Boomer of the Week: Jennifer WrightNew Zealand

The stories of personal transformation that we are sharing with you each week have been written by members of our Boomers TV community. They are generously sharing their journey with us to offer hope and inspiration.

This week, we introduce you to Jennifer Wright. Originally from Indiana, Jenn now calls New Zealand home.



Jennifer Wright

Jennifer Wright experienced a “female midlife crisis”…
I had been divorced since 1980. I had spent a great deal of my energy on creating security and consistency for my children as a single parent. When I reached midlife, I knew that I had been greatly successful both in raising my children and in my career. Then a good friend was diagnosed with cancer. I started noticing more people closer to my age with "situations of health or otherwise" which would mean they would not make their golden years. I entered a very strange time of anger at being blind to the fact that there were no guarantees....I became acutely aware that I had not "found myself" in the 70's, that I was not getting any younger, and that I had some "unlived life".

Midlife Adventures

In 1993 I came to New Zealand as a part of my job. I was recruiting occupational therapists in NZ and Australia to come to the US to work. What I remember is this incredible feeling of being "at home"..that I felt I had returned somehow to a "time of my childhood" where time went slower, people were not in such a hurry and most of all, consumption was not a way of life.....and when I flew out of Auckland, I distinctly remember thinking, "I will be back". Now, this is really strange as I always lived within a 60 mile radius of where I was born. I traveled a great deal but always "longed" to come home.

At the age of 47, I made the move to Dunedin, New Zealand. This move to New Zealand was very out of character for me and it triggered mixed reactions from my family and friends. My children supported me wholeheartedly. They realized that I had spent a great deal of my life supporting them, and putting my life on hold. (This I never regretted, as I felt that this was my role as a mother). While they knew they would miss me, they were both on their own path of independence. In the end, they were able to create a different sort independence of their own without me so close. They have also witnessed me grow and realize my own potential. I have always tried to give them a message, "this is your one life...act like it matters!" Conversely, my parents and siblings still do not understand. In their eyes, I have abandoned them. The biggest loss of all was that of my best friend, who also felt abandoned and decided she could no longer be my friend. On the other hand, I met and married the love of my life, here in New Zealand, at the age of 51. He is from Holland and left Europe for similar reasons that I left the States.

No safety net

When I arrived in New Zealand, I knew no one. I did have some contact with the University via emails. I remember that after the first couple of weeks of living "as a tourist" , enjoying the quiet, and no phone ringing, that I got a bit scared. I had no social contacts! The reality of being far away hit me! I clearly remember thinking, "if I want something different, I need to do something different" At home in Indianapls, the phone would ring all the time and I had to do "nothing' to create social opportunities, etc. Now, I had to step out of my comfort zone...Not easy!

Becoming a local

I found a church in my neighborhood and volunteered for various duties, I joined a singles organization, and I joined a women's service organization...all with the idea of becoming part of community and getting to know people.
My satiety net when I left the States was this: What is the worse that can happen? I don't like it, and I have to come back. This means I have use my return airfare, pay for shipment of my goods (500 lbs. is what I arrived with), and various other details...and swallow my pride and face friends/family who said, "I told you so...you are crazy!"

Down to business

Part of my plan to find my authentic self was to use my experiences as an occupational therapist and adventurer to create a life-changing program for mid-life women. I began a coaching company for this in 2001 and offer tools and resources to Boomer women. Today, I also lead adventures on empowering journeys through New Zealand. The absolute best part of running these adventures is witnessing women getting in touch with themselves, recognizing strengths they never knew existed, "firing" their inner critic, and emerging "changed", empowered and ready to re-create/rewrite their own story. Witnessing the tears and the laughter as women let go, lighten up, and find their authenticity, is humbling as well as inspiring.

Jenn defines “heroine”

I define a heroine as the protagonist of her own life story. What that means for a woman in midlife is connecting with the wisdom she's acquired through her life experience, getting in touch with her desires and dreams, and then living as if she mattered to herself and to the world – because she does.
Jenn can be reached at jenn@midlifeheroine.com

Boomer of the Week: Pat HermanSanta Cruz, CA

The stories of personal transformation that we are sharing with you each week have been written by members of our Boomers TV community. They are generously sharing their journey with us to offer hope and inspiration.

This week, we introduce you to Pat Herman, who makes his home in Santa Cruz, CA.



