Inspiration | Fab Over Fifty Style Blog

26July

{My Story} How I Regret-Proofed My Life After Fifty

FOF Claire Fontaine is giving away three copies of her book, Have Mother, Will Travel. Three FOFs will win. Enter to win by answering this question in the comments below: Have you ever traveled with a grown up son or daughter?

FOF Claire Fontaine spent the first fifty years of her life “bound up being a mom,” trying to overcome her daughters drug addiction and dedicating years to her own self-discovery. Then, at fifty-one, Claire realized “oops, she forgot to plan for life after motherhood.”

Here, she shares the journey (literal and symbolic) that she took for regret-proofing her life after fifty.

Claire (left) with her daughter, Mia (right) stop to pose in front of the Great Wall Of China on their trip with Global Scavenger Hunt.
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A few years ago, when my daughter Mia asked me what I wanted to be doing with my life now that I was fifty, the answer wasn’t pretty.

“Not what I’m doing right now.”

To wit: on impulse I’d left Los Angeles, a city and a creative community I loved, to buy a historic fixer-upper in Florida, the hottest state in the nation, just in time for hot flashes and direct hits by four hurricanes; my marriage needed as much renovating as my house; I’d co-authored a bestselling book but hadn’t written in two years; my relationship with my mother had shattered; and my once close relationship with my daughter had grown stale and strained. The kind of mothering I was doing sends young women to postcardsfromyomomma.com. Everything else I was doing was sending me to fmylife.com.

When Mia called and asked me what I did want to be doing now that my life was half over (thanks, kid), my answer wasn’t any prettier.

“This isn’t going to sound very good,” I said after a pause. “But I’ve never actually had a concrete vision of my life at fifty.”

That was the wake-up call I needed, actually saying it out loud—I was fifty going on the rest of my life with no idea where that was. And leave it to my daughter to wake me up—again. Her dreadful downward spiral of drug addiction as a teen forced me to recognize that I’d been asleep in my own life, an experience she and I chronicled in our first joint memoir, Come Back. It also forced both of us through a lengthy and rather brutal process of self-examination that transformed our lives forever.

And let me tell you, transformation is hard work. I took courses and workshops on accountability, leadership, creating results; I meditated, carried affirmation cards, made Wheel of Life charts; I had terrific coaching on relationship skills and living intentionally. I knew the power of living consciously and intentionally rather than by default, I made a vision map years before most folks knew what it was. I even went on to counsel other families for several years. Yet, when life got tough, I didn’t fight for my own life the way I did for Mia’s when she hit the skids. Instead, I wallowed in irritation and blame. When I wasn’t blaming the house, the heat, or the husband, I blamed myself.

Shortly after that phone call with Mia, I came across that old vision map. I opened it up, flattened it out and marveled at the wrinkled images of my dream life: travel to Europe with Mia, become fit and strong, use my writing to help others, inner stillness, my daughter home, healed and healthy. It was the first time I realized, as wild as some of those dreams seemed at the time, I’d manifested every single thing on the map.

It was a life-changing moment for two reasons—first, I remembered how powerful I, or any woman, with a strong vision can be; second, it was a vision for who I was then: a woman whose sole identity was bound up in being a mom, a role that was prolonged first because of Mia’s dangerous behavior, then by writing and speaking about it nationally. I never bothered to dream up a new life for a post-motherhood, mid-life me.

A vision has the wondrous, empowering quality of keeping you both clear and focused on the future and fully engaged in the present. Without a clear picture of your desired future, there’s no reason to find a way around the brick walls we all hit in life. A vision prevents a brick wall from becoming a destination, a permanent address for a victim, with a BMW (Bitch, Moan, Whine) in the driveway. It acts as a filter for all your choices, big and small, sorting the wheat (future results) from the chaff (future regrets).

To know what I truly wanted, I knew I needed to remember who I truly was. Who was I before I became the “good girl,” always doing what I should – the “good” girlfriend, wife, mother, homemaker? What would make that girl I’d repressed for so long happy?

I decided to take time to find out, to hear my own voice again. And I decided to do it with the person who knew me best–Mia. We’d never used any of the money we’d made from our first memoir to celebrate its success. So we decided to finally use it and set off around the world together, to learn about ourselves, each other, and what mother and daughterhood looks like globally.

The first part of the trip was a madcap global scavenger hunt through twelve countries, followed by a summer together in South France. While there, I decided to make another vision map. I let myself dream big. And I had Mia there for support and feedback. I learned more from my wise and compassionate daughter than I ever taught her.

(Clockwise from left) Claire and Mia tour the Pyramids of Egypt on horse and camelback, Posing in front of the cliffs of Meteora, Greece, A rest stop in front of Veliko Tarnovo during their Balkin leg of the trip.

