dismissed an idea, shut down an impulse, or talked yourself out of trying something because you believed creativity was a gift you simply didn’t receive? What if I told you that statement is neurologically
When did you stop dancing in your kitchen? Not metaphorically. Literally. When was the last time you moved your body simply because a song made you feel alive? When did you last laugh so hard your stomach hurt? When did you last do something purely because it brought you joy—with
How many self-care routines have you started with enthusiasm only to abandon them within weeks? What if the problem wasn’t your willpower, but your approach? What if sustainable wellness at our age requires a completely different strategy than what worked in our younger years? After observing hundreds of women navigate
What if what you’ve learned about productivity and achievement is actually sabotaging your ability to create the meaningful life you want? What if the secret to sustainable success isn’t doing more—but recovering better? I’ve observed a fascinating pattern among women who thrive at our age: they’ve mastered something our culture
What if the stress you’ve been carrying from decades of “doing it all” isn’t just affecting your mood—but literally rewiring your body in ways that limit your future? And what if the solution isn’t another meditation app, but a fundamental shift in how you relate to your inner world? After
Remember when you could eat pizza at midnight and still wake up energized? When you could skip meals, survive on coffee, and your body would bounce back without complaint? What if instead of mourning that lost resilience, you discovered that your body has different—and potentially more powerful—needs for thriving? Here’s
What if you find the key to your most fulfilling chapter in the mirror each morning instead of in another goal-setting workshop? What if the difference between women who thrive at our age and those who merely survive comes down to one crucial element: energy? I’ve worked with hundreds of
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle Over the past three weeks, you’ve clarified your ideal life vision, identified your seasonal priorities, and transformed your goals using the SMARTER framework. Now comes the moment where insight becomes reality: creating a
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” — Napoleon Hill You’ve clarified your ideal life vision and identified what matters most in this season. Now comes the bridge between knowing and doing: setting goals that don’t just sound good on paper but actually pull you forward with excitement and
“You can have anything you want in life, but you probably can’t have everything you want at the same time.” — Oprah Winfrey Last week, we explored what your ideal life actually looks like beyond the dream. This week, we’re diving deeper into one of the most crucial—and challenging—aspects of
“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” — Ayn Rand Remember when you were a child and someone asked what you wanted to be when you grew up? You probably answered with unwavering certainty: astronaut, teacher, artist, veterinarian. You didn’t question
Here’s a delightful plot twist that changes everything: if you’re a woman over 50 today, there’s a significant chance you’ll live to see 100—or beyond. Entrepreneur Dan Sullivan takes this even further, suggesting we imagine living to 156. His radical proposition isn’t about the literal number—it’s about how imagination can
You’ve discovered your limiting beliefs, challenged their validity, and begun crafting a new internal narrative. Now comes the most important part: making your growth-oriented mindset a way of life rather than a temporary practice. This isn’t about perfection—it’s about developing a relationship with growth that feels natural, sustainable, and deeply
You’ve discovered the beliefs that have been quietly running your life. You’ve challenged their validity through curious inquiry. Now comes the most creative part of this journey: consciously authoring a new story about who you are and what’s possible for you. Think of this as editing the script of your
Last week, you began collecting evidence of the beliefs that quietly run your life. This week, we’re going to do something delightfully subversive: we’re going to question everything. Not with harsh judgment, but with the playful curiosity of a detective who’s just discovered that the “unsolvable” case might have been
What if I told you that the voice in your head isn’t your own? What if years—or even decades—ago, someone programmed the thoughts you think are “just who you are”? And here’s the delightful twist: whatever is could be different. We’re embarking on a transformative journey into the mind this
What if the person you’ve been becoming has been waiting patiently for you to notice her? What if everything you’ve experienced—every role you’ve outgrown, every value you’ve clarified, every glimpse of your future self—has been preparing you for this moment of integration and declaration? After weeks of reflection, rediscovery, and
What if the person you’re destined to become is already within you, patiently waiting to emerge? What if the greatest barrier to your evolution isn’t external circumstances, but simply your attachment to who you’ve been? Today, we’re exploring how embracing your becoming isn’t just about setting goals—it’s about allowing yourself
You truly are beyond the roles you’ve played? As we journey through life’s transitions, many women ask a profound question: “Who am I when I’m not defined by my responsibilities to others?” This week we’re focusing on perhaps the most fundamental aspect of crafting your vibrant next chapter — reconnecting
Have you ever caught yourself wondering who you are beyond the roles you’ve played throughout your life? Perhaps you’re standing at the threshold of a new chapter—children grown, career shifting, or priorities evolving—and that space that’s opening up feels both liberating and terrifying. This feeling isn’t just common; it’s a
How to Create a Vision That Makes Change Inevitable
Have you ever felt like you’re moving through life without a compass? You’re making progress, certainly—but toward what? And using which of your many capabilities? This week, we’re diving deep into what truly matters: discovering your core values and harnessing your unique strengths to create a life aligned with your
Have you ever noticed how often we move through life on autopilot? Following familiar patterns, days run together, sometimes making us forget that we have the power to consciously shape our journey. This week, we’re diving deep into an essential truth: understanding your past creates the foundation for intentionally designing
Awakening to a World of Unlimited Potential Have you ever wondered what separates those who consistently achieve their dreams from those who remain stuck in patterns of limitation? External circumstances don’t provide the answer; instead, your mindset does—something much closer to home. This week, we’re exploring how the quality of
Curiosity and the 100-Year Mindset: How Women Over 55 Can Boost Longevity, Brain Health, and Joy
I’m an aspiring centenarian — a person who lives to the age of 100 and even beyond. I share my successes and failures in exploring what’s possible as we adjust to the boon in human longevity.
