Aging can sometimes feel like a never-ending game of dodgeball, where you’re dodging responsibilities, expectations, and the occasional existential crisis. But fear not! In Boomer Banter this week, we dive into the refreshing narrative of Christina Daves, who turned a broken foot into a new career path.

Yep, you heard that right. After retiring from a successful retail business, Christina found herself sidelined with a foot injury, leading her to invent fashionable boot accessories for medical boots; because who said healing couldn’t be stylish?

This episode is chock-full of inspiration, reminding us that sometimes life’s curveballs can lead to unexpected and fabulous opportunities. Christina shares her journey from retail burnout to becoming a publicity strategist, emphasizing that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. So grab your favorite beverage, or put on your walking shoes, and prepare to be motivated to tackle your own challenges with a smile and a sense of humor!

Takeaways:

• A broken foot can lead to unexpected reinvention and new opportunities in life.
• It's never too late to pivot and find purpose after a setback or career change.
• Real talk about aging well includes embracing challenges and finding inspiration in everyday moments.
• Asking questions is key; you never know what insights others might share about your journey.

Links referenced in this episode:

• Send me your questions for next week's show: wendy@heyboomer.biz
• Check out Christina's website and show at christinadaves.com
• Try the What's Keeping you Stuck quiz: bit.ly/notstuck-renewed
• Listen to the Ageless Traveler Podcast agelesstraveler.com

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

Wendy Green: 00:00:16

Hello and welcome to Boomer Banter where we have real talk about aging well the green and I am your host. And every week we talk about the challenges, the changes and the possibilities that come with this season of life.

Before I introduce you to today's guest, I want to invite you to be part of something very special that I am going to be trying for the next episode, the pre Thanksgiving episode on Monday, November 24th. And this is the first time I'm trying it. It's going to be a listener Q and A.

So if you have questions about aging well, about finding meaning, navigating friendships, family relationships, caregiving purpose, or anything you're wondering about at this stage of life, I'd love to hear from you. You can submit your questions to me at wendyeyboomer Biz. If you don't want me to use your name, just say this. Anonymous.

And truly, if it's on your mind, I bet it's on someone else's mind too. So ask away. Ask your questions and you never know if it will be featured on the show next week. Thanks. I think that's going to be fun. So thank you.

All right, so on to today's topic. Sometimes reinvention doesn't come from a grand plan. It might come from an unexpected twist.

My guest today was in her 40s, retired, burned out and thinking her working days were behind her when she broke her foot on a family outing. Who would think a broken foot would create a new product, a new idea, an invention of business and now a brand new purpose?

Christina Daves, who is my guest today, reminds us that it's never too late to turn what feels like a setback into the start of something extraordinary. Now, Christina Daves is a publicity strategist and lifestyle expert who helps individuals and businesses elevate their visibility through media.

She's the creator of the Get PR Famous formula, author of two best selling books, and host of the award winning Living Ageless and Bold podcast which I was a guest on this past summer. Hopefully you heard that episode.

Christina is a regular on air expert with over a thousand media appearances including the Today show, the Steve Harvey Show, Forbes, aarp. So let's talk to this PR expert, podcast host and product creator, Christina Daves. Hi, welcome.

Christina Daves: 00:03:20

Hey Wendy, thanks for having me.

Wendy Green: 00:03:22

I am excited about this episode because we all need inspiration and I know this is going to be great. So strange coincidence. You broke your foot, you created a product.

Christina Daves: 00:03:35

Tell us, tell us about that.

Wendy Green: 00:03:37

Right, of course.

Christina Daves: 00:03:38

Well, it's funny, it's like you said, you Know, we all go through seasons in our lives, and I had this great job. It wasn't a job. My. My best friend and I opened a retail store.

We had this cute little boutique, and all the women in town came, and it was uber successful from the minute that we opened it. And it was great, except I was so burned out. You know, anyone has done retail, you get it.

Wendy Green: 00:04:05

Yeah.

Christina Daves: 00:04:05

And. And if it's your own store, you know, you make your money from Thanksgiving to Christmas. That's. That's when retail. That's your profit center.

So, of course, we had to work all the time. And you know, that. And that means taking out the trash, plunging the toilet, unboxing, you know, like, everything.

And it was just a lot after 10 years. So I thought, you know, my kids are getting to this age. I should maybe be home more. And I've done the career, so I'll volunteer.

And, well, all my entrepreneurs listening. You know, once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur. So I sold the store to my best girlfriend, and I was like, that's it. I'm gonna be supermom.

