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  • How Melissa Davey Became an Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker at 65 — and Why She Refuses to Be Invisible

    How Melissa Davey Became an Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker at 65 — and Why She Refuses to Be Invisible
    Jun 18 2026
    Episode SummaryWhat happens when a 65-year-old corporate executive decides that her biggest career is still ahead of her — in a field she has never worked in? This episode answers exactly that question. Melissa Davey spent decades leading nonprofit disability advocacy and then building a national disability services program for a Fortune-level company. At 65, she walked away from a successful C-suite career to become a documentary filmmaker — with zero filmmaking experience.Her debut film, Beyond 60, earned six awards, screened at eight film festivals across the US and Canada, and is now streaming on Apple TV and other major platforms. Her second film, Climbing into Life, tells the story of the oldest woman to climb El Capitan in Yosemite — and won 11 festival awards. A third film, commissioned by the Women's Center of Montgomery County on the issue of domestic violence, is now in post-production. Melissa's story is a masterclass in late-career reinvention, trusting your instincts, building the right team, and refusing to let age define what is possible.Key TakeawaysReinvention at 65 is not starting over — it is redirecting. Melissa drew on 40 years of team-building, storytelling, and leadership to succeed in a brand-new field. The skills transferred; only the industry changed.Serendipity favors the prepared. A chance drive past a M. Night Shyamalan film set — and a charity auction that landed her a day on set with him — became the spark that launched her entire second act. But she was already making lists of what she wanted to do next. She was ready.Self-funding gives you creative control. Melissa funded both of her first two films herself, using savings she had deliberately set aside. It meant total creative control and the freedom to move fast — without waiting years for grants or investors.Your network knows more than you think. Every key connection in Melissa's filmmaking journey — her production company, her crew, her subjects — came through people she already knew or people one degree away. She didn't need a Hollywood contact list. She needed to ask.The antidote to ageism is visibility. Melissa's films exist specifically to counter the idea that women become invisible after 60. Both Beyond 60 and Climbing into Life are, at their core, anti-ageism films — proof that women in their 60s, 70s, and beyond are doing extraordinary things the world simply isn't paying attention to.About Melissa DaveyMelissa Davey is an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker based in Chester County, Pennsylvania. She spent more than four decades in the nonprofit and corporate sectors, most recently as a C-suite executive building a national disability services program before retiring at 65 — and promptly launching an entirely new career. Her debut documentary, Beyond 60, profiles nine women between the ages of 60 and 90 who are living boldly and refusing to disappear. It earned six awards and screened at eight film festivals before landing on Apple TV and other streaming platforms. Her second film, Climbing into Life, follows Dierdre Wolownick — the oldest woman to summit El Capitan in Yosemite, and mother of legendary climber Alex Honnold — as she discovers athleticism for the first time in her 60s. That film earned 11 festival awards. Melissa is currently completing a third film, commissioned by the Women's Center of Montgomery County, on the organization's 50-year history of domestic violence prevention and community partnership. She is living proof that the most meaningful chapter of a career can begin at 65.Frequently Asked QuestionsCan you really become a documentary filmmaker with no experience?Yes — and Melissa Davey is the proof. She had never made a film before she decided at 65 that she wanted to. Her approach was practical: she identified what she didn't know, reached out through her existing network, and found a production company willing to partner with her. She brought the vision, the subject matter expertise, and the leadership. They brought the cameras and the technical crew. Within three years, her first film was screening at festivals across North America.How do you fund an independent documentary film?For her first two films, Melissa self-funded using savings she had built over her corporate career. She made a deliberate decision not to wait for grants or outside investors — both because she wanted creative control and because she had a sense of urgency about moving quickly. She notes that funding for women-led entrepreneurial ventures is historically limited, and funding for older women entrepreneurs even more so. For her third film, she was commissioned and the commissioning organization covered all crew costs.What streaming platforms is Beyond 60 available on?Beyond 60 is currently streaming on Apple TV and several other major streaming platforms. Distribution was handled through a distributor who placed the film on six to seven platforms for a 13-year ...
