Janet,Gen Plus Q&A w/ Smarter Women, Gail Rentsch
Welcome to this interactive online interview with author Gail Rentsch! In just a couple of minutes, I'll be introducing you to Gail and we'll get this rolling!
Well thank you, Janet.
And to answer your question, both men and women over 50 are grappling with questions of what to do next. However, women often have a different vision for the future, and they certainly have a different way of approaching their vision.
To start with the obvious, we women love to talk – to talk and share our thoughts and feelings with others. We need to connect, especially when we feel stressed. So we do it through networking groups, book clubs, coffee klatches, church groups, investment clubs, online chats, and peer groups.
And to answer your question, both men and women over 50 are grappling with questions of what to do next. However, women often have a different vision for the future, and they certainly have a different way of approaching their vision.
To start with the obvious, we women love to talk – to talk and share our thoughts and feelings with others. We need to connect, especially when we feel stressed. So we do it through networking groups, book clubs, coffee klatches, church groups, investment clubs, online chats, and peer groups.
about 1 year ago
Yup...I love a good coffee klatch!! Even online.
about 1 year ago
Absolutely.
In addition, we boomer women have been affected, either directly or indirectly, by the women’s movement. We learned to challenge restrictive rules and role assignments that were contrary to our instincts and nature. We fought for changes in the workplace and sought equality at home. And now we want to challenge traditional expectations about what the next stage of our lives should look be, rather than passively accepting the way it has been.
In addition, we boomer women have been affected, either directly or indirectly, by the women’s movement. We learned to challenge restrictive rules and role assignments that were contrary to our instincts and nature. We fought for changes in the workplace and sought equality at home. And now we want to challenge traditional expectations about what the next stage of our lives should look be, rather than passively accepting the way it has been.
about 1 year ago
Me too! So is this an online coffee klatsch?
about 1 year ago
Citygal you are exactly right! Gail, what about your own transition?
about 1 year ago
I have to say, my own transition hit me hard.
I was founder and CEO of a PR agency with a great office overlooking Columbus Circle in Manhattan, a terrific staff, and stimulating clients that included authors, non-profit institutions and some corporations. But when my husband first asked me when I planned to cut back on working so hard, I was completely flummoxed by the idea. I was then in my late 50s and couldn’t imagine being without my work and the things I got from it including a sense of identity, praise, colleagues I enjoyed, and pride of accomplishment.
I was founder and CEO of a PR agency with a great office overlooking Columbus Circle in Manhattan, a terrific staff, and stimulating clients that included authors, non-profit institutions and some corporations. But when my husband first asked me when I planned to cut back on working so hard, I was completely flummoxed by the idea. I was then in my late 50s and couldn’t imagine being without my work and the things I got from it including a sense of identity, praise, colleagues I enjoyed, and pride of accomplishment.
about 1 year ago
So how does the Transition Network fit in?
about 1 year ago
Well, I heard that The Transition Network was being formed by several dynamic, over-50 women who wanted to explore new ways to think about what comes next. At the first meeting I was struck by the women’s thoughtful discussion and their supportiveness and sense of adventure.
I decided to get further involved and a year later joined one of the first of The Transition Network’s peer groups. We are ten women who have been meeting monthly ever since. It was my peer group that helped me realize aloud that I wanted more from life, and they encouraged me to do something about it. Even though I was clueless about what I would do next, I retired in 2004. And then I allowed myself to veg out and shed work timetables and obligations that had structured my life until then. I figured that something would bubble up for me.
I decided to get further involved and a year later joined one of the first of The Transition Network’s peer groups. We are ten women who have been meeting monthly ever since. It was my peer group that helped me realize aloud that I wanted more from life, and they encouraged me to do something about it. Even though I was clueless about what I would do next, I retired in 2004. And then I allowed myself to veg out and shed work timetables and obligations that had structured my life until then. I figured that something would bubble up for me.
about 1 year ago
When did the idea for the book come along?
about 1 year ago
As I thought about my process of transition, I realized that the women in The Transition Network were really on to something that others would benefit from.
Nearly everyone I spoke to said that leaving behind workplace friends and the work community was the single most difficult adjustment to make.
The Transition Network (www.thetransitionnetwork.org)is a diverse, supportive community of bright, energetic women. And its peer groups are like mini laboratories where new ways of approaching the issues around retirement are being hashed out. It seemed to me that this collective wisdom – and individual’s stories – could help others just beginning to think about their next stage. That was the idea behind the book.
Nearly everyone I spoke to said that leaving behind workplace friends and the work community was the single most difficult adjustment to make.
The Transition Network (www.thetransitionnetwork.org)is a diverse, supportive community of bright, energetic women. And its peer groups are like mini laboratories where new ways of approaching the issues around retirement are being hashed out. It seemed to me that this collective wisdom – and individual’s stories – could help others just beginning to think about their next stage. That was the idea behind the book.
about 1 year ago
