Defying Limitations: How to Make Our Second Half the Better Half!

Welcome to the Living to 100 Club Podcast. Here's our host, Dr. Joseph Casciani.

Greetings to everyone joining us today for the Living to 100 Club Program. I'm your host, Joe Casciani. Each week we bring you thought-provoking discussions on topics related to Living Longer and Celebrating Aging. Here at the club, we're building a community of everyone who embraces the reality that we are now living longer than any generation in history. Club members want to establish new habits, learn new information, and make decisions that impact our mental and physical health. And most importantly, how do we make it over those hurdles and obstacles and keep moving forward. In today's conversation, we'll be speaking with Carrie Mitchell, and we'll be discussing how to reclaim our confidence, purpose, and power when they've diminished in our retirement years. The title of our talk is How to Make Our Second Half the Better Half. First, a little background. Carrie Mitchell is a motivational speaker, author, and integrative wellness coach who has rededicated her life to helping women find purpose in retirement. After graduating from her 32-year teaching career, caring for her ailing mother, and overcoming her own health challenges through lifestyle interventions, Carrie knew she had more important work to do. At the age of 62, she started her own business Lifestyle 120, which we'll hear more about, in order to inspire others to live their best life. Terri offers talks, workshops, and online programs to show boomers how to release limited mindset and reclaim their health, confidence, purpose, and power so they can flourish in their golden years. Welcome to our podcast, Terri.

Well, thank you, Joe.

Great, glad to have you with us. So I always like to begin by asking our guests to describe a little bit of the journey that took you to where you are today.

Oh, I'd be happy to, and I think I'll start here. That's, um, after, after caring for my mother and overcoming my own health challenges naturopathically, and then wondering what the future held after my 32-year public school teaching career, I started searching for answers to what's next. Then I began thinking, is it possible for a middle-aged woman to become more prosperous in every area of her life? And if so, what would be the secrets to her success? You see, I knew I didn't want to retire the same way my colleagues and relatives had retired in the past. I was certain that there was more important work for me to do, to continue my life of service, but in a different way. So I went back to school to get health certified, blended my love for teaching and wellness, and started my holistic coaching and motivational speaking business at the age of 62, because I wanted to inspire mature and seasoned women to step into their power achieve what was important to them, I used my experiences and success to create a comprehensive and sustainable empowerment program specifically designed to prepare courageous women for a beautiful second half. See, my mission is to show women how to release the limited mindset of I'm too old to to pursue my passions, my best years have passed, I'm not good enough or smart enough, and then make positive mental shifts to unleash their personal power so they can be amazing in their golden years. I know that if a woman wants to experience more joy and more prosperity in the second half of her life, she must tap into the secret tools that will lead to her success.

I love that. I think that's so pertinent to my, you know, my vision for the Living to 100 Club. And it's always about redefining ourselves and not letting yesterday define who we are today, and really removing some of those self-limiting mindsets. So I think we are definitely on the same channel. It's really good to hear you talk about this progression and I want to hear more about your, you know, your business. Tell us first about Lifestyle 120. What is— that's your website. What do you have?

Yes, I certainly can. Yeah, Lifestyle 120. You know what, um, it's kind of interesting how this kind of fits into sort of my own redefining of myself. And so I, I want it— want to encourage our listeners to rethink what you thought you knew about aging. And then your question, of course, relates to my inspirational business name, which is Lifestyle 120. People very seldom ask me about that, but I'd love to elaborate on it. Yes. So see, today it's not unusual for people to live to 100, but we want to be healthy when we get there, right? So I believe that if we create a lifestyle that brings balance to body, mind, and spirit, we can extend that trajectory out beyond the 100-year marker to possibly 120. So Lifestyle 120 describes a journey that defies age and limitations and embraces whole health, Passion, empowerment, and possibility. That's the kind of life that's available to every seasoned— who I call my seasoned adults— who choose to claim it. So you're not done yet. I tell them, you're not done yet. You get to choose what the rest of your life looks like. And this is the perfect time to reinvent, to reposition yourself. Many of us have, have more choices now If you don't think you do, I'm telling you that you do. Many of us have more choices now than they have, say, 20, 20 years ago. See, the kids are grown and doing their own thing. You may be retired or approaching retirement or looking to align your life with your passions. You may be living alone wondering how to prepare for your next chapter. And because of your experiences and life challenges, you, you know a lot of things and you have gained a unique perspective about life that someone much younger may not have. So these experiences are now your assets and you are to use them, to use these assets, these, the skill set to make a difference in the world.

