00:00 You’re listening to the live happier, longer podcast, episode 29.

00:15 Welcome to the live happier, longer podcast. We’re your hosts, Molly watts and Angela McDade. We are here to help you build the habits of a happier, longer life starting now.

00:28 Hey Angela. Hey Molly. How is it going this fine Tuesday? It’s just going well. Excellent. So this podcast is releasing on March 13th. It’s the first Wednesday after March 8th Friday, which was international women’s Day. Yes. And so we are dedicating the next few episodes of our podcast to some exceptional outstanding women. Yes, fabulous women. Yeah. These women I would say are really hitting their stride in Midlife and are definitely taking actions to age with optimism. Yeah. And live their best life as the, as the age. Right? Right. And that’s why they are a natural for our podcast. Today we’re talking with Loretta Sayers. Loretta is somebody that I met pretty early on in our whole social media experience. She has a fantastic blog and uh, she has really just that, that has exploded in the last couple of years has changed kind of, I think from what she started to do. And really it’s just another example of when you take action, what can happen. Here’s Loretta Sayers.

01:38 Hey Loretta. Hi Loretta.

01:40 Hi Ladies.

01:41 How are you doing? Very good. Thank you for having me on your wonderful show. I so appreciate it.

01:46 Hey, I am just thrilled that it’s finally happening. I feel like you and I’ve talked about it for awhile now just intermittently and kind of heading this way, but it’s perfect. I’m so excited that you are like our first official march women’s series guest. I think it feels appropriate. Yeah, exactly.

02:07 There’s so many fabulous women out there. I’m so honored that you guys chose me and I really appreciate it and look forward to chatting with you guys.

02:14 Yeah. Awesome. So we just gave a little bit of a brief background in our intro in terms of who you are and what you’re doing and I want to kind of go into finding out more about your decisions to start the blog. The countdown to 60 is what it’s called, the countdown to sixty.com blog and where that came from, what generated the idea and has it turned out the way you expected it to?

02:43 Thank you. Very good question. So it was July of 2017 I was 58 years old and um, it really dawned on me literally one day I woke up that line from when Harry met Sally when she says I’m going to be 40 one day, mine came out, I’m going to be 60. And it, it Kinda freaked me out to tell you the truth. I was um, I was super excited to meet 50. I felt like that was such a rite of passage at 50. You know, Oprah came before us and showed us that 50 was awesome, but 60 it felt a lot scarier. And I felt like I was supposed to really have my stuff together. You know, my life should be in order. I should be this wise person. I should know what I’m doing. And so I decided at that moment that I needed to find a way to make that happen, to get my, figure out who I am, why I’m the way I am and how I want to move forward in and reach 60 at as this person that has it together.

03:48 So I started the blog. Literally, it was a, I believe it was a Sunday. I had actually googled how many days to May 10th, 2019 my 60th birthday. And at the time it was the number came back six, six, six which cracked me up because it is because I’m like, well, I have to tame this beast one way or the other. So for me it was to start sharing my life and that’s what I did. I started a blog, I started an Instagram and a Facebook page all on the same day and literally within a day I had my very first post up.

04:24 Wow. Yeah. I know in a, your, your blogs are pretty heavy duty. I mean in the past that you’ve changed a little bit here lately, but it, in the past, it’s been a daily blog.

04:34 It was for about almost a year and a half straight. It was every day.

04:39 Yeah. That’s hard work.

04:41 It was hard work and I kind of bit off more than I could chew I think on that. But, um, when I started it, it was sort of with this intent of let’s be real and let’s be honest, Loretta, and let’s share who you really are and the way for me to do that was from the outside. And I didn’t intentionally start from the outside and go in, but that’s kind of how it started. And so I thought my very first blog post, um, like I said, it was a Sunday. I was in my sweats, no makeup and all my comfortable clothes. I don’t wear sweats, actually, their yoga pants. And, uh, I decided I was going to strip down to my underwear and take a picture of me just the way I am. I was about 30 pounds overweight then I’m used to being. And I just wanted to be real and honest and this is who I am. And I, and I took the picture. I didn’t even let my husband take it. I took it myself with my camera and tripod and posted it on my blog and said, this is who I really am.

05:39 Wow. That is like brave beyond brave.

05:44 Well. So you do that when you don’t have very many followers.

