Mature Preneurs Talk With Diana Todd-banks

Annette Phillips was faced with this question when her youngest daughter started middle school. As a mother Annette had many interesting and diverse jobs. From hand building an ostrich farm in the jungles of Malaysia to waitressing in an Italian restaurant in Tokyo, teaching Primary school living in France for three months with her family to celebrate her 50th birthday. Whatever Annette did she was determined to have fun and do interesting things in the next phase of her life. Question was what? Asking for divine guidance she bumped into a mother from her daughters’ school. Together they were inspired to create a business around what they do best…help others. After countless cups of tea and lots of laughter, 4 years of research Annette and her friend turned business partner set out to create a mobile app to help strengthen relationships – two minutes at a time. Why?  They discovered that many people are in relationships where the shine has worn off but don’t discuss the challenges they are facing. The new mat

Turning points in life can often occur as a result of outside forces and events, beyond our control. This was the case for Darlene Corbett, who for 25 years had a robust practice of providing psychotherapy and hypnotherapy to adults through their life cycle. With her husband’s health problems and moving cities, and death of her Mother, she recognized her message needed expanding by speaking, writing blogs and articles. Eventually, her blogs came to the attention of a publisher, then, writing a book and becoming a professional member in the National Speakers Association she realised both happened in her sixtieth year on earth. Darlene recognises she’s still a work in progress, a concept many progressive Mature Preneurs recognise as they are too. To this gifted ‘helper’ her energy is a gift, and with sixty viewed as the new forty for Mature Preneurs around the world, their mantra is fast becoming “I have only just begun”. Why, because like Darlene, their new enterprise after 50 is about helping others to realis

For much of her life, Lucinda Bakken White immersed herself into the modern mainstream culture to achieve the American Dream. Her professional career with an MBA and a coveted position at IBM, by all external measures she was successful but her presentation belied how she felt on the inside. Years flew by and she became exhausted and depleted and although she persisted, Lucinda privately experienced chronic depression and thoughts of suicide. Determined to slay her loneliness and understand the deeper meaning of life, she committed herself to a lifelong journey of self-discovery and personal transformation, which she did find. Adopting a simple powerful solution she began spending quality time in nature and still does, and suggests everyone does. With all your senses open doing so helps you to connect with your inner self so you can receive guidance. Sounds simple? It works! Just allow. Working also with world-renowned experts, Lucinda identified and shed the false personas she developed in order to “fit in,”

Elliott used to be a government employee and wrote speeches for politicians. After he got divorced, he blamed the other person. Then he asked himself, “What do I have to learn from all this? I don’t want to go through this again.” So Elliott set out to learn what it means to be a man in a relationship. An interesting story on its own but that’s for another book. He was blown away by the timeless wisdom about being a man that had been written over the centuries. What he learned coincided with what he heard women complain is lacking in men today. They don’t show leadership, don’t make decisions and don’t take responsibility although many men may disagree. That’s what Elliott’s research discovered so his goal became, change the men of the world to keep marriages together, which still applies today, a lofty, but worthy goal. His biggest surprise was, while women know this is what they want in a man, and regardless of age, men need to be convinced.  Elliott’s research also discovered women read long books, and men

Carolyn CJ Jones’ passion now is a speaker and life coach yet that happened quite by accident. Yes it is totally possible to make a 180-degree life change, even though you didn’t set out to do that. She had a publishing business that was not doing well and wanting to rejuvenate that she attended an event, “Rejuvenate Your Practice,” in 2012. The event was for healers, coaches, and speakers, and by the end of the weekend, it was clear to CJ she needed to speak and coach about how to gain peace and freedom from resentment by using forgiveness which applied to herself as well as those attending.  That entire experience freed Carolyn who in time felt called to share what she discovered, but how?  Carolyn did what she knew well, and went on to self-publish what became the multi-award-winning verse/photograph book, “Opening the Gates of the Heart: A Journey of Healing.” It’s a compilation of wrought iron gate images she photographed then wrote inspirational verses to accompany each image. It’s a tribute to the beau