It was a happy, energizing undertaking, but bittersweet. During the trip, I discovered things about myself I’d forgotten, and acknowledged things I’d simply suppressed. And I realized that while you may not know what you’ve got till it’s gone, you also don’t know what doesn’t matter to you until you realize you don’t miss it. I gave myself permission not only to declare exactly what I wanted, but also to leave behind what I didn’t. Which was almost everything in my life: house, heat and husband (as wonderful a man as he is.)

My return would not be easy. It’s one thing to dream on a piece of poster board, another to make it happen in real life. But I did. One choice at a time. Over a year’s time I would leave it all—home, most of my belongings, the security of marriage. I didn’t even have a clue what city I’d live in. But I had a vision, I had trust, and I had me. I still do.
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Claire Fontaine is the co-author of two memoirs Come Back: A Mother and Daughter’s Journey Through Hell and Back, HarperCollins 2007, and Have Mother, Will Travel: A Mother and Daughter Discover Themselves, Each Other and The World, William Morrow 2012. She’s also a national public speaker and certified life coach. She divides her time between the U.S. and France, most recently Paris, where she spent five months researching a historic novel.

Enter to win Claire's book, Have Mother, Will Travel by answering this question in the comments below: Have you ever traveled with a grown up son or daughter?

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Three FOFs will win. (See all our past winners, here.) (See official rules, here.) Contest closes August 13, 2012 at midnight E.S.T.

15 comments

19July

{FOF Olympians}

Think the Olympics are just for kids? According to this Washington Post article, “in the past three Summer Olympics, 64 of the U.S. team’s 1,707 athletes have been age 40 and older—and they won 23 medals.” Proof (as if we needed proof) that FOFs are more fab than ever. And what about all the FOF Olympians from other countries? We found 7 Olympians “of a certain age,” and share their inspiring tales, here.
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Jeannie Longo

French cyclist

Competed in 7 Olympic games including the 2008 games at age 49

In a career that spanned over 30 years, FOF Jeannie Longo (now age 53) has racked up 30 medals in the Olympics and World Championships (including a gold, two silvers and a bronze) and more than 1,100 victories.

According to a 2008 New York Times article, “Longo-Ciprelli attributes her longevity to healthy living and wise planning. ‘I eat organic food,’ she said. ‘Everything in my home is organic—from cleaners to cosmetics. I’m allergic to chemicals. And I was good at managing my career.’”

But, it hasn’t always been smooth riding for Jeannie. The FOF cycler has hit bumps in the road, including criticism from Marion Clignet, a rival and teammate from the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic games. “[Clignet] said that...it was ‘unfortunate’ that the team’s director did not include a younger rider for the road race,” reports The New York Times.

Jeannie also endured scrutiny when her husband and trainer confessed to buying doping products this past year. Prior to that, the FOF cycler had hinted at retiring before the 2012 games. In light of the trying events, Jeannie stayed strong and continued pedaling, although she ultimately wasn’t chosen for the 2012 French cycling team.

“I relaunched myself this spring.” said Longo as reported by CyclingNews.com. “As long as there is life, there is hope.”

Susan Nattrass, Canadian shooter

Competed in 6 Olympic games including the 2008 games at age 57

FOF Susan Nattras is...get this--an osteoporosis researcher who studies the effects of aging in bones on active sportswomen in their forties and older. Really, Susan could be her own test subject--this FOF was a leading trap shooter for over thirty years and in 1976, the first women to participate in a shooting event at the Olympics.

When the International Shooting Union decided to discontinue trap shooting, Susan lobbied against the decision, and after five years it was reversed. She competed in five more Olympic games up until the age of 57 and although she never won an Olympic medal, she won medals in the Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

"It will probably be my last Olympics," she said choking up, according to a 2008 article by The National Post. "I hate the expression, but I want to go out with a bang."

Jujie Luan, Chinese/Canadian fencer

Competed in 4 Olympic games, including the 2008 summer games at the age of 50.

China-born Olympian, Jujie Luan, started fencing at age 17 and less than a decade later took home a gold medal for China at the 1984 Olympics. Named a “top 35 sports star” in China, according to the Chinese Olympic Committee website, Jujie is still studied in Chinese textbooks and there was a movie made about her life. Incidentally, Jujie fell in love with Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and moved there at the age of 31 representing Canada in the 2000 and 2008 Olympic Games. According to The Globe and Mail, “She plucked away at the sport as a competitor, before retiring, and then coach as she raised a family. She hauled herself out of retirement to travel the world in order to qualify for the Canadian Olympic team and...to compete in Beijing.”

