Retirement Rebels: Wendy Green

Welcome back to my ‘Retirement Rebel’ interview series. Answering my 10 quick-fire questions this month is Wendy Green, host of the Hey, Boomer podcast, a weekly Facebook Live show which I featured on a couple of months ago.

You can find Wendy on Facebook or check out her website here.

I’m really looking forward to sharing Wendy’s interview with you. In the meantime, if you’re a rebel like Wendy, and you’d like to be part of this series yourself, email me at [email protected].

Do you consider yourself retired – and if not, why not?

No, I am not retired. To me, retired means being tired, and I have too much to do, too many interests that keep me engaged and learning. I love this time in my life.

How do your thoughts on retirement differ from most people – in other words, what makes you a retirement rebel?

I have many friends that are retirement rebels.  We believe that we are relevant, valuable individuals who now have the time to make a difference.

Some people, at this point in their lives are ready to be re-tired, meaning that they were tired with their previous life and now they are tired in life after work. I think it is because they have lost their sense of purpose and relevance. It is a belief system.

 Do you have a typical day? What does it look like?

A typical day is in my office, working on Hey, Boomer, learning about social media and how to grow my coaching business. A typical day also includes time for exercise or gardening, healthy meals, connections with friends and new acquaintances, and reading for pleasure.

 What’s been your proudest moment since you turned 50?

Coming up with the idea for Hey, Boomer, stepping into the unknown and making it happen, and learning that so many people are willing to share their stories to inspire my community. It has been an amazing experience.

 Do you have a favourite quote that inspires you?

I have two.  One is “Carpe Diem.” The other is attributable to Erma Bombeck.  She said, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me”.

 What’s your favourite social media channel, and what was the last thing you posted on it?

I would probably have to say Facebook, and the last thing I posted was to my coaching page. It was an article by Arianna Huffington about the grace of turning 70.

If you could tell your 18 year old self one thing, what would it be?

Finish college before you get married!

When did you last belly-laugh, and what was it about?

Belly-laugh? Been a while. I laugh a lot, but belly-laughs are not as common. It had to be some time ago when I was with my grandkids.

 Do you have any regrets?

Sure, I think we all have regrets. It is what we do about them that matters. I do not dwell on them.  I try to learn from mistakes.

 What are your aspirations for retirement – how would you like to see the way the world thinks about life over 50 change?

I would like the world to recognise the value that “elders” bring to our world and our community. I think part of the reason that people retire to a purposeless life is because our society has been so fixated on a youth culture that the contributions of baby boomers become minimised. I think that may be changing as more of us continue to be involved and bring our wisdom and value to our communities.

That is my aspiration for retirement. To bring value and help others recognise the value they can bring and how they can do it.