Dialect Coach, Writer, Actor

I am a 60 year old lifelong resident of Hawai'i. My penchant for travel has deepened my appreciation for living here. I love new places and experiences, but am always grateful that Hawai'i is my home.

I semi-retired after a 30 year career in the medical field. Right now, I'm on a new adventure using my love of writing and theatre to help build a career in the art of filmmaking.

My husband of 25 years is one of my biggest blessings. He "gets me" and always has. I'm one of the cool, child-free Aunties to the kids of my friends and family.

What are your thoughts on aging? As I make another journey around the sun, I still believe that age is just a number. No matter how many journeys we complete, it's the sum of all our parts that create our unique lives. These are just a few parts that contribute to my sum of 60.

It's how I laugh when I recall feeling that I had somehow arrived when I celebrated THE Bicentennial in 1976 at the tender age of 11. It's the pride and relief that comes with finally finishing school at 27 with a Master's degree. It's realizing that my choice to get married at 35 was absolutely right for me. It's having travelled a lot on planes, some trains, and a bunch of automobiles but only discovering how much fun sailing on a cruise ship can be at 48. It's knowing that I have a loving circle of close friends. We've been there for each other for over 30 years and counting. It's bidding my Dad a hui hou just after my 58th birthday and feeling so thankful that my Mom and I can still travel together or just enjoy hanging out together.

I believe I've gotten this far because over time, I've learned to choreograph my own dance. Sometimes it's an exquisite Bolshoi masterpiece and sometimes it's a stumble-fest of 2 left feet, but it's My Dance. I step into each day with joy, wonder, and love. Make no mistake, I do have shitty days, but it's all part of the dance! At some some point the music always shifts. I double down on my victories and learn from my missteps. I also make it a point to learn as much as I can from others who want to share new steps.

I think I'll keep doing this for 20-30 more years. Einstein said it best, "There are only two ways to live your life: one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle."

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! Getting older IS scary! So what? Be brave. With age comes knowledge and courage follows that knowledge.

Opportunity will reach out to you. Accept the invitations (there will be many) with an open mind. Life is big and full of good things meant just for you, but you need to do your part. Caution is your friend, but fear will steal your adventures and the lessons they will teach you. So don't overthink everything before you decide to take action. Failure? Right now, time is on your side. The more epic the fail and the sooner it happens, the sooner you'll learn to discern between what serves you and what doesn't.

Only age can propel you to grander adventures and more deeply rewarding lessons. With every year that passes, you'll get to know yourself and discover what ignites your strengths and passions. They will empower you to work through any obstacles that may arise and propel you forward to all the goodness and abundance waiting to be claimed by you.

You're never going to be younger than you are at this very nanosecond. Think about it, but not for too long. Age is knowledge, courage, and power. Do the scary stuff, because it's worth it.

Share tips on how you celebrate yourself, what you do for fun, and self care. If you get the chance, spend a couple of nights at the Kaimana Beach Hotel. The location is on the peaceful, far end of Waikiki. Book one of the corner rooms. They're modest and comfortable, but throw open those sliding doors and there you'll find the treasure: unobstructed, endless oceanFRONT views and the perfect cross breezes. This feature is what sets this place apart from any other hotel with an ocean view. The beach is directly below and sometimes you can catch the latest baby and mama monk seal visit. The peace that I feel in this oasis from morning thru night is energizing and relaxing. To me, it's priceless.

For a quick foodie treat, I love affogatos from Il Gelato in Kahala Mall. Do yourself a favor. If you like the sweet coffee creations they make at "Barstucks," skip them and try an affogato. It's a simple shot of espresso over gelato in an unassuming cup. Bada-bing-badda-boom, deliziosa! At home (or anywhere, really), my go to snack is Skinny Pop Popcorn. It's perfect during work breaks and while binging your favorite streaming limited series.