Yeah, that's a great vision. I like that, that sense of finding a purpose, new purpose, I'm curious, um, Carrie, you had a long career as a teacher, you know, learning so much about human nature, and then you went back to school and got your proficiency in integrative wellness. Can you tell us about that? What is integrative wellness and how do you practice it?

Yes, you know, the terms integrative wellness and holistic wellness, you know, they've been thrown around quite a bit, but I take a holistic approach to wellness, which means basically that I look at the whole person and help them to create a lifestyle which focuses on balancing every area of their life. For example, a person may feel out of sorts if one area of their life is stagnant. Let's say the home environment does not support their new way of living. So establishing a plan with them to refresh their living space may help that person experience greater harmony. So that's kind of it in a nutshell.

Sure. So you come at fitness and wellness—

Yes.

Probably diet, stress management, a whole collection of longevity practices, I take it.

Right. And that really does constitute all my messaging. On my videos and, and my message in my program, as well as my message with, with my clients.

So you have your curriculum, I've seen on your website, the Empowerment Curriculum. Would you say it's for, and what does the content look like?

Yeah, and I have quite a bit to say about this. I just kind of in a capsule explain the Empowerment Curriculum if we have time and go back and dig deeper into it. But, uh, the Sprout Your— my program is called Sprout Your New Life, and it's an online spiritually based empowerment program for mature and discerning women who are ready to release negative belief patterns and make the second half of their life their best years. Now, the program is comprehensive and it's based on a system of fundamental universal truths that can be applied to everyday living in order to promote growth, transformation, and success. And so covering all aspects of a woman's life, including the lifestyle, relationships, purpose, and a whole lot more that we can get into if we have time, uh, our, our program is designed to uncover the roadblocks that may be keeping a woman from moving forward. And the program takes about 10 months to complete, and the inspiring videotape modules— everything's videotape— and workbook exercises will help them reclaim their health, confidence, and power so they can live the life of their dreams. There's also a Facebook group to support the women on their journey. Yeah.

Okay, so 10 months, uh, comprehensive program including videotapes, I'm sure some articles, and interaction with people, at least in your Facebook group.

Yes.

So in general, what I'm curious about, what you're recommending for, you know, making the second half our better half. I like that.

Yeah, yeah.

So we're talking about lifestyle practices, and what, what are some of the general recommendations you have?

Okay, well, you know, generally when people talk about making lifestyle changes, they're basically talking about nutrition, fitness, But I'm thinking of other things as well. So we should commit to sustainable lifestyle practices that create harmony in our lives. And the focus, I think, should be on self-care. Now, I've transformed my life, transformed myself, gosh, many times over the last 15 years and even before that. And what I have learned over the last 15 years is that in order to increase our chances of living a long, fulfilling life, There are 7 key lifestyle elements that must be practiced in order to grow and glow. So the first one is we need to nourish our bodies with fresh, wholesome, vitamin-rich meals, making a conscious decision to avoid those highly processed foods laden with fat and salt and sugar preservatives. The second is establishing a regular fitness routine, of course. Our bodies were meant to move, and devising a plan to move more will help to keep it working properly. And the third, which we sometimes neglect, is getting proper sleep. We need to be well-rested to accomplish our daily tasks. And I'm running through these really quickly, but the fourth is the importance of a comfortable and inspiring living space. That's free of clutter and toxicity. We wanna make sure our surroundings are conducive to inner peace and creativity. The fifth is nurturing healthy and meaningful relationships, keeping in touch with those we care about and building new relationships is very important. Sixth is generously giving of ourselves through community service, and the seventh, which I love, is that lifestyle element that's about pursuing our interests and our dreams. That's what keeps us relevant and passionate about life. I believe that committing to these lifestyle components will promote health and wholeness and enable us to live a full life. The elements are intimately connected. For instance, if you want to improve your overall health. So you are going to need to do more than eat nutritious foods. The 7 lifestyle elements, I believe, must be aligned in order to reap the benefits of optimal health. Now, there is more. There is a secret sauce, however, that relates to the universal principles. And I didn't know, Joe, whether you want to get into those or not, but yeah, there is a secret sauce that we apply to the 7 lifestyle components and they are delicious.

