The Boomer and The Babe Show

Radio for grown ups, as AARP might say!

In Phoenix there is a talk radio show addressing all the boomer concerns. It's not actually official yet, but The Boomer & The Babe Show are going to be partnering together with the Festival of the Wise.

The Boomer and The Babe Show is a one-hour LIVE radio broadcast that airs every Tuesday and Thursday at 9:00 AM Arizona/MST and Pacific Daylight Time on KFNX News-Talk Radio. Tune your radio to 1100 AM or if you are outside Arizona, listen live via your computer at www.1100kfnx.com.

The program is directed to the 50 plus market, with a particular emphasis on the active, healthy, working and vibrant boomer lifestyle.

The co-hosts of the show, Pete Peters and Deborah Brown, are boomers themselves and feel like they know as well as anyone else what boomers want to hear about.

We're really lucky that they're going to be in person at our event, emceeing our stages and having a great time with the rest of us.

You an see their site at: http://theboomerandthebabeshow.wordpress.com

Boomers Dealing with Wall Street Jitters

I've been reading a lot online about what is happening on Wall Street. I wish I had something positive to say about it, but I'm not actually sure that I do. It seems the $700 billion government lifeline to our failing financial institutions hasn't exactly stabilized Wall Street. In fact, it appears shakier than ever.

So, what is a close-to-retirement-maybe boomer to do? It'd be nice if there were some pat answer to that. The cure-all potion, the red-hot button that would just fix everything. But, there isn't. Even as it stands, the majority of 55+ Americans have less than $250,000 in assets. And with what just happened on Wall Street, that number probably just grew.

My mother initially retired at 65. She was really happy about it. She was tired of her job and wanted to spend her time drawing and enjoying her farm. What she found out is that she was comfortable with her income. So 2 years later, she went back to work. She didn't officially retire again for another 5 years. Finally, at 73 she stopped working. The good news, is that she was considered such a vital part of her organization, they called her a few months later and asked if she would please at least consult for them. She refused and we went to Indonesia for a month instead.

Watching my mother work until she was 73 certainly made me want to watch my money a lot more closely and start planning for my retirement. With, yes, the mixture of investments both in real estate and on the market. Because of my desire to save heavily now, I often find myself not wanting to spend too much money just to 'have fun'...

BUT, of course, what is the point if we aren't having fun?! I recently heard of a woman who died alone in her home. She had $3million in the bank.

I know that in my life there has always been food on the table, a roof over my head, a sunrise or a sunset to enjoy and, most importantly, there has always been my friends and family with laughter, love and good cheer.

I do know that my true needs in life are very few and I am blessed with abundance in those areas.

As you probably know we have a MoneyWise track at our conference in December. Our concept is to look not simply at balancing the check book, but at changing our perspectives on money.

http://www.festivalofthewise.com/conference/moneywise.html

My Neighbours Aren't Boomers

Well, its Friday late afternoon and I've been in meetings since 8:30am with a jam packed day, so I don't know that I'm going to have a huge epiphany here. In fact, the only thing that comes to mind is taking a nap on the couch as the sunsets. 

I was talking to a marketing partner today and he told me a funny story about how his company came to focus on boomers. Without permission to recap the story, I'm simply going to give you the highlights... Essentially, a wet-behind-the-ears young business person made a reference to them what they needed to do to invest in their business. Having been in business and investing in it for numerous, numerous, numerous years... the man felt that, well, this other person just didn't get him or his business. It was in that moment that he decided to focus simply on boomers.

Last night, as my neighbours drunk and rowdy friends were yelling outside my bedroom window @ 2am, I was wishing somtehing along the same lines. That my neighbours were boomers. Nice, fun-loving, free spirited but respectful... boomers. 

Have a great weekend all!

Sleep and Your Health

There are plenty of articles talking about the benefits of sleep and how it's great for your body, your mind & your emotions to rest and reconfigure. But, isn't it funny how we don't always prioritize sleep?

I woke up late this morning. And, I must confess, I did it on purpose. We all have different sleeping patterns and, while I can go a few nights at under 8 hours of sleep, I really need to burn some shut eye if I get less than 8 a couple of nights in a row.

While it definitely helps my physical body and my mental clarity, it gives the most benefit for my stress levels. When I wake up, things seem to be more orderly, more simple and I feel like I've already gotten something good out of my day - refreshing sleep.