My Bose Bluetooth Speaker is one of my favorite creature comforts. It's never far from me because with it, I can stream music from my phone, laptop, or iPad. The model I have still has an input port that I can use to listen to my iPod...yes, iPod, hello--sixty!!! LOL

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. I faced one of my toughest struggles while completing Grad School. Let me preface this by saying that I love learning, but not in classrooms. A Master's Degree is one of the prerequisites for the occupation I chose. There was no way around it.

Shortly before completing the Master's program, my GPA fell below the requirement. I wondered how the grades I stared at didn't average out to 3.5. I expected my advisor to help me sort things. The advisor informed me that the GPA would have been the required 3.5, but the courses I chose were "weighted." In short, the number of credits impact the weight of the the letter grades. I was placed on Academic Probation. I was angry because the advisor never explained or questioned if I understood weighted courses when I signed up for them. In my eyes, the advisor knew what courses I took because we have mandatory advisory meetings before registration. I felt ashamed because probation is just shy of being booted out of the program. I didn't tell my classmates and wouldn't dare tell my parents. No one could get me off of Academic Probation except me. I kept my head down and did the work. I gave myself pep talks, went on stress-busting runs, and listened to my favorite music at ear shattering volumes. Just as I was feeling better, my advisor tried to "counsel" me out of completing the program. I was moving forward, but not fast enough. The talk didn't break me. It lit a fire inside of me. I redoubled my efforts and eventually was restored to satisfactory academic standing. Graduation crowned the hard-won victory and it was glorious!

I still celebrate the positive take aways, because they serve me to this day. I CAN do hard things. I can and DID beat the odds through sheer hard work and perseverance. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything because it taught me what it means "to have your own back." Not in the sense that people are out to get me, but it's more about accepting responsibility for what I need and what I want. If I had done my own fact checking, I may have saved myself all that stress. I know myself and my needs best. If I need something, if I want something, I am the best one to get after it. I didn't allow my advisor to derail me from working my way off of probation and forward to graduation.

Straight up, that which doesn't kill you will make you stronger! If you're reading this you can forget everything except these three things: 1) You can beat the odds with hard work and perseverance, 2) Have your own back, 3) Don't let anyone limit or define your dreams and goals.

What would you tell your 14-year-old self? What if I told you that you're gonna make it to 60 years old and that when you get there, you can expect to go another 20-30 years? Trippy, yeah? Well that's what's gonna happen. Don't roll your eyes at me. I'll keep this short and sweet.

Take extra good care of that body. You only get one. Shoot for 100 years. You could get there. If you don't, having a body that can still dance, enjoy good food, and the occasional cocktail for as long as you're able will still be pretty cool. I mean it. What they say about sunscreen, water, and good food? You can believe it.

Life is gnarly and Life is joy. It's going to come at you from all sides. The best news is that as time rolls on, your power of discernment between what's good and bad will grow stronger and quicker. That will make life a little easier. Treasure the good and let go of the B.S. That goes for people, things, and experiences.

Never stop learning and stay humble.

Your life is not going to be challenge free, but you'll conquer those. You have a great life ahead of you..... so hang on, Baby, and Rock Steady!

What is your definition of success? Freedom to share the fruits of my success doing what I want, whenever I want to, with whomever I want is my definition of success.

What is the best advice you have been given? Don't take yourself too seriously, allow yourself the space to play.

How is your age group relevant? We are under represented but one of the most powerful and influential demographics: I really think women prior to their 40's have normalized focusing on elevating those around us. The obvious examples are that women support their children, their spouses, and their co-workers. Now, when it comes to women 40 and older, there are so many societal norms that are being shattered. It's happening in the arts, the realm of culinary excellence, and sports...and this is just for starters. We need to step into our relevance and shine a spotlight on ourselves by inspiring each other to be our own examples of what's possible. 

Twenty years from now, when you look at these portraits we took together, what do you think you will say to yourself? That was so much fun and those are some smoking' shots---That Monica is a phenomenal photographer and Faith created some amazing hair and make-up magic for me! I wish I had more images from that day.