I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, but a dear friend gave me a great idea for beginning a new year. She told me she chose a word that would define what 2024 was going to be for her. Her word was “gutsy” and she is that and more. I had a word come to me before she even finished the sentence. That word was EMERGE.

I have big plans for 2024. I am finally leaving the career I chose 4 decades ago to make my father happy, and while I have enjoyed this career, it was never what I wanted for myself. To be fair, I had no idea what I wanted to be “when I grew up” at 22 when I graduated from college, so I went to law school to make my dad happy (after saying “no” to med school, which would have made him REALLY happy!).

I didn’t figure out what I wanted to be “when I grew up” until I was 55 and was, ironically in a coaching group focused on how to be the best attorney I could be. As we talked about our purpose in life and what we’d do if there were no limitations on money or time or experience, I realized what I really wanted to do was help people get fit and healthy in a tropical location (at the time I was thinking of Bali). I even took the time to look into going back to school. My undergraduate degree is in accounting and finance (again – dad’s suggestion). I realize now my view of what type of education would be necessary to fulfill that dream was very narrow – I looked at what it would take to get a 4-year degree in exercise physiology and nutrition and determined that by the time I finished school, it would be time to retire. So, I focused on being the best lawyer I could be.

Fast-forward 6 years to when I started my own tranformation journey. I learned about the concept of counting macros (instead of calories) and the difference between fueling your body to grow muscle and/or lose fat versus eating as little as possible to try to be skinny while killing yourself with cardio. I learned about the numerous, excellent certifications that were available to educate myself further about macros, building muscle, weight training and transformation coaching. Imagine my delight when I realized that my life’s dream of coaching people to be strong and healthy from a tropical paradise had NOT passed me by and was, in fact, within reach!

I am nothing if not a methodical planner and so I put a plan in place to transition from my career as a corporate attorney into a career as a transformation coach with a focus on post-menopausal women. That doesn’t mean I won’t coach younger women (I’m happy to do so), but I believe my own experience of achieving a fit, healthy, strong body as a post-menopausal women makes me well qualified to coach other women like me – women who survived menopause and came out the other side but found themselves dissatisfied with how their body looked, their lack of energy and the state of their overall health and fitness.

2024 is the year I will EMERGE from a career I enjoyed but did not light up my soul like transformation coaching does. That may sound melodramatic, but it is nevertheless true. Helping other women live their very best lives at 50+ brings me such satisfaction and joy that it’s hard to put into words.

I am so very grateful to have an opportunity, at 65 years young, to fulfill that desire to embark on the career that I always wanted. This tremendous gift is not lost on me, and I will do everything in my power to help women who are willing to do the work to get healthy, fit and strong and greet every day with joy and vitality.

2024 is my year to EMERGE and be my truest self. Take some time and give it some thought. What is your word for 2024? Feel free to drop me a DM on instagram @silverandstrong or an email at info@silverandstrong.com. I’d love to hear what your word for 2024 will be.