I do. I would like to get into that, and I'm suspecting, without knowing, I'm suspecting it has to do with our spiritual connection.

It does. Good. Yeah, you guessed it right.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's talk about that a little bit.

Oh, okay. Yeah, I love talking about this. So you see, I believe that none of the 7 lifestyle elements that I mentioned are sustainable without that spiritual component. And I think that in order to experience whole health and to fulfill the desires of the heart, a lifeline must be circulating through everyday experience. Now, this lifeline is an internal system of fundamental universal truths and is the essence of my messaging. So what is it exactly? Here's what it is. It's love and compassion. It's your thoughts and words, accepting responsibility and honoring your commitment to the choices you make in life. It's trusting and believing, and it's having courage and passion, getting excited over and over again about the rest of your life. It's about expectations and planning and being open to becoming vibrant, during the next stage of your life. And so I, I show women how to access this internal support system, apply it to daily living, uh, and fertilize their consciousness with the substance that will allow them to grow and flow. And it seems that based on my observations and conversations with women seeking optimal health, the missing link to those 7 components that I mentioned earlier The missing link to sustainable success seems to be spirituality. So that body-mind-spirit connection has become the main ingredient in my formula for wellness and the critical component to living a long, satisfying life.

Yeah, yeah, I can see that this, this element is really the string or the thread that weaves through all these other 7 steps, and because they can touch on all of this. I just want to recap then what you talked about. Uh, nourish our body with proper eating and nutrition, regular fitness routine, proper sleep, having a comfortable living space free of clutter and toxicity, maintaining healthy relationships, a social network, generously giving, and pursuing our interests and dreams, which I always like to emphasize is, you know, finding that, that sense of purpose and meaning in our lives, something that helps us to look forward to our day when we wake up. This is what I want to do, and this is what I want to accomplish today.

So, and then absolutely, yeah. And then this kind of underlying framework for all of them, that kind of the foundation to all of them, is this spiritual connection Yeah, and I can provide an example too, because I, I think that often when, when people establish goals to improve certain aspects of their lives, they often approach the goal in isolation. So many are looking for immediate results without a conscientious plan, which could be seen as like a temporary solution to a much bigger concern. For example, I'd like to ask our audience, how are those New Year's resolutions going? Why is it that after a few weeks, many people find themselves making excuses about honoring their commitment or resort to self-sabotaging behavior. Why don't their efforts have long-term effects? Perhaps it's because there's no conscientious spiritual foundation to support the growth. So, you know, our physical world reflects our consciousness, and one must change their inner programming by reframing their thoughts and words in order to experience desire.

So going after one of these, uh, 7 steps is really not going to be effective unless we really incorporate kind of a consciousness for all these other pieces. I mean, we can address one, but it's all done in unison. They're all done kind of a uniform way.

That's exactly it. Yes.

Yeah. So let me ask you then, Carrie, You talked about creating a new self-definition with these lifestyle changes. Help me understand what you mean by that. If we're on this road to making our second half the better half, how do we create a new definition of ourselves?

I think we just kind of— a little bit about what I said before is we have to be able to understand that this is a new time in our lives. And we have to want to be on a journey. And we have so much to offer, so much to give. Like I say, you know, the kids are gone and, you know, you're sitting at home twiddling your thumbs, what I'll do next. But you have so much to offer that we need to tap into your reserves, your strengths, everything that you have contributed in life up to this point. Become really, really powerful tools at this time because you're able to bring all that together and then, and then create something fresh and new. Yeah, I think that's kind of, you know, that's a little bit about how I did that, you know, after, after grad— I always, instead of saying retire, after graduating from my teaching career.