05:50 Although I remember not too long after you and I connected on Instagram that you posted another picture that was scantily clad that I remember again.

06:01 It was on my year anniversary, so, okay. Okay. Starting the blog. So you know, and going back to what I discovered was that what I needed to work on really wasn’t the outside but was the inside. And so I started telling my story and in that year of blogging every single day and telling my story so much came out, Molly, it was unbelievable. I mean, things I hadn’t told anyone, um, things about my past, you know, things that had happened to me when I was little. Um, I just shared everything and little by little it was like shedding this, these layers of, you know, away from me and the real me was coming out. So yeah, on my anniversary I had my laptop in front of, yeah, I remember that takes her nothing else. So I was covered with a laptop.

06:55 Yeah, it’s a great picture.

06:57 Thank you. It was sort of the say that, you know, this was me finding, getting down to the sort of naked truth of by writing and sharing my journey. Um, it was a way that I could just say, you know, let, let yourself be who you are and there’ll be people, maybe that will judge you, but probably not really. It’s all in our head.

07:21 And if they’re judging, do you really care? What does it really matter to you for other people think, you know?

07:27 Well, and that’s what it came down to for years and years and years. And it mattered to me. I grew up extremely poor, and I mean the kind of poor where, um, we did, it wasn’t the kind of part where we, we couldn’t afford Nike’s. It was the kind of poor where I had to wear my brother’s hand me down tennis shoes at in school, so really poor. And so you feel like, I think I grew up thinking I was being judged, you know, I was told to get my dirty little self out of the stores because they knew I didn’t have any money. So why are you in there? And so in my mind growing up, it was, um, I was being looked at and judged for what I didn’t have, who I wasn’t, who I was, and I was letting that rural who I was, you know? So yeah, it was interesting. And I think once I started to kind of come to grips that also the judge, when we talk about judgment, I was as judge, I was judgmental as well with others. And when people would write to me and talk to me, I realized little by little that judgment is just sort of a part of who we are. We look at the world and we judge everything around us. It doesn’t necessarily mean the other person is wrong or bad or whatever. It’s just means that we are, we’re constantly trying to see what’s around us and how to survive in that world. And as individuals, we have to be the ones that say, like you said, does it really matter?

08:54 It’s the, there’s the phrase “what other people think of you is none of your business.”

08:58 That’s a great phrase.

09:01 That’s easy to say. It’s actually very hard to, you know, to subscribe to it. As much as i’m saying it, it is hard, it’s is very hard. Right.

09:12 I think it is too. I think we, you know, I think it does take some maturity on our end to go it, they, their judgment has to do with them. No, Mike, my judgment of anyone else has to do with me. And that’s a one thing I’ve tried really hard to do and my blog is to not say they, but just say me, I tried, you know, not to go, society is doing this or I’ve been, this has happened to me. Um, you know, I’d rather say my feelings of are of this or that. And I’m learning more and more about myself because of doing that. And it’s, it’s basically being vulnerable and saying, I need to be vulnerable too, and I need to put myself out there and I need to be honest and see what comes of it. And that’s kind of the the blog all started.

09:59 So what’s come of it? So let’s talk a little bit about that because I don’t, you know, it sounds like it started more as a journey of self-discovery and you know, really, really all about what you needed for you. And it’s definitely taken on at least, you know, in terms of not only just the blog itself, but your social media following. You’ve become an influencer. I mean, even a, you know, an official influencer for, uh, over 50 that are over 50. And, but I mean, so tell me what that feels like or what was that an unanticipated, unexpected, uncomfortable.

10:38 It was very unexpected. I didn’t, um, like I said, you, you had to have it right. I didn’t set out to change the world. I set out to change me. And in doing that, the outpouring of other women, you know, I have a lot of men who, who follow me, who messaged me as well, but the outpouring of other women over 50 has been tremendous. I, I’ve had people personally tell me their stories, you know, because I was brave enough to tell my story. I’ve had women write to me and say, I’m not ready yet to tell anyone this. Could I tell you though, that practically makes me cry? Just thinking of that, you know, I, it was, I guess I have goosebumps because how can, how honored could I possibly be to have anyone else feel that they, I’m a safe place for them. And that made me just realize what, uh, what this could do for other people and helping other women, other people in the world of just realizing that, you know, sharing your story is important. I don’t know if we really realize how important it is. I think we’re all just screaming to be heard at the same time, hiding behind who, you know, the persona we want to put out there. And it’s, so, it’s such a dichotomy because you’re trying to figure out how do I, how would I show up as the world myself without showing anybody who I am.

