50/over/50…Finally

I’ve never counted the candles and I have always eaten the cake…Anna Quindlen

Getting Started

In the late 1970s, I was Dir. of Corp. Catering for a very hip Five-Star Hotel in Los Angeles. I was so fortunate to be exposed to a wide assortment of businesses. Including; advertising, publishing, entertainment, and of course the movie, and beauty biz. Yes, it was predominately men, but there was also a larger than expected contingent of woman executives that I worked with. Advertising was still pretty much ‘Mad Men,’ with entertainment and the movies a close shoulder to shoulder in their bespoke suits. I found most of the women I met to be very willing to talk about their careers in general and their current positions in some detail. It was an eye-opening and ambition-expanding experience, and these women encouraged me to explore my career options. The timing was perfect. I was in my early thirties, a new decade was around the corner, and more women were emerging in executive positions. And I had plans to fill my hopes and dreams with success. And I did.

When I read that Forbes was in the final stages of releasing the 50 Over 50 issue. I thought perfect timing. We’ve all had time to reflect over the last fourteen months about our lives – before – and now – after. I think this spotlight will shine even brighter because of all the societal changes that have come about recently. And, the fact that we as women will continue to cement the path to recognition as entrepreneurs and leaders throughout the private sector and corporate America. Here are a few excerpts from Forbes and profiles of women that have worked hard and not allowed age to stand in their way. I’ve also added a few stories of women I know personally that have scaled the age barrier and continued to work into their 70s.

Forbes 50 Over 50: Woman Proving Success has No Age Limit

The 50 Over 50 is a collection of women who, like, Nancy Pelosi at 81, aren’t letting societal expectations dictate their professional timelines. Instead, they’re rejecting the conventional wisdom that their best years are behind them, and in so doing, they’re leading a movement: We received more than 10,000 submissions for this list of 50 people. The final 50 was whittled down from more than 10,000 submissions with insight from three rock-star judges: Grameen CEO Andrea Jung; fashion icon Diane von Furstenberg; and Act One founder and one of America’s richest self-made women, Janice Bryant Howroyd. 

Mika Brzezinski : Fifty-Four

“Four years into my 50s, I wish my younger self could have conjured what I see now. Instead, women over 50 are achieving their best success after 50. Rather than just hanging on. Experience and wisdom now mean our most productive days are in front of us,” says Mika.

Mika is the co-host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, founder of “Know Your Value” and author of four best-selling books. In 2015, she launched “Know Your Value,” a nationwide movement in partnership with NBCUniversal to support an empowered and inclusive community that helps all women recognize, and be recognized for, their worth in business and in life. Her book “Comeback Careers: Refresh, Rethink, Reinvent Your Success – At 40, 50, and Beyond” (Hachette Books; Jan 14, 2020) with co-author Ginny Brzezinski, provides a roadmap to career reinvention for women of all ages.

Vice President Kamala Harris : Fifty-Six

On January 20, 2021, Kamala Harris became the first woman, the first Black person, and the first South Asian-American to become U.S. Vice President. She’s no stranger to firsts: In 2016, Harris was the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the United States Senate. And in 2010, Harris became the first African-American and first woman to serve as California’s attorney general. And, now, first in line for the Presidency. It’s always been a challenge, and the reward is the worldwide platform from which she can lend her voice and stand behind the American Entrepreneurs.

“Today, our nation must reimagine our economy so that every American entrepreneur can launch and grow an enterprise. It is in this reimagining that we will remain competitive – and come out of this pandemic stronger than before.”

Vice President Kamala Harris commented in an interview with Mika Brzezinski regarding Forbes’s 50 Over 50 issue. Mika asked the Vice President if age had ever stood in her way. The Vice President related that “I never defined my career decisions and goals based on her age!”

Shonda Rhimes : Fifty-One

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Shonda Lynn Rhimes^] is an American television producer, screenwriter, and author. She is best known as the showrunner—creator, head writer, and executive producer—of the television medical drama Gray’s Anatomy, its spin-off Private Practice, and the political thriller series Scandal.