Sure, new chapter, a new chapter. Yes, it Yeah, that's how I see it. Well, you know, when I, when I talk about self-definition, it's, it's like, all right, what we did yesterday or last year or 20 years ago is different from where I am today. And I like to talk about writing a new script. We're creating a new character, we're writing a new role for our future, for ourselves. So I think that's what you're talking about too, and that's, yes, being prepared to make some changes. And understand. I like what you said, that we are on a new journey. It's a different— it's a different path.

Yes.

From what we were taking in the past. So let's be prepared for that. And I call it opening new doors and, you know, seeing what's out there. What are these— what are these great opportunities? So before we get into the opportunities, let me ask you, how do we lose that confidence? How do we lose that sense of mastery in, in the world? And We kind of throw our hands up and say, what will be will be. How do we lose that?

Yeah, you know, we seem to lose our confidence and sense of mastery by allowing other people's opinions to dominate our thinking. We lose it by succumbing to societal expectations or the lack thereof. We lose it by We lose touch with our inner child. We lose by ceasing to be relevant, by distancing ourselves from, from learning new things. We lose it by giving up, by not being willing to take risks, by listening to the head and not the heart, by allowing ourselves to stay stuck. And for me personally, I know after— they say graduating— after graduating from my teaching career, I thought my second half was about doing more of the same thing. So initially, I considered a path that was safe and comfortable, what I had already known. Now looking back, I realize now that I was being divinely guided. In my second half, I was supposed to use my strengths and talents in a different way to do a new thing. So long story short, I, I went through a process that many people are probably going through now of exploring and meditating on the meaning of the signs that the universe was placing on my path. And what I wound up doing was combining my love of teaching, my longtime passion for health and wellness, and, and, and my experience with curriculum while at the same time strengthening a deeper relationship with spirit. And then what I'm doing now, of course, is manifestation of all that. So I think, you know, we— I like to tell our listeners to just stop listening to that voice that tells you you're too old, you're not good enough. Spend time in deep reflection. Go outside and commune with nature. Set an intention to be open to a journey of learning and growing and becoming all you were meant to be. Because you've got the whole second half of your life to do it.

Yeah, yeah, I agree 100%. You know, I always believe that spark or that drive or that fire is always there inside of us, and it does get covered up or blocked, or, you know, you know, things get in the way of it. And I, you know, working with patients in nursing homes— and you may know I did this for many years— and I always found that trying to help people understand that if they dig deep, they find that reserve, they find that energy, that zest, that fire that's always there. And I say it's always there, and nobody can take it away from you, but you need to get in touch with it because that will help you overcome a lot of these serious setbacks or the loss of confidence or the loss of mastery. And so many times it was like helping the individual to get in touch with that and realize, yeah, there are— it may not be the same, but there is a big future ahead of us. And yeah, maybe there are some changes we have to adapt to and accept, but it's easy for other people to say, no, no, no, you can't do that, you know. And I always tell people, the beauty of this is that nobody can take that away from you.

Yeah, that's right.

Not your doctors, not your children, not your spouse, not your relatives, close friends. Nobody can take that zest and that fire and that drive away from you. And I, I think that's what you're talking about too, because we have so much opportunity in the future. And let's get out of our own way and don't let other people get in our way. Well, that's it.

You know, no one can take it away, but, but it seems though that the opposite is true, and that is that only we ourselves can bring it back if it's hidden. But I think too that many people, they don't know what to do. They seem like they want to do something, but they need guidance, and that's where I come in. Yeah, they need guidance to show them how to break open again, and then after that, they're on their way like a bird flying, flying through the sky.

Yeah, yeah, that's right. And we have to do it, you're right. We have to find it and look at it and explore it and get in touch with it. And again, it's, it's, it's buried away, it's locked up sometimes, but the reservoir is unlimited and it's always there.

Always there.

