Introducing “Seasoned Voices”
Flavored with insight and infused with heart…
About six months ago, I found myself really struggling with my writing, especially my blog. Frankly, I was still finding my voice for The Precious Days and was looking for both support and inspiration. As is often the case with women of a certain age, I was not alone. I was fortunate to be able to get together with a group of women bloggers on Zoom who also write about women navigating life in midlife and beyond. Pearl, Joan, Tracy, Helen and I began to meet regularly online to share, to wonder, and to begin to construct a format for writing collaboration. So I am excited to introduce you to my collaborators and to our shared effort: Seasoned Voices.
Coming together for this project has been inspiring. Our online discussions together, as well as our blogging collaboration, are “flavored with insight and infused with heart.” We have many things in common: a love of writing, reading, and all kinds of adventures along the aging process. We also share purpose and meaning in telling our own stories, along with the belief that stories matter. Universal women’s stories rise to the surface as we write about newly experienced freedom, letting go of former identities, and discovering a wealth of joy at this time of life. Most importantly, we share stories that challenge the tired tropes and stereotypes of aging that have been thrust upon us by society, the media, and youth-obsessed influencers. Together, as Seasoned Voices, we’ll draw inspiration from our various life paths, in my case, the challenges and triumphs of retirement: the everyday fears, longings, musings, and choices that I believe I have in common with so many women. We’ve been shaped by our own twists and turns, and we feel ready and eager to explore and share our voices with you in this new blogging relationship. I hope you will take some time to explore their blogs after reading their profiles.
Pearl Richard: THE PITS AND PIECES
My blog, The Pits and Pieces, is where I can practice being a writer. It is a little corner on the internet where I articulate my thoughts, opinions, comment on books I’ve read, show my attempts at art (and even poetry). It is where I ponder this aging journey as a woman, and hopefully, connect with other women on a similar path of reflection and discovery. Some people create scrapbooks and photo albums, I journal and write and blog.
Blogging can be a vulnerable thing, in that you allow others a glimpse into your interior life. And that interior may be messy and chaotic, sometimes unpredictable, sometimes rich and meandering. You are allowing others to form opinions and judgements on that interior life. Writing is a solitary pursuit. But once you launch your words, not knowing where they may land, you expose yourself. You throw out thoughts and words, reach out a hand, inviting people to simply read, or read and engage, not knowing what may return to you. My hope is that I find myself in a network, perhaps an unseen community but a community nonetheless, that helps us thrive in this stage of life.
Joan Ridsdel: THE W.I.S.E.R. WOMAN’S GUIDE
I haven’t always thought of myself as a writer. I journaled off and on for decades until 2016(ish) when I began my blog. It was only then that writing became a meaningful and regular part of my life. Although writing was and is an act of self-expression, it quickly became more than that, a way to explore my own growth, to help make sense of being a woman in midlife, and to offer reflections that I hope support others walking alongside me. In my work as a life coach, I support women in midlife and beyond to navigate change with more ease and compassion. I created The Tap and Write Studio, a safe space for women navigating transitions, ready to release outdated beliefs, connect deeply within, find clarity and inner wisdom through a unique combination of EFT tapping and therapeutic/reflective writing.
I joined Seasoned Voices, an amazing group of writers, because connection, community and supporting one another reflects my personal and professional values. I look forward to adding my voice and reflections to the rich tapestry of experiences we all bring to the page.
Tracy Smyth: TRAVEL BUG TONIC
I never set out to be a writer. But somewhere along the way, I realised that writing was a surprisingly effective way to make sense of our beautiful, bewildering world. Travel Bug Tonic emerged from that impulse, as a space to explore how travel and wellbeing braid together, especially as I navigate this unfolding season of midlife where everything seems to be shifting… including me.
Writing is how I slow down enough to hear myself think. It is how I collect the threads of meaning that would otherwise slip past. It is also how I turn experience into something that feels like an invitation rather than advice. On my blog, I experiment with weaving wellbeing into the way I travel, play with awe as a daily practice, and tell the truth about the missteps, detours, and the inevitable misadventures that often leave the deepest impressions and the most useful lessons.
Mine is not a blog about chasing countries or conquering bucket lists. Instead, I write to uncover curiosity, playfulness, and gratitude for the ‘tonic’ travel offers us, whether it’s across the globe or five minutes from home.
My hope is that readers will laugh, nod along, and maybe feel nudged to create their own small or big adventures, just as I’m learning to do in this season of life.
Helen Davidson: AGELESS POSSIBILITIES
In 2020, when I launched Ageless Possibilities, I wanted to step into this later stage of life with intention, trusting that curiosity, passion, and a sense of purpose were not behind us - they were waiting to be claimed. I wanted to write about how life had shaped me as I stood on this threshold. I hoped to challenge the tired narratives about aging. And, I was looking forward to reflecting on the ageless possibilities that are open to us.
Fast forward six years. I am now writing about my lived experience as an older woman - someone who makes more intentional choices, has let go of long-held expectations, and now focuses on what truly matters. I am no longer trying to make sense of my journey rowing north. Now, I paddle these waters with more clarity about where I am going.
Ageless Possibilities is not a guide to aging well. It is my space for reflection. It is an invitation to join me in unfolding a deeper relationship with ourselves and with the lives we are living.
So, including me, that’s the five of us, Seasoned Voices. We’ll use the seasons to guide this shared blogging adventure. We may write on a common theme, about what gives purpose and meaning to our days, or even our different takes on the same topic. Our hope is that our collaboration will feel more like a conversation among women of a certain age, a shared experience. When life gets real it can get dark in some spaces, but it can just as quickly light up with the grace of reflection, perspective, and just knowing you’re not alone.
We believe there are many of you out there who share our love of stories, value time for reflection, and feel the way we sometimes do about this aging journey. We hope that our cross-pollinated blogging will inspire a deeper connection among the five of us and our readers. So if you’re interested in the company of women willing to dive into the depths of experience together, we are eager to have you join us back here in mid-February when we’ll launch the winter installment of Seasoned Voices. Until then, hope to see you back on The Precious Days soon.
