SECOND ACT OF THE MONTH AWARD
Each month, we give the 50PlusToday SECOND ACT Award to an individual who made an intentional decision to change gears in this phase of life. It’s our goal to recognize and support people who reinvented themselves at age 50Plus. We therefore choose recipients who are creative, innovative and inspiring to others. Their pivot might involve a new career, business, community effort or lifestyle. A successful, happy and meaningful life means different things to different people. Reading what others did might start you thinking about your next journey! The bottom line is that your second half of your life can be as good as, if not better than, the first! We hope to inspire our readers with success stories from others. (Is there someone you know that created a wonderful second act that you would like to nominate? Complete this form to submit their name for consideration!)
The recipient for April 2023 is Debi Talbert
50PlusToday: What are your unique personal skills that contribute to your success?
DT: My signature strengths are love of learning, curiosity, zest, hope and humility. I focus on bringing these strengths to help myself and my clients explore solutions instead of focusing on the challenge.
50PlusToday: What did you do before starting your entrepreneurial journey?
DT: Before I became a “What Next Coach” for women in their fifties and beyond, I worked in the airline industry for 37 years. During my career there I did sales, marketing, and customer relations. The last position I held was Flight Attendant, this position truly involved bringing all my personal skills into my work as well as my sales, marking and human relation skills. Navigating all the ins and outs of air travel is stressful. Not every person is on airplane for a happy reason. My strengths and skills allowed me to create the best possible travel experience for each individual with whom I interacted.
50PlusToday: Tell us about what you are doing now.
DT: I’ll never forget my chance encounter with a Coach in 2014. This Life Coach planted seeds of hope & power in me that I am still seeing fulfilled today. The seeds continue to expand through my work with clients as well as people who subscribe to content I share online. Because of the transformation, a Coach helped make in my life, I’ve chosen to empower women in their 50s and beyond to harness their own personal skills and strengths to design and create the life
transformations.
It’s amazing to think that a single encounter could have such a profound impact on my life’s direction. Looking back, I realize that the Coach’s wisdom and guidance helped me tap into my own potential and discover a new path that aligned with my values and passions. Now, as I pay it forward and help others find their own success, I am reminded of the power of mentoring and coaching. A single person can make a huge difference in someone’s life, and I am grateful for the encounter that set me on this path.
50PlusToday: What passion led you to start this new endeavor?
DT: As my self-confidence grew, I realized that many of my friends in their midlife years struggled with self-confidence, self-love and self-acceptance. It truly breaks my heart to see, hear and notice other women doubt themselves, put themselves down and misrepresent to themselves their own gifts and skills. They wind up living their whole lives trying to “fix” themselves instead of embracing their entire self and living fully alive. This was me, until my chance encounter with a coach. That encounter transformed my entire life. This is why I do what I do, to be that person for other woman.
50PlusToday: How does your age and experience help in your success?
DT: My age allows me to realize without the chance encounter with a Coach, I would have missed becoming the me I always was, hiding and buried under self-destructive thinking and beliefs. What I know for sure from all the thousands of human interactions 35,000 feet in the sky, is that people long for true, deep connection and belonging. My experience also proved to me, we’ll never be able to have this until we create radical self-acceptance. When we love ourselves, all of ourselves, we’re able to channel all of our live lessons to help us navigate this beautiful, messy thing called life.
50PlusToday: What unique skills did you have from your previous job/business/lifestyle that help you in this new position?
DT: To remain an employee at one company for 37 years takes resilience, tenacity, creativity, vulnerability and courage. All of these are also required to create radical self-acceptance, live fully alive and design the ideal business for me in this season of life. One that fits into my life instead of my life fitting around it.
50PlusToday: What advice would you give someone in this age group searching for their meaningful second act?
DT: Doubt and fear are going to always show up. It’s essential to work through doubt and fear by a deliberate turning away from these emotions. In the moments of fear and doubt, remember you always have your words and my breath. This allows you to pause and question the doubt and fear. In the pausing, ask yourself to recall other times in which you’ve been wrong about my abilities. This simple pause, puts your brain to work on what you have accomplished, helping to move out of doubt and fear and into courage and willing.
50PlusToday: Finally, please give us three random facts about yourself.
- One of my jobs before joining Delta was a dispatcher for the a very small police department. My nick name there was “squeaky” because of
the sound of my voice. Funny thing is my voice became less squeaky the more self-acceptance I created. - I was a majorette all through my high school years.
- I love using the power of words to weave together a new life.
50PlusToday: Your favorite quote:
You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just the first step ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
About Debi Talbert
Debi Talbert is a What’s Next Coach for women over fifty. She helps her clients find the incredible gifts hidden inside themselves and harness the power of words to weave together their ideal life for this season of life. She’s the creator of Busy Being Flawsome Private Coaching Club and the Mentor Mind behind SHINE (Small Habits Ignite Natural Enthusiasm) Mastermind. Her members uncover their gifts, use their words and actions to design and create their own ideal
life. One that brings them deep connections, joy and fulfillment.
Website: jumpseatcoaching.com/
Contact: debi@JumpseatCoaching.com