Pat Herman

Pat's Personal History
Pat Herman studied engineering in his native Chile and then moved to the US with his wife. In Chile, he worked for General Tire and came to Akron, Ohio expecting to stay for only one year. He started to work for General Tire in Akron and started to take math classes. Along came his first child, and the then two more boys. Pat completed his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Mathematics at the U of Akron as well as his thesis and course work in System Engineering for his Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

Transitions
Working as a Mathematician at General Tire, he soon he fell in love with the field of computers. He later joined General Motors at Hudson, Ohio, working as a Senior System Engineer. Pat soon got tired of the frigid winters and hot and muggy summers and moved to sunny San Jose, California to work for IBM. Pat worked as a computer consultant for IBM and other companies until he got involved with tiny glasses.

Reading the menu...an inventor is born!
Exasperated trying to read a restaurant menu because he forgot to bring his reading glasses, inventor Pat Herman decided to end his frustration once and for all. He took a pair of his drugstore reading glasses, cut off the lenses and connected them with a spring wire. He then had the first pair of glasses small enough to carry in his wallet. After that, everywhere he pulled them out, someone inevitably wanted to borrow the tiny glasses.

Pat's Motto: If you want to be young, have an active mind and a body to carry it!
Besides working full time on the tiny reading glasses, Pat also finds the time to design and invent new products and dance East Coast Swing during the week ends. He currently works with a trainer three times a week, sails in the Monterey bay and swims in the frigid waters of San Francisco each year, as a participant in the Alcatraz SharkFest, and the Golden Gate Bridge Swim. In 2003 he swam the one-and-one-half-miles from Alcatraz in 48 minutes. He is also an accomplished East Coast Swing dancer.

Pat will swim the Alcatraz Sharfest again in September 2006. He will start swim training in May 2006 to get ready: after the first month of training, Pat will be swimming one mile a day, and by September, he will swim it under 30 minutes.

Boomer of the Week: David A. Petersen Austin, TX

The stories of personal transformation that we are sharing with you each week have been written by members of our Boomers TV community. They are generously sharing their journey with us to offer hope and inspiration.

This week, we introduce you to David A. Petersen, a Boomer who makes his home and pursues his craft in Austin, TX.



David A. Petersen

Born in 1948, I was raised in a family manufacturing business in Denison, Iowa. I graduated from Iowa State University and launched a successful career as a mechanical engineer, specializing in machine design.

There's More to Life than Making the Numbers...

After rising to the top of the corporate ladder as CEO, I realized that there is more to life than making the numbers. I decided it was time for a change, gathered a few resources and took some time away to study and reflect on where to go next. My primary resource was a book entitled, "What Color Is Your Parachute". After diligently working through the process, I discovered that I had all of the transferable skills needed to act on an epiphany I had about two years earlier. My epiphany came to me as I was standing in the check-out line at Whole Foods. There I discovered a magazine entitled Fine Woodworking. Seeing the beautiful pieces of furniture that where shown, I just knew that some day, I would be making such pieces.

Setting up Shop

Well, that day had arrived. I bought some tools and set up shop in our two-car garage. I have been profitable every year since making that change in 1990. My goal was to be a one-man shop, specializing in making one of a kind, high end custom furniture pieces. With the support of my lovely wife, I have been quite successful at achieving that goal. My work can be found at my website www.masterpiecefurniture.com.

Katie and Meredith Make News

by Nancy Fernandez Mills

There's been so much said and written about Katie Couric's move to the CBS News anchor job, I've been a little reluctant to add anything more. But I do have a few thoughts, so here goes.

First thought: It's good that a woman will be the solo anchor on a major nightly newscast. It's about time.

Second thought: Is Katie really expected to save the day and increase the audience for the CBS newscast? Or is a woman getting this great job now because it isn't as great as it used to be?

The nightly newscasts on ABC, NBC and CBS are quickly losing their place as "must see TV," if they haven't lost it already. I know that millions still tune in. But millions more have lost that 6:30 pm habit and are getting their news elsewhere. I'm one of them. For a long time now, I've been an NPR junkie. I read New York Times articles, Wall Street Journal clips and Yahoo! news online. I also read the actual Boston Globe (I still enjoy sitting down with a newspaper). From the media trend reports that I've seen, I'm pretty typical. Maybe Katie's joining a slowly sinking ship.

