Mature Preneurs Talk With Diana Todd-banks

Brian said he was uninspired and lacked motivation within his full-time job at a sporting goods store, and recalled a side business that his father worked years ago cleaning parking lots and decided to turn that idea into his side-hustle. After two months Brian was bringing in enough income with Cleanlots to leave his full-time job behind.  Brian tells the story of how he began, "My prospects were slim as all I had was a high school diploma and a small savings account. But what I had was the motivation to change my life for the better and a willingness to work for myself." Entrepreneur magazine says parking lot litter cleanup is “a simple, inexpensive and potentially lucrative business to get into, and the market is growing”. Brian’s $200 investment has grown into a $650,000+ per year business, although that took a few decades.  Brian never dreamt he could turn a litter cleanup business into such an enjoyable lifestyle, but he did, and has perfected the operation down to a science. In fact, later in his caree

Suzie says Often when we reach the later stages of our lives, we hear the clock of our own mortality ticking and we wonder if it’s too late to create something new and better for ourselves.  The question is why wait.  Ask yourself if the old, familiar excuse, “it’s too late” is a way you keep yourself from pursuing your dreams rather than an actual limitation.  Do you have a lifelong pattern of getting in your own way?  Do you dream of having a new career now that the kids are launched, something you can reasonably do for the rest of your life? Be serious about that question for yourself, because its never too late to begin exploring what’s in the way of you creating more fulfilment, connection and joy for yourself. Using the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), I help people explore those old limiting patterns so that they experience more joy, better relationships and greater fulfilment.  NARM helps us truly realize that we are not stuck.  When we do our own inner work, we change our relationship to the p

Chris and Susan’s plans for their 50’s and beyond, took advantage of the property boom which ultimately became a millstone around their necks rather than the generous pension it was meant to be.  As self employed Accountants and Management Consultants in their fifties they worked 6 - 7 days a week, 10 - 12 hours a day, had a good income but no time ... no time for to do the things they wanted to do in life, a familiar cry of many in the traditional work force. Only two option appeared to exist, continue working for the rest of their lives under conditions they no longer wanted to tolerate, or live hand to mouth on a tiny pension, not a choice thought. They didn’t fancy either option...Chris and Susan felt they had to find a way out, another approach - a goal of many others in this position.  Researching the Internet the couple discovered they could leverage their skills and build a business online. How did they decide on that? Analysing the skills they possessed they also looked at what they really enjoyed do

Elizabeth had spent over twenty-five years in the international pharmaceutical industry helping companies make their drugs safely and built up a ‘store’ of anecdotes she intended to publish “one of these days.”  Then a major health scare reminded her if she left it too late, she may never reach, “one of these days,” and so began writing creative non-fiction putting real situations and locations into fictional settings, which worked. The millions of words written during Elizabeth’s first career were always true but now telling ‘lies’ for a living requires a different style of writing. Elizabeth had to learn to be opinionated and inventive. Her early heroines had no fun and did nothing wrong; she was too scared people would think it was autobiographical! Returning to campus for her MA after thirty-three years was nerve-wracking spending the weeks leading up to the start of term worrying about what she should wear. Even though Elizabeth was used to speaking to audiences of tens if not hundreds, in her first semi

Dan McCrory said for decades, he worked at a phone company as a telecommunications technician but he always had writing jobs on the side, but as he found out writing a book is different and has its own set of pitfalls. Some advice? Know your target audience. He never stopped to ask will millennials, (his audience) read this? While receptive, they want a book they can listen to while driving. At 63, Dan said he’s a driven person; many people don’t understand what motivates him and he would be hard-pressed to explain why he’s so driven. He said folks with Parkinson’s disease tend to withdraw, especially as symptoms become harder to ignore, but he refuses to hide. He’s always faced his fears and got on with living, and wants to forget he has PD and live a normal life.  One point Dan does know - he wants people to know he’s contributed value to the human race. And he’s certainly doing that now!  Throughout this podcast Dan offers numerous pieces of advice, sound wisdom and tips about living. Dan strongly believes

