Welcome to Embody Your Vision, I’m glad you’re here.
“Think of your best life as a book and ask yourself, What chapters are yet to be written?” –Nadia Giordana
Think about it. What chapters are yet to be written in your life? Hi, I’m Nadia Giordana. I’m an author, speaker, and motivator. It’s my job to equip women in midlife with the tools they need to reactivate their sidelined personal life goals and create new chapters in their lives using my customizable Lifestyle GPS System (TM). I encourage you to think of your best life as a book, and ask yourself, “What chapters are yet to be written?” Welcome to my website “Embody Your Vision.” This is the home page and also the blog page.
Four character traits improve aging experience. I’m excited to be one of the people profiled in Lori Campbell’s new book, Awaken Your AgePotential. When it came out in October, I read it cover to cover for a number of reasons beyond the thrill of being in the book myself. I wanted to learn what it was that some of the other individuals were doing to make their lives successful, and I wanted to clarify and validate what it is that I’ve been doing that has been working so well and learn more about character traits best suited for aging well.
In the book, Lori talks about four important characteristics often displayed in the lives of people who thrive rather than just survive the second half of their lives. It’s not the easiest thing to see inside oneself in this way, but I took some time to think about the roles these characteristics have played in my life:
1) Demonstrates personal responsibility: It is true, I was taught to take responsibility for my actions at an early age and I believe I’ve managed to do that as I’ve made my way through this gauntlet we call life. It hasn’t been easy, but I don’t expect anyone else to make my life easier for me, or to be responsible for my happiness or success—and I don’t blame others for my failures.
I had some things happen a few years ago that turned my life upside down and put me in a position where I needed to re-think my life, what it had been and what it was now going to be. I was laid off from a job I had planned to keep until I retired. It was in the wake of that layoff, that I took stock of my personal health and at age 59 and 60, lost a significant amount of weight and got my life back on track, physically and emotionally. I got over thinking that I had carried that weight for so long that it was too late to change, which leads me right into point #2…
2) Questions limited thinking: This is a big one for me as a woman. There are some old 1950s, 1960s, and even 1970s tapes that still pop up and play in my head each time I try something new, and often when I attempt to reach beyond my comfort zone. MORE…
Baby boomers have interesting vocations, avocations, passions and pursuits—and they have a lot to say about these things. For those who are in the public eye, coaching, speaking, or in business, you’ll need to know these 13 tips on what to wear for a TV or video interview. I’m referring primarily to local and cable channel interviews. National TV may have fewer color restrictions, as they use the latest, high-end cameras, but common sense and good taste apply to both venues. There are pointers here for both men and women, and they can all be applies to any age group.
You’ll be excited when you get “the call,” but there will be less stress on you if you are free to focus on what you plan to say, rather than what you will wear. Tack this sheet inside the door of your closet for easy reference. If you have this list, and a game plan, you won’t make any big mistakes. (Haven’t worn it for a while? Try it on, make sure it fits.)
Always bring an alternate set of clothesto the interview: Things happen. For example, you arrive at the interview and find that you are wearing a color that won’t work with the set, or doesn’t look right on camera (only applies if you are taping in advance). A thousand things can happen to upset your well-though-out choice of apparel.
Wear flattering colors near your face: Pastels, purples and browns are good. Blue is one of the best and safest colors for TV. Green is risky. Ask if they will be using a green screen. If so, choose another color. If you don’t know, don’t wear it.
Be careful how you wear black: Through a camera lens, black tends to absorb much of the light around it, making details less visible. With a black background, a guest wearing black can look like a “floating head.” Black and very dark colors are usually okay when worn on the lower half of the body, such as a skirt or pants. If for some reason, you must wear black near the face, (i.e., a shirt) you can wear a colored jacket or sweater over it so less of the black is visible. Another thing to do if wearing very dark colors: Add a colored scarf (avoid neon colors). This contrasting addition of color can also be accomplished with a piece of jewelry.
Avoid bright white: White tends to dominate the screen, and like neon and bright colors, should be avoided. A better choice: not-quite-white colors like light beige, light gray and very pale colors may work better. MORE…
Readers: In the interest of full disclosure I will tell you that I personally know the author of this Amazon bestseller, visionary gerontologist Lori Campbell, and I’ve had some involvement in her exciting new project. Naturally I’m excited to share the good news. At the end of the day on October 16, 2012, “Awaken Your AgePotential” (my personal story is one chapter) had soared to Amazon.com’s top 10 bestseller list in 4 categories (two of those categories were #1). I talked with Lori recently about her book and she has some revolutionary new perspectives on the subject of aging. Let’s see what she has to say:
Nadia: Let’s get right to it. Your book, Awaken Your AgePotential is written from a unique perspective. Tell us about that and what makes it different from other books about aging on the market today.