In 2007, Rhimes was named one of TIME magazine’s 100 people who helped shape the world. In 2015, she published her first book, a memoir, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person. In 2017, Netflix said that it had entered into a multi-year development deal with Rhimes, by which all of her future productions will be Netflix Original series. Netflix had already purchased the streaming rights to past episodes of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal.

“I always find these young women who have been conditioned to believe or to speak of themselves in ways that make them smaller,” Rhimes says. “It drives me bonkers.” 

Rhimes’ advice to go big is far better than the advice women have heard for centuries, which is often given with these urgent caveats: “Do this before it’s too late” or “The clock is ticking.” These messages are clear: There is a prime moment, and then there is “after”—and the after does not matter. 

Maggie McGrath : Under 50

Editor of Forbes Women, Maggie McGrath says; the 50 Over 50 proves “The clock is ticking,” and “Do this before it’s too late” these statements are fundamentally not true. There is no deadline for success or fulfillment, just as there is no one path everyone needs to follow. As the editor of this package and an Under 50 woman, it’s a welcome lesson. Their stories are important reminders that while we can’t control every circumstance, we can control our actions; failures can make for beautiful opportunities, and experience can fuel a more vibrant career than your younger self could have ever imagined. 

The Trail Blazers : Over 50

Once I started on a career path, the most gifted, smart, ambitious assortment of women came into my life. In the beginning, it was like the universe opened a finishing school for me. I became a student of observation and determination. And determination was something these women all had and shared with me. Many of the women I met throughout my career are still in my life, and I wanted to introduce you to a few that I have tremendous respect for. These women came into a workforce in changing times but succeeded in establishing themselves as worthy of the transition from the 50s mindset to the executive suite.

: Sandra :

I met Sandra on the phone in the early 1970s, she worked for two major record company producers, and I worked at the “hot” recording studio. Once she left the music business, she established herself in the wholesale fashion apparel business. It was a very lucrative time in the fashion business, and Sandra did very well financially. She worked for several major women’s fashion brands for the next twenty years and finally burned out in her late 40s. She tried her hand at real estate for a couple of years. But, residential real estate did not have the challenge she was looking for. As her 50th birthday approached, she became very anxious regarding her age and finding a fulfilling, well-paying job.

Through the Apparel News, she saw a want ad that would be the perfect job for her. She applied and was hired as The Dir. of Leasing for the California Apparel Mart. The job combined her twenty years of experience in fashion apparel manufacturing, and sales, with commercial real estate. Fashion & Real Estate. She says, “it turned out to be the last and best career move of my life.” In her ten years with the Apparel Mart, one of her major accomplishments was the opportunity to build an entire contemporary floor. Contemporary was a new category for the industry, and Sandra was instrumental in making it the most profitable floor in the entire Mart. And the most profitable of all her careers.

: Vicki :

I became friends with Vicki while we sampled food and planned her upcoming publisher’s luncheon in the hotel where I worked, as Dir. of Corp Catering. By the time her publishers’ luncheon rolled around, we were fast friends, and I knew that magazine advertising space sales would be my next career. For the next fourteen years, we both worked in publishing. Along the way, Vicki married, stopped working, and lived happily until she divorced at 63. Now what – she asked herself? She did have the option not to work, but that option was not in her DNA.

She decided to be open to the possibilities. First, she worked as an assistant for a famous Interior Designer. This did not last long. As she says, “the position was somewhat as a secretary, and I had come from a job where I had my own secretary and my own assistant…So it didn’t work out – plus, I was lousy at the job!” Then by happenstance, she met a woman who asked if she would be interested in working at Mt. Sinai Mortuary and Cemetery – selling burial plots! Vicki looked into it and said yes. For the next decade, she did very well financially, enjoyed the people she worked with and became a top seller of – Subterranean Real Estate. Today she says, “I’m almost 81, and I still have the thought that If I wanted to get a job, I could!”

