January 2026 A New Chapter of Empowerment Seven years ago, I retired from my position as an associate professor of communication. Then, 3 ½ years ago, I became a widow. Since then, I have gained a new understanding of empowerment. I published my first book, Refusing to Be Invisible: Life Planning Empowerment Strategies for […]
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Part Two: Enduring Love, Loss, Legacy & Resilience Once a popular belief, some mental health professionals argued there were definable stages of grief that people will move through as they learn to accept their loss. Other current literature suggests that grief is often felt in waves rather than stages, and certain aspects can endure but lessen
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Soulmates: A Widow’s Experience with Enduring Love, Loss, Legacy & Resilience: I’ve been widowed since May 2022. A majority of women who have been married will eventually become widows. Surprisingly, the median age of widowhood for women is 59.4 years old. If you are a widow, know someone who is a widow, or anticipate becoming a
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Siblings John and Ruth both had a longer-than-average lifespan. John lived until he was 90, and Ruth lived until she was 94. However, John had a much longer healthspan. A Shorter Lifespan but a Longer Healthspan After John retired from his position as a marketing manager, he started sharing his expertise as a volunteer for
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As we get older, we should feel stronger, more confident, and empowered. But as women, we often feel less empowered—diminished and even invisible. In fact, feeling invisible is one of the most common complaints of women 50+—especially as we face increasing age biases in the workplace. Moving into our fifties and beyond, our workplace
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My dog, Ranger, is ten years old. For his breed and size, he’s had a long life. He’s been treated very well and has lots of doting neighbor friends. Of course, we all know that when we adopt a dog (or other pet), we’ll most likely outlive them—it is part of the package we
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My first book, Refusing to Be Invisible: Life Planning Empowerment Strategies for Women 50+ is now available on Amazon. I spent a few years researching ageism – something the World Health Organization has suggested is still one of the most accepted forms of discrimination today. As I was doing my research and talking to
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More people are living with the risk of having a stroke or heart attack than they might realize; it is estimated that about 50 percent of adults over 60 are at risk of developing a serious cardiovascular condition. Cardiovascular or heart disease is the number one cause of death for individuals 65+. My late husband,
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We may fear the thought of losing anyone dear to us. But the truth is, almost all of us—especially those of us over fifty—will lose people close to us. Assuming we live long enough, we will eventually lose our parents and likely, other family members. We may lose friends, spouses, and partners. Loss is inevitable,
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This is the first excerpt from a chapter on widowhood in my manuscript on empowered aging and women 50+. Especially during the last year of his life, my late husband loved watching the hummingbirds feed outside our patio sliding door. When he passed away, I didn’t see any hummingbirds for over a week, and
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