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    42 min
  • The Dream She Carried for 50 Years: Stella Fosse on Writing, Self-Publishing, and Claiming Your Creative Life After 60

    The Dream She Carried for 50 Years: Stella Fosse on Writing, Self-Publishing, and Claiming Your Creative Life After 60
    Jun 18 2026
    Episode SummaryWhat happens when a woman who spent 30 years writing 32-volume FDA regulatory submissions finally sits down to write the books she's dreamed of since she was seven? She builds her own publishing company, launches a collective to help other women authors over 50 find their readers, and writes unapologetically vibrant older women into the center of every story.In this episode of Build Your Own Boat, host Janine Vanderburg talks with Stella Fosse — biotech regulatory writer turned independent author and publisher — about reclaiming a lifelong creative dream in her 60s, founding Baubo Books, and co-founding Crone Authors Together. Stella unpacks what it really takes to self-publish successfully, how to silence (or at least negotiate with) your inner critic, and why the mainstream publishing industry is missing a massive market hiding in plain sight: women over 50 who read voraciously and whose stories deserve to be told.Key TakeawaysYour prior career is your edge, not your obstacle. Thirty years of technical writing gave Stella discipline and endurance — the key was unlearning the rigidity and rediscovering play. That transition from "writing you have to do" to "writing you want to do" requires deliberate, playful practice.Independent publishing gives authors 85% of revenue vs. approximately 15% in traditional royalties — and with tools like print-on-demand and modern distribution channels, it is more accessible and financially rewarding than ever before.The mainstream publishing industry has overlooked women 50+ as both readers and protagonists — even though older women are among the largest buyers of romance novels and hold significant purchasing power in the longevity economy.Collective action fills the gaps that algorithms and ageist markets leave behind. Crone Authors Together, hosted by the Grandmother Collective, is building a peer-driven playbook for reaching readers that traditional publishing has ignored.You are right on time. Whether you have always known what you wanted to create or are just beginning to explore, the post-midlife chapter is not too late — it may be exactly when you were always meant to begin.About Stella FosseStella Fosse spent three decades as a biotech regulatory writer, crafting FDA submissions for international health authorities — including one that ran to 32 volumes. She always knew she wanted to write books. She just had to wait until life made room.In her 60s, Stella launched Baubo Books, her own independent publishing imprint, and has since published six books — including Aphrodite's Pen: The Power of Writing Erotica After Midlife (North Atlantic Books) and the essay collection Rock On: Power, Sex and Money After 60. She writes fiction and nonfiction that places older women at the center as powerful, funny, sexual, and fully alive human beings — a direct challenge to the publishing industry's long-standing erasure of women over 50.Stella also co-founded Crone Authors Together, a collective hosted by the Grandmother Collective, where women authors over 50 pool knowledge, support each other's work, and build new strategies for reaching the readers the mainstream market has missed.Her forthcoming books include Vivienne, The Swordswoman (the next installment in her benign vampires-of-a-certain-age series, out at Halloween) and Your First Book at Any Age (releasing end of year), a comprehensive guide to writing, publishing, and marketing your first book at any stage of life.Frequently Asked QuestionsIs it too late to start writing and publishing books after 60?Absolutely not — and Stella Fosse is living proof. She published her first book under her own imprint in her 60s, after a full career in biotech and decades of raising four children. She argues that older writers bring a richness of life experience, hard-won discipline, and creative freedom that younger writers are still working toward. As she says directly: "You're right on time."Why should women over 50 consider independent (indie) publishing over traditional publishing?Traditional publishing typically pays authors around 15% in royalties and provides marketing attention for only a limited window after launch. Independent publishing allows authors to keep approximately 85% of their revenues, maintain full editorial control, and market their work on their own timeline. With today's print-on-demand technology and modern distribution channels, self-publishing is more accessible and financially rewarding than at any previous point in history.What is Crone Authors Together and how can I join?Crone Authors Together is a collective of women authors over 50, co-founded by Stella Fosse and hosted by the Grandmother Collective. It brings together women writers to share marketing strategies, support each other's launches, cross-promote through guest blogs and podcast appearances, and build community around the shared challenge of reaching an underserved readership. You can find information ...
