NEW BOOK BY HOST OF
 ”FEISTY SIDE OF FIFTY”
By Mary Eileen Williams, M.A., NCC

If you’re over fifty and looking for work, you probably have a slew of preconceived notions about how bad the job market is for older applicants. You are also likely to have a number of concerns and questions that need to be addressed.
In the course of my twenty years of experience as a career counselor and job search specialist, I’ve counseled thousands of midlife career changers and jobseekers and—believe me—I’ve heard it all. Here are a few …

We are ALL at the height of our Power!

“FIFTY IS THE NEW FIFTY” -
For Immediate Release from Plume Books
We are ALL at the height of our Power!
“Well the first thing I want to say about Fifty is the New Fifty, is that it’s not the whole title. The whole title is 50 is the New Fifty, 60 is the new Sixty and 70 is the New Seventy…and who cares about birthdays anyway. The best thing is that we are all at the height of our power, and we feel that …

“A Circle of Trust Reader’s Guide”

One of the fun things authors get to do for the paperback edition of their book is work with the publisher on a Reader’s Guide for Book Clubs. The publication date for “Fifty is the New Fifty: 10 Life Lessons for Women in Second Adulthood” is March 30th.
In advance of the publication, we’re posting the Plume Edition Reader’s Guide here. Many women have told me the book inspired numerous conversations with their sisters, mothers and friends. I hope the guide leads to even more …

ALSO, AN UPDATE ON BOOKS BY FRIENDS

Like all of you, I have a circle of friends that I try to connect with on a regular basis. For me, it’s often over lunch.  I look forward to those dates with a real hunger – for the intimacy, the chance to chronicle our lives to ourselves and each other, and the sheer delight of gazing at a well-loved face.
If too much time goes by, one or the other of us sends an e-mail titled “re: lunch?” Occasionally we need to schedule an …

An Update on My Next Book!
As those of you know who have already filled out my questionnaire about intimacy, I am working on a book about how this mysterious, precious, and elusive condition is experienced by women in our fifties, sixties and seventies. The valentine season is an invitation to issue a progress report on my findings.
Mysterious and personal as love is, it knows no age limits.  Studies of the brain chemistry of people in love revealed neurological activity that was “the same whether the individual as 18 or 50-plus,” …

MEMO TO MYSELF
I’ve been advised to write an upbeat end-of-year note – to reinforce the message of my writing, which is that women over fifty are feeling upbeat about themselves and their prospects. And that certainly applies to me. My kids and friends are good; my husband has opened the art gallery of his dreams; and my mother is drifting off peacefully (so far). I have reconnected with old friends, which is an amazing gift; my longtime friends continue to nourish me and one another (one had major back surgery, …

Because I am trying to chronicle our experiences as we define a new stage of life, I feel free to ask impertinent questions, and I am always rewarded by honest and thoughtful answers. No surprise, really, from women who are discovering the joys of not caring “what other people think anymore.” Much of what they tell me begins with an astonished “I can’t believe that I am telling your this…” or “I can’t believe I am doing this…” but we are surprising ourselves at every turn.
My latest line of inquiry …

Women in Second Adulthood Are Doing Just Fine, Thank You.
In a country that gorges on “happy meals” and concludes correspondence with a “smiley face,” it is safe to suggest that happiness has been devalued as a meaningful state of mind. Asking about it is like asking “How are you?” Fine.  Nevertheless Marcus Buckingham, who describes himself as “leading expert in personal strengths and best-selling author,” decided to assemble all known happiness surveys (On a scale of 1 to 3, how happy are you?) and report on Huffington Post that his …

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
I know that I am not the only one who thinks of Fall as the beginning of the New Year. It’s that embedded back-to-school schedule – ours then and our children’s now. I am much more inclined to get going in October than in January.
What’s more, while my January resolutions have more to do with self-improvement (or self-criticism) – perennially “go on a diet” – my October plans are more about taking care of business and beefing up the rewarding parts of my life. …

GLORIA STEINEM, ISABELLA ROSSELLINI, REP. DONNA EDWARDS (D-MD), MODERATOR LESLEY JANE SEYMOUR AND ME.

FREE BOOK Fifty is the New Fifty, First 10 Comments
I don’t think there is anything more nourishing than an hour spent with a group of bright, funny and honest women friends. I got to do that – big time – last June when Gloria Steinem, Isabella Rossellini and Rep. Donna F. Edwards joined me for a discussion of the ideas in my book Fifty Is the New Fifty on a panel moderated by Lesley Jane Seymour, More …