12:02 Yeah. Right. And how can I look like I have it all together when I am like, seriously don’t have it all together.

12:09 Yes. Yes. And that’s the first thing I noticed on Instagram especially was it’s this beautiful place to show, you know, every how you have it all together. And so the first thing I started to do was show how I didn’t, you know, I was, I posted without makeup all the time. I posted funny things. I posted things about, I cannot believe I have this hair coming out of my chin that is at least two inches and it’s black. It wasn’t there yesterday, what the heck!

12:36 It probably was and you just couldn’t see without your glasses. That’s what mines is and I look and I go, Oh huh.

12:46 When the funny things about aging or the funny things about us as humans and the real things and yeah, it’s fun to put on the makeup. It’s fun to put on, you know, some fun clothes and get out there and do a photo shoot. But it’s also, I really love the natural and this every day who I am person as well. And I think that’s a way of saying let’s be real. You know, there is that fun thing we can do, we can put out there that shiny look. But the other side of the coin is, you know, we’re, we’re just all everyday people that, you know, none of us are perfect. We’re all putting our best foot forward. But, um, it doesn’t mean that your less, if you don’t look like that person in that, you know that picture. Right.

13:43 I think that’s the thing about social media is you have to take it with a pinch of salt almost as it’s nice to see all the nice things, but there’s so many people who only put out the nice things, so you kinda got to say, You know, that that does look good. But appreciate that it’s not all, you know, everything’s not all gold and shiny, you know?

13:52 Yeah. It’s so true. It’s really not an, and it’s really fun actually. I have to say the posts that I have done that have just been me natural, I’ve been my highest ranking posts on Instagram. One day last summer I, I just, my husband took a picture of me and my bathing suit. We were at the beach with the kids and I said, hey, bathing suit challenge everybody. You know, let’s just post a picture of us and our bathing suits and that post went crazy. It’s one of my highest posts and I’m like, I’ve got some cellulite. I got, you know, nothing’s perfect. There’s no perfect lighting was taken with my phone. There was just no touch up, nothing like that. So it was a fun way of saying this is who we are, let’s just celebrate who we are. And um, another one I did with my face was just, my rosacea was breaking out. Everything was just, I looked tired, I looked terrible. I had taken a picture of my face to send him my girlfriend who, um, is she basically does a lot of skin care products and stuff and to, and then I looked at, I was like, I should just share this with everyone else too.

15:01 Yeah. Authenticity and vulnerability I think are two words that when I think of you, that’s just, you know, they’re, they’re key to you and they’re core of your message and what you’re, you know, who you are and not only in terms of, um, you know, shields down. We talk about that in terms of how you want to present yourself to the world and connect with women and encourage them. And, and so I guess that’s been sort of, you know, like you said, you’ve had people share with you, but it’s also inspiring, right? To other women that, you know, you, you can do this, you can start this, you can achieve this at whatever age you are. You can start being that authentic self.

15:42 It, I think it’s almost crucial, you know, I think we get to this age and we’re, I feel like we’re, we’re at a threshold or a why or whatever in the road. We’re going to either go one way and just continue sort of hiding behind our personas or we’re going to go the other way and say, you know, this is who I am and I’m going to let the shield down. I’m going to step out behind my, my armor and I’m going to just be real and be honest and be who I am. And, um, well I think for me, when I did that, I became so much happier and content. I’ve had people tell me lately in the last year, what are you doing? You’re looking really good. What’s happening? How come, you know, are you using something different? You know, did you get your, do something with your hair or your, you know, whatever.

16:32 And it’s like, you know what it is, I’m happy, happy is the best makeup. And it makes you feel it inside of how you feel. And if you’re feeling content, it shines through like nothing else in the world. And that is the thing that I think I learned the most from all of this is that it’s the, the other thing too, I wanted to just say, when we talk about authenticity and being ourselves and all of that, what I see we do when we’re younger is we have these labels that are put on us. You know, we hear from our parents and our teachers, you’re this or you’re that, you’re artistic or you’re, or you’re, you’re good with the math or you’re pretty, or you’re, you’re bossy or all of these things. And we absorb them and then, and we decide what the, which of those things we are.