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    37 min
  • How Do You Build a Business That Fights Ageism — and Actually Makes Money? With Jan Golden of Age Friendly Vibes

    How Do You Build a Business That Fights Ageism — and Actually Makes Money? With Jan Golden of Age Friendly Vibes
    Jun 18 2026
    Episode SummaryMost birthday cards treat getting older like a punchline. Jan Golden decided to change that. In this episode of Build Your Own Boat, host Janine Vanderburg talks with Jan Golden, founder of Age Friendly Vibes — a greeting card company built on a radical premise: that birthdays deserve celebration, not self-deprecation. Jan launched the business in her 50s, after a career in web development and graphic design, and after a personal encounter with Ashton Applewhite's landmark book This Chair Rocks awakened her to the real harm of ageist messaging. What followed was five years of building a product-based business from scratch — navigating trade shows, wholesale margins, licensing deals gone wrong, and the slow, steady work of winning over an industry that was profiting from the very problem she was trying to solve. This episode is a masterclass in mission-driven entrepreneurship: how to enter a new industry strategically, build community instead of going it alone, protect your brand when everyone has an opinion, and think carefully about what a meaningful exit actually looks like in midlife.Key TakeawaysStarting on Etsy is a legitimate proof-of-concept strategy. Jan launched her first cards on Etsy with no guarantee anyone outside her family would buy them. When a stranger made a purchase, she knew she had something real. Low-barrier platforms allow entrepreneurs to test ideas before committing to full production and distribution.Volunteering inside your target industry is one of the smartest free investments you can make. Rather than showing up cold to her first trade show, Jan joined the Greeting Card Association, volunteered on committees, and built relationships with fellow first-time exhibitors. Those relationships — a small group that still meets monthly five years later — replaced the need for expensive masterminds or courses.Revenue and profit are not the same thing in a product-based business. Selling $40,000–$50,000 in cards sounds impressive until you factor in wholesale discounts (often 50% off retail), trade show costs of $5,000–$10,000 per event, inventory development, and product expansion costs. Understanding your actual margin — not your top-line sales — is essential from day one.Protecting your brand identity is not stubbornness — it's strategy. Jan has consistently held her brand's visual identity (off-white cards, red and teal palette, word-based design) and content boundaries (no profanity, always age-positive) against persistent pressure to change. That consistency is a primary reason her brand is recognizable and her customers are loyal.Licensing deals that sound too good to be true usually are. Jan signed a licensing agreement that looked like a milestone — a larger company wanted to distribute her designs. In practice, they couldn't replicate her quality or tell her story, and the royalties were a fraction of what she earned selling directly. She eventually exited the deal at emotional and legal cost. The lesson: do the due diligence and talk to people who've been through the same deal structure before you sign.For midlife entrepreneurs, income diversification is not a weakness — it's wisdom. Jan maintained part-time work in her previous career throughout much of her entrepreneurial journey. That income buffer removed the pressure to force profitability too fast and allowed her to make better decisions for the long-term health of her business.About Jan GoldenJan Golden is the founder of Age Friendly Vibes, a greeting card and gift product company dedicated to replacing ageist birthday messaging with age-positive, uplifting alternatives. A self-described pro-age advocate, Jan spent her earlier career as a web developer and graphic designer — skills that proved essential when she launched her first entrepreneurial venture (an iPhone tips and training blog) and then pivoted to greeting cards. She launched Age Friendly Vibes during COVID, after noticing that the top-selling "funny" birthday cards were saturated with ageist imagery and messaging. Drawing on her graphic design background and her training in reframing aging through the Changing the Narrative initiative, she began designing cards that, in her words, say "damn, you're hot" instead of "damn, you're old." Now five years in, Age Friendly Vibes cards are sold through independent retailers, Barnes & Noble, Paper Source, and on Etsy, with a growing line that includes stickers, buttons, Jotter pens, and tote bags.Frequently Asked QuestionsHow did Jan Golden start Age Friendly Vibes?Jan launched Age Friendly Vibes during COVID after noticing that the best-selling "funny" birthday cards were overwhelmingly ageist — featuring caricatures of older adults and degrading messages about aging. Using her graphic design background and her experience with the Changing the Narrative anti-ageism initiative, she began designing cards that reframed aging as something to celebrate. She listed her first 10...