"At this Olympic Games, everybody knows I'm 50 so when I'm in the piste,” said Jujie in a 2008 interview from the Olympic Games with The Globe and Mail. “It doesn't matter if I win or lose, I want to show people I'm still young," she said, "I think I'm doing not too bad."

Anne Abernathy, Virgin Island Luge athlete

Competed in 6 Olympic games, including the 2002 winter games at the age of 48. (She also qualified for the 2006 games at age 52 but an injury kept her from competing)

Dubbed “Grandma Luge” by other luge athletes, Anne Abernathy was the oldest female athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics.

Anne is consistently ranked in the top 20 world rankings, but a serious injury in 2001 left her with brain damage and nearly halted her 25+ year career. Using an alternative medicine treatment involving controlling rockets in a video game through electrical impulses, Anne was able to “retrain her brain to compensate for the damaged areas,” according to her Wikipedia page. The therapy was successful and Anne competed in the 2002 Olympic games.

“...I realized age shouldn't have anything to do with it,” said Anne in a 2010 interview with The Orange County Register. “Enjoy yourself and don't let age limit you. They tell me I broke the barriers for Olympic athletes to stay longer. I changed the way people thought about games once just 'games for youth.’ Well, everybody has the capacity of being young at heart."

Kyra Kyrklund, Finnish Equestrian

Competed in 6 Olympic games, including the 2008 summer games at the age of 56

According to FOF Kyra Kruklund’s personal website, her motto is “better late than never,” which couldn’t be more true of this “late bloomer” who competed at her first Olympic games at the age of 28 and competed in five more games including the 2008 Olympics at the age of 56. However, Kyra’s love for horses began as little girl when she would ride her godmother’s draught horses and participated in her first competition at the age of 16.

Today, Kyra serves as President of the International Dressage Riders Club and trains young riders. She even spent her 60th birthday attending the Morning Training of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

“If you always do what you always did, you‘ll always get what you always got,” said Kyra on the website, localriding.com. “If you are not happy with what you are getting, you have to change what you are doing.”

Lesley Allison Thompson-Willie, Canadian Rower

Competed in 6 Olympic games, including the 2008 summer games at the age of 48.

In her 30+ year career Lesley Allison Thompson-Willie racked up two world championship and four Olympic medals for rowing including a gold, two silvers and a bronze.

“Back when Lesley Thompson-Willie started in the sport a lifetime ago,” says an article on Canada.com, “there was no such thing as computers in rowing; races were 1,000 metres, not 2,000; and the boats were made of wood.”

After the 2000 Sydney games, Lesley “retired” to focus on coaching and her teaching career but when Lesley made a joke to rowing coach Al Morrow about going to Beijing and he replied, “Really?” Lesley immediately started training again and in fact, competed in the 2008 games.

"I have to wear distant glasses now, and [the crew] were all over me for that," says Leslie in the 2008 Canada.com article. "They were telling me, 'How could you see that when you can't even see the buoys?'"

Her rowing team placed fourth in the “Women’s Coxed Eights” event that year.

Dara Torres, U.S. Olympic Swimmer

Competed in five Olympic games and competed in this Olympic trials at age 45 (missing making the Olympic team by nine-hundredths of a second).

Possibly the most watched FOF (well...almost FOF) this summer was 45-year-old swimmer, Dara Torres. By age 41, she had won 12 Olympic medals.

“She’s a middle-aged woman who bought her first pair of reading glasses last year, dyes her hair blonde to cover the gray and can’t believe she was foolish enough to install a magnifying mirror in her bathroom, given the alarming amount of information it reveals,” according to a May Washington Post article.

A favorite to make her sixth Olympic team in the 50-meter freestyle, Dara fell just nine-hundreths of a second short from competing in the 2012 games.

Still inspiring FOFs everywhere, her 2009 book “Age is Just a Number” promises to motivate others to “achieve your dreams in any stage of your life.”

“I've wanted to win at everything, every day, since I was a kid. And time doesn't change a person, it just helps you get a handle on who you are,” writes Dara in her book. “Even at age 41, I still hate losing--I'm just more gracious about it. I'm also aware that setbacks have an upside; they fuel new dreams.”

Think the Olympics are just for kids? According to this Washington Post article, “in the past three Summer Olympics, 64 of the U.S. team’s 1,707 athletes have been age 40 and older—and they won 23 medals.” Proof (as if we needed proof) that FOFs are more fab than ever. And what about all the FOF Olympians from other countries? We found 7 Olympians “of a certain age,” and share their inspiring tales, here.
—————————————————————————————————

Play Prev|Next

Jeannie Longo

French cyclist

Competed in 7 Olympic games including the 2008 games at age 49

In a career that spanned over 30 years, FOF Jeannie Longo (now age 53) has racked up 30 medals in the Olympics and World Championships (including a gold, two silvers and a bronze) and more than 1,100 victories.

