- I thought my career was behind me, but a freak accident in my 40s led me to an unexpected new path.
- After inventing fashion accessories for medical boots, I landed major media coverage.
- Now, at 58, I've proven to myself what's possible.
At 58, I'm living my dream career — one I never could have imagined when I was in my 30s or 40s. The road here was anything but planned. It all started with a broken foot.
In my mid-30s, I co-owned a boutique retail store with my best friend. After 10 years, burnout hit — retail means working nonstop from Black Friday to Christmas. I missed my family, so I sold my share of the store to her.
The next chapter in my journey started accidentally, literally
We took longer family vacations
Because I had more time, we spent more time traveling as a family. We had spent a lovely day on the lake boating and swimming. On the way home, I jumped off the boat onto the dock, miscalculated, and landed full force on a metal cleat. I limped around in denial for weeks until my husband proved me wrong: it was broken.
We had a quick trip to New York City planned, and when the doctor walked in with a big, black, ugly medical boot, I thought, "I can't go to the Fashion Capital of the world looking like this!"
We were on the train, and I was on my phone searching "fashion accessories for medical boots," and nothing came up. That's when the lightbulbs went off. I was going to create a fashion line for these awful boots. I couldn't be alone in being so miserable in this ugly boot.
With my kids older, I missed working, so why not start a new business? I had retail experience — how hard could product development be?
Before 3D printers, I had to manufacture an entire pallet of accessories, investing over $100,000 by taking out a second mortgage on our house. I didn't realize that I created an entirely new space in the marketplace.
I had to educate consumers that they "needed" to decorate their boots. I had no money left for advertising or PR, so I went to the library and read every book I could find about public relations and started pitching.
In my first year in business, I appeared in over 50 media outlets
It didn't take long before the Steve Harvey Show called me. They invited me to participate in his "Top Inventor Competition," which I won. It was a $20,000 prize, massive visibility to his audience, and the title of "Steve Harvey's Top Inventor."
He had me on three more times, including after Diana Ross, who was in a boot at the time, wore my product when she sang for President Obama. This was a huge shift in my business, and I realized the power of PR and what it was doing for my business.
As my media appearances grew, entrepreneurs started reaching out, saying, asking me how my invention was getting so much PR attention. That aha moment led me to a new career as a PR Strategist. While helping others, I kept pitching myself, too.
After the Steve Harvey Show, I realized that although terrifying the first time, I liked being on TV and had a hidden passion for sharing tips, products, and life hacks. It was time for me to start doing what I love.
Since turning 50, I've embraced the power of reinvention in ways I never imagined. What started as a leap of faith became a journey of self-discovery — proving to myself (and others) that it's never too late to chase new dreams.
As I met more incredible women over 50, I felt their stories needed to be told
At 56, I launched the "Living Ageless and Bold" podcast. At first, I was so afraid of failure that no one would listen or care. I had major imposter syndrome. But now, approaching my 100th episode, over 150,000 downloads, and a regular television segment about the podcast, I realize I have a platform about and for women redefining what's possible in midlife.
Now, at 58, I am also writing a syndicated travel column for women over 50 and was just approved to interview this year's Oscar winners. I can confidently say that reinvention isn't just possible — it's absolutely thrilling.