Listen how Suzie Gruber’s life took a circuitous route to be where she is today, helping you to improve your life and really come alive. She says many have an innate drive towards connection, aliveness, and success, an urge that gives you the courage to change, regardless of what you face along the way. But those desires may be submerged until Suzie starts working with a client. It seems more and more people working in jobs feel their heart isn’t in the work, they get uneasy, unhappy, but don't’ do anything about that, yet they can, you just need to begin listening to your heart.   Suzie did that. Despite working in the biotechnology industry, Suzie found her heart wasn’t in it, and said she had to honour her own ‘primal urge’ to do what she loves, helping others come alive and she’s doing that. After learning about the instabilities in our world, Suzie knew she had to listen to her own deeper voice and respond to those challenges by helping people heal, firstly by rebuilding her professional life in a differ

Listen how Mark Lyons creatively combined his earlier two careers in different fields, animal agriculture and strategic management consulting, with his long time passion to become a Garden Troubadour and Green Thumb At Your Service Coach. Searching ardently for his next career yet nothing happened, Mark said two years later it dawned on him why he wasn’t landing a job, he realized, he’d been lying to himself about what he wanted to do with his next career, his inner self was no longer willing to put up with his lies. What Mark did next is a lesson for anyone in a similar position. Spend a week in solitude to clear your head and figure out your next move. Mark went to the beautiful hills of Galena, Illinois and came home with a determination to strike out on his own and find a way to combine his passion for gardening with his love of entertaining and starting a business, Green Thumb at Your Service. Becoming a garden coach, working one-on-one with people to show them how to grow more and better vegetables, he

Kathleen said she found herself completely lost and heartbroken, after a family breakdown, her business fell apart, her sense of identity unraveled, and health challenges set in.  She faced fears she had never faced before, having always been so successful in her thriving psychotherapy practice. Despite always helping others Kathleen now needed help as her money began to run out, she struggled with shame, hopelessness, and a dark depression, facing ageism and a total lack of meaning, all emotions foreign to her. Listen to Kathleen’s raw account of her life then and what she did until something magical began to happen - a true blessing in disguise that allowed her to reconnect to her “original medicine,” the gifts she had always possessed, yet had not fully owned as being truly miraculous.   After getting fired for speaking truth to power and facing her biggest fears she returned to where she had started but as a totally different woman, more humble, and more confident of her true gifts.  Writing Loveseed: The

In 2010, Noreen Braman, who had already reinvented herself in 1997 after a contentious divorce, was reeling from a corporate downsizing, dealing with economic recession of historic proportions and facing her own midlife issues. Soon her skills as a strategic communications professional, humourist and performer sent her in a new direction. By the end of that year, she became a certified Laughter Yoga Leader, had her mind blown at a conference called “Can Humour Save the World” and studied the Psychology of Laughter at Rutgers University. In 2012 she added certification in Laughter Wellness, studied the Science of Happiness through Berkeley University in 2016 and ever since has been presenting laughter for the health through her Smile Side of Life Laughter & Happiness Club presentations. Taking her message about laughter to the world on a full time basis Noreen again “reinvented” herself. Dr Paul McGhee’s book “Humour as a Survival Tool “ helped her understand the importance of humour and laughter to all hu

Pat Porrey and her sister Pam did that and have made a huge difference in the lives of new Mums and their newborn babies coming home from hospital. On reflection it was a huge difference after spending 30 years at a great job with a major corporation, but Pat decided she needed to try something new. Despite having great job, a safe pension and a great predictable life she knew there was more to life for her but what? She was told to create multiple streams of income and was doing that, then 2008-2009 hit. Nothing prepared her for that perfect storm of the financial, real estate and business world collapsing ... her world. Many wondered what next? Some wallowed in their woes while others were proactive like Pat and her sister Pam who created a much-needed new business - Sweet Dreams Infant Care - see their .com website in the same name. Pam, an RN, saw staff reductions and shorter hospital stays causing many new moms to not get the training or assistance they needed before leaving hospital with their newborn(s