According to a 2008 New York Times article, “Longo-Ciprelli attributes her longevity to healthy living and wise planning. ‘I eat organic food,’ she said. ‘Everything in my home is organic—from cleaners to cosmetics. I’m allergic to chemicals. And I was good at managing my career.’”

But, it hasn’t always been smooth riding for Jeannie. The FOF cycler has hit bumps in the road, including criticism from Marion Clignet, a rival and teammate from the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympic games. “[Clignet] said that...it was ‘unfortunate’ that the team’s director did not include a younger rider for the road race,” reports The New York Times.

Jeannie also endured scrutiny when her husband and trainer confessed to buying doping products this past year. Prior to that, the FOF cycler had hinted at retiring before the 2012 games. In light of the trying events, Jeannie stayed strong and continued pedaling, although she ultimately wasn’t chosen for the 2012 French cycling team.

“I relaunched myself this spring.” said Longo as reported by CyclingNews.com. “As long as there is life, there is hope.”

Susan Nattrass, Canadian shooter

Competed in 6 Olympic games including the 2008 games at age 57

FOF Susan Nattras is...get this--an osteoporosis researcher who studies the effects of aging in bones on active sportswomen in their forties and older. Really, Susan could be her own test subject--this FOF was a leading trap shooter for over thirty years and in 1976, the first women to participate in a shooting event at the Olympics.

When the International Shooting Union decided to discontinue trap shooting, Susan lobbied against the decision, and after five years it was reversed. She competed in five more Olympic games up until the age of 57 and although she never won an Olympic medal, she won medals in the Commonwealth Games and World Championships.

"It will probably be my last Olympics," she said choking up, according to a 2008 article by The National Post. "I hate the expression, but I want to go out with a bang."

Jujie Luan, Chinese/Canadian fencer

Competed in 4 Olympic games, including the 2008 summer games at the age of 50.

China-born Olympian, Jujie Luan, started fencing at age 17 and less than a decade later took home a gold medal for China at the 1984 Olympics. Named a “top 35 sports star” in China, according to the Chinese Olympic Committee website, Jujie is still studied in Chinese textbooks and there was a movie made about her life. Incidentally, Jujie fell in love with Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and moved there at the age of 31 representing Canada in the 2000 and 2008 Olympic Games. According to The Globe and Mail, “She plucked away at the sport as a competitor, before retiring, and then coach as she raised a family. She hauled herself out of retirement to travel the world in order to qualify for the Canadian Olympic team and...to compete in Beijing.”

"At this Olympic Games, everybody knows I'm 50 so when I'm in the piste,” said Jujie in a 2008 interview from the Olympic Games with The Globe and Mail. “It doesn't matter if I win or lose, I want to show people I'm still young," she said, "I think I'm doing not too bad."

Anne Abernathy, Virgin Island Luge athlete

Competed in 6 Olympic games, including the 2002 winter games at the age of 48. (She also qualified for the 2006 games at age 52 but an injury kept her from competing)

Dubbed “Grandma Luge” by other luge athletes, Anne Abernathy was the oldest female athlete to compete in the Winter Olympics.

Anne is consistently ranked in the top 20 world rankings, but a serious injury in 2001 left her with brain damage and nearly halted her 25+ year career. Using an alternative medicine treatment involving controlling rockets in a video game through electrical impulses, Anne was able to “retrain her brain to compensate for the damaged areas,” according to her Wikipedia page. The therapy was successful and Anne competed in the 2002 Olympic games.

“...I realized age shouldn't have anything to do with it,” said Anne in a 2010 interview with The Orange County Register. “Enjoy yourself and don't let age limit you. They tell me I broke the barriers for Olympic athletes to stay longer. I changed the way people thought about games once just 'games for youth.’ Well, everybody has the capacity of being young at heart."

Kyra Kyrklund, Finnish Equestrian

Competed in 6 Olympic games, including the 2008 summer games at the age of 56

According to FOF Kyra Kruklund’s personal website, her motto is “better late than never,” which couldn’t be more true of this “late bloomer” who competed at her first Olympic games at the age of 28 and competed in five more games including the 2008 Olympics at the age of 56. However, Kyra’s love for horses began as little girl when she would ride her godmother’s draught horses and participated in her first competition at the age of 16.

Today, Kyra serves as President of the International Dressage Riders Club and trains young riders. She even spent her 60th birthday attending the Morning Training of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.