And we went on vacation, and I had a fluke freak accident. Broke my foot. It was broken for three weeks, too, before I went to the doctor.

Wendy Green: 00:04:57

Oh, yeah. Brave woman, right?

Christina Daves: 00:04:59

I can relate. Mothership can't go down.

Wendy Green: 00:05:02

That's right.

Christina Daves: 00:05:04

But my husband and I were headed to New York City. I was like, I don't think I can walk around the city.

And my husband, my son, was playing hockey at the time, and one of the dads was an orthopedic surgeon. So I called him on Sunday. I'm like, eric, I got a big problem. I think I broke my foot. Can you get me in? So he squeezed me in on Monday morning.

Sure enough, it was broken, and he put me in a boot, you know.

Wendy Green: 00:05:26

One of those great, big, ugly black boots. Right.

Christina Daves: 00:05:29

Awful. Yeah. That the companies think it's a really good idea to brand their company name with that big label on the boot.

So you're miserable enough, and then you're with, you know, Townside Orthopedics on there, really big. So I'm in this boot, and we're on the train, and I am Googling on my laptop, you know, medical boot accessories, medical boot fashions.

And there's nothing that's coming up because I'm gonna overnight it to my hotel room. This is how miserable I am in the boot. And my husband says he could see the light bulbs go off again. Once an entrepreneur, always right, Right.

I'm gonna design a fashion line. For them, of course. Right. Why not? And I did, because I was.

And it's funny for everybody who's watching, you know, if you've been in a boot, you see all the other people around you in a boot.

Wendy Green: 00:06:20

That's right.

Christina Daves: 00:06:21

Just started asking women, what if you could. What if you could make it fashionable?

Wendy Green: 00:06:25

What.

Christina Daves: 00:06:26

What would you love that? Would that be good? And I'm just randomly talking to people on the streets of New York City and. But everybody said yes.

Wendy Green: 00:06:33

Huh.

Christina Daves: 00:06:34

Came back. And we had a seamstress in our neighborhood who was, well, in her 80s. Katie. Everybody used her for curtains and hemming and everything.

Like, Katie, I have this idea. We need to. We need to create a pattern like, how can this fit all these different size boots?

And we used a lot of spandex and just came up with a pattern that we sent to a factory. And with that, cosmetic designs was born.

Wendy Green: 00:07:02

So was it bejeweled or just slipped.

Christina Daves: 00:07:05

On over the boot or it actually Velcroed on?

So what we found is that, you know, every boot, just like a ski boot, you know, the ski boot you clip, but under that clip of a medical boot is a piece of fabric that Velcro would stick to. This took a lot of trial and error. So using spandex or, you know, stretchy fabric.

Wendy Green: 00:07:27

Right.

Christina Daves: 00:07:27

And. And Velcro, which is. I don't know what the. The generic name is, but everybody knows Velcro.

And you could just stick it underneath the hook of the boot. And then, you know, we had flowers that you could put on the boot. Very Sex in the City.

There was a little Velcro strap that would go on your medical boot strap. And then we did fur cuffs on the top. Oh, pretty nice Velcro with different sizes. But what I found is how many people are in boots permanently?

I'm thinking six weeks, eight weeks. You break your foot, you have surgery. No, there are a lot of diabetics.

And I mean, I can't tell you the letters that I got from people who, you know, you're talking about doing something with purpose, where this changed their lives. Because, like, I've. I've been in two boots for 10 years and I'm miserable. Gosh.

Wendy Green: 00:08:19

Wow.

Christina Daves: 00:08:19

Something. Yeah.

Wendy Green: 00:08:21

So how did you get the word out?

Christina Daves: 00:08:23

Well, this is how the whole PR business started, you guys. This is. What is it? Necessity is the mother of invention. So I. I invented a product. Hey, I owned a retail store. I know how to sell stuff.

Wendy Green: 00:08:37

Uhhuh.

Christina Daves: 00:08:38

Well, I made a mistake, A. A huge mistake, thinking that doctors would Sell it. That was my whole business plan. Okay.

Now you go to your doctors and you see, you know, lotions and potions and all kinds of stuff because they're not making any money like they used to, you know, the insurance.

Wendy Green: 00:08:56

Right, right.

Christina Daves: 00:08:57

But I was a little too early. Yeah. So shift. I ended up on the Steve Harvey show. It, it was a fluky thing. I, I, you know, again, doing PR or starting to do PR to, to get this out.

