Tag Archives: transformation

Check Out My Interview On “Yes and Yes Blog”

Posted on by
3

life after 50, over 50, retirement, baby boomer women, baby boomersI  thought I would share my recent interview that appeared last week on the Yes and Yes Blog. The Yes and Yes Blog is produced by Sarah Von Bargen. I met Sarah when she was a speaker at the PHLbloggers Blog Connect Conference in Philadelphia in May 2018.

Sarah has been blogging since 2008. She says, “Yes and Yes grew out of my desire to read a very specific type of blog that – at the time – didn’t exist. I liked lifestyle blogs (who doesn’t?) but I wanted something with a tiny bit more depth. Interesting interviews in addition to the recipes posts; thought-provoking personal essays and ‘what to wear for a weekend away’ posts.”

Today, 12,000+ daily readers view her blog and she has been featured in places like Lifehacker, Problogger, Glamour, and Forbes.com among others. She also created an ecourse about money + happiness and another one about changing our habits. Plus she created an app, three calendars, and signed with a literary agent!

Sharing My Life Story
Sarah interviewed me about my reinvention after losing my spouse, selling my house and emptying out my nest. My interview is entitled, “True Story: I Reinvented Myself at 50” and includes answers to Qs about my life pre-50 and post-50 and the different changes I”ve made during the last 10 years.

Defining Your Success
Sarah was the keynote speaker at the PHLBloggers Blog Connect Conference. Her talk about “Defining Your Success” was inspiring. She said that “if you can’t define success, you won’t know when you get there.” She encouraged attendees to “create your own definition of success” rather than comparing your life to others. She said that success is not necessarily about how many social media followers you have or how much money you have in the bank. Continue reading →

Empowering Women In The Art of Wayfinding

Posted on by
7

life after 50, over 50, retirement, baby boomer women, baby boomersThis week I spoke with Ann Hoffman Ruffner, founder of Wayfinding Women, a connecting, coaching and travel company for women. Ann shared her own post 50 transformation journey with me and discussed how she is empowering  women worldwide to realize their dreams, live joyfully, and positively transform their world. I think you’ll enjoy learning about Ann, her company, and her upcoming retreats for women.

Q: Tell me a little about your background?
A: “I am considered a connector, a change facilitator, a creator, so to speak, of an experiential sisterhood of empowered and joyful women.

In addition to my 30 years as a therapist, I have 20+ years of extensive leadership experience as an educator and administrator in mental health. In 2007, I co-founded a nonprofit organization, The Partnership for Mental Health, Inc. For the past 8 years, I have served as president of this organization, leading the collaborative of 30+ organizations from the SW Ohio and Northern Kentucky region in educating our communities and reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness as well as increasing awareness and understanding of suicide prevention.

I have been a lifelong advocate for women’s safety and well-being.”

Ann Hoffman-Ruffner, Wayfinding Women

Ann Hoffman-Ruffner is founder of Wayfinding Women

Q: What is Wayfinding Women and why did you create your company?
A: “Wayfinding Women is the connecting-coaching-travel company I created after deciding to leave my work as a therapist and administrator in 2014. I decided I wanted to create joyful experiences of connectedness where women are inspired and supported to discover and celebrate their gifts and purposes to better serve themselves and the world.

Throughout my adult life, Shari Biesboer, —my BFF since we were both four-years-old —and I have gone on what we call WW’s (Women’s Weekends/Weeks). These getaways helped us manage the demands of our hectic lives by allowing us to recharge, connect with one another, and reconnect with the truest version of ourselves. We always came back stronger and better women.

During one of these getaways in 2011, we began talking about how we wished to share this experience with other women, to create trips that would allow them to feel all the joy we do from friendship, travel and time to reflect.

Wayfinding Women, self-care retreats for women,

Women participate in cooking classes as part of Wayfinding Women self care retreats.

The year we both turned 50, we went to Europe. While there, Shari and I talked more about the idea. We were reading Finding Your Way in a Wild New World by Martha Beck, a Harvard professor turned life coach (and made famous by Oprah). We related to her holistic approach and concepts of “Wordlessness” and “Oneness.” It spoke of the ancient art of “wayfinding” and seemed to call me to a new purpose. Continue reading →