“If you always do what you always did, you‘ll always get what you always got,” said Kyra on the website, localriding.com. “If you are not happy with what you are getting, you have to change what you are doing.”

Lesley Allison Thompson-Willie, Canadian Rower

Competed in 6 Olympic games, including the 2008 summer games at the age of 48.

In her 30+ year career Lesley Allison Thompson-Willie racked up two world championship and four Olympic medals for rowing including a gold, two silvers and a bronze.

“Back when Lesley Thompson-Willie started in the sport a lifetime ago,” says an article on Canada.com, “there was no such thing as computers in rowing; races were 1,000 metres, not 2,000; and the boats were made of wood.”

After the 2000 Sydney games, Lesley “retired” to focus on coaching and her teaching career but when Lesley made a joke to rowing coach Al Morrow about going to Beijing and he replied, “Really?” Lesley immediately started training again and in fact, competed in the 2008 games.

"I have to wear distant glasses now, and [the crew] were all over me for that," says Leslie in the 2008 Canada.com article. "They were telling me, 'How could you see that when you can't even see the buoys?'"

Her rowing team placed fourth in the “Women’s Coxed Eights” event that year.

Dara Torres, U.S. Olympic Swimmer

Competed in five Olympic games and competed in this Olympic trials at age 45 (missing making the Olympic team by nine-hundredths of a second).

Possibly the most watched FOF (well...almost FOF) this summer was 45-year-old swimmer, Dara Torres. By age 41, she had won 12 Olympic medals.

“She’s a middle-aged woman who bought her first pair of reading glasses last year, dyes her hair blonde to cover the gray and can’t believe she was foolish enough to install a magnifying mirror in her bathroom, given the alarming amount of information it reveals,” according to a May Washington Post article.

A favorite to make her sixth Olympic team in the 50-meter freestyle, Dara fell just nine-hundreths of a second short from competing in the 2012 games.

Still inspiring FOFs everywhere, her 2009 book “Age is Just a Number” promises to motivate others to “achieve your dreams in any stage of your life.”

“I've wanted to win at everything, every day, since I was a kid. And time doesn't change a person, it just helps you get a handle on who you are,” writes Dara in her book. “Even at age 41, I still hate losing--I'm just more gracious about it. I'm also aware that setbacks have an upside; they fuel new dreams.”

1 comments

14March

{History} 3 FOFs who changed your life

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Kate Kelly, a historian who blogs for the Huffington Post and for her personal website, America Comes Alive!, was working on a project, “30 Remarkable Women Under 30 in American History,” when she began to realize that many women had made astounding contributions to society in their 40s and 50s. “We started the concept as 30 under 30,” says Kate. “But, what we found is that some women launched bigger and better careers after that.” Kelly has since expanded her research to include women of all ages and has renamed the series “Inspirational Women.” Here, she shares the tales of 3 FOFs whose innovations and hard work have changed your life.

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Imagine not having any pain relievers for your pre-menstural cramps and menopause woes. Even worse, imagine not being able to tell anyone about those woes....

In 1873, the economy plummeted, taking down with it many hardworking business owners, including Isaac Pinkham. Isaac was no longer able to financially support his family, so his wife, Lydia, age 54, began to seek out ways to make a quick buck.

An herbal remedy for menstrual cramps, that she brewed in her cellar, was becoming a hot commodity with friends and neighbors. The “vegetable compound” contained “unicorn root, life root, black cohash, pleurisy root, and fenu-greek seed” and was 19-20% alcohol. Lydia’s son Daniel suggested she package and market the blend. Product sales were slim to none at first, but then, Daniel proposed Lydia become more visible, as the face of “Lydia Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound.” She had her photograph taken and an ad made up which they ran in multiple newspapers and magazine. Sales shot up and health questions from women began pouring in. Soon, the business was grossing about $300,000 per year.

Lydia died in 1883 but her family members kept the business going and her supplement, Mrs. Pinkham’s Herbal Product, although reformulated, is still sold today.

Historian Kate Kelly says: “In a time when women could not discuss female problems with a doctor, Lydia Pinkham drew attention to these issues being neglected by mainstream medicine.”

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She helped us put our best our best FOFaces forward.

Helena Rubenstein, a Polish-born beauty with extraordinary skin and style, moved to Australia at the age of 32. Aussie women would frequently approach her to ask how she maintained such supple skin despite the harsh Australian sun and whipping winds. Her secret, as it turned out, was a cream developed by a Hungarian chemist with lanolin from the wool of sheep.