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    42 min
  • How Art Can Fight Ageism: Meg LaPorte on Nonprofit Entrepreneurship, Intergenerational Partnership, and Creative Activism

    How Art Can Fight Ageism: Meg LaPorte on Nonprofit Entrepreneurship, Intergenerational Partnership, and Creative Activism
    Jun 18 2026
    Episode SummaryCan art change how society sees older adults? Meg LaPorte, co-founder of Art Against Ageism, built a nonprofit that uses public art, interactive installations, and creative activism to combat damaging stereotypes about aging — and she launched it in her 50s, during a global pandemic. In this episode of Build Your Own Boat, Meg shares how nearly three decades in aging services journalism and communications gave her the expertise, network, and insight to spot a gap no one else was filling. She and co-founder Jordan Evans — her former student, 30 years her junior — are living proof of the very thing their organization advocates: that intergenerational connection is one of the most powerful forces for dismantling ageism. This episode is essential listening for any mission-driven woman who has wondered whether her experience is enough to build something new — and whether it's too late to start.Key TakeawaysNonprofits are entrepreneurial ventures. Starting and sustaining a mission-driven organization requires every bit of the creativity, risk tolerance, and resourcefulness that for-profit entrepreneurship demands — sometimes more.Your career history is your unfair advantage. Meg's 26 years in aging services journalism, communications, and marketing meant she could launch Art Against Ageism without hiring outside help — and she understood the landscape in ways no newcomer could replicate.The right co-founder can get you off the dock. Meg is candid that she might not have launched without Jordan Evans beside her. Finding a partner who believes in the mission — regardless of age — can be the difference between an idea and an organization.Intergenerational partnership is both strategy and proof of concept. Meg and Jordan are 30 years apart in age. Their collaboration doesn't just model what they advocate — it actively strengthens their work.Older entrepreneurs have a statistical edge. Research shows that entrepreneurs over 50 are significantly more successful than their younger counterparts. Experience, pattern recognition, and deep networks are real competitive advantages — not consolation prizes.About Meg LaPorteMeg LaPorte is the co-founder and president of Art Against Ageism, a nonprofit that uses art and creative activism to challenge harmful stereotypes about older adults and advance positive age beliefs. With nearly 26 years in the aging services field, Meg spent nine years as managing editor of Provider Magazine, one of the leading publications covering long-term and post-acute care. She holds a master's degree in aging services, has taught undergraduate courses on art and ageism, and has worked with organizations including the Greenhouse Project. In 2021, she and co-founder Jordan Evans launched Art Against Ageism, which has since produced large-scale public art installations, the Aging is Living interactive tree project, the Own Your Age photo booth, and a widely shared social media campaign called "Rewrite the Ageist Headline." Meg brings rare depth of expertise — and hard-won resilience — to the intersection of aging, art, and advocacy.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is Art Against Ageism and what does it do?Art Against Ageism is a nonprofit organization that uses public art, interactive installations, and creative activism to challenge damaging stereotypes about older adults. Its projects have included large-scale wheat-pasted portrait installations on nursing home exteriors, the Aging is Living interactive tree installation, the Own Your Age photo booth, and the viral "Rewrite the Ageist Headline" social media campaign. The organization brings art into aging services communities and public spaces to spark conversation, shift perceptions, and make the humanity of older adults visible.How did Art Against Ageism get started?Co-founder Meg LaPorte developed the concept while teaching an undergraduate course on art and ageism in 2018. Her former student Jordan Evans became her co-founder, and the two formally launched Art Against Ageism in 2021, partly in response to the ageism laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic — including a social media hashtag referencing the deaths of older adults as a desirable outcome.Is starting a nonprofit really entrepreneurship?Yes. Building a nonprofit from scratch requires identifying a market gap, developing a unique value proposition, securing funding, managing operations, building partnerships, and marketing a mission to multiple audiences simultaneously. Meg LaPorte's story is a clear example of nonprofit founding as a fully entrepreneurial act — one that draws on every professional skill she developed over nearly three decades.Are older entrepreneurs really more successful than younger ones?Research supports it. Studies have found that entrepreneurs over 50 — and particularly those over 55 — have significantly higher success rates than younger founders. The reasons include deeper domain expertise, broader professional ...