It’s not uncommon in midlife for some to feel discouraged with life, work and marriage. It’s why many people choose to begin praying to be shown their purpose, work and what they came here to do. That was how Shanta Gabriel’s midlife unfolded. Living in Honolulu while giving a massage, a surprising event happened. At the end of her table, was a manifestation of Golden Light, a vision of a massive angel with wings that went out of the ceiling. The Angel whispered in Shanta’s inner ear and told her he was Archangel Michael. Having no interest let alone background in angels, Shanta was alarmed she would be considered crazy, so she ignored him. That didn’t help. Visits continued until 1990 when again a huge angel manifested in her living room with wings that went out the ceiling, and he said he was Archangel Gabriel, and had work for Shanta to do. Messages continued daily and while she kept trying to ignore the visits, slowly she turned around, then created an inspirational card set and book and by the time she w

Robert achieved that, only after a career in marketing and design in London, then relocating to Sydney in pursuit of a more balanced lifestyle, which he achieved. Helping small creative businesses at first, Robert transferred into coaching, becoming only the 2nd person in Australasia to achieve accreditation with the International Coach Federation. Realising that many people in his new country were keen to develop very small lifestyle-led businesses, this engaging chap started Flying Solo, an online community, which grew to over 110,000 Australian members before selling it to another publisher in 2017.  Now in his early 60s Robert is working to support older entrepreneurs in the development and growth of great little businesses and has an online program to help, listen as he discusses that. His first bestselling book, Flying Solo: How To Go It Alone in Business” and his second book, will be released later 2018: The 1- Minute Commute. You can learn more here: robertgerrish.com During the podcast Robert discuss

Craig Wolfe says with age he got inspired to do something a bit crazy, in a whole new industry no less and create a line of celebrity rubber ducks! Despite creating advertising/animation art lines for Coca-Cola, Anheuser-Bush, M&M/Mars, Nike, which was fun, he had no idea what he was getting into as he figured it could not be that hard to make a rubber duck, WRONG! Listen as this podcast is full of energy as Craig describes his goal was the hardest things ever did, but doing it in a country thousands of miles away with people he did not know. He kept tweaking the concept by creating intricate detail with the celebrity rubber ducks, in a way that had not been done before, plus he took care to produce ‘responsible’ ducks using paints that were not toxic. The hardest part of Craig’s duck trip was bringing part of the manufacturing back to the USA where the rubber duck was invented but also where industry, skills and jobs had been lost. At the beginning, the project seemed destined to fail. Listen to Craig of

Lynn Wood says there’s a growing trend of people tired of all the negative news around the world, so she decided to take action suggesting there needed to be a platform showing the opposite - new and clever positive ideas happening around the world. With a substantial corporate career in Sydney and Hong Kong, Lynn was one of the first women in Australia to be appointed to a listed organization board followed by serving on many boards and committees, private, public, NFP and Government. Travel can spark a wide variety of creative ideas which happened to Lynn, and while on a trip to Canada three years ago - a guide said using harsh words that have been modified: “promote what you love rather than bash what you dislike”. After much thought and encouragement Lynn created IdeaSpies.com, which in basic terms is like Facebook but only for new and clever positive ideas, a place where people can ‘escape into’ and search from the growing list of 1,500 ideas. In essence Lynn has become the Chief Idea Spy and was advised

John Orian says for the over 50’s the possibilities are limitless to create a new chapter since they have decades of experience, many contacts and a vast array of skills, many lying untapped. Listen to John’s story about making your dreams come true just as he has done. His mission, through PlayAtCreation.com, is to inspire, train, guide and support over 50’s 60’s and beyond to successfully create and operate meaningful ventures as their primary games for the 2nd half of their lives. John retired in 2012, just before he turned 60, knowing he had to pay his way in retirement. Given the health breakthroughs being commercialized, in a few decades living to100 won’t be unrealistic, which is why we need to have ways to truly savour the 2nd half of our lives. Using his Project Manager experiences in many different enterprises, John knows how to get things done. He turned his skills to helping solo preneurs and small teams apply project management techniques and discipline, in a fun way, to achieve their goals witho

