We all know women who inspire us to take a look at our own lives. ‘Fabwomen’ is all about introducing women who have not been afraid to try something new or different, and who’ve overcome their own fears or limitations and followed their dreams, whether stepping outside their comfort zone to take up new interests or pursue a new career or relationship.
We hope our Fabwomen’s stories will motivate all of us to try at least one thing new!
If you have a friend, colleague or family member, whose experiences in their fifties could inspire others, why not nominate them for a future Fabwomen feature!
Article by Ellie Wilkie Everyone said we must be mad! It was 1998 when my husband and I accidentally migrated to Australia. One cold dark Scottish winter afternoon we received a phone call offering my husband a semi ex-pat package to Perth, Western Australia. We expected to be there for maybe a year on a temporary work visa. We were unusual in the oil industry in that we had never lived overseas. We were in (more…)
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Article by Ceri Wheeldon How easy is it to reinvent your career in your fifties? Jan Jack, our latest ‘fabwoman’ has done just that! How have you changed your career since turning 50? I’d spent my whole life as a secretary, and at the age of 47 performed my first stand up gig. It was the start of a complete change of direction. A year later, whilst still a secretary, I opened my own comedy (more…)
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Guest Article by Christyne Since our original feature on Christyne in our ‘Fabwomen’ section, her life has had plenty of reasons for celebration! A great role model for anyone wanting to be Fab After 50! I was featured in your very interesting online magazine Fabafterfifty on the 22nd May under title of Fab Women. This is a update for Fabafterfifty on what I have done since then… After appearing in the Independent Newspaper colour magazine which was due to (more…)
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Article by Ceri Wheeldon While some mothers dread the day their children fly the nest and leave home, there are others who know that life for them, and their , will not be quite so straightforward. Similarly , where for most families, Christmas is a time for coming together, socialising, and breaking the daily routine, there are families where any change in routine can bring about problems. Christmas and children with autism Machita has twin (more…)
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Article by Jo Carroll It was a chance headline in The Guardian, one wet August morning, that got me thinking. Yes, I decided, gap years are wasted on the young. At the time the leap from that to doing it myself, on my own, in my mid-50s, seemed logical. What was to stop me? My daughters had flown; my husband and parents had died; work – well, thirty years in Child Protection is long enough (more…)
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Article by Ceri Wheeldon When Mariam Kobras turned 50, and found she had time to herself for the first time. Having been a typical stay at home ‘soccer mum’, Mariam’s children no longer needed her. So what were her options? There was an empty auditorium at the school Mariam’s husband taught at. Mariam suggested to the headteacher that perhaps she could teach a theatre class – she was given the keys and told she could (more…)
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Article by Fabafterfifty. Following a health scare Lillian decided to celebrate her landmark birthday in a very special way, and raised money for a good cause at the same time! Can you tell us a little about yourself? I was 60 on the 3rd August, I am married to Dave and have two adult children aged 42 and 37, and a Grandson of 21. I retired from fulltime Teaching in 2009 after a long term (more…)
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Article by Fabafterfifty It’s never too late to follow your passions and fulfil your dreams. Since leaving her job in a bank, Sally has worked in an estate agency, set up a lettings company and used her artistic talents to make cards and jewellery. A visit to an exhibition in London a few years ago led her one step closer to following her childhood dream- of opening an old-fashioned tea shop! Said Sally “ My (more…)
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Interview by Ceri Wheeldon Former Olympic gymnast, TV presenter Suzanne Dando talks to Fabafterfifty about her life at 50. How did you feel approaching your 50th birthday? What struck me was how different I felt approaching 50 to how I felt when I approached my 40th birthday. In the latter part of my 40s I was aware that I was feeling different physically. My 40th didn’t bother me at all, but my 50th felt quite (more…)
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Guest article by Sharon Williamson. I’m 54 years old and live in Loughton, Essex. I was married at the age of 31 but am now separated and in a long-term relationship with my current partner Michael, a property investor who also works as an actor and professional model. How has your life changed since you were 50? After meeting my husband in my late 20s, I got into a much more routine way of life (more…)
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