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    34 min
  • How One Robin Salls Built a Magazine — and a Movement — for Women Embracing Midlife on Their Own Terms

    How One Robin Salls Built a Magazine — and a Movement — for Women Embracing Midlife on Their Own Terms
    Jun 18 2026
    Episode SummaryRobin Salls didn't wait for the media to notice women in midlife. When she looked around and couldn't find a single magazine that reflected her experience — embracing her silver hair, redefining beauty, and stepping into a new chapter with confidence — she built one herself. In six weeks. During a pandemic. With no publishing experience.In this episode of Build Your Own Boat, Robin shares how she launched Tangled Silver Magazine in January 2021 from her home in Johnston, Colorado, after announcing it publicly on social media before she had a single piece of infrastructure in place. What started as a love letter to women embracing their natural silver hair quickly grew into something far larger: a community, a movement, and an annual gathering called the Silverhood Experience — bringing women together from across North America and beyond to celebrate midlife on their own terms.Key TakeawaysStart before you're ready. Robin announced Tangled Silver Magazine publicly on December 9, 2020 — before she had a team, a plan, or a publishing infrastructure — giving herself six weeks to make it real. The public commitment forced the action.The experience is your edge. Robin had no magazine publishing background, but she knew what resonated with readers, understood the gap in the market, and trusted her instincts. Prior entrepreneurial experience in radio sales, insurance, and event planning all contributed to her ability to build something new.A hair journey can become a movement. What began as spotlighting women going gray evolved into a full platform challenging outdated narratives about women in midlife — covering entrepreneurship, beauty on your own terms, health, and life reinvention after 45.Mission and money can coexist — but mission comes first. Robin has walked away from advertisers unwilling to align with her values around aging and women's autonomy, choosing integrity over revenue in service of her audience's trust.Community is the product. Tangled Silver's real value isn't just the magazine — it's the relationships formed among readers, the annual Silverhood Experience event, and a growing network of women who are done letting outdated norms define them.About Robin SallsRobin Salls is a serial entrepreneur, publisher, and community builder based in Johnston, Colorado. She launched Tangled Silver Magazine in January 2021 after identifying a striking gap in media: there was virtually no publication celebrating women who were embracing their natural silver hair and stepping boldly into midlife. What began as a quarterly digital magazine grew into a full ecosystem — including print editions, digital subscriptions, a vibrant social media community, and the annual Silverhood Experience, a multi-day immersive gathering for women at the intersection of midlife, beauty, business, and personal reinvention.Robin has been a natural silver herself since 2018, and her personal journey from decades of hair coloring to fully embracing her gray is woven into the DNA of everything she has built. She is a passionate advocate for women defining beauty and aging on their own terms — and a vocal critic of the "anti-aging" messaging that dominates the beauty industry. Through Tangled Silver, she has created a space where women over 45 are not just visible, but celebrated.Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is Tangled Silver Magazine?Tangled Silver Magazine is a digital and print publication founded in 2021 by Robin Salls, focused on women in midlife and beyond who are embracing their natural silver hair and redefining what it means to age beautifully. The magazine features personal stories, hair care guidance, beauty advice tailored to midlife women, and coverage of entrepreneurship and life reinvention. It has grown from a passion project into a community with readers across the United States, Canada, the UK, Italy, and beyond.How did Robin Salls start a magazine with no publishing experience?Robin leveraged years of entrepreneurial experience across multiple industries — including radio sales, insurance, and wine event production — and combined that with a deep knowledge of what resonates with readers as a lifelong magazine enthusiast. She started by publicly committing to a launch date on social media, then worked backward to make it happen. She secured ISSN numbers, registered with the Library of Congress, identified her first cover subject, and built the first issue in six weeks. Her approach: start before you're ready, then figure it out as you go.What is the Silverhood Experience?The Silverhood Experience is an annual multi-day event hosted by Tangled Silver Magazine that brings women together to celebrate midlife in all its dimensions — beauty, health, entrepreneurship, and personal growth. Past events have been held in Estes Park, Colorado. The 2025 event takes place September 17–19 at the Magnolia Hotel in Denver, Colorado — one of the few women-owned hotels in the state. The...