Nearing 50, and on a very low paying job, with $50K in debt what would most people do in that situation, the obvious answer is look for a higher paying job. But no, James Goi did what most would think was the worst thing you could do under those circumstances quit your job! James had a strong desire to pour all his time and energy into working on a book he’d been working on. The title of which was also surprising considering his circumstances, (“How to Attract Money Using Mind Power”), but this daring mature entrepreneur applied on himself what he was writing about.  In doing so he attracted two six-figure windfalls into his household within a three-month period after quitting his job. A year after quitting his job, he published his first book and began living his dream life as a self-help author. Fast forward more than a decade, now James is an internationally published author, has written and published 9 books and will publish his tenth book very soon. James is living proof that it's "never too late" to do

To Paul McKeon words have become an important part of his life, and says of the George Burns quote,  ‘You can’t help getting older;’ but you don’t have to get old’.  Paul feels strongly life is incredibly inefficient given the experiences we have gained by the time we’re in our mid years.  However many outside forces today like corporations and media and still some in their 50’s today, reinforce the fact you’re growing old and therefore going downhill. They are factually wrong - in the last century that description applied during the 1950s’ but today it’s wrong.  Today the 50s, 60s, 70s is the first generation ever to be living longer healthier lives which is why many are starting new ventures, or businesses and are feeling more vibrant than ever before and brain stimulation is part of that. There are countless ways to do that. In a few decades we will be living to 100 doing even more with our life. So the question is “What!” What are you going to do with those new years?” It’s time to focus on developing bra

Well known in the fields of entrepreneurship, and as an award winning professor Dr D Anthony Miles has a wealth of experience particularly in the retail industry, banking, and financial services industry. Sought after by the media for his views on many topics, this eloquent Professor continually offers practical tips and suggestions for others. D Anthony suggests problems are well-disguised opportunities and while everyone has strengths and weakness, don’t bury your weaknesses - acknowledge them.  Generally most people ‘wear an employee hat’ that hampers their creative thinking, take that off and put on your entrepreneurial hat and think like an entrepreneur. And yes he says, everyone has an entrepreneurial hat you just need to find it.  The information revolution is today’s economy.  To help people create new opportunities for themselves think about the things you complain about, are there gaps there? Think about things people in your life complain about, are there gaps there? Competitors have weak points –

Paul Tasner loves talking about entrepreneurism, ageism, and sustainability and is now doing the most challenging and meaningful work of his life right - at the age of 72! But it took a big hiccup to allow that to occur. As with many things in life when something negative happens, like being fired from a decades long job, you can wallow in self pity, or treat that experience as a blessing in disguise which opens up many opportunities, if you allow yourself to see them, recognize them and take action as Paul did. He took a leap of faith. While his peers were contemplating retirement, he embraced the challenge of disrupting the traditional packaging industry and he had the credentials to do that. All facets of supply chain management had consumed 40 years of Paul’s life holding senior executive positions in packaging, manufacturing, and logistics in ventures ranging from start-up to Fortune 100. Appalled by the amount of plastic pollution on our planet and no longer content to accept the dangers of plastic pack

For Marge Brown being a contributing Editor at PC Magazine prior to turning 50 and before that a twenty-year corporate career as a business/systems analyst you would think it’s time to take a break from working. But no! This avid, alert, agile mature preneur needed more to savour in life, more to do, more to keep the brain and body going and that’s what she did. When the real estate industry tanked in 2008, Marge and husband Bruce co-authored some personal development books, and grew a small network marketing team of fitness enthusiasts. But then Marge had a goal in mind to establish a new digital publishing business but she first wanted to learn all about advanced Internet marketing strategies and technology. She did that and is developing online courses and programs for aspiring freelance writers, plus she and Bruce are writing a business book for freelancers. With many young grandchildren in your life who would think of writing an adventure novel with one of them and publishing it too? Marge has with her 1