One of our exhibitors, Good Night Sleep Wellness Center, are professionals at sleeping (lucky them, right?). They deal with sleep disorders and diagnose treatments. I'm kinda hoping they bring some sleep beds so I can take a nap at some point during the festival. Afternoon naps are awesome!

You can check them out here: http://www.goodnightsleepwell.com/Default.aspx

The Power of the Mind

The Festival of the Wise has been a work in progress for about 2.5 years. It started as a name of an event that popped into my head sitting in a coffee shop in Santa Monica with one of the other co-founders. We were discussing a number of different ideas and so we left the cafe with about 5 or 6 and decided to focus on a different one.

About a month later I mentioned the festival to one other person. He seized the idea, thought it was amazing, said he wanted in, pitched himself to us and we got our third partner.

For a year the 3 of us looked at the idea, developed it, built the concept out, selected the location, and worked towards a solid vision of the event. We still needed more help and so we visioned it. Out of the blue, we got our fourth person who has been instrumental in building our concept to a reality.

Sometimes when we look at how it's developed, it's clear to see that we haven't always known "How" it was going to happen. We just knew it was going to happen.

One irreplaceable source of strength in our development has been life coaching, which we received from Sophia Chao, here in Los Angeles. Constantly she reminds us to visualize our goal and not focus on the trials and tribulations we are crossing to get there.

We believe this type of Life Coaching is a crucial support system that pulls us out of the mundane and allows us to truly be involved in the dynamic creative process, which this festival is for us.

We're brining life coaching to our event in a number of ways. Both on our main stage and with our Lifestyle sessions.

You can find out more about our main stage speakers here:
http://www.festivalofthewise.com/features/mainspeakers.html

And more about our lifestyle sessions here:
http://www.festivalofthewise.com/conference/lifewise.html

The World According to Wall Street

So, after taking a deep breath, I look at the wall street journal... And, well, as we all know, it's not pretty out there. In fact, I don't even really want to look, but, you have to right? You've got to keep track of your finances and know what's going on in the world, in your business and in your retirement accounts. And mine took the worst hit in the last month they've ever taken. Thank goodness I have the better part of my money in real estate. While it's definitely taken a hit, if I keep it for another 15 or 20 years, chances are it'll bounce back.

Well, let's face it, we've got to make ends meet and to do that, we've got to not only understand more about money, but we've got to know about where we are in our lives and, even, about our own mental financial blueprint. These are some of the topics we're going to be looking at in our MoneyWise conference track. We realize money isn't all about numbers. While numbers are important, the psychology of your past experiences and your future goals are intricately connected to your financial manifestation. So, while yes, some sessions are going to look at counting money, earning money and investing money, others are going to be about you and how you interact with money.

You can see some of the sessions we're offering here:
http://www.festivalofthewise.com/conference/moneywise.html

What to Wear?

I'm always asking myself this question. Fortunately for me I'm blessed to have a family member who's a clothes designer so clothes are often delivered to my door, in my size and in my colors. I have to admit, I still get stuck on the what do I wear TODAY? question! But, in my family, we don't do activewear, which I personally love. It's fashionable, it's flexible and I get to stay comfortable all day long! I was thrilled when Kate at Anatomie approached us and suggested putting on a fashion show at the festival. We're going to have it on Saturday, so you won't want to miss it!

You can see some of Anatomie's great fashion here:
http://www.festivalofthewise.com/features/boomerwomensfashionshow.html

Yoga, Pilates & Tai Chi - the Fitness Sessions

Okay, so I just got back from a run. Well, it wasn't running... it was jogging. Avid joggers would probably call it more of a slow-motion trot. Regardless, it's new to me. I have to admit, running has never really been my thing because it seems so strenuous and well, you sweat. Why have I taken it up? Well, when I have a lot of work on my plate and I've been sitting at my computer for a long period of time it helps to clear my head (I can only focus on the effort) and get outdoors to see my neighbors gardens. I don't actually stop to smell the flowers, just smile at them as I jog by.  