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    43 min
  • How Do You Turn a Passion Project Into a Business After 50? Sky Bergman Did It With a Film, an Airbnb, and Zero Regrets

    How Do You Turn a Passion Project Into a Business After 50? Sky Bergman Did It With a Film, an Airbnb, and Zero Regrets
    Jun 11 2026
    Episode SummaryThis episode answers a question many women over 50 are quietly asking: is it too late to build something new? Sky Bergman — award-winning photographer, former tenured professor at Cal Poly, and founder of Sky Bergman Productions — walked away from a secure academic career in midlife to become a full-time independent filmmaker. Her debut documentary, Lives Well Lived, began as a personal search for positive role models of aging and grew into a theatrical release, a book, a community screening movement, and an intergenerational education program now used at universities across the country.In this conversation, Sky and host Janine Vanderburg dig into the real mechanics of that transition: how Sky funded her film by renting rooms on Airbnb when grants didn't come through, why she stopped doing free screenings, what it actually takes to build a network from scratch in a field you've never worked in, and why she believes the only thing you'll regret is not trying. Three new films are in production. The boat is very much still being built.What You'll Hear in This EpisodeHow Sky started making Lives Well Lived at 4 a.m. while still serving as department chair at Cal Poly — and what finally pushed her to leaveWhy she describes herself as an "accidental entrepreneur" — and what her undergraduate business degree taught her anywayThe Airbnb funding strategy that replaced two years of failed grant applicationsHer community screening model: how organizations pay for screenings so the audience attends for freeHow she built a network of filmmaker peers starting from zero — including cold emails, LinkedIn outreach, and a backyard potluck that now draws 75 to 80 women every monthWhat she told the University of North Carolina at Wilmington when they couldn't afford her fee (and why it took six years to get there in person)A preview of three films currently in production: The Mochi Movie (featuring George Takei), The Primetime Band, and The JollytologistHer unscripted advice to any woman in her 50s, 60s, or 70s sitting on an idea she can't stop thinking aboutKey TakeawaysYou don't need a traditional investor to fund a creative project. When grant funding for Lives Well Lived stalled, Sky rented out spare rooms in her home on Airbnb — and turned every guest into a member of her early fan base by telling them exactly where their money was going.Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Sky learned filmmaking from Apple Store employees, cold-emailed strangers whose work she admired, and built a network of filmmaker peers she still relies on today for pricing, distribution, and strategy."Exposure" is not a business model. Sky stopped doing free screenings after realizing that work offered for free is rarely valued. Her answer to "but you're trying to change the world" — charging for her time doesn't make the work less necessary; it makes it sustainable.Weak ties open doors your closest friends can't. Sky landed an interview with George Takei for her film The Mochi Movie by emailing her network and asking if anyone knew him. Two people did. It took two years of respectful persistence — and it worked.The biggest risk is not taking one. Sky credits a woman she interviewed for Lives Well Lived, who said at 50 she could either stay in a rut or jump off the cliff. That voice still guides her decisions today.FAQSHow did Sky Bergman fund her documentary Lives Well Lived?Sky was unable to secure grant funding for the film, so she rented out spare rooms in her home through Airbnb. Every guest was told their money was going toward the film. When Lives Well Lived entered film festivals, those same guests became her earliest and most enthusiastic supporters. It is one of the most practical examples of creative bootstrapping in this series.How can a woman over 50 start a business if she has no experience in that field?Sky Bergman's answer is direct: ask for help, and don't wait until you feel ready. She learned filmmaking from Apple Store employees, cold-emailed filmmakers whose work she respected, and built a peer network she still consults today. Her consistent message is that people want to help when you have a genuine idea — but you have to be willing to ask.What is Sky Bergman's approach to pricing her speaking and screening work?Sky does not do free screenings or speaking engagements unless an organization genuinely has no budget — in which case she helps them find a sponsor. Her reasoning: five years of her life went into making Lives Well Lived, and every event involves hours of coordination beyond the event itself. She pays the people who work for her, which means she cannot work for free either.What is the Lives Well Lived community screening program?Organizations — universities, nonprofits, senior centers, libraries — license a screening of the film. The screening is free for community members to attend; the hosting organization covers the cost or finds a sponsor. Sky often ...