Let me ask you about some of the specifics though, and like sleep and diet. You encountered some significant health challenges, as you mentioned, and You learned a lot about the different naturopathic approaches and nutritional interventions. Can you share some of what you learned?

Yes, I'd certainly be happy to do that. As I stated earlier, you know, nutrition is a critical component to our well-being. We have to become aware of what our body needs, and that can change over time.

Surprise!

It doesn't remain the same. I know that my My needs have changed, it seems, almost like every decade or so. In other words, what I'm saying is that one person's medicine is, or could be, another person's poison. So years ago, when I was going through menopause, I was diagnosed with some serious health issues, but focused on healing, I initiated this personal campaign to find natural remedies for for my new challenges. So I underwent a series of comprehensive tests and found out I had multiple food allergies that were contributing to some of my health concerns. Who knew? Who knew? And even though I thought I was living a healthy lifestyle at the time, my protocol had to be completely overhauled. But just 6 weeks after eliminating those allergens and restructuring my plate, supplementing with new vitamin combinations and introducing naturopathic therapies and incorporating weight training into my exercise routine, I witnessed dramatic improvements. I am grateful that my system is in balance. I think the food plays a huge role in our health, and as a certified health coach, I remind clients and subscribers— because I write about this quite a bit in my newsletter— to focus on eating balanced meals, meals that consist of healthy carbs, protein, and healthy fats, and to avoid those, those processed foods, fried foods, and of course, like we talked about before, the salt, sugar, yeah, all of that.

Sure.

So everyone's different. Yeah, you have to be kind of in tune to your body.

Yeah, that's right. Tell us about sleeping problems and You mentioned how important sleep is for, you know, maintaining that healthy balance. And what, what have you learned? What helps to restore that, you know, restful 7 to 8 hour night's sleep?

Yeah, and you know, I was going to say too that food plays a part in that. So I, I always say we need, we need our rest to be our best, right? So getting proper z's helps to heal and repair our bodies, organs, and systems, helps to lower our risk of serious medical conditions, and is essential for cognitive functioning and productivity. So I do— Joe, I actually do a webinar on drug-free solutions to restorative sleep, but for our audience here, for our listeners, I have 4 tips for today, and the first is to establish a sleep schedule and stick to it. I know when I adhere to a strict sleep schedule, I am more alert and productive during the day. I need 7.5 to 8 hours. Other people may need less or more. It's a matter of finding out what's, what's best for you. The second is to adjust the time and content of our last meal. So eat your last meal 3 hours before bedtime. Now, what to eat? Eat less for dinner than your other daytime meals. Avoid large servings of starchy foods at night, like bread and rice and pasta and potatoes, and reduce your portions of meat. And because caffeine is a stimulant, avoid it in the evening. So that means— I know people, like, cringe at this, but that means no caffeinated coffee, but no chocolate at night either.

Yeah.

The third is to unplug from our electronic devices a few hours before bedtime. Staring into that digital screen, I don't know, there's something about that at night, it can sabotage your sleep. I've witnessed it myself. That includes texting on your smartphone, playing video games on your computer, and reading ebooks. Yeah, that bluish light, and there's some controversy over that, but that bluish light emanating from your device can delay the the release of melatonin, you know, the hormone that controls our sleep cycle. And then the last one is prepare relaxing soap. This is my favorite. A nice warm bath can melt the tension from your entire body and have you floating peacefully the rest of the evening. Now, having said all that, those four, we still need to take a look at our lifestyle. And see where we may be out of balance in certain areas of our life because sleep is not a separate entity. So whatever you're doing during the day affects your sleep. So like I said, that, that comes into play too. But there's the 4 tips for our listeners.

Those are good sleep hygiene recommendations. That's very useful. I hope you don't mind, I'm going to ask you one more, one more approach because I've seen your, uh, your comments on your site about mind chatter, negative mind chatter. You're giving us some very useful information. I really appreciate it. So tell us about mind chatter.

Yeah, I said that, that can keep us up at night, right?

Yeah, 2 AM especially. Yeah.

