nor by expectations the generations before us may have had for life
after age sixty, we are once again prepared to step forward and find
out how our strengths, passions, and experiences will serve us in forg-
ing new, postcareer identities.
This book is in many ways a conversation among peers. As happens
in conversations, questions are posed and answered; topics are raised
and revisited. People tell stories. From the beginning, our intent was
not to provide answers but to provide opportunities for women to talk
to one another, to reflect on their lives and careers, and to make discov-
eries that were sometimes unique to each woman and sometimes
shared by the group.
We will profile the women individually in Chapters 2 and 3 and
quote frequently from their interviews and group conversations, but
before we introduce the women and their stories, we believe it is
important to introduce ourselves.
WHAT BROUGHT US TO THIS PROJECT?
Judy: It began over lunch. I had recently retired and began to realize
that I was facing one of my most difficult transitions. I wanted to sort it
out and think about what it meant and wondered who else was going
through or anticipating this difficult phase. What were other women
experiencing and how were they sorting it out? I asked my longtime
friend, Anne, if she would like to talk about doing a project together.
She agreed to meet, and we began a brainstorming phase that turned
out to be the first step in this book. We each had different perspectives
on how it could evolve and decided that it would make an interesting
pairing of our professional backgrounds and interests.
My background is diverse, with common threads of problem solv-
ing, creativity, leadership, and coaching. I grew up in a privileged sub-
urban town in an extended family after the death of my stepfather
when I was seven years old. I excelled in school, and my mother
instilled in me the idea that I could do anything I set my mind to. After
high school, I began experimenting with who I was through education
and hands-on work experience. I found I liked being on the edge: try-
ing new things and moving on if they weren’t a good fit. My career
began in the corporate world, and then I made a decision to complete
my undergraduate degree in art, which was followed by an art restora-
tion business, a building restoration, and a fine art/antique gallery
partnership. After three years, I decided to go back to school and get
my master’s degree in journalism in Philadelphia. Once I had com-
pleted the degree, a job offer at a local newspaper presented itself at
xviii Introduction