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    36 min
  • She Built Scaffolding, Not a Safety Net: How Alrie McNiff Daniels Left a Health Foundation to Launch a Consulting Practice at Midlife

    She Built Scaffolding, Not a Safety Net: How Alrie McNiff Daniels Left a Health Foundation to Launch a Consulting Practice at Midlife
    Jun 11 2026
    Episode SummaryWhat does it look like when a seasoned communications professional leaves a respected philanthropic institution in her early 60s—not because she was pushed out, but because she did the math and decided she had something better to build?In this episode of Build Your Own Boat, host Janine Vanderburg talks with Alrie McNiff Daniels, a reframing-aging consultant and communications strategist who spent nearly a decade leading communications for the Point32 Health Foundation (formerly Tufts Health Plan Foundation) before launching her own practice in September 2024.Alrie's story is a clear-eyed roadmap for women in midlife who are weighing whether to leave institutional roles and build something of their own. It covers what actually triggered her decision, how she structured her launch to reduce risk, how she got her first clients, and why she's built a thriving practice without a content strategy, a LinkedIn thought-leadership campaign, or a single cold pitch.What You'll Hear in This EpisodeThe moment that changed everything. A friend's offhand remark—"I had one big job left in me"—sent Alrie into a week of quiet reckoning. She shares exactly what she concluded and why it pointed her toward entrepreneurship rather than another institutional role.What it means to do "the community's work." Alrie spent years amplifying the stories of community organizations rather than talking about her own institution. She explains how that orientation shaped her skills—and why it made leaving harder than it might have been otherwise."I don't think there's a market for that." Someone Alrie respected said this to her face. She shares why she didn't take the bait, drawing on what she'd watched happen to the narratives around smoking and marriage equality over her career.The scaffolding strategy. Rather than leaping without a net, Alrie thought through two complementary income streams before leaving—one in the reframing-aging space, one in corporate citizenship and employee engagement—and explains exactly how she thought about that combination.How she got her first clients without selling. Alrie made a handwritten list of two or three dozen people she'd worked with and started scheduling coffees to say thank you. Several of them immediately asked what she was charging and when they could book her.Referral-only business development. No content machine. No LinkedIn posting cadence. No cold outreach. Alrie explains what she does instead—and why it works for the kind of practice she wanted to build.How to price yourself when you come from mission-driven work. Alrie shares the three sources she used to figure out her rates, including a peer network of foundation communications consultants who were open and generous with real numbers.Experience vs. expertise. Alrie has trained governors and keynoted conferences on reframing aging—and she still refuses to call herself an expert. She explains the distinction, and why it matters for the quality of the work.Caregiving years count. One of Alrie's most direct pieces of advice: if you've stepped out of the paid workforce to provide care, you haven't lost years—you've gained skills in project management, healthcare navigation, recruiting, and more. "You probably have twice as many years as you think."The five things she'd tell any woman considering this. Know your strengths. Know what you're not good at. Be honest about your tolerance for income variability. Know your value and stop apologizing for it. Anchor everything in your core values.About Alrie McNiff DanielsAlrie McNiff Daniels is a communications strategist and reframing-aging consultant based in Massachusetts. She spent nearly a decade as Director of Communications at the Point32 Health Foundation (formerly Tufts Health Plan Foundation), where she led external communications, storytelling, and the foundation's reframing-aging initiatives. She was part of the inaugural cohort of the Frameworks Institute's Reframing Aging Training of Trainers program in 2017. Since launching her consulting practice in September 2024, she has led workshops across Massachusetts for nonprofits, aging services organizations, municipal agencies, and academic programs, and serves as an executive advisor at the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.Connect With AlrieLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alriemcniffdaniels/About Build Your Own BoatBuild Your Own Boat is a podcast series hosted by Janine Vanderburg — award-winning three-time entrepreneur and anti-ageism advocate — featuring women who have launched new entrepreneurial ventures in midlife and beyond. The series is part of a larger storytelling project that includes a Substack publication and a forthcoming book, all built around one goal: changing the narrative about who entrepreneurs are and making women in midlife and beyond visible as builders of wealth, freedom, and possibility.
