Business Owner - Accurate Plumbing & Repairs, LLC; Entrepreneur - Neora

I am a mother of 4 grown children and grandmother of 8 grandsons and 1 granddaughter. I am recently divorced and discovering my "new normal" and am enjoying the "newness" of it all. I have many interests, and they all involve time with family and friends. I love to travel, play pickle ball, cards, and mahjong, and I love to read. I am learning to appreciate my alone time as well, although that is quite new to me still. I love God and I know that despite my trials and tribulations, I am still extremely blessed!

What are your thoughts on aging? Aging? Do you mean "growing older"? There's something beautiful and mystifying about living life day by day. We don't need to count the days, just the blessings. I don't think about "aging" or growing old, unless it has to do with my retirement benefits, lol. I have men in the mid-30s and 40s that think I'm their age! I at this age would blow my younger self out of the water, and it makes me smile to have my younger self proud to know that.

What wonderful things can younger women look forward to at your age? Younger women and girls, might think that it's scary getting older. Let's inspire them! I love how I can look back and tell my younger self, hey we made it! I can do life so much better than I could in my 20s, 30s, and even 40s!!! You gain so much as you get older.... wisdom, experience, confidence, radiance etc. All of these things equate to BEAUTY, and people notice this glow for sure.

Life is all about experiences, you cherish the good and learn from the bad, that is all. Living is growing, and you never grow "old", you just expand in depth, confidence, and wisdom. We are ever evolving, changing, & improving, just like the universe! It's nothing but goodness, so embrace it all.

Share tips on how you celebrate yourself, what you do for fun, and self care. Wow, how do I condense this answer? There's so much to do in life! Not only do I get to enjoy the simple pleasures, such as watching my grandkids sports and other activities, but I get to enjoy their birthday celebrations, school programs, etc. I also have the freedom to travel wherever or whenever I want, even if it's just to the neighbor islands or staycations.

I love to work out; strength training and toning up our muscles is super important at this stage of our life, so I've been hitting the gym as well as going to my friend's gym, Mango Tree Muay Thai, for additional training and conditioning. I love playing pickle ball, but also like relaxing activities like lounging poolside, playing cards (all variations of poker or trumps), and now playing mahjong too. I always get my hair and nails done. I love dressing up and feeling feminine, there's immense power in that! I believe in balance, so it's important to change up the vibe a little bit.

I also love to dance and go to Salsa Night on some Saturdays at Buho in Waikiki. I enjoy going to Duke's for dinner and live music before hitting Buho, that makes for a great GNO. I also just took up Salsa/Latin dancing classes, cute guys in those places, haha! I'm even brushing up on my high school Spanish so I can at least be semi-conversational when I visit Spain in the near future.

This is just a tidbit of my life, and I plan on doing more. Possibilities to enrich your own lives are endless ladies, so go for it!!!!

Share one experience/story. We all have life struggles. But the big share is how did you over come and lift yourself up? Advice to other women to empower them. The most difficult time in my life wasn’t losing my parents in my early 20s—though that was unimaginably painful. It was the end of my marriage. Heartbreak from betrayal cuts differently. It lingers deeper, shakes your foundation harder, and challenges your sense of self in ways you never expect.

I was with my spouse for 37 years. We met in high school—he even took me to his junior and senior proms. I married him believing it would last forever. But life didn’t unfold the way I imagined, and the reality of it was hard to face. The grieving process was long—over a year of confusion, deep pain, and soul-searching. But I can now say, with clarity and peace, that I’ve moved into the healing phase. I’m in my self-love and self-care era—and yes, that means I’m having a whole lot of fun!

There truly is light at the end of the tunnel, but the hard truth is that you have to walk through it first. Some journeys take longer than others, but there’s no shortcut. You have to feel it all. And as painful as that season was, I appreciate it—because it forced me to face the truth. I had been unhappy for a long time. I stayed, even when it meant sacrificing my own happiness, growth, and peace. Now? I’m finally free—free to live on my terms. No curfews. No guilt. No silent judgment or emotional weight dragging me down.

The universe opened wide for me, and the glow-up? Oh, it’s real. People tell me I’m glowing, that I look happy—and they’re right. Because this glow is the result of real healing. Faith played a major role in my journey, as did the support of my family, and a renewed commitment to fitness and wellness. When those things came into alignment, everything else—finances, friendships, joy—began to rise too.

This is your reminder: it does get better. But you’ve got to do the work. You’ve got to choose you. And when you do? There’s a whole new world waiting on the other side.