One thing I've always done for my health is yoga and, in the last few years, I added pilates. I have found these to be excellent ways to keep limber, physically toned and mentally centered. I started yoga when I was 20. I fractured my back when I was 17 and the ONLY thing that relieved the chronic pain was yoga. Adding pilates helped to strengthen my core muscles, which support my back even more, especially since I tend to spend copious hours hunched over a keyboard.

If you've never tried yoga, pilates or tai chi... you're in for a treat. We're bringing them to the festival. If you have tried them, you'll be happy to know you can nip out of a conference session and over to a yoga class. Like the music and conference, the fitness classes are included in the price of admission.

You can check them out here: http://www.festivalofthewise.com/features/fitnesssessions.html

September 11th

Today my heart goes out to the victims of September 11th and all the Soldiers who have fought, been injured or lost their lives since America was attacked in 2001.

Like the assassination of JFK and man's first footstep on the moon... September 11th is a day when we will all remember where we were when we heard the news.

At Festival of the Wise we are honoring both Veterans and Memories.

On Sunday there will be a Veterans Tribute recognizing all the sacrifices and efforts that the men and women of our armed forces have made to protect the freedoms of this great country. 

You can read more about it here:

http://www.festivalofthewise.com/features/veteranstribute.html

Throughout the festival we are also have a booth set up called: Words from the Wise where you can record your experiences and stories for posterity. This is a great way to share where you were when a world event happened and how it affected you. 

I asked my father where he was when we landed on the moon and he told me an amazing story about listening to the moon landing while flying a commercial jet. My father was a pilot and it was enriching to hear his first hand account of something I don't remember. No doubt, one day, I will be telling my children where I was when I heard the news of September 11th, 2001.

You can read more about Words from the Wise here:

http://www.festivalofthewise.com/features/wordsfromthewise.html

Green Boomers

As someone who has been known to get upset by the amount of plastic wrapping vegetables in the grocery store, I was terribly pleased when it became obvious that we needed to add a green track to our conference program! With 1 out of every 2 Boomers in America considering themselves 'Green Boomers' it only makes sense that we respond.

We've called it the GreenWise track and it's going to incorporate some great topics such as: 

"Going Green on a Budget"

"Simple Ways to Lessen Your Carbon Footprint"

"Can I really Save Using Solar Paneling?"

You can read the press release here:

http://www.festivalofthewise.com/news/press/pressrelease4.html

We're also looking for additional presenters for this conference track so if you've got something you want to talk about fill out a presenter for and send it in. You can get the presenter form here: http://www.festivalofthewise.com/conference/conference.html

Other conference tracks include: health, travel, lifestyle, technology & money.

Boomers : Finding Passion and Purpose

So, it's 6pm and I finally turn to our BoomerWise blog, which is fun for me to write. But, my head, when tossing around ideas of what to write about, only seems to be giving me one word:

Work

Well, I guess that's because for me, its been one of those work days. The day when the minute you get off the phone - it rings again and again and again - and five phone calls later the 2 projects you started the day with are buried beneath 5 new urgent items. 

Fortunately for me, I'm extremely passionate about my work and believe in the value of what I'm working on everyday. I made the decision in the last couple of years to switch industries and roles and take up my current position. More and more we are seeing this type of mid-career switch is also true for boomers. They want to be in a job they truly care about.

Boomerz is the Scottsdale boomer association that is specifically focused on recareering and the Festival of the Wise is very fortunate to have Cindy Cooke, the director of Boomerz, moderating a panel they developed called:

Passion & Purpose: Finding Flexible and Meaningful Opportunities in Mid-Life

This panel will feature boomers who will share their personal journeys, the reasons for the major changes they made in mid-life, their doubts, sacrifices, and joys they encountered along the way.

You can find out more about this talk here:

http://www.festivalofthewise.com/conference/lifewise.html

And more about Boomerz here:

http://www.boomerzwork.com/

Happy Grandparents Day!

Grandparent's day was yesterday, September 7th. I was reminded of it when our awesome speaker, Pat Burns, sent me an email. With more than 1/2 the grandparents in America being baby boomers, it's little wonder Pat's written a Grandparenting guide for the Rock and Roll generation. It's called Grandparents Rock! and it was released yesterday. She'll be speaking on this topic in our lifestyle section of our conference.

I miss my grandparents. None of them are with us anymore, but I'm so grateful to have had the experience of knowing two of them, my dad's Mom and my mom's Dad.

