Women Over 70: Aging Reimagined

Elderwerks’ dynamic CEO and Founder, Jennifer Prell, understands older adults. She believes elders deserve respect and loving care. She gets worked up when talking about how difficult it often is for older people, no matter their income level, to find proper housing as they age. Adult children reach out because a parent is declining. That parent does not always recognize there is a problem and that makes it extremely difficult to help them make the transition to safer housing. Jennifer and her team are trained to ask the questions that will guide them in determining the correct paths to take.  Jennifer started a 2nd business called Safe Moves for Seniors so that she could work with income-restricted older people. Through this business they write grants and raise funds to aid older adults in downsizing and moving with dignity.  Their knowledge seems never-ending in all the ways to find proper housing for their clients as they age. Connect with Jennifer:Email: Jennifer.Prell@Elderwerks.orgWebsite: www.Elderwerks.orgWebsite: www.safemovesforseniors.org

The hardest part of getting older is the realization that some dreams are never going to be realized. Some situations are not going to change. Jackie Greenbaum, however realistic she remains, has lived her life as though dreams are meant to be followed. Discouraged from a career in law at a young age, Jackie pursued teaching, only to find it unsatisfying for the world in which she wanted to live. Soon after leaving the field of education, Jackie immersed herself in becoming a legal secretary, then a paralegal and combined those two to work in business development and human resources. A dynamic, successful rainmaker was her mentor and her career proved both satisfying and rewarding."There are close friends to be had in every setting when meaning and purpose drive your life."After retiring, Jackie and her husband moved to an over 55 community. Using all the skills she practiced while working, Jackie soon became deeply involved on the WOW board and developed strong friendships within the community.Jackie takes advantage of every minute because…….you just never know.Womenover70.comAging Reimagined Symposium Celebrating Who We Are as We AgeSat Oct 19, 2024 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Plymouth Place, 60526https://www.tickettailor.com/events/womenover70/1255769

If we are looking for what we enjoy doing, then, logically, we’re going to be good at it. Joyful thoughts spiral upward. We are on this planet to love and be loved, to be truly authentic.Gail Sussman Miller, Inspired Choice.com, believes how we think, and communicate, is a key issue for leaders of organizations. She helps them manage difficult conversations, to listen not only to respond, but to understand. You can be kind and honest. She helps people see how they need to change to achieve their desired outcomes. An expert coach, focusing on communication, Gail has been serving clients since 2001. By integrating her beliefs into her coaching, she invites her clients to see through different lenses. "It’s about the spirit and energy you bring to the conversation, rather than specific words."As you listen hear her thoughts on:Wild Fit - a program based on anthropological nutrition and behavioral psychology for optimum health. Gail has integrated this knowledge and food choices as a lifestyle and finds it works for her on both a physical and spiritual level.Archetypes, based on the work of Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette and Carolyn Myss include our protective human ego (Victim, Saboteur, Wounded child, Prostitute - all fear-driven behaviors) and our Spirit, Higher Self, love driven behaviors. (Lover, Sovereign, Warrior, Magician - ways in which we deepen the truth of who we are.A Course in Miracles – helps us shift from a thought system based on fear to one based on loveHeadspace App - powerful meditation and mind training to keep joy present in our livesTears - your body’s response to hearing what is true for you. Gail celebrates life through spirituality, gratitude and rituals. 

Wendy Green, founder and host of Hey, Boomer,! knows about personal transformation first-hand and coaches women to “live the meaningful, purposeful life they want to live.” Wendy left the world of corporate training to focus on women’s experiences of growing older—as a coach, podcaster, show host, and blogger. Podcast guests, along with members of Boomer Banter, talk about a range of topics such as family dynamics, gray divorce, changing relationships, feeling old, and the vital value of female friendships.  I still feel inside the younger parts of me. - Wendy GreenConnect with WendyEmail: wendy@heyboomer.bizWebsite: https://heyboomer.biz

Sally Jean Fox’s 2023 book, Meeting the Muse After Midlife: A Journey to Meaning, Creativity, and Joy, tells her story of finding joy in being creative after 50, as she explored gardening, clowning, improv theatre, storytelling, and singing. Always keen on writing, Sally took up painting at age 69 and exhibited 30 paintings three years later. Although Sally now sees herself as an artist, she emphasizes that creativity is not just about producing art; rather, the “most creative thing we can do is design our lives, every day, to be engaging, expansive, and full of learning. As the head of Engaging Presence, Sally also coaches professionals to design their lives around what matters most to them and to share their stories.Connect with SallyEmail: sally@engagingpresence.comWebsite: Engaging Presence—Shaping Stories That Matterhttps://www.engagingpresence.comBook: Meeting the Muse After Midlifehttps://www.engagingpresence.com/book/