Lori:Awaken Your AgePotential is a book not as much about aging as it is about living—and living abundantly. It is focused on thriving, not just surviving the second half of life. Secondly, the book has a two-fold perspective. I first lay out the possibilities of the latest aging research, and then I had 10 contributing authors, who were thrivers. What’s a thriver? It is a person who embodies AgePotential. They are ordinary people having an extraordinary aging experience. MORE…
Writers workshops help authors connect. Last Saturday I spoke at a writers workshop for authors in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area where I live. It was sponsored by the “Women of Words” writers group to which I belong. Perhaps I should call it an authors group, as everyone involved is either already a published author, or is working on a book. The day was fun, exciting and full of great workshops. My talk was about the ins and outs of self-publishing through CreateSpace.com targeted to first-time users of this print-on-demand publishing service. I walked them through getting their account set up and how to upload the contents of their book. Then I went over some important things to consider when doing the cover, like should they use the templates provided, or have their cover custom designed by a professional. Most importantly, I went through what they needed to know about getting their ISBN number for their book, what to do and what to avoid. We also explored royalty options and how to set up the account with PayPal and other options. It was well received. (To see my latest book published in this manner, click here.)
One of the things I hear most often is, I don’t know where to start, and part of the message I conveyed, is that you can start by simply opening the account, poking around, going through the tutorials and frequently asked questions pages, and familiarizing yourself with the platform. There are no fees for this. A lot can be learned by hanging out here and reading what others are sharing. The video clip shown here is a short, 54-second taste of what I shared.
As an attendee, I learned some new things about setting up an author’s website from Joanne Funch, content marketing from Pamela Muldoon, writing dos and don’ts from Connie Anderson. I missed Tai Goodwin’s workshop on Blogging Do’s and Dont’s, but caught the article she wrote on the subject online. I learned a lot, laughed a lot, shared and came away inspired. If ever there were a group of women where each has found a way to embody their vision of who they want to be, this is it. One striking benefit I get from participating is the opportunity to connect to such a talented and diverse group of authors.
Is there a book inside you? Is being an author your new life chapter?
My interview with Morrison County Record: Much of the time, it is I who is interviewing someone else. It is a delightful change of pace this month to be on the other end of the exchange. To read this article online, click here.
Kate Pettit and Susan Anderson have been friends for more than two decades. Unlike a lot of people, they are doing some of the things they always said they were going to do and visiting places they’ve wanted to go—right here in the state of Minnesota. Not just the two of them, they’re sharing their adventures with others. They smilingly call themselves, “escape artists,” and it fits. MORE…
I have always been partial to my home town (who isn’t?) and it’s newspaper. Despite many other more modern choices to stay abreast of local news, the Staples World remains a cornerstone for the community and continues to thrive. I was immensely pleased to do an interview recently (scanned image below). To read it online, click here.
Book release: Reinventing New Chapters in Your Life at Any Age by Nadia Giordana, newly released by Cloud 9 Publishing is now available at Amazon.com and other channels.
Author and lifestyle strategist, Nadia Giordana, wasn’t willing to accept the status quo. At retirement, instead of lunching with friends or perfecting her golf swing, she set about tackling two major issues in her life. First, she adopted a healthier lifestyle, lost 88 pounds, and wrote an award-winning book about her journey. Then she conquered a lifelong fear of public speaking. Now she focuses her energies on helping women in midlife find the inspiration they need to affect their personal transformations and create new chapters in their lives. Her latest book, “Reinventing New Chapters in Your Life at Any Age” was released May 21, 2012 and details Nadia’s 7-Step program.
Barb Greenberg helps women reshape lives after divorce:
Several years ago, baby boomer Barb Greenberg suddenly found herself divorced and alone after thirty-three years of marriage. She worked through her pain, found healing and wholeness and eventually found a way to share what she had learned with other women in similar situations. She and I had a conversation recently about how she rebuilt her life and how her process paralleled the principles in my upcoming book, Reinventing New Chapters in Your Life at any Age: 7 Steps to Making it Happen. This is how our conversation went:
Nadia: Barb, like a lot of women, your divorce took you by surprise after many years of marriage. The shock of such a shift must have rocked your well-being, emotionally as well as physically. Can you tell us how you held up and some of the things you did to stay well as it relates to what we’re talking about in step #1) Reshaping a healthier body and/or attitude?
Barb: My divorce and the years leading up to it were such a difficult and painful time in my life. In 1998 my college-age daughter was in a life-threatening car accident halfway around the world, in Australia. Her recovery was a miracle, and watching her fight to regain her life gave me the courage to do the same. Three years later, after much soul-searching, I filed for divorce after thirty-three years of marriage. More…
Available at Amazon.com
both books available at Amazon.com