Bryan Renslow found that! The death of a loved one creates a myriad of emotions for everyone affected. For Bryan recalling his Mother’s voice - the only recording he had was a brief one on the answering machine. He wanted to find a way to mitigate the pain of her loss. When the immediate shock dissipated he began to think how can he store memories, the treasures relating to his Mother that will allow other family and friends to also enjoy, perhaps even add to. An out-dated photo album was not a solution, and social media wasn’t either. That dilemma stayed with him until Bryan came up with the idea of creating Living Family History, a website to which others can add - an online home for families to store and share their experiences. But one major hurdle existed. Websites are very different from tiles and countertops - successful businesses that he had previously owned. By having to learn a new set of skills and find new experts to help him he learned websites are never truly finished, there’s always one more t

Dwayne Rowland says it’s intriguing how creative opportunities can occur in life yet few people take them up - unexpected opportunities, which can change your life if you grasp them. It all began with a casual conversation, between the CEO of a very well known international airline and Dwayne, a builder in Australia. Having no idea how to dispose of good but now unused uniforms, many corporations are in the same position as the airline CEO. Textiles are a major environmental problem. Dwayne’s fertile mind went into gear and soon he was talking with many different people and organisations about an idea he had and one key goal emerged, he had a vision where he wanted to create an infinite loop joining social and environmental issues, where the environment and everyone involved benefitted. Realising he needed a workforce to turn his idea into reality, this creative chap turned to groups who helped domestic violence victims, prisoners, and long term unemployed - all became involved, they were paid, and began feel

Barbera Aimes was a successful entrepreneur when a pesky cold turned into adrenal failure overnight. She almost died. Fighting for her life in intensive care the diagnosis came back: AIDS. How had a middle-aged woman, faithfully married for 18 years contracted AIDS? It wasn’t until two years later she discovered the answer, which shocked her to her core rocking her entire world. On a day they now both refer to as “truth day”, Barbera’s husband confessed it was his secret life that had brought the virus into the relationship almost killing his wife. While he was deflated in shame and humiliation she could barely contain her outrage, pain, and utter confusion. But something happened. She looked past her pain and saw the courage and deep love her husband had exhibited. Realizing that blame and resentment would only keep her from fulfilling the vision she had for her life and Barbera knew she had to find a way to forgive - herself, not him! Listen to this podcast to discover how they moved forward. It’s powerful.

At the age of six Avilone looked up at her Mother gathering strength to ask her what were the fluffy clouds around trees and bushes. From a young child, this young inquiring girl began to understand what she was often seeing, that others didn't and that wasn't easy being and feeling different from other young girls.  Over the years she developed a deeply personal relationship, with her Inner Guidance that directed her toward the special and unique journey that unfolded. Avilone’s strong calling to help others culminated in becoming a nurse, fulfilling that desire in a conventional way, while earning a Master's Degree along the way. Knowing there was more to healing than within a traditional pathway it was time to become intimately involved with energy healing.  Through the many experiences along her metaphysical journey, Avilone became adept at perceiving energy using her unique gifts to help people. During this podcast Avilone answers this and other questions ‘just how do you learn to tune into your inner gu

In London for the 2012 Olympics Jill was moved by the manner in which the Olympics can inspire passion in a host nation. The effects of the global financial crisis were still being felt and it was tough for some families to fund their children’s sporting activities so she decided to create at first in the UK, ‘Inspire a Star’, a donation based platform to help fund children’s’ sporting dreams. That platform will be launched in Australia soon. In her prior work life Jill was a partner with KPMG, Deloitte and Andersen companies that offered Audit Tax & Advisory Services, as well as help companies transform their business models and take advantage of new market opportunities. Her background became a perfect fit, when in 2016 Jill realised she could help make many more things possible by becoming involved in crowd funding full-time. Moving into the start-up world as co-founder and CEO of ReadyFundGo, Australia’s reward based crowdfunding platform for business start-ups and community projects Jill is making a