There are some women who speak about getting older as though life slowly starts narrowing. As though your options shrink, your relevance fades, and your best work belongs to a younger version of you.
And then there are women like Ande Lyons. She’s 69, mighty fine by her own words, and still building, still creating, still reminding other women that the second half of life does not have to be a quiet one. What I loved most about Ande’s answers is the energy behind them. There’s no apologising, no diminishing, no trying to make herself more digestible. Just clarity. Joy. Perspective. And the kind of self-possession that only comes when you stop asking the world for permission to take up space.
Also, you’re going to want to read what she says about entrepreneurship, outside validation, and why the best years may not be your 50s at all, but the decades that come after. Because sometimes the most powerful thing a woman can do is refuse to let age become a cage.
Who are you, and what season of life are you in?
I'm 69 and feeling mighty fine, and helping others thrive after 65
What surprised you most about your 50s?
When I turned 50, I thought that's it, my entrepreneurship days are over. It's a younger person's game. Well... here I am, almost 20 years later and I've launched and built 3 more businesses over that time period!
One thing you’ve stopped doing (and you’re better for it):
Seeking outside validation. I see myself. That's all that matters.
One thing you’re choosing instead:
Build intergenerational relationships, I love having besties that are 30 years younger than me!
One boundary you now honour, no apology:
Who I spend time with. I only have so many days left, time is my most valuable asset, and I easily say no to anything that is not in alignment with me or sparks my joy.
One micro-decision that changed everything:
Letting the Divine lead the way (Tosha Silver).
One practice that keeps you steady:
Morning pages (The Artist's Way!)
One belief about midlife you no longer subscribe to:
Being comfortable as the oldest person in the room (don't shrink with age, take centre stage)
The best thing about being in your 50s:
May I talk about the best thing about being in your 60s? Seriously, these Renaissance years are liberating!!
At 50+, I am…
Living my best life, I have never been this happy in all areas of my life; I waited decades to be this fulfilled professionally.
This week, I want women turning 50 to remember:
You have plenty of time to reach your goals and pursue new dreams. Don't get caught up in the toxic hustle where you have to have it all right now. Enjoy the journey, what's unfolding right now. Just because the clock strikes midnight on a milestone age doesn't mean you're done. Ambition and Dreams do not have an expiration date. I constantly hear feedback from listeners of Don't Be Caged By Your Age about how freeing it is for them to know they can still be vibrant, relevant, bold and audacious ... fueling their passion, purpose and pocketbook... well into their 60s, 70s and 80s.
My Note to My Future Self
What I love about Ande’s answers is that they don’t just challenge the story we’ve been sold about ageing, they blow it wide open, because that old story says there’s a deadline on becoming. A point where your big ideas should quieten down, where your ambition should become more sensible, where you should be grateful for what you’ve done and not ask life for too much more. And yet here she is, nearly 70, still building, still expanding, still deeply alive inside her own life. That lands.
It reminds me that fifty is not the end of becoming. It’s not even the peak. It may just be the age where I finally stop asking whether I’m too late, and start trusting that there is still so much more with my name on it.
If you’re following along this week
My Stop: Where am I still looking outside myself for permission or validation?
My Start: What would it look like to trust my own timing more deeply?
My Boundary: Who or what no longer deserves access to my time?
My Micro-decision: Where could I let go a little and let life lead?
My Practice: What keeps me anchored in myself each morning?
Journal prompt: What would change if I stopped treating age like a limit and started treating it like evidence?
If you’d like to be part of the ‘85 Weeks to Fifty’ series, or you know a woman whose voice would feel like medicine here, email me at hello@kiransinghuk.com. And if you’re reading this thinking, same, tell me in the comments: What is your takeaway from this interview?
Love this energy! Having just turned 50 and feeling better than ever - I continue to be inspired by other women like this. So much so, my new upcoming book is called 'If She Can, I Can'.
Thank you for sharing this!
Love it!