Remember when you were a little girl and pretended to be a princess? How did that feel? Perhaps confident, valued, visible, and more than enough. How would you describe it? Maybe you were an astronaut, or scientist or explorer. No matter what you imagined, it brought to a feeling of power and fullness. 

Why don’t many of us feel like that now in our lives? Wouldn’t it be fun and inspiring to feel that way again?

A friend recently shared a photo of herself as a child wearing a crown, all dressed up, with a regal and perfectly secure smile. She was feminine and powerful. That sounds perfect to me!

This royal woman is still in you. If you have lost her, let’s explore how to find her again.

Why Bother?

As we move into our 60s and beyond, we are called to live a life beyond the demands of external achievement and concern with security. Ou

The next time you see a tree, let it remind you of the value of friendship and community.

When I turned 70, I found myself stunned and lost, wondering “Where did everyone go?” I had recently left full-time work, and around the same time, my grandson, whom I’d raised, launched into young adulthood. Life felt like a vacuum, and I did not know which way to turn.

I spent a lot of time walking in the forest. It turns out the trees had something to teach me. By understanding them, I realized I needed to tend my own forest of friendships more intentionally.

Scientists have discovered that trees communicate through underground networks, sharing nutrients with struggling neighbors and even recognizing their own offspring. A tree standing alone topples in the first serious storm. Trees standing together are more likely to stay strong through the storm.

At my wedding, I told our gathe

If you step into your ideal self at age 95 and look back, what do you want to see? Is it a life of happiness? Of meaning? Certainly, you want to feel satisfied with the years you have lived and are living. I faced having to figure out how to be satisfied with my life when I turned 70; I had left full-time work and felt lost. There are many reasons for feeling unsettled, usually related to some kind of shift in our life role. I have clients much younger than 70 who feel dissatisfaction and thus find themselves searching.

Traditionally, happiness and meaning are the main ingredients to living what is called a “good life.” I want to sense that I’ve made a difference; that falls under “meaning.” Then, I’m pretty happy too! So, both happiness and meaning matter to me. What about you?

Recently, I ran across a new book and learned about yet another life dimension to co

“Purpose? I never want another purpose,” a recent retiree told me. “I’ve had enough.”

We both laughed. After some conversation, she said she was open to a different word – meaning. Can you feel the difference? For many of us, the notion of purpose feels restrictive and full of obligation for good reasons.

Most women navigate life responding to the requirements of marriage, parenting, and work goals. During our lifetime, many women also became achievers professionally, as well as maintaining more traditional feminine roles. That is a lot to manage!

It is not only life roles that define us, but also the social norms regarding how a woman should behave. Although we have made progress, we women are still the primary caregivers, are appraised according to our social standards of beauty, and carry out traditional roles.

Let’s appreciate all we have done to balance life, support others and contribute throughout

Standing at the threshold of a new year can feel like standing at a portal with one foot in what was, one foot poised to step into what could be. For women over 60, this moment holds power. This phase of life offers you the freedom to live the life you’re truly here for, perhaps more than at any other time in your past. It’s time to take the reins and live fulfilled.

Fulfillment requires intention. It asks us to examine what we’re carrying and decide what deserves a place in our future. I’ve created a five-step process to help you move into 2026 with clarity and purpose, including the most liberating question: what needs to be released?

Step 1: Honor What Was, Choose What Continues

Before you can move forward, take time to reflect on 2025. Wha

For many of us, our tank feels full of advice on how to live with meaning, be happier, healthier, and think positively. I’m one of those authors who writes about it! After reading 14 books on positive aging, I can confirm the tank is full. And the books keep coming.

The reality is that, as important as all the counsel is to our well-being, we do get older. That process started at ground zero when we were born and will not stop until we do.

So, my question to you is, “How do you navigate the realities of getting older with the desire to make your life the best possible?” Alternatively, “What do you expect if you attend to nurturing in yourself the habits linked to aging well?”

We Do Not Fail at Aging

Researchers and authors can leave us believing that if we think positively enough, surround ourselves with enough community and love, and live a purpose-dri

Have you ever heard of “longevity literacy?” I certainly had not. This new-to-me term is associated with how well we predict how long we are going to live. From a study about this topic, I learned that over half of us underestimate how long we will live!

The study focused on the financial decision-making implications of this underestimation. Of course, they found that people who underestimate their lifespan tend to not save the financial resources needed to live comfortably for all their years after full-time work. I pondered what other consequences might occur that may impact the quality of life beyond the life span we anticipate.

Let’s begin to understand the implications of “longevity literacy” on how we may choose to live our lives.

Experiment 1

First, put yourself in the mindset that in your 60s or 70s you are