Helena figured out how to replicate the cream, named it “Crème Valaze” and found an investor who fronted her $1,500 to open her first salon in Melbourne. There she “diagnosed” her customers' skin needs and “prescribed” them a treatment--an enormously successful marketing tactic. Within two years she was able to pay back her loan and expand to other cities.

Instead of borrowing money (women couldn’t get bank loans), she raised $100,000 and opened shop in London. From there, she expanded to Paris, and then at age 45, she opened her first store in New York City. She employed her seven sisters to help her as she expanded her beauty empire to even more U.S. and European cities, and added makeup to her line. In 1928, at the age of 58, Helena sold the American business to Lehman Brothers for $7.3 million. Still, she continued to work on her European companies and major charity initiatives well into her FOF years. Despite being a multi-millionaire, Helena was known to be fabulously FOFrugal--she packed a brown bag lunch her entire life.

Kate Kelly says: “Before Helena began selling makeup, in the early 1900s, actors were the only people who wore it. To some extent, she acclimated the international public to the idea of using cosmetic enhancement.”

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Life of the Tupperware Party

When Brownie Wise got divorced in 1939, at the age of 26, she began working odd jobs to support her toddler. One of these jobs was selling Stanley Home Products--cleaning supplies and kitchen necessities--through a new home-party marketing strategy. Brownie was a natural, and she particularly excelled at selling a product line by the name of Tupperware, showing women how to “burp” the lid to get an airtight seal.

The CEO of Tupperware, Earl Tupper, took notice of her astounding sales and recruited her as a V.P. of marketing. Brownie encouraged Earl to take Tupperware out of retail stores and sell exclusively through home parties. This decision proved wildly profitable for the company. In 1951, Brownie, age 38, had raised a sales force of 200 women selling Tupperware. Three years later, at the age of 41, Brownie had 9,000 women selling the line. As a result, she was the first woman featured on the cover of Business Week.

Throughout her 40s, Brownie remained the face of the brand. In 1957, there was a power struggle and the board of directors forced her out, but she wouldn’t stop there. In her 50s, Brownie started several cosmetic companies employing the same home party sales method that was pivotal to her success.

Kate Kelly says: “While the peak of her career was in her 40s. Brownie continued employing the home sales method throughout her 50s. This sales tactic is still used by Tupperware and so many brands today such as Mary Kay cosmetics.”

2 comments

15December

{Giveaway} A 30-minute horoscope reading and an astrological scarf

Win a 30-minute horoscope reading with bestselling author and astrologer, FOF Joanna Martine Woolfolk, plus her gorgeous Hermes-inspired astrological scarf. One FOF will win this grand prize. Twelve FOFs will win one of Joanna's new Sun Signs books, which tell you all about your zodiac sign. To enter, comment below and answer: What is your zodiac sign?

As a young girl, FOF Joanna Martine Woolfolk wanted to be an astronomer or an actress. She didn’t end up a star in the traditional sense, but she certainly spends a lot of time studying them. “My love for astronomy translated into a career in astrology," says Joanna. "What the stars and planets have to say about us, our relationships and how we react to life’s events is much more interesting to me then figuring out where to find Jupiter in the sky.”Joanna has been practicing astrology for over forty years. She’s written multiple books on the topic, including The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need, a 20-year bestseller, and Sexual Astrology, now in it’s 50th printing in the U.S., where it has sold over a million copies. She’s been interviewed by Barbara Walters, Regis Philbin and Sally Jessy Raphael.

Joanna is also a contributing editor for Marie Claire where she has written the monthly horoscope column for eight years. But astrology isn’t just for teenagers who want to know the fate of their crushes, she insists. Here, she explains how FOFs can find answers by looking to the stars….

What got you into astrology?
I was interested in the stars and the planets since I was young. As an adult, I began to study astrology on my own. I started doing an astrology column in the 70s for Viva, Bob Guccione’s [publisher of Penthouse] magazine for women, and things took off from there. I enrolled in the American Federation of Astrologers program to become certified. It was sort of a long, circuitous route, but when you talk to women over 50, that’s what our lives are. We’ve taken this side path or married this man and even in our careers, very few of us start out at the age of 15 and say I’m going to be a brain surgeon and then continue on that path.

Very true. Do you think being a Libra has affected your destiny?
I believe our lives play out in the way they were destined to, but, within that we have choices. As I said before, I know a lot of women over 50 who have taken many different side paths. Our destiny is two-fold--it arrives, and then we make a choice. Your choices are based on what you need and who you are.

How is our zodiac sign determined?
Your astrological sign is the sign in the zodiac that the sun was traveling through at the time of your birth. Our zodiac is divided into 12 signs (i.e. Aries, Taurus, Gemini) and the sun spends approximately one month in each sign.

