Vibrant Nation

my bio

I'm an ex-pat Briton who has lived in the US since 1988. A former classroom music teacher, I moved into performing and promoting choral music in the US for a number of years. After my children left the nest and I was divorced, I decided it was time to get my long-deferred masters degree and learn graphic design skills, so was delighted to be accepted by Penn in 2004.

I graduated in 2007 and decided it was time to start my own graphic design business. Unfortunately the recession hasn't helped with that goal, but since life was handing me lemons, I decided to share what I was learning. I was sure there were other women out there who could relate to some part of coping with midlife, parenting adult children, soul searching about where I want my life to go and becoming a small business owner. 

This idea lead first to a blog, http://midliferediscovery.com and then to developing an information site about what happens in midlife and some ways to move through it all using the arts and travel to help: http://www.midlifereawakening.com/ This site is still a work in progress, but please join me on my journey!

my VN interview

• How did you get to where you are now?

  By following my nose and intuition! When I was doing something that wasn't working for me, I looked around to see where I felt I wanted to go next and how I could make that transition. I feel as though I have been very fortunate to be able to do this, and very happy with where I am now. I would certainly like the economy to pick up again so money resumes flowing, but feel as though the graphic design/midlife women place I currently inhabit is exactly where I am meant to be - for now!

• How do you see yourself differently now than you did 10 years ago?

  I am so much more comfortable in my own skin and with where I am that I am so much more content. I feel much less driven by the expectations of others, and better able to decide what is right for me based on gut instinct.

• Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

  I plan to be traveling round the world, leading groups of women on tours to write, draw, and better understand who they are when they away from the familiar. For inexplicable reasons I think I will be living in a mid-century modern house on the coast of Maine, but have no idea where that idea came from!

a postcard to my younger self

This may sound corny, but believe me when I tell you that whatever you are worrying about right now isn't important in the grand scheme of things. Instead, prepare for the many opportunities ahead by learning all the new skills that interest you - they will be incredibly useful later in life. 

my role models

I want to be a determined older woman like Diana Trent in "Waiting For God" the BBC sit com frequently rerun on PBS stations.