Cheri Boublis is Senior Director for Hospitality Services at Plymouth Place in LaGrange Park, Illinois, a model for active community living. Cheri collaborates with the leadership, residents, vendors, and the larger community to offer wide-ranging services for adults who choose a vibrant lifestyle. Choice is the guiding concept for most everything at Plymouth Place—design of living space, travel, dining, cultural programs, the arts, wellness, and more. Cheri says she is of the age that she could live at Plymouth Place, and she looks forward to doing so when she is ready for that transition.Plymouth Place is the premium sponsor and host site for Women Over 70’s first, in-person Symposium on October 19, 2024. Connect with CheriEmail: cboublis@plymouthplace.orgWebsite: Plymouth Place | Senior Living in La Grange Park, IL

Joy has always been a part of Beverly Pimsleur's life. Her extended family in Louisville KY loved to be together, to dance, sing and have fun.She recognized the importance of language from a young  age and started learning French in high school. She met her husband, a French professor, on a blind date in her twenties and changed her plans about living in France in order to marry him, anticipating they would someday live there together — which theydid. She became fluent in 4 different languages and believes in the importance of teaching English as a 2nd language.Paul was the creator of the Pimsleur Language Program. When he died at 48, Beverly, alone with two young children, returned to New York and, with a colleague of her late husband, continued to develop the business. Simon & Schuster eventually purchased the company. Life with her 2nd husband, Peter, was quite different. They moved to Nice for 12 years, where he died of a genetic disease. Beverly turned to tango as a release for her grief and dance became an obsession. With her children married, she traveled the world, dancing until she was 82. Her passions are multi-faceted and include cooking, traveling, writing and publishing. "I'm afraid I’m not going to have enough time for all the things I want to do."

As an educational leader and mentor, Dr. Helen Benjamin tells stories aboutgrowing up in the segregated South, living and working in two worlds—Blackand White, and helping younger Black professionals navigate their CEO rolesin community colleges. In semi-retirement, Helen leads HSV Consulting, Inc,works with “dozens of colleges, boards, and CEOs to advance student-centered organizational and leadership improvement,” and continues writingto preserve African American history. Helen finds that at age 74 she is in“the best place I’ve ever been in my life—smarter, wiser, thriftier, and morerelaxed.”No one can tell the story of our lived experience better thanwe can.Connect with HelenEmail: hbenjamin91@icloud.comBooks by Helen:● How We Got Over-Growing Up in the Segregated South: A Collection ofNarratives● The Chocolate Truth: An Anthology of Perspectives from CommunityCollege CEOs

Do you want to share housing but find the transition scary? We often live in shared housing when we are single: college, roommates in camp, at conferences, during our early careers. Living with housemates as we age is no different. Annamarie Pluhar, 70, is a well-spoken advocate for shared housing and offers valuable ways of thinking to simplify the process. After receiving her Masters in Divinity, then working in a corporation, facilitating large groups, Annamarie started a non-profit to promote the importance of shared housing. She consults with organizations, housing professionals, the aging network and local officials who are seeking to develop shared housing in their communities. The twin crises of high housing costs and an increase in social isolation combine to render cooperative living arrangements an excellent solution.  "Housemates are not the same as roommates."By providing education, advocacy, and model development she empowers individuals to choose, create and sustain shared housing. She envisions a world in which sharing housing is a commonly accepted living arrangement and individuals feel happy, safe and at peace with home-mates.One idea—a building for seniors with 4 bedroom suites for 3 people. The extra suite might be for guests or caretakers. Everyone shares the kitchen and living space.Last summer (2023) Annamarie lost her partner of 23 years and is currently renovating her home to make it more comfortable for sharing. She lives in southern Vermont.Connect with Annamarie:Book: Sharing Housing: A Guidebook for Finding and Keeping Good HousematesWebsite: sharinghousing.comEmail:  annamarie@sharinghousing.org

Mary Mitchell, age 74, sheds light on aging and ageism in her occasional column for the Chicago Sun Times, Starting Over. Mary ‘started over’ five years ago when she switched her journalistic authority on race relations in Chicago to concentrate on matters of growing older. She advocates that longevity is a blessing and aging offers an opportunity to do well atsomething else. Mary’s guiding tenets are always equity and fairness when dealing with social isms. When we are equitable and fair, Mary says, “we are doing the best we can.”" I give people platforms to tell their own stories, share their wisdom, and increase awareness of social justice issues."Connect with MaryEmail: mmitchell@suntimes.comhttps://chicago.suntimes.com/starting-over