Kelly said writing a book had been on her bucket list since she was 22, but she says it’s a ton of work! And it wasn’t surprising she spent the next 8-10 years finding excuses as family and business excuses kept her from writing her ‘special and unique’ book. Years later her excuses dissipated and the opportunity to finish her book came to be. Kelly’s book can best be described as biblical, historical, a thriller, fiction, a novel, encompassing the super natural called, ‘Over My Dead Body: A Super Natural Novel’. Little wonder it took so long to finish however what Kelly has achieved is proof that if you have a strong desire to do something it’s never to late to start. Going beyond that in two years she has brought four new products to market including an eBook, paperback, hardback, and audiobook all on ‘Over My Dead Body’. Now in her 50's, Kelly says calls herself a novelist. It's been a wild ride, but it's not over yet, as a biblical concepts companion guide for the novel is due out in May 2019; and later a

Lana Nelson’s life traumas ultimately became gifts even despite being injured in a nasty car accident causing years of chronic pain. She knew she would be the sole financial supporter of her young children. Having previous experience in the field she started her own dental lab business and 4 years later bought a home, a new van and able took her children on vacation. Plus she had become a noted expert in the cutting-edge field of dental implants. But after 5 years of continued headaches and pain she saw a Chiropractor and continued trying new things - juicing, massage and yoga, all considered “weird” at the time.  She kept thinking and saying, “I should marry a Chiropractor. I’m seeing one 3 times a week!” Yes “The universe was listening.” Lana met her future husband on a blind date. He specialized in treating pain and with his treatments Lana was pain-free in 2 weeks!  He healed her body and her heart.  They married and combined two families and were called “The Brady Bunch times two!” Over the next several

He’s a midlife divorced dad raising 2 kids but that hasn’t stopped Dom from becoming a health empowerment coach. Unlike most health coaches, Dom chose not to not focus on what people eat, or their exercise, rather, he focuses on helping to discover and transform the underlying root causes of old, destructive loops that prevent his clients from succeeding in their health, overall wellness & life!  Dom understands what it's like to be on both sides of the fence because he grew up as a heavy weight kid for the first half of his life along with his destructive loops.  Moving on from there to his early 50s Dom recognized his career of 30 years in Corporate IT sucked the spirit of life out of him. The best antidote to that was to follow his heart and passion earning his health & life coach certifications; as he felt that path was the key to his new future and it has been. Despite his numerous big life challenges in one year during his career transition Dom says he’s discovered a newfound freedom he never ha

Else Didn’t fully realise it at the time, but what she read she came to learn was a totally and completely unique perspective on a topic which has plagued even the most powerful minds since early last century even before that. What was more puzzling was the author was born into a poor family in Denmark, had a very limited education yet he had a profound experience, that he later described as a Cosmic Consciousness and this became the inspiration to write prolifically until his passing, years later in 1981. His prolific works have been called ‘The Third Testament’ and have been translated into 20 languages. Since Else is Danish she felt compelled to write explanatory versions of Martinus’ work and to date has written 7 short books. In a previous interview on Mature Preneurs Talk Else said ‘Once you see the bigger picture, your whole outlook on life will change and you will become a much happier person when you realise that ‘Death Is An Illusion,’ the title of Else’s first book, based on the work of Martinus. H

Some years ago, partners Maree Malouf and Jeff were enjoying a good lifestyle in their respective roles, but in the back of Jeff’s mind something was missing … though he never had a clue as to what. Unexpectedly Jeff and Maree were invited to be involved in an organisation that had, at its core, the i-Ching. As a trained psychologist and NLP Master he was intrigued. Never did they, for a second, imagine what was to follow. On a whim, they found themselves in Bali, studying under an amazing coach and mentor and quickly became immersed in a world of which they previously had no knowledge. The learning curve was steep, but rewarding.  A few years later, after going through their savings, the couple look back and realise the fantastic journey they had been on, and are still on today. Jeff said they added to the base they learned, and now have embarked on what they describe as their “dream job” … together, coaching and teaching people in all walks of life (and ages), and deliver presentations, writing a lot … whil