Oh boy. Yeah, you know, negative self-talk is common, unfortunately. There really aren't any quick fixes because every person, every situation is different. But here's a personal example. Like, my monkey mind becomes very active when I start something new. I think it's associated, Joe, with fear, fear of failing. What has helped me to quiet the incessant mental chatter is to realize that whatever I'm doing, whatever I want to do, whatever my new vision is, it's not going to be solely about me. It's about helping others. So taking yourself out of the paradigm is helpful, and then we focus instead on being of service. Now, awareness is key. We need to realize that that negative chatter is not who we are. Uh, it's the self-doubt rearing its ugly head and trying to manipulate us into giving up. So if this happens to you, remember who's in control. No, it's easier said than done, but remember, you are the one that's in control. And I think it's important to take a general approach, or we, we need to be kind to ourselves. Never lose sight of your potential, which we talked about before. Knowing and believing that you have what it takes makes all the difference. And replace those thoughts of doubt with images of success.

Yeah, it's so important to get away from that negative fault-finding attitudes, looking at what we're doing wrong, what we've lost, or a lot of the disappointments and failures and frustrations. It's so easy to dwell on that. So as you say, we got to look at the positives and look at what's good and, you know, what some of the contributions are and what our strengths are and get out of that negative fault-finding mindset. That's so important.

Sure, absolutely.

Sure. Yeah, yeah. So we're just about out of time. This has been a great conversation, Carrie. What would you hope our listeners take away from today's conversation?

Well, I, I want our, our mature and seasoned listeners to know that they can overcome current challenges, they can reinvent themselves, and they can evolve into the most dynamic individuals they were meant to be and have fun doing it. You know, a transformational journey, however, requires guidance and support. So I say that if you're ready to plant the seeds for your future, please check out our life-affirming program that's Sprout Your New Life that can help nourish transform and position you to flourish in your second half.

That's some good thoughts, good advice, and the website again is lifestyle120.com.

Yes, yes, yeah, so I invite you to visit my website, it's lifestyle120.com, and sign up for my complimentary weekly blog and newsletter to get inspiration, wellness tips, recipes, and more, and please subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me on social media. I'm I'm on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Thank you.

Great. This has been great, Kari. Very valuable information, useful, uplifting outlooks, and I always like that for our listeners. I know our listeners appreciate it as well, just to hear the new ideas and letting go of some of those old, you know, kind of limiting views of ourselves and being open to new opportunities. That's always great. So thank you. So thanks very much. But before we wrap up, I just want to remind our listeners about a few items. I'm pleased to announce a new co-sponsor for our podcast, A Mighty Good Time. Are you looking for ways to engage and stay active? Check out amightygoodtime.com. A Mighty Good Time is a one-stop shop for events and activities for those 50 and over. It's free. To search, and it's free to post on MightyGoodTime.com. Also, there's a new offering on my website where individuals can arrange one-on-one coaching calls with Dr. Joe— that's me— to discuss bouncing back from setbacks. How can we tap into our resilient self, as we talked about a few minutes ago? How can we find ways to make it over those obstacles we face on our different journeys take a look at the Work with Dr. Joe tab on our website, livingto100.club, and be sure to subscribe to our email list to receive our newsletter and other announcements. Finally, pick up a copy of my book on Amazon, Living Longer Is the New Normal. I think that wherever we are, inspiration and a positive mindset can be put to good use. That's my message in the book, and I think that's a message our guests would agree with. So, Carrie, thanks so much for being a guest on our show. For those who might want to contact you, how can they do that?

Thank you for inviting me. Yes, lifestyle120.com. Go there and you'll see everything there.

Great, lifestyle120.com. Okay, thanks again, and thanks to everyone for listening to this episode. Hope to see you next time.

It's time to rethink, renew, and reimagine retirement. Hey everybody, Jared Sylvester here, host of Retire Repurposed. Now, this podcast is about the non-financial parts of retirement, which many times can be even more challenging than than the financial. We believe retirement is not the end, rather the beginning of what could be the most impactful, purposeful, and fulfilling season of a person's life. So don't retire, become repurposed. To listen now, search Retire Repurpose on your favorite podcast platform, Senior Resource, or Life Audio.