What's the correct terminology--sun sign or zodiac sign?
In astrology, it is called your 'sun sign,' but in ordinary conversation is usually referred to as just your 'sign' or 'zodiac sign.' However, everyone is born with a whole chart. The moon was somewhere when you were born; Venus was somewhere, and Mars, etc. Your sun sign (the position of the sun when you were born) represents what Freud would call the Ego -- your role in life and your drive. Your moon sign (the position of the moon when you were born), represents the Id, your inner life, secrets and longings. The ascendant, or the rising sign, is what Freud would call your super-ego or how you want the world to see you.

How can an FOF find out where the sun, the moon and the planets were when she was born?
My book, The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need, covers everything--your sun sign, your moon sign, your ascendant, where the planets were when you were born. It goes through piece by piece so you can create an entire chart.

What else are you working on?

I’ve just come out with my new Sun Signs series, one book for each sign of the Zodiac.

Tell me about your beautiful astrology scarves.
Years ago I saw a fabulous Hermes scarf based around the '12 Days of Christmas.' I thought ‘what a wonderful idea.’ I worked with an artist on a design for a scarf based around the sun signs.

Is astrology a viable career for someone over 50?
Yes. I would say the person would have to be interested in psychology--what makes people tick--that is key. If they wanted to write an astrology column, it’s not as easy. There aren’t that many magazines that need a horoscope columnist. It’s about as competitive as breaking into show business.

Are there astrology skeptics? What do you say to them?
People who say astrology is a bunch of whatever--that’s fine. I’ve noticed that many of them still read their horoscopes. What’s fascinating about astrology is it’s about you, and as human beings we find that irresistible.

What can we expect for next year?
Saturn is the great disciplinarian of astrology. It represents your lessons, hardships, your struggles, and, in the end, the reward you get for putting in that kind of work. Next year Saturn is going to move out of Libra and into Scorpio, so I can say the struggle that Saturn has been bringing to each of our lives is going to culminate early in the year and will be finished with by autumn. If we are wise, we will learn from what we have been through and move into the next cycle with greater knowledge. Jupiter, the planet of abundance and expansion, has recently entered Taurus, the sign of getting and gaining. Depending on an individual's chart, this may mean gaining financially or in learning or expertise. It may mean one experiences an addition to the family (such as a new child), or even the gain of weight!
--

Enter to win a a 30-minute horoscope reading with bestselling author and astrologer, FOF Joanna Martine Woolfolk, plus her gorgeous Hermes-inspired astrological scarf. One FOF will win this grand prize. Twelve FOFs will win one of Joanna's new Sun Signs books, which tell you all about your zodiac sign. Leave a comment below to enter.

Thank you for entering. This contest is now closed.

One FOF will win.
(See all our past winners, here.)
(See official rules, here.)
Contest closes December 22, 2011 at midnight E.S.T.

Win a 30-minute horoscope reading with bestselling author and astrologer, FOF Joanna Martine Woolfolk, plus her gorgeous Hermes-inspired astrological scarf. One FOF will win this grand prize. Twelve FOFs will win one of Joanna's new Sun Signs books, which tell you all about your zodiac sign. To enter, comment below and answer: What is your zodiac sign?

As a young girl, FOF Joanna Martine Woolfolk wanted to be an astronomer or an actress. She didn’t end up a star in the traditional sense, but she certainly spends a lot of time studying them. “My love for astronomy translated into a career in astrology," says Joanna. "What the stars and planets have to say about us, our relationships and how we react to life’s events is much more interesting to me then figuring out where to find Jupiter in the sky.”Joanna has been practicing astrology for over forty years. She’s written multiple books on the topic, including The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need, a 20-year bestseller, and Sexual Astrology, now in it’s 50th printing in the U.S., where it has sold over a million copies. She’s been interviewed by Barbara Walters, Regis Philbin and Sally Jessy Raphael.

Joanna is also a contributing editor for Marie Claire where she has written the monthly horoscope column for eight years. But astrology isn’t just for teenagers who want to know the fate of their crushes, she insists. Here, she explains how FOFs can find answers by looking to the stars….

What got you into astrology?
I was interested in the stars and the planets since I was young. As an adult, I began to study astrology on my own. I started doing an astrology column in the 70s for Viva, Bob Guccione’s [publisher of Penthouse] magazine for women, and things took off from there. I enrolled in the American Federation of Astrologers program to become certified. It was sort of a long, circuitous route, but when you talk to women over 50, that’s what our lives are. We’ve taken this side path or married this man and even in our careers, very few of us start out at the age of 15 and say I’m going to be a brain surgeon and then continue on that path.

