Beauty Thought Leader: Elise Marquam-Jahns
Suzy Rosenstein was laid off at the age of 50 from her job in health promotion and education where she’d worked for 27 years.
“50 was a real wake-up call when several younger people she was close to passed away.”
And although it felt harsh at the time, she now feels that it was the greatest gift she could have been given.
Truly Life-Changing:
She’d been feeling restless and stuck starting around her 45th birthday. And 50 was a real wake-up call when several younger people she was close to passed away. She realizes now she’d been craving growth. Always tucked away in the back of her mind was the thought of how much she’d like to be an entrepreneur. And work one on one with people.
Although she was a bit skeptical about the whole field of “coaching,” she made the decision to hire an on-line coach. And the experience was truly life-changing. During those coaching sessions, Suzy realized she’d always loved listening to stories. And often when first meeting someone, she immediately senses if that person has an interesting story and listens in fascination as the story unfolds.
She especially remembers the story that unfolded when she started a conversation with a woman she met at an art show in Rhode Island and the woman who owned a small store selling lavender.
World Of Podcasting:
From these and other experiences, she realized that she’d probably been coaching her whole life. She hadn’t realized it. In fact, at the conclusion of her coaching sessions, Suzy asked her coach where she’d gotten her training. She decided to pursue coaching training at the same Life Coach School.
Suzy realized this decision was “really meant to be” when she received an educational severance check from her former company. Serendipitously, the check was the exact amount her Life Coach School training program. Suzy became enthralled with the world of podcasting after listening to the podcasts hosted by the founder of the Life Coach School.
“Her own “Women in the Middle” podcasts have now reached a milestone of over one million downloads.”
Mid-Life Change:
She soon came to love the fact that she could use the app on her phone to dig deep into any subject. From gardening to whale-watching Suzy could access it all. Suzy characterizes this as having a “party in her phone.” Her own “Women in the Middle” podcasts have now reached a milestone of over one million downloads.
Roughly 45% of her podcasts feature guests. These guests either have a particular area of expertise, are someone who was afraid to make a change (and did it anyway), or coaching clients of Suzy’s who have also successfully made a mid-life change.
Certified Life Coach:
Her podcast topic categories range from “becoming the woman you want to be,” to “dealing with aging”, “dealing with an empty nest”, to ways of making a contribution in the world and how to make a change if a change is needed. She cites two of her most interesting guests as The Practicing Mind author Tom Sterner and former television host Joan Lunden, author of Why Did I Come Into This Room.
Through her work as a one-on-one certified life coach for mid-life women and her 6-month group coaching program called “Women in the Middle Academy,” the most common refrains Suzy hears are: “I want more” or “There must be more for me. I want to make a bigger contribution.” And often her clients feel like they’re old and running out of time. But when Suzy gets on the phone with them, all she hears are all the exciting possibilities that lie ahead for that person.
Unstuck After 50:
In addition to her individual and group coaching, Suzy also offers a free, downloadable guide titled “The Top 10 Questions To Reimagine Your Life After 50”. And has authored a book titled 50 Ways to Celebrate Your Life After 50.
And when asked what the most important ways are that we can get “unstuck” after 50. Suzy doesn’t hesitate to recommend these three tips:
- Be open to focusing on what you can do,
- Be more compassionate with yourself and
- Always be curious about everything.
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About the Author:
Elise, you’re an awesome interviewer and I really enjoyed this opportunity to chat about what’s going on for so many midlife women. It can be a crazy time of life, full of so many emotions! It was so much fun to explore it together!
This was a wonderfully inspirational interview of one KUEL, Kuel Life member. Thank you Suzy for all you do for women in midlife & beyond.