I guess I forgot to mention I had hired a consultant.

Wendy Green: 00:09:17

Okay.

Christina Daves: 00:09:17

Basically stole $24,000 from me.

Wendy Green: 00:09:20

Oh, no. Yeah.

Christina Daves: 00:09:22

And when the time came, the contract was up. He had done nothing, I thought, you know, and sadly, I think many of us have been there. But I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for that. So.

Wendy Green: 00:09:37

Nice.

Christina Daves: 00:09:37

I had to teach myself pr. I had to teach myself, how do I get this product out there? And, and I went to the library and kind of taught myself pr.

they're like emails from the: 1980

Wendy Green: 00:09:59

Right.

Christina Daves: 00:10:00

Not, look, it's not modern at all, but it's very effective. So there was a query in there that said, do you have a product you want to take to the next level? Parentheses, national tv.

I was like, well, heck, yeah, I do. So I, I wrote back, this was in August. And I didn't hear anything. And I'm, I'm trying to figure out, you know, I, I was banking on the doctors.

All the doctors said no. I had manufactured, I had to manufacture overseas. This is before 3D printers and before you could do kind of small batch stuff.

I mean, I had a container of medical boot fashions in a warehouse.

Wendy Green: 00:10:39

Yeah.

Christina Daves: 00:10:40

We had mortgaged our house. I'm like, how am I going to do this?

Wendy Green: 00:10:43

I just sell some.

Christina Daves: 00:10:45

So didn't hear. And then I hit, kind of hit rock bottom. I'm like. And I remember it so vividly. It was a Tuesday night. I'm crying my eyes out.

I'm like, what else can I do, universe? I, I have a good person. I've worked so hard. I have tried everything. And it's like, no, no, no, no.

And that morning I woke up and, and they said, we got your query. Now this is three months later.

Wendy Green: 00:11:09

Three months.

Christina Daves: 00:11:10

Yeah. So. So we need a video about the product by 10 o'.

Wendy Green: 00:11:16

Clock.

Christina Daves: 00:11:17

Okay. I'm a mom. I had two kids in school. I Gotta make lunches, athletic bags, you know. Hello, moms. You know what this is like, what do I do?

So I had applied to Shark Tank earlier in the year.

Wendy Green: 00:11:32

Oh, you did?

Christina Daves: 00:11:33

Actually got. I did. I got all the way through to the end. Wendy. I had my outfit picked out for the show.

Wendy Green: 00:11:38

Oh my gosh.

Christina Daves: 00:11:40

And I got axed. It was season two because somebody had been in season one with a cowboy boot add on. And they thought it was too similar. So yeah, I was.

That shattered me. That was.

Wendy Green: 00:11:54

Yes. I mean like how many times can you hear no right?

Christina Daves: 00:11:58

And keep going and big Note and that's one. I mean now Shark Tank's been whatever, 20 seasons, you know, it's three seasons in a year. But back then that was going to be my life changing.

Wendy Green: 00:12:08

Yes.

Christina Daves: 00:12:08

That was going to do everything for me. They would have laughed me off the show. I didn't have sales. I didn't have.

Wendy Green: 00:12:14

Oh yeah, they would have asked you all those questions.

Christina Daves: 00:12:16

Yes. And I would have not done well. But anyway, so. But I had that video. So I'm like, oh my gosh.

So I literally pulled the video up, took out the intro to Shark Tank and just sent them what I had left. Like that was it.

Wendy Green: 00:12:30

Perfect.

Christina Daves: 00:12:30

So they called that night and I'd been emailing back and forth and my husband and I were at the high school booster club. He ran the booster club. We were at a meeting and we walk out in the parking lot. My phone rings.

It's the producer, she's like, we'd love to have you on the show. And I was like, oh my gosh. Great. When? Tomorrow. You're flying out tomorrow? What's the name of your. On your license and your airport of choice?

Wendy Green: 00:12:56

Oh my gosh.

Christina Daves: 00:12:57

Yeah.

Wendy Green: 00:12:57

And this was. Which show was this gonna be?

Christina Daves: 00:12:59

This is Steve Harvey.

Wendy Green: 00:13:00

The Steve Harvey Show.

Christina Daves: 00:13:01

The Steve Harvey Show. So my husband's like, go, I'll figure it out. Just go. So I, I go home, I've got to pack everything. I gotta pack the boots, this stuff.

And I didn't quite know that. I thought it was like a Shark Tankish kind of show. So I got there and there were six contestants competing to be