Third thought: This one is happier! NBC has decided to replace a 49 year old woman on the Today Show with a 54 year old woman. Meredith Viera has been named to take Katie's place in the morning. That's a more encouraging sign of the times. I think Jane Paulie was about 24 when she started on Today and although Katie was a more seasoned journalist when she joined the show, she was still pretty young. I'm happy to see that you can be a woman in your fifties and be first choice. The media gets some things right.

Boomer of the Week: Joyce Major Seattle, WA

The stories of personal transformation that we are sharing with you each week have been written by members of our Boomers TV community. They are generously sharing their journey with us to offer hope and inspiration.

This week, we introduce you to Joyce Major, a Boomer who makes her home in Seattle, WA when she is not travelling the world!


Joyce Major

Standing here at 58 years old...

If I turn my head and look back, my memories are of the “straight-out-of-college Joyce” teaching a class in mathematics extraordinaire, with shoulder length straight hair, matching sweater and skirt, stacked heels and enthusiasm. Next stop: motherhood. Like so many of my friends, I read every book about childbirth and childrearing, crowning “The Time Out” as the queen of my mothering style. After a divorce with the usual fallout and an educational toy business, my career moved to a long successful stop as a real estate agent. And then with both sons graduated from college, my responsibilities seemed to have whittled down to just taking care of myself and the cat. I had a successful real estate business, an adorable houseboat with kayaking right out my door, friends to play squash with, ski with, rollerblade and laugh with in the beautiful city of Seattle.

Sounds like a great life, right? Yes and no.

From the outside ‘Joyce’s life’ looked quite nice, but if I lifted my head out of the fog, I saw a woman not fully present, not heart happy, and lacking passion. A question kept gnawing at me- Is this life, the one I am leading right now, the best way for me to live, to use my talents, to help the planet? Unable to either ignore the question or answer yes, I looked around for ways to shake up my life, bring change. The startling idea to travel solo as a volunteer around the world for a full year hit me like lightning one day while I was hiking up Rattlesnake Mountain. Reeling from what must have been either oxygen deprivation or divine inspiration, I knew the trip was the answer.

Jumping out of my life, my shoes, my houseboat and my career, I found my heart

I decided to celebrate my life with the gift of freedom for a full year and perhaps, just maybe, do a bit of good along the way. Not wanting to walk around looking at old churches and ruins like a typical tourist, sleeping in plush, culture-avoiding hotels, I put together a chain of volunteer vacations staying a month on each project. I worked with rescued elephants in Thailand, tended lion cubs and worked as a baboon monitor in South Africa, and helped rescued kangaroos and joeys in Australia and rescued primate trade monkeys in England. I learned about wildlife rescue and spent time with passionate people who loved their work. I found my heart. I taught English in China, studied Portuguese in Brazil living with a family in Rio, worked as a newspaper reporter in Ireland, as a restoration worker in Italy, and at a sustainability sanctuary in New Zealand. It was a year packed full of change and new experiences from feeding baby bottles to lion cubs to interviewing TV stars in Ireland, to bathing elephants in a river to planting trees in New Zealand, living in a bamboo hut, an insect infested house, a monastery, and a tent. But I was always learning about the environment and always giving back. In this one year of organizing myself, I traveled to all but one continent, took the Trans-Siberian Express, lived in different cultures and got exactly what I had bargained for, change! My spirit is refreshed and my creativity has returned. Just getting by the layers that were clouding my vision, I have been blown away from a year spent volunteering around the world.

Smiling at the World

However, returning to Seattle, my former life seemed alien and uncomfortable to me. With no passion for my real estate career, I turned to writing. Focusing all of my energy into writing a book, Smiling at the World, I want to encourage other people to travel and volunteer. I also write freelance articles about the environment and feel a deep responsibility to help protect the earth, her resources and all of her inhabitants. Traveling and seeing the beauty on this planet, I want to be a part of the solutions to protect the earth.

What's Next?

With my fresh outlook, I met a kind-hearted man and we have decided to live together now to learn about the magic of love. Maybe it wasn’t really change that I wanted after all, maybe what I wanted was me who had been lost under a pile of old habits and worn out ways. Future travel? I hope to take a group of ten international college students on a five-month trip to five wildlife sanctuaries around the world and film a documentary about the experience.