Brenda's story
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Brenda got in touch to share her story about finding a new direction later in life.
Brenda says that she’d been lucky to have had a job that she really enjoyed and found rewarding for many years, but then a combination of factors led to a really bad episode of stress and ill-health in 2018/2019. She signed up for some personal coaching sessions which had such a positive impact that she then retrained as a coach herself.
Today she says, "Owning my own business has given me a new lease of life. I love helping people get through difficult times and feel I’ve really found my purpose. It’s never too late to learn something new and that’s the message I want to share with people.
"10 years ago, I was reluctant to celebrate my 50th birthday due to having to come to terms with getting older. However, when I turned 60, I was in a different place after a lot of reflecting and personal growth. It’s been an exciting journey and I’m proud of how I’ve been able to harness my skills and knowledge to help others.
To me, ageing is about finding out who you are and what you want to do next.
"My attitudes towards ageing have definitely changed over time. I’m now able to embrace ageing. It’s a privilege to age as you have more time for yourself and can explore more.
"Be authentic, be yourself - you don’t need to change once you get older unless you want to. Pursue what you are interested in and focus on yourself. I also think that retirement or semi-retirement can be seen as an opportunity to do different work or volunteer to do things that make you spark.
"The Age Without Limits campaign really spoke to me – I was sitting in a cinema in Brighton where I saw the Age Without Limits advert for the first time. I instantly got my phone out and took down the details. I had a look on the website and arranged a quiz as part of the Age Without Limits Day. Everyone really enjoyed it. One of my colleagues was able to point out a time he had been ageist. I was also really motivated to share my story of finding myself, hoping it would help other people."