{"data":{"id":"04244014-bb7d-4f6c-acf1-8ebc3a49d343","updated_at":"2024-09-22T19:34:17Z","template_id":"73046548-86ec-431a-aca0-75b53bc936f3","localized":{"blocks":[{"id":"73abc701-cb66-4f02-bcd8-f58be1e76e18","kind":"richtext","template_id":null,"content_html":"

I have a confession to make. I am an occasional binge television watcher. My habit first began when I watched the series Breaking Bad. As each of the episodes came to an end, I always found the option of “watch next episode” was just too hard to pass up. Since then, I have made my way through Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Mr. Robot and also overdosed on Grace and Frankie.

If you haven’t had the chance to watch Grace and Frankie, it’s a comedy series about two unlikely women who are brought together later in life in a quite unusual situation. Grace and Frankie’s husbands had been having an affair with each other for years and then one day announced to their wives that they wanted divorces so they could marry each other.

As I watched the show, I couldn’t help but laugh. Grace and Frankie often found themselves in some challenging but quite entertaining situations. As they dealt with their suddenly altered lifestyle it was interesting to watch them rebuild their lives and experience new challenges and opportunities together.

Now you may be wondering what the heck does any of this have to do with authentic aging. Well, there was one scene in particular that really stood out for me in this series. It was when Grace (played by Jane Fonda) removes all her makeup in front of her new (and younger) boyfriend so he could really see her for what she was.

As I watched this clip, I couldn’t help but admire the authenticity in aging this particular scene shared. Grace was willing to bare it all – to show her true self rather than continue to try and upkeep an image that she thought he wanted her to be.

Here’s the clip:

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This situation made me wonder – am I aging authentically?

The dictionary defines authentic as:

not false or copied; genuine; real
representing one’s true nature or beliefs; true to oneself or to the person identified

As I looked further into the idea of authentic aging, I discovered the following video clip of two artists who are embracing and celebrating aging through their work. In the clip, the couple shares their philosophy on authentic aging and how they have chosen to accept and embrace the aging process.

They view the physical process of aging as being part of the overall human experience. They share how they focus on the beauty that aging provides and how the act of aging actually highlights the preciousness of life. Here’s the clip:

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So I think being authentic – whether it’s about aging or anything else in our lives for that matter – starts from a point of really understanding who we are and feeling comfortable with this. It’s living our lives not worrying about what someone else thinks of us or the things we do. It’s living a life of integrity that is true to our own values and beliefs.

Where this can get tricky, especially when it comes to aging, is we are continually bombarded with images and perspectives of people who are “aging well“. Often judged and critiqued through some preconceived lens and stereotypes of what older people are supposed to be like.

I think as authentic agers, we need to ignore these preconceived ideas and create our own reality of what being older means to us. We then need to then live true to this – and not pretend to be something we think others believe we should be.

That’s why I was so impressed when Grace took off all her makeup and was authentic with her aging reality (along with the added bonus of getting a great response).

Because if we can’t be authentic at this time in our lives – when will we ever be?

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Are older women now being targeted for unrealistic expectations of what aging should look like on social media?","subtitle_html":null,"title_html":"We Wanted to Protect Our Daughters From Social Media Influences - Do We Now Need to Protect Ourselves?","author_ids":["02f24fa6-c7a7-48fd-992e-c189d38cbec7"],"lead_text":"We used to be concerned for our daughters and the potential negative influences social media could have on them. 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Susan Williams is the visionary founder of Booming Encore. With over 28 years of experience in corporate senior leadership and executive roles, she realized there was a significant gap in resources for those seeking a purposeful and healthy later life. Driven by her passion to make a difference, she decided that if she couldn't find it, she would create it and launched Booming Encore in 2013.

Since then, the Booming Encore has organically grown into a globally recognized authority on retirement, aging, and longevity. Susan’s commitment to empowering individuals is further reflected in her co-authorship of Retirement Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose? and her contributions to Longevity Lifestyle by Design.

An engaging speaker and advocate, Susan passionately shares the importance of all the aspects that can help people positively live, embrace and contribute in their later years. Today, she’s not just helping others create their own “booming encore”—she is actually living hers. Join her on this inspiring journey and also live your best booming encore!

","description_text":"Susan Williams is the visionary founder of Booming Encore. With over 28 years of experience in corporate senior leadership and executive roles, she realized there was a significant gap in resources for those seeking a purposeful and healthy later life. Driven by her passion to make a difference, she decided that if she couldn't find it, she would create it and launched Booming Encore in 2013.Since then, the Booming Encore has organically grown into a globally recognized authority on retirement, aging, and longevity. Susan’s commitment to empowering individuals is further reflected in her co-authorship of Retirement Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose? and her contributions to Longevity Lifestyle by Design.An engaging speaker and advocate, Susan passionately shares the importance of all the aspects that can help people positively live, embrace and contribute in their later years. Today, she’s not just helping others create their own “booming encore”—she is actually living hers. Join her on this inspiring journey and also live your best booming encore!","summary_html":"

Founder, Booming Encore

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