17:18 And then we get told other things as we get into teenage years and adulthood and we, we, some of these things we fight against. I told somebody else, I told Catherine on a podcast that I did with her that my ex-husband called me a chameleon and I fought against it. It’s like, well no, I’m not, you know, that that sounded like an insult to me. And I was, I was worried that, you know, I had to fight against that and defend that. And when I went through this process of looking at who I really am and deciding which parts of me are true, I said, yeah, that is who I am. I am a chameleon in a way that I can make other people feel comfortable. I can mirror you. I can, I can be on your level and I can help you to feel comfortable. And I think that’s a gift. I don’t think I have to defend on that. Those things that you felt like you had to defend against owning them and then making them part of you and like, yeah, that is who I am. I am bossy well, no, I’m not bossy. Ha, maybe I am!

18:20 We talked a little bit about what this with you before and certainly something that we’ve talked about in the podcast is just is the mindset and the thinking, whether the thinking is I can’t lose weight. Right. Then you do tend to manifest the things that you think about yourself. If you think, if you don’t, if you think to yourself, and I’m a chameleon, means that you, if you have a negative feeling, then you’re going to manifest in a negative way. But if you think about it like, you know, no, I’m just, I’m great at building rapport. I have a great ability to, to build, you know, a chameleon, be with other people, changes, changes, adapt easily in any environment, you know what I mean? Then it just, it’s the way that you think about it. Then your feelings changed about it and just like you said, then you don’t have to defend against it because you realize, hey, I’m actually pretty great thing to be, you know?

19:16 Yeah. And I think I’ve learned that from other people. I certainly didn’t invent that because I’ve seen other people, you know, kind of being cast in a certain way that I thought, Oh man, I would be mad if someone said that about me. And they’ll go, yeah, that is who I am. I do this, this, this, and you’re like, oh, we can do that. I’m going to do that.

19:36 Just own it.

19:37 Own it. And that is a wonderful, powerful thing to do. And I do love when we were talking about how, you know, whatever we think we’re, I always say whatever you think you’re right. Um, because Molly mentioned that I’m heading, we’re heading to Texas tomorrow to see my sisters and everyone knows that I’m on the run a lot, it seems like, and I had said a long time ago, I want to travel. I just want to, I want to go places and do things. I want to have an adventurous life and has happened because I believe I can. And so I’ve put that out there and we were chatting how I said, I’ve also been saying to myself lately, I can’t lose weight. And I love it. You said Angela, it’s like you can say I can lose two pounds.

20:20 Yeah, I know.

20:21 That’s her next journey is going to be a weight loss coach. So simple. So simple. Of course, you know, that matter of fact, British and Scottish. British. British and Scottish. Okay. We just were having this conversation earlier about exactly what Britain/UK, yeah, yeah. GB, UK, British Isles. All right. Anyway, it is complicated for me. It’s all over there. So like their one big place. Far away. Far away from Oregon.

20:53 Yeah. We went last year or yeah,

20:55 yeah, he went to Scotland. Yeah,

20:56 yeah. Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, and, and that was on my list. I put it on my, we’re going to do this and, and it happens. So I think that’s the power of just letting your mind decide, you know, this is what you want out of your life. So make it happen.

21:11 Well, yeah. And you’ve sort of started to manifest. I also believe that, you know, the thinking is one thing and that taking action is another. The Art, the the, I think the blog has, if you weren’t a writer before, you can definitively say you’re a writer now and you’re, you’ve started down a new path with your writing this year. I know. I mean we can share with the audience going to keep you on, keep you accountable I guess in a way. Huh. So you’re not just telling yourself, we’re telling everyone.

21:49 And that’s part of it too. And that’s, that is not easy to do because if you sort of stay, if you keep it quiet and just tell yourself, then you’ll have no accountability. Say, well that just didn’t work out and I knew it wouldn’t. But yes, I decided this year that I’m going to write my first book and I have started and it’s actually going to be about this journey of what has happened over the last year and a half of starting my blog, letting go of worry of judgment, stepping into vulnerability and what it’s done to change my life. And I’m hoping that it’ll give other people a glimpse of what they could do as well and to change their lives and be here and be happy. But I’m outlining, I’m just typing like mad fiend. I have my hands hurt from typing so much actually, and I’m just typing. The way to write a book I’ve been told is just write it and then then worry about editing. So I’ve got five chapters going already. Okay.