Carol Graham says hers is a true story of beating insurmountable odds can seem stranger than fiction and that nothing about her story is conventional – yet it speaks to anyone who has ever experienced trauma. At 65, Carol wanted to fulfil her dream of sharing her story being an author, international speaker talk show host and survivor of major life challenges.  Goals and dreams can seem like pipe dreams but dreams certainly can come true which Carol certainly learned and experienced and because of that she now helps others, In a variety of profound ways.  Carol suggests learn to find something you love doing, do it, be tenacious, stay focused, create laughter in your life and you’ll be surprised what happens along the way.   You can learn more about Carol here: batteredhope.blogspot.com – and her book Battered Hope provides lots of insights about trauma and lessons for the reader. As Carol found out we all have the ability and the right to choose what we do with our retirement years - midlife and beyond.  It'

Kelly says In 2008 when the housing market imploded her husband’s livelihood as a general contractor went up in flames and suddenly she and her husband in their 50’s were facing some tough decisions.  Her husband had always been involved with cattle part-time but never as a sole source of income. Faced with few options they decided to start raising cattle full-time and training horses as their main source of income. For Kelly most of her life was spent in the food business; distribution and working with restaurants and chefs now she was coming full circle as an actual producer. While this was all old hat for her husband it was a radical shift for Kelly but she was in good shape and open-minded which is what everyone in their 50’s needs to do to create a new life.  Building a barbed wire fence was tough, even the full 30 miles of it, ride working cow horses, doctoring cattle and running the business were too but her quiet desire to write a book, her memoir came to fruition - ‘The Princess Rancher’, was picked

Patricia Mitchell says at the age of 24 she actually heard a voice say to her “Patricia you don’t have to be poor you can have wealth” despite being months late on rent. As years passed she talks how this power within her has allowed her to teach about creating wealth. During this podcast Patricia offers several practical tips how to identify steps to find your next life chapter.  Now in 2019 Patricia considers herself an expert in acumulating wealth, yet she sees many people needing money but which is the easiest thing to manifest.  Having written a course called “Tap the power within” Patricia is now completing a book on the same subject.  How did she get to this stage - listen to this podcast to find out more. Before starting on her current journey, Patricia owned a non-medical home care agency but went back to school in her fifties and is now completing her Doctoral in Organizational Leadership. This go-getter says we need to know the truth about who we really are to begin to live our best life. Soon Patr

Dawn James worked 72 hours a week, and had a soaring career yet her family life, and relationships were crumbling around her. As a former Finance/I.T. exec she missed many family dinners, sporting events and school plays - memories she can never recapture. But a life-changing event brought her career to a screeching halt!  After her wake-up call of not eating literally for 3 months, and the health results that ensued, she stopped living in her head and started living in her heart, advice that Dawn now offers others.  Quitting her corporate job, she spent 18 months of intense soul searching. But how did she do that what was she looking for? Listen to her answers during this podcast. They’re interesting. During the empty nest phase, Dawn and her husband began to travel to far away countries. One destination they both fell in love with was Costa Rica. They returned home and immediately set a plan in motion to do what they love and love what they do. They decided to combine their talents and passions to create Be

Rob Palmer’s life collapsed as a result of the financial meltdown of 2008-9 it cost him his home and marriage, so when his children left home, he decided to start a whole new life as a digital nomad. Prior to that in his early 50’s he was running an online marketing consultancy so it was easy to leverage his skills to create a location-independent income while traveling the world. Blogging and affiliate marketing gave him the freedom to go anywhere, do anything and be anyone he wanted which anyone can also do. Since doing so one of the hardest things is explaining to others how he makes money … people think that if he is making money without a job he must be running some kind of criminal enterprise! He acknowledges the life of a digital nomad is certainly diverse. Rob offers three helpful tips for others: 1. You are not stuck in your current life…you can create a brand new and better one! 2. It’s never too late…you can change your life in your 50s, 60s and beyond. 3. This is the best time ever to be a mature