Grandparents are amazing. Besides camping trips, Christmas presents and pumpkin pie they also gave me two things that are priceless:

1. Words that will live with me forever.

2. A personal insight into the world over the last century.

For my grandmother I remember her saying things like, "You don't have to worry about that Mary Ellen, she's going to be okay no matter what." Those words have carried me through any tough time I ever had. (fyi - Mary Ellen's my proper name). And one of my favorite things my Opa said was, "You have a no, you can get a yes!" Many, many, many requests I have made in my life have come from that statement. I have been amazed how many times I have gotten a yes.

The world my grandparents knew is not like the world I grew up in. They gave me a window into a world I only knew from the history books. Grandma Isa lived through the depression in Iowa and my Opa (Grandfather in Dutch) was a prisoner of war in World War II and helped build the bridge over the river Kwai. Their stories made history and the world come alive for me.

I'm blessed to have known my grandparents. I still miss them on family holidays and I definitely feel that they are always there watching over me.

Thanks for the reminder, Pat!

You can check out Pat's book here: http://www.grandparentsrock.com/

And see more of our LifeWise sessions here: http://www.festivalofthewise.com/conference/lifewise.html

Let's Go!, Lonely Planet & National Geographic

Okay, so, I'm not going to hide the fact that I'm not a boomer. In fact, I turn 40 on November 21st, right before our first Festival. However, the truth is, I've been following in the footsteps of boomers my whole life and even wearing their hand-me-downs (I'm the youngest of 5 kids with a 10 year age span). 

One of my greatest passions is traveling. At 18 I set off for Europe, at 21 I left Europe for my first trip around the world. Without boomer developed publications, I never would have been able to do it. My first guide book was Let's Go! Europe and as I set off for Nepal, Indonesia and Zimbabwe, I started buying up Lonely Planet guides (I probably should have bought shares in the company!). But, ever since I was born I have been surrounded by a large and growing collection of those fabulous yellow magazines of far-flung places: National Geographic. 

That is why I was SO thrilled to discover Don Mankin, a world adventurer and National Geographic published author was going to speak in our travel conference! I mean, really... This is the guy who wrote: "Riding the Hulahula to the Arctic Ocean".  His topic is: The Transformative Power of Adventure Travel.

I know I'm supposed to be working that weekend, but, well, I think you'll know where to find me when Don is speaking!

You can see more about his session here: 

http://www.festivalofthewise.com/conference/travelwise.html

And more about his book here:

http://adventurebook.travel/

Life@50+

Today kicks off AARP's National Convention in Washington D.C. with a special focus on their 50th year anniversary. Last year I was there to enjoy the event. There was a great opening ceremony with Michael & Kirk Douglas, many great speakers and exhibitors. This year, I'm in the office and my colleagues are having all the fun!

Over the last 10 years AARP has been rebranding themselves to gear to the mass migration of baby boomers into the AARP target market and it certainly shows in their line up of talent, such as Natalie Cole & Chaka Khan in concert tonight. Some people argue that they have not quite turned the tide, with public opinion still seeing them as that 'old people' organization. However, it is obvious that with Baby Boomers enter their 50+ years, without a doubt, AARP is set to be the largest Baby Boomer organization in America.

If you can't make it to D.C. today, you should plan to see what they're doing in Las Vegas in 2009!

http://www.aarp.org/aarp_benefits/natl_events/

Welcome to the Festival of the Wise blog!

Festival of the Wise was established on the principle of supporting the lifestyle that Boomers love and helping them to live their lives to the fullest, enjoy every moment and lead the way for those who follow.

Our primary event is the Festival of the Wise that is launching in Scottsdale, Arizona on December 6 & 7 of 2008.

This truly unique and exciting two-day music and arts festival for baby boomers – the Wise community - will be at the beautiful Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

What is so unique about another music and arts festival?

We've added a stimulating, six-track conference to the mix! The conference tracks of Festival of the Wise are going to cover topics in the areas of Finance, Greening, Health, Travel, Lifestyle and Technology all geared towards Baby Boomers.

While we've been filling up the conference tracks, we also want to make sure we don't miss any topics that are important to you. So, if you've got something you want to know more about, just drop us a line and let us know.

You can reach me personally via: melle@festivalofthewise.com or post here.