How a former BBC journalist became a retirement rebel
Rediscovering yourself might be something you have never dared to do or that was not practical to try just now. So many women over fifty make changes to their lives. One such woman was Siobhan Daniels, the retirement rebel, my latest published podcast guest. Listen to the podcast How to Be a Retirement Rebel
A former BBC journalist, she told me she dedicated three decades of her life to the BBC as a presenter, reporter, and producer. Then, at sixty, she became disillusioned with life, particularly how older women were depicted and treated in society. The rebellion started, and Siobhan shed home possessions and began a life on the open road in a motorhome. Her mission? To champion the concept of positive ageing, challenging stereotypes and promoting a more inclusive and empowering view of growing older for others and herself. 
Could you let go of all worldly possessions?
Liberating or daunting?
I asked Siobhan if her newly chosen nomadic lifestyle was lonely, and she explained that it was less lonely. When you make a choice, in this case, to be alone, you feel empowered and fulfilled. You can embrace slow living after a hectic lifestyle. You can wake up, make a cup of tea, sit on your doorstep in your chosen location, and enjoy a deep connection with nature regardless of the weather.
Siobhan has written a book about her transition, The Retirement Rebel, and is busy on her next one. Passionate about turning anti-ageing into probate, her new life isn’t just about contemplating the stars and birds; she’s a woman on a mission.
Could you live a nomadic lifestyle?
A life where each day was different from the previous, a life without roots and few possessions. Personally, always being on the road would remind me of my previous life working in the travel industry, where I slept in a different hotel every night for two weeks while travelling through five countries. Although my travelling clients frequently remarked I had the dream job, sometimes one longed for stability. After thirty years of this lifestyle, I’m enjoying precisely that.
In a previous podcast, If You Could Live Anywhere Else in the World After Fifty
Ana Onatah similarly gave up the life she had known for so many years to explore living within other cultures, namely Italy and France, like Siobhan, where radical change enabled new directions. It’s a now-or-never emotion, the realisation that you can live a life aligned with your values with the right motivation and goals. However, Ana chose to settle in one place, albeit in a different country; her processions became the cats and dogs that came into her new life along the way.
Listen to these intrepid ladies’ stories on my podcast, Forward After Fifty.
My reinvention journey
I started mine at 56, not overnight by any means. Ten years later, I continue to evolve. There’s freedom of knowing oneself better, having more confidence, and being able to take risks that had previously felt off limits.
Coming of age is an expression that seems more logical to me now than its true definition, which is, in case you’ve forgotten, legally being able to drink.
With experience and less limiting beliefs, knowing what you don’t want, and being undaunted by others’ judgement, you can decide to head into the future of your choice.
At fifty, what are you going to do in the next fifty years?
How are you going to celebrate your coming of age?