22:46 That’s great. Loretta. Yeah, that’s good.

22:49 Thank you. And Yeah, my computer crashed or at least word crashed through part of it. It’s like, okay, regroup. This has to go differently. But um, you know, you just keep going. And so yeah, I’m excited about it. I’m, I’m scared. I, you know, I’m putting myself out there even more. It’s one thing to have a blog, that lovely thing about digital media is you see a punctuation mark change or a way you want to, you know, somebody that needs to change in the blog. You just go in and do it and boom, it’s done. Right. Once a book was written and it’s in print as well. Yeah.

23:26 Even with the planner, we can tell you that the whole proofreading four different copies was how many can’t tell you how many times we’d go, how in the world did we not see that? Yeah, full stops and commas. Really, do we not know how to do that! Great. So it’s remarkable. Yeah. But yes.

23:45 Yeah. You know, you’ve been through the process and, and I’ll be asking you lots and lots of questions.

23:50 Well, that wasn’t that, that wasn’t as much. I mean, there’s some writing, but not certainly not this to the same degree, but I think it’s great. And I think that what I like about that is there’s a, you know, this also, I know this year you’ve decided that you’re going to become a hiker, right?

24:07 Yeah. I’ve been hiking most of my life. But I have, lately I’ve been putting it down, you know, it’s like, let’s hike once a year. We went to Scotland and, and did Craigellachie and the Cairngorms and it kicked my butt, got to the top and I’m like dragging myself to the top out of shape. And I realized I want to get back into doing that. So, yeah, I started, we started this year, I’m going back in and saying at least hike a week. And so we’ve met 10 hikes. My husband’s right along with me. We got 10 hikes under our belt already, um, and uh, in February. So I think I’m pretty good.

24:45 Yeah, you’re right on pace. I think that’s, I mean, my point in all of that is, is that, you know, people and, and we’ve talked about this a lot on the podcast recently, is just the power of habit and how the, the, the daily actions and the things that you continue to do, right? They really are those compound little habits, those daily actions, those weekly actions would, if those are, they actually become who you are, right. If they come, if they come from within, you may not be focused, or you, you may think about it becoming an author as the goal, all of the, the writing habit that proves that will be, you know, that you will become an author, right?

25:27 Yes. And I read about that, that, um, I forgot who the guy who said this, but he said, you learn how to write the same way you learn how to talk.

25:36 by just doing it.

25:38 Yes. We’ll just start, you know, nobody is born and they can complete full sentences and talk about anything in the world, you learn. And it’s the same with writing and you just start. And I felt like I did that with a blog. I was so lucky that I’ve had the last year and a half to write and write. Um, and it’s given me this opportunity to go, oh, okay. I guess I do know a few things and I’ve gotten so much better, so much better. I look at the old stuff, it’s like, aye aye aye. Yeah. Yeah, it was terrible. Who was writing that stuff. But yeah, it’s helped.

26:11 Yeah. Well, and like I said, an ultimately all that, you know, the continuation and the practice of it and doing it, you’ll end up at the, at the end, the result, having a book to show for it. Yeah.

26:21 And, and you’re right to that, Molly, about how we forget to own things. We forget to say, I can say I’m a writer, I can say I’m a hiker because I’m doing it. Right. Go do it. And then you own it and you can say this is, and then , then you’re like, okay, I’m saying I’m a writer, so I’ve got a right. I’m saying my hiker, I better hike. So yeah, I think that’s, it helps you to become more of who you want to be. I’m, I say I’m do adventures and I do adventures and so it’s fun. Yeah.

26:53 Yeah. Which is a great lesson and a great, you know, we focus a lot as you know, on aging with optimism and the whole mindset being that, you know, you’re never too old to become who you might’ve been. There is certainly a, has been not only, I mean, not just for women, but a stigmatism and there’s an, ageism is alive and rampant in this world. And I think that all of this, whether it’s our five daily actions that are really focused on, you know, living happier longer, they all come around back to getting into who you really want to be, taking daily actions, building the habits, and ultimately just like you said, that’s going to be create your happiness, right?

