At 65, I have reached elderhood. It constantly surprises me as I honestly don’t truly relate to the concept of being an elder and yet according to the World Health Organization, a person over age 65 is often referred to as elderly.
And yet, I don’t feel elderly. If I were to listen to the way that the media often portray ageing, I might have believed that, at this age, my passion for dance, for writing and for life, might have reached its peak, and I would be on a slow decline into taking it easy or stepping back from my life in some way.
And yet, this isn’t me. This is not how I feel. If anything, I feel more alive and passionate about life than ever before. In my 20s, I had all the time in the world to create my dreams and forge ahead with what called me. I took it for granted that I could achieve what I desired and that I would always have the energy to do so. And so, here I am, wondering how on earth I got to be 65 and amazed at the vitality that I feel for life and gratitude for every day in my life.
Three Score Years and Ten
My dear mother would always talk about living three score years and ten (if you were lucky). This long-held belief came to fruition when she died at age 70 – exactly three score years and ten.
As a body confidence and age empowerment coach/author and movement presenter it made me wonder about the energy of ageing and how the old narratives and stereotypes need to be changed as more and more women are tapping into their own creative spark and life force at 60 and well beyond.
You Are Not Your Age – You Are Your Energy
Don’t get me wrong. My energy today is different from the girl of my youth. I no longer desire to stay out until 3 a.m. or burn the candle at both ends. I know when I need to rest, and I have got so much better at looking after myself. What I am talking about is an energy that is born from who we were and is evolving into who we are and who we are becoming.
This is the extraordinary energy of elderhood – a vibrant, unapologetic, and wise force that lives within the 60-plus woman. This is not about clinging to youth, it’s about stepping into a deeper power that was always meant to be yours.
Tending to the Flame
For me, this energy is like a sacred flame that lives in every woman – ancient, untamed, and enduring. Through the seasons of life, it flickers and flares, grows and softens, sometimes buried beneath duty, silence, or survival. But it never dies.
And then, one day, around the sixth or seventh decade of life, something stirs.
The world may speak of aging as decline, invisibility, or irrelevance – but our sacred fire knows better. Elderhood is not an ending. It is a return. A remembering. A magnificent reawakening of the original, authentic self. This is the time when the flame once dimmed begins to burn with new heat – slow, steady, and utterly unstoppable.
This is the extraordinary energy of elderhood – and it is magic.
Re-Enchant Yourself
I read a beautiful quote the other day about how ageing wasn’t about retirement – it was about re-enchantment. I loved that. What if we could re-enchant ourselves and fall in love with each year that passes, growing more radiant, confident and steeped in vitality?
Our culture often underestimates the vitality and power of the older woman and yet we see her everywhere – in the grandmother tending her garden with hands that have known both hardship and harvest, in the activist who still marches for justice with a fierceness honed by years of persistence, in the teacher who continues to shape young minds long after retirement.
We see her in boardrooms and community halls, in hospital wards and art studios, her presence steady and assured. She is the friend who gathers others when things fall apart, the neighbour who remembers everyone’s name, the writer who finally finds her voice at 60 and refuses to soften her truth.
Being Full of Life
By the time we reach our 60s, we have navigated the diverse terrain of careers, families, caregiving, relationships and societal expectations. Our elderhood is rich with stories, steeped in learning, powered by our courage and shaped by our longings. We are not fading – we are rising. We are, in essence, literally, full of life.
To be full of life at 60 and beyond is not just a poetic sentiment – it’s a lived truth. We carry the stories of our past: the heartbreaks, the breakthroughs, the lessons learned through pain and joy, the love we’ve given, and the strength we’ve cultivated through challenges of all kinds. These aren’t weights that slow us down – they are the roots that make us unshakable. They give us the right to bloom now, in ways we may never have dared to before.
More and more women are reclaiming this identity – not as a return to the past, but as a necessary medicine for the present. In an anxious and disconnected world, your steady hand, your perspective, your love, vitality and authenticity are needed more than ever.
4 Beautiful Tips to Boost Your Vitality
1. Energy Through Connection
One of the most underestimated sources of energy in elderhood is community. Women in their 60s and beyond often rediscover or newly form deep bonds – sisterhoods built not on superficial chatter, but on soulful connection.
These relationships are a wellspring of energy. They are where laughter becomes medicine, storytelling becomes legacy, and presence becomes a shared ritual. Whether around a kitchen table, in a book circle, on a hiking trail, or travelling to far off places with a group of like-minded people, or through the quiet intimacy of handwritten letters, these connections remind you that we are more powerful (and joyful) together.
Start your own women’s circle – in person or online. It can be as simple as tea and truth-telling, or as magical as moon rituals and poetry nights. Or find one that already exists. Listen for soul resonance. Keep it sacred. Make space for depth, silence, belly laughs, truth, and magic.
2. Reclaim Your Inner Wild Woman
The wild woman in you wants to move, laugh, sing, touch the earth, and defy expectations. Creating a ritual that celebrates this untamed part of you feeds your energy and reminds you of your freedom.
Boost your wild energy by:
- Choosing one thing each week that feels deliciously free for you. Ideas: dancing barefoot in the kitchen, skinny dipping, wearing red lipstick to the grocery store, speaking a truth you’ve long held back, or starting that creative project you were told was “too late.”
- Treating yourself to the Wild Queen journal and spend some beautiful reflective time with your thoughts, dreams, hopes and inner whispers.
3. Write Your “Elder Essence” Letter
Elderhood brings clarity – you know things now that your younger self never could. Writing a letter from your elder self to your current self (or even to your younger self) helps anchor your energy and access your wisdom.
How:
- Begin with “Dearest you…” and write as if you are the wise elder version of yourself – or your current self, writing to the woman you used to be.
- Share what you now know. Speak with kindness, courage, humour, and deep love.
- Keep this letter close. Read it often. Add to it as your vitality and power grows.
4. Rest, Rejuvenate and Replenish
As much as we give to others, we also need to give back to ourselves. Replenish your energy and vitality by allowing yourself to slow down, daydream, sit quietly or indulge in a beautiful meditation practice.
- Even five minutes of sitting quietly and allowing yourself to focus on your breathing can have a powerful, uplifting and replenishing effect. Breathe in through your nose for three counts and out through your mouth for five counts. Extending the exhalation can have a calming effect on your nervous system.
- For a deeper experience indulge yourself in my beautiful guided mediation, “Romancing the woman you’re becoming.”
I would love your company. If you would love more inspiration and connection do join me on Instagram. You would be most welcome.
You may also like to read Empowered Aging: How to Feel Fabulous as We Grow Older.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What do you know about yourself now that you could not have known 20 years ago? Have you shared your life experiences in written form? Are you planning to?
