A Statement for This Decade
I was born in 1957.In August I will be sixty-nine. Next year, I will turn seventy. I don’t experience this as a distant milestone.I experience it as an entry point. I am already in the period of preparing for my eighth decade.From now until my eightieth birthday, I see this as a deliberate span of […]
When Illness Slows You Down
It’s funny how we respond to illness. When I was younger, I fought it. I wasn’t going to let being unwell interrupt anything important. When I went into labour, I kept writing an Open University essay. When I was taken into hospital with a DVT in my leg, I sat there with my briefcase, finishing […]
Seniorland: What an Ethnographic Study Reveals About How We Really Age
Most of us carry a faint, inherited picture of what a retirement community looks like. Sunshine, leisure, golf carts, cheerful marketing. A softer life. A quieter world. Somewhere else. And then a book like Seniorland forces you to look again. A few months ago, I reviewed Galit Nimrod’s ethnographic study of a large, age-segregated American […]
Why I’m Not Choosing to Grow Old Disgracefully
There’s a popular invitation in some circles to grow old disgracefully.A kind of rallying cry to rebel, to misbehave, to throw off restraint in the name of freedom and fun. I understand why it appeals.For many, it’s a counter to ageism, a refusal to fade quietly.But it isn’t my path. At this stage of life, […]
Summer of Shifts
Summer of Shifts A Companion to Stepping Back Without Losing Yourself Some seasons change everything. Summer of Shifts traces one of mine: a summer of endings, rediscovery, and renewal. 📘 Free to download; this companion guide offers a glimpse into the lived experience behind Stepping Back Without Losing Yourself, exploring what it really feels like […]
In the Season of Letting Go
The first hints of autumn are here. Mornings are cooler, the light gentler. I continue with twice weekly visits to my wood, noticing how each tree seems to know exactly when to let go. It made me think about ageing, not as decline, but as another kind of growth. A quieter one. Here’s a reflection […]
Seventy is the New Seventy
Why should you read this?Because ageing is changing, but not in the same way for everyone. I bring the perspective of someone who’s lived through nearly seven decades, worked for over five, and seen peers who began working at 15 or 16 in tough, physical jobs. Their reality isn’t captured by neat averages. My voice […]
A Birthday in the Wood: Stories, Memories, and What We Hold Close
This year, I chose to spend my birthday at my wood. It felt right, a return to what I did on my 65th, when I marked the day with reflection, looking back at the year gone by and forward to what might come. I’d already had a week of holding space for a Vision Quest, […]
A Letter to My 35-Year-Old Self
Reflections from 68 to anyone who feels they’re running out of time Dear Denise, You’re 35 now, caught in the swirl of work, parenting, and proving yourself. You think time is running fast and you have to keep up. Let me reassure you: life is long. Longer than you imagine. At 68, I can see […]
Late 60s and Letting Things Settle
Recently I received an email from my publisher.My next book, Career Coaching for Midlife and Beyond, is now live on Amazon and their website, ready for release on 28 October. I read through the description. It covers my background: decades of work in career psychology, retirement coaching, and my PhD at 64. Then I reached […]