27:41 It really does.

27:42 Well, you can create that. I’m sure if I asked you, do you, do you have an optimistic view of your aging experience? Do you see it? Do you look ahead and go, agh, dread or do you go, hey, I can do whatever I want to do.

27:56 I do. I definitely look ahead and say I can do whatever I want that, you know, speaking of becoming who you want to become and taking those little steps, I have always wanted to learn to play the piano.

28:07 Oh yeah, that’s another one you’re doing.

28:10 My husband got me this little cute, this keyboard for Christmas and I’ve learned several songs already and then I don’t want to play, you know, for anyone else. I just want to play for me and I enjoy it so much. It’s a way to completely get away from thinking too much. You have to really concentrate on keys and, and notes instead. And, but, um, it’s also great for my brain. I know what I’m doing. I’m exercising my brain as well. It’s, you know, I don’t want, I, I, excuse me, I want to be old and healthy and I always want to try to word that in the positive because I, we don’t want to hear those other, those negative words. So I want to be to age and, and continue to grow all the way to the end.

28:55 Yeah. And that’s what we, that growth mindset is kind of, you know, something that we’re trying to get people to see is that in it. But it does require more than just the thought, you know, I want to do this. It requires action and it requires habits and it requires, and you know, and all of those things together, you’re, you’re, you’re kind of doing it even, you know, without realizing or, you know, articulating it the way that we do. Um, just because you’re, you’re hiking is moving, your piano playing is learning. And you know, the, the, the writing is probably all of the above in terms of gratitude and letting go. It’s probably a combination. All those things. And then sharing, you know, your, that part in terms of social media and the connections and all of those relationships that you’ve built with through that, through that, uh, is, is really just, like I said, it’s probably, you know, your proof positive, I guess we would say of uh, living those five daily actions and really just taking into how to be age with success at age with optimism.

30:05 Well, and you guys are right. You have to do it. You can’t, you can’t just think about it. You know, I have that old saying that there’s two frogs sitting on a lily pad and one decided to jump off. How many were left on a lily pad? Well there’s two. You can’t just decide it.

30:18 It had to jump off yet. Right? You gotta jump. Do you see by little brains spitting my little wheels spinning right there for a minute. Cause they were, it was like…ehhh…

30:31 I sat down at the piano and I wanted to learn amazing grace. And so I started to learn and it was like this, there was a moment I was like, oh, this is, this is too much. And I and I wanted to get up and I like, no you don’t. The only way I’m going to learn it as a couple notes at a time. And it just, it the first phrase down. And so I just made myself stay there and I had so much fun and I loved it and it’s like I can sort of play it. It’s really slow. But yeah. And, and then, uh, you know, a couple of weeks ago I, I didn’t really want to go on a hike, it just wasn’t feeling it, but we were in palm desert and we ended up palm springs rather than finding this, this wonderful hike, it was a hard hike up to the top. Ended up meeting this guy from Canada who chatted us up and showed us a different way down. That was really fun and we ended up driving with him back to our car and it’s like, that was so much fun. If I wouldn’t have gotten myself up. And you know, out of the cause I could sit in front of my computer typing forever. That’s the one thing I don’t have any trouble with.

31:35 Get out there to do some of the other things. Just do what you got to jump off, you know, get off the lily pad and go, go have life, life is fun.

31:42 Yeah. I just listened to a talk, uh, Mel Robbins, if you know Mel Robbins and the five minute rule, she says her number one tip for anything that you are struggling with is just do it anyway. You are always going to have that thought. Like, I don’t want to, I’m tired, I’m comfortable. I’m whatever. Her whole, her whole sentiment is do it anyway. It’s funny. So, so I look after little kids, that’s what my other job is. And we were watching Daniel Tiger, which I don’t know. Nope. It’s gotten kinda based on, um, Mr. Rogers, like the, the talk about hey neighbors and it’s good to allow seem little tune and stuff. But one of the things was, um, and the little shoe that they watched, it was Daniel Tiger. He didn’t to do things because it was too hard. And they have all these little lesson songs and one of the things was is just, just start off a little, I can’t remember right what the little song was.

32:51 You’re not going to break into song?