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    55 min
  • How Do You Fight Age Bias at Work? Sheila Callaham Built a Global Nonprofit to Answer That Question

    How Do You Fight Age Bias at Work? Sheila Callaham Built a Global Nonprofit to Answer That Question
    Jun 11 2026
    Episode SummaryAge discrimination in hiring is not a fringe issue—it is a structural one, and Sheila Callaham has the three-year job search spreadsheet to prove it. After a 15-year corporate communications career spanning the US, Europe, and the Middle East, Callaham returned to the workforce and received zero offers over three years—despite applying at every level, spending thousands on coaching, and doing everything "right." When she looked up who got the jobs instead, she found people who couldn't be 30 years old sitting in executive roles. That moment of clarity became the foundation for the Age Equity Alliance, a global nonprofit dedicated to eliminating age bias across all ages and life stages in the workplace. In this episode, Callaham and host Janine Vanderburg break down how she turned long-term unemployment into 200-plus Forbes articles, a knowledge partnership with AARP and the OECD, and a thriving organization she now runs from Portugal—on her own terms.Key TakeawaysAge discrimination in hiring is measurable and systemic. After three years and zero job offers, Callaham tracked down the people who were hired into roles she applied for. They were not just younger—they were decades younger. The pattern was impossible to explain away.Writing about a problem and solving a problem are not the same thing. Callaham's Forbes column gave her a platform, but she knew from her change-management background that real organizational change only happens from the inside. That insight is what drove her to build Age Equity Alliance.The first client comes to you—if you build visible credibility first. Callaham did not chase her first paid employer. By year two, she was already an AARP knowledge partner on a global initiative in partnership with the OECD and the World Health Organization. The credibility came first; the client followed.Making bold asks is a learnable skill, not a personality trait. Callaham cold-pitched Ashton Applewhite on Twitter and asked AARP for a formal knowledge partnership when the organization was barely a year old. Both said yes. Her framing: the worst outcome is a 50/50 coin flip.Women over 50 already have what they need. The gap is not competence—it is belief. Callaham's message to women sitting on decades of expertise: stop waiting for someone to discover your talent and build your own boat.FAQsWhat is the Age Equity Alliance?The Age Equity Alliance is a US-based global nonprofit, headquartered in Austin, Texas, dedicated to eliminating age bias and stereotyping in the workplace—across all ages and life stages. It works directly with employers to identify how age bias shows up in hiring, development, retention, and promotion decisions, and helps organizations commit to measurable change. It operates largely as a volunteer organization and has its strongest market traction in Europe.What is the Mobley v. Workday lawsuit and why does it matter for age discrimination?Mobley v. Workday is an active federal discrimination case in Northern California alleging that Workday's hiring algorithms disproportionately screened out applicants based on race, disability, and age. For age discrimination specifically, the case tests whether AI-driven screening tools violate the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Workday's attempts to have the case dismissed—including arguments that the software, not the employer, made hiring decisions, and that applicants are not covered under the ADEA—have so far been rejected by the court. A ruling in favor of the plaintiffs could create employer accountability for algorithmic age bias at a scale not seen before.How do women over 50 successfully transition from corporate careers to entrepreneurship?According to Callaham, the skills that matter most—team building, change management, stakeholder communication, and the ability to hold a vision under pressure—are exactly what experienced corporate professionals have already developed. The practical gap is operational: learning to do everything yourself, stretch a budget, and ship work that is useful rather than waiting for it to be perfect. The psychological gap is belief. The strategic gap is visibility: building credibility publicly before the first client appears, rather than chasing clients before you have proof of value.What does "building your own boat" mean for women in midlife?It means recognizing that if the job market, workplace, or industry you built your career inside is no longer working for you, the answer is not to apply harder—it is to build something of your own. The expertise, relationships, and perspective you have accumulated are the raw material. The boat is what you build with them.How do you price services for a nonprofit or social enterprise?Callaham's framework: build visible credibility and expertise first (through free training, speaking, writing, and partnerships), so that clients come to you already convinced of your value. Once you are in a negotiating ...
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    43 min