: Nancy :

I bonded with Nancy in a taxi zooming up-town from an appointment at Jordash Jeans. Nancy was a top salesperson at the number one teen magazine in the U.S. that had just hired me for the Los Angeles office. We ended up working together at two different magazines for the next fourteen years. She on the East, me in the West. Nancy was so successful because she was truly (and still is) a people person. She was so astute in her advice. It was like a sixth sense. She began taking courses on coaching and decided that this would be her future. Going out on her own and leaving behind a lucrative career was the last obstacle to overcome. But, this is a woman who, at fifty-one, accepted the challenge from Tony Robbins to walk on fire. If you can walk on 1200 degree hot coals, you can do anything. And so she did, and it was her ‘aha’ moment that changed her life. She walked on fire and prepared to walk into a new future as a relationship coach.

Over the next couple of years, Nancy studied and practiced with her friends, all of whom encouraged her to continue for her certificate to practice as a certified relationship coach. “I never thought about my age as anything but an advantage. I was rich with life experiences that in most cultures made me a wise woman!” At fifty-three, she quit her job, put out her shingle, and was on her way to a new life. Her mission – supporting women and making a difference in their lives. The choice to go in an entirely different direction “keeps me vibrant and vital with purpose and passion at seventy-five.”

: Flo :

“You two are going to be perfect together.” I felt like I was being set up for a blind date. It was actually an in-store trunk show organized by the Home Accessories buyer for Nordstrom for a select group of designers. I met Flo that Saturday at the Nordstrom Santa Barabra store. I was the nubie, and she the ‘grandam’ of home accessories. The buyer was right…we were great together. I had recently left a long career in publishing and opened a wholesale home accessory company. Of which I knew very little! Flo was very generous with her knowledge and experience, which guided me through the obstacles of a new and unfamiliar industry.

Her generosity is a standard that we, as women, should live by. When I met Flo, she had been in her own business successfully for over 40 years. Her back story could easily fill a best seller. During ‘show season,’ Flo was in each one of her wholesale showrooms across the country. She wanted to be with her customers and buyers from all the major stores that bought from her company. And she liked guiding and helping new owners/designers in their quest for success. For the next eleven years, Flo guided and mentored me. When Flo decided to move from California to Toronto, she sold her business. She was 78. As she boarded the plane to Toronto, she kept thinking, “what the hell am I going to do in Toronto?” Needless to say – she started another company and worked for the next fifteen years, right up until the pandemic hit. What a woman…don’t you agree?

: Kate :

I was one of those kids fresh out of high school that had no idea what they wanted to do. I moved to Southern California for University and returned to Hawaii one semester later! This was a pattern I would follow for most of my twenties. Never settling down at one school and leaving with a degree. What I did have was a degree in optimism. I have always said that I feel like I followed along behind my life and allowed it to unfold. It was always the daydream of happiness and success that propelled me forward. My thirties were the threshold of my future, and I welcomed it with open arms.

Throughout my life, I never thought about my age as an obstacle. When I was lonely in high school, my mantra was: My life will improve with age. The more my life expanded, the more I believed this to be true. There were milestones along the way to prove my theory. The first was at forty-seven when I decided to leave a lucrative career in publishing and opened a decorative home accent and design company. An industry I virtually knew nothing about! For the next 11 years, I was totally immersed in the wholesale side of decorative home accessories! When we closed the company, after 9/11, I went to work for another company, which only lasted less than nine months. And, it wasn’t until I was driving away from my second interview with a wholesale linen company that I realized how lucky I am? They offered me a great job, but what floored me – the fact that I was fifty-eight! Twelve years later, I left the company to move to Cuenca. I was the oldest employee in the company when I moved on at seventy. And, here I am, running head-long into seventy-five with a bundle of dreams that have ‘writer’ written all over them!

Dreams don’t come with an age attached. Remember that the next time you’re wondering what you can do at this age! xok

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