32:52 No. I don’t know it well enough. But it was like they got to the top of that a hill and they wanted to slide down the hill, but the hill was two big so they walked down halfway and they just went down the bottom half of the hill and they realized it was really good fun. So they went up a little bit more and then it went down a bit more. And then there were like, that is really fun. And they went up to the top of the hill, you know, and it’s just, this is like, this is a kids program for two year olds and it’s like, you know, if you can’t do all, do a little at a time, just take those little steps and once you’ve done it, then you go, I can do it. And then you can just, you know, take a bigger step and then take a bigger step. So

33:37 So true. Yes. I think that’s so that’s, that’s great. I, I, I think we learned so much from kids and what kids would do it too because a lot of kids are fearless and we, I think we grow and become more fearful or um, just kind of set in our ways. And maybe that’s kind of the thing about aging that we don’t, we don’t want to be, our generation is saying I don’t want to be set in my ways. I want to, I want to age and keep growing and growing and growing and trying to things. And I’m never going to jump out of a plane, but I am going to try as many new things as I can.

34:11 Don’t say never, Loretta. You ma’am. Never know.

34:13 Only if I’m pushed!

34:18 And hopefully wearing a parachute. Yeah. Well, and I think that you summed that up beautifully is that although I would say that, you know, I, again, we talked to, you know, we’re, we’re lucky in this position that as having a podcast and now we can, I think officially now say we’re pod-casters, we’ve been doing it for that. It’s fairly, um, it’s been so inspiring. It’s so fun to talk to people. And I would say that I would challenge you just a bit that, I don’t know. I think you are sort of exceptional and I don’t think that that everybody just innately feels that they, they sort of look at old age or aging as something that’s happening to them and not necessarily just…

35:03 Something to embrace.

35:05 To embrace, to take hold up and to, to, to improve. Right? And that you can challenge yourself and you can actually, you can actually do it really well. Right? Uh, and when I say you’re, when I say that you are exceptional, I, what I mean by that is that you are doing it. That doesn’t mean that you are a, you know, special snowflake or a Unicorn and somebody that, not that you know, that people can’t do it too. You are a bold example of it, you know, we say it all the time here. What we’re talking about isn’t, it’s not rocket science to know. Certainly not, it’s not difficult to understand. It’s not, but it doesn’t mean that it’s easy to always implement. And do and so, um, so I appreciate that about you and I think you have a great story to tell and you are inspiring other women and whether it be, you know, you’re by your social media following on the blog, all of it. And I think it’s pretty, it’s pretty outstanding stuff.

36:05 Thank you. Thank you so much.

36:09 Well we will link to the blog and to all of your social media in our show notes so people can follow you. You’re the blogs. A URL is

36:19 thecountdowntosixty.com

36:21 They can find you on Instagram at

36:24 Loretta’s underscore countdown to sixty.com I mean, not .com!

36:32 @lorettas_countdownto60 and say that same on Facebook.

36:34 Facebook’s Loretta’s count down to 60 as well.

36:37 Perfect. Awesome.

36:39 I got my name in there. I came up with countdown 60 then I’m like, I want my name in there,

36:46 But that’s great. So we appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. We appreciate you sharing your journey as you, it we’re not reinventing because then he’s not like that. It’s not, you don’t like that word

37:00 I don’t like reinventing. I like that. We’re just kind of discovering or letting ourselves out.

37:06 Evolving.

37:06 Yeah. Yeah. We are. We are. We from the time we’re a little, we are, aren’t, we continue to learn and find it and dig in there and find who we are and love it.

37:15 Expressing it. Right. Express yourself. Perfect. Thank you so much. And uh, we look forward to having you back when the book comes out. Yeah, sharing that too.

37:28 I appreciate it. You guys have been awesome. I love your podcast. Thanks for having me. Thanks. Thanks.

37:34 Thanks for listening to the live happier longer broadcast. Now it’s time to move, learn, share give and let go. Five daily actions to make the rest of your life the best of your life. See you next week.

37:52 So just a quick word before you go, if you haven’t already clicked that subscribe button on our podcast. We would love you to do that. And we would also appreciate any feedback you have. Forest positive ones would be excellent. What will take anything you have to say and for a free copy of the five for life planner head to fiveforlifeplanner.com and download your free PDF today.

Loretta’s Countdown to 60