Very true. Do you think being a Libra has affected your destiny?
I believe our lives play out in the way they were destined to, but, within that we have choices. As I said before, I know a lot of women over 50 who have taken many different side paths. Our destiny is two-fold--it arrives, and then we make a choice. Your choices are based on what you need and who you are.

How is our zodiac sign determined?
Your astrological sign is the sign in the zodiac that the sun was traveling through at the time of your birth. Our zodiac is divided into 12 signs (i.e. Aries, Taurus, Gemini) and the sun spends approximately one month in each sign.

What's the correct terminology--sun sign or zodiac sign?
In astrology, it is called your 'sun sign,' but in ordinary conversation is usually referred to as just your 'sign' or 'zodiac sign.' However, everyone is born with a whole chart. The moon was somewhere when you were born; Venus was somewhere, and Mars, etc. Your sun sign (the position of the sun when you were born) represents what Freud would call the Ego -- your role in life and your drive. Your moon sign (the position of the moon when you were born), represents the Id, your inner life, secrets and longings. The ascendant, or the rising sign, is what Freud would call your super-ego or how you want the world to see you.

How can an FOF find out where the sun, the moon and the planets were when she was born?
My book, The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need, covers everything--your sun sign, your moon sign, your ascendant, where the planets were when you were born. It goes through piece by piece so you can create an entire chart.

What else are you working on?

I’ve just come out with my new Sun Signs series, one book for each sign of the Zodiac.

Tell me about your beautiful astrology scarves.
Years ago I saw a fabulous Hermes scarf based around the '12 Days of Christmas.' I thought ‘what a wonderful idea.’ I worked with an artist on a design for a scarf based around the sun signs.

Is astrology a viable career for someone over 50?
Yes. I would say the person would have to be interested in psychology--what makes people tick--that is key. If they wanted to write an astrology column, it’s not as easy. There aren’t that many magazines that need a horoscope columnist. It’s about as competitive as breaking into show business.

Are there astrology skeptics? What do you say to them?
People who say astrology is a bunch of whatever--that’s fine. I’ve noticed that many of them still read their horoscopes. What’s fascinating about astrology is it’s about you, and as human beings we find that irresistible.

What can we expect for next year?
Saturn is the great disciplinarian of astrology. It represents your lessons, hardships, your struggles, and, in the end, the reward you get for putting in that kind of work. Next year Saturn is going to move out of Libra and into Scorpio, so I can say the struggle that Saturn has been bringing to each of our lives is going to culminate early in the year and will be finished with by autumn. If we are wise, we will learn from what we have been through and move into the next cycle with greater knowledge. Jupiter, the planet of abundance and expansion, has recently entered Taurus, the sign of getting and gaining. Depending on an individual's chart, this may mean gaining financially or in learning or expertise. It may mean one experiences an addition to the family (such as a new child), or even the gain of weight!
--

Enter to win a a 30-minute horoscope reading with bestselling author and astrologer, FOF Joanna Martine Woolfolk, plus her gorgeous Hermes-inspired astrological scarf. One FOF will win this grand prize. Twelve FOFs will win one of Joanna's new Sun Signs books, which tell you all about your zodiac sign. Leave a comment below to enter.

Thank you for entering. This contest is now closed.

One FOF will win.
(See all our past winners, here.)
(See official rules, here.)
Contest closes December 22, 2011 at midnight E.S.T.

168 comments

25November

{Inspiration} Talking Turkey

We've been talking turkey this week, FOFs. A bit of "thanks" (a surprise reward just for being FOF) and a lot of "giving" (FOF share their passion projects and how you can help!)

Image via Flickr

0 comments

08November

{Inspiration} Sound Off

It's music week here at FOF. Tune in each day for some legendary posts...

Images via Art.com

0 comments

01November

{Inspiration} Time for a Getaway

It's travel week here at FOF. Pack your bags and join us...

Image via Millie Motts

0 comments

25October

{Inspiration} It’s not easy being ghoulish AND glamorous….

We love these "Ghosts of Halloweens Past;" vintage Hollywood pin-up girls that are ghoulish and glamorous at the same time!

Happy Halloweek!

Images via ghostofhalloweenspast on Flickr

0 comments

18October

{Inspiration} Milk it for all it’s worth

Are you doing everything you can to save your bones, ladies? Stay tuned for the launch of our National Bone Health Challenge this Wednesday, 10/20. Let's stop osteoporosis for ourselves and for our daughters...

We'll drink (milk) to that!

Image by Norman Parkinson

2 comments

23September

{Inspiration} Model Behavior

It makes our day to see noteworthy designers using FOF models. May this trend continue!...

Image via Faliero Sarti

0 comments

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