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not your mama’s 50

A very special group of women are coming together today, this 50^th day of the year, to celebrate one another and create a collaborative community within the blogging world. We are not just any women. We are The Fierce 50! We are a collective of more than 50 women from all over the world, who are over the age of 50. Considered midlife by some; we are considering this just the beginning!  You can read more from Catherine McCormick, the fierce creator of this collaboration,  in this article (here) she wrote for Thrive Global.

The Fierce 50 represents a powerful group of women who have come together to honor and support one another. These are women who have overcome cancer, lost loved ones, raised their children, survived some pretty major adversity, as well as reveled in life’s tremendous joys. We have each partnered with another one of our fierce sisters, to get to know her and share her as an inspiration to our own group of followers.

Meet Nicole

I’d like to introduce you to Nicole Mölders of highlatitudestyle.com.

Nicole is a self-proclaimed “cat lady” and a highly accomplished scientist. That may not be technically correct but I’m calling her a scientist. What would you call a woman who has two, count ‘em TWO PhD’s, has written five books;  Four of which are on  atmospheric sciences including text books on meteorology and is a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks? I’m calling her ‘one fierce scientist’! Not only has she studied the natural sciences worldwide, but she’s formulated a plan for her life to include everything that she’s passionate about.

Nicole has always felt a struggle between her love of math/sciences and the art/fashion world. Even as a little girl she favored classic black over the more typical childhood colors. Now, this tango dancing adventurer finds herself living in Alaska – not exactly the fashion capital of errr… anywhere! A lesser lady might call it a style loss and hide out in her puffer coat and snow boots. But this little lady is conquering the Alaskan shopping challenges and inspiring women to embrace their own personal style.

Her book, How to Dress for Success in Midlife proves you don’t have to give up style as the birthdays keep coming.  YES! Another book to her credit. Taking cues from fashion inspirations the likes of Jackie O, Jena Lyon and Kate Moss, Nicole inspires women to shop their closets, thrift stores and shop the internet to find pieces that work for them. She wants women to know how to find their personal style (here) as well as knowing how to dress for success in professional situations.

Better Together

Is anyone else in awe yet? I must admit, when Nicole and I were randomly paired together, I read her bio and  was pretty intimidated to be part of a group that included such accomplished women as her. Here I am, what I like to call a “stay at home mom with a twist”,  in a group of amaze-ball chicks that include Kathy Kaehler, Denise Austin, LeeWoodruff , Shauna Robertson, Catherine McCormick and many more……….. Wowzers!

But then I talked myself off the ledge and after re-reading the press releases and posts in The Fierce 50 forums, I realized that I was missing the point. We are all in the same season of life and while our backgrounds may differ, we’re facing similar challenges. We aren’t helping each other if we’re not here to support one another. Not one of us, whether doctor, teacher, celebrity, housewife, advocate, fashion merchandiser, blogger, fitness guru……made it to where we are today by ourselves. We’ve been loved and supported by our spouses, families, mentors, friends, sisters and communities. It’s time that we women, as a collective, choose celebration over comparison. Let’s honor collaboration over competition.

Proving Success Doesn’t Stop

There are women from all walks of life  proving that success doesn’t have an end date.  Our own Catherine McCormick sat down to speak with one such fierce success story, who not only commands an audience as a sports journalist for ESPN, but holds her own with the boys. You can read that interview with ESPN’s Hannah Storm (here).

I love this quote by Denise Austin:  

“I will be celebrating 60 years young this year and proud of it. I feel happy, healthy and fit. I celebrate my age with love and support of my husband, my daughters, my sisters and all of my girlfriends!!! AND because THAT’s what life is all about… For all of us women over 50 WE can do it all now… I am totally excited and filled with new energy as I jump into this stage in my life that my career, is moving upward and forward into new directions and I love being a part of this Fierce 50 campaign…” -Denise Austin

Women Need Each Other

Nicole and I are quite opposite on paper. I can no more relate to her life as a petite professor with a love of meteorology and dance, as she can to my almost plus sized, manicuring, housewife – grandma gig. But when I asked Nicole what she found rewarding about this stage of life, our answers are exactly the same. We “know what we want and we know we can attain it!”

We are here championing each other to reach for our dreams.  And while I may not have a life-long dream of driving the trans-American highway from Alaska to Argentina when I turn 65, I’ll be rooting for this firecracker of a professor and waiting for my postcard!

Nicole’s new 52-year-old fierce sister- friend,

Paula

Want to be a FIERCE one?

If you have enjoyed reading this blog post and learning more about The Fierce 50 Campaign, please visit this page http://catherinegraceo.com/fierce-50-campaign/ to see an archive where you will find each of the women that are participating in The Fierce 50 campaign along with their blog posts.  You can also find a list here on this blog. If you or someone you know is interested in either joining or supporting the movement, please contact [email protected] for more information. We have lots more planned for this year and beyond so, stay tuned everyone.

Roll credits

There are brands that are standing up and taking notice of the FIERCE 50 demographic.  A huge THANKS to these FIERCE brand sponsors for seeing the value of a campaign designed to inspire women to embrace our FIERCENESS at 50 and beyond!

Onzie

Madison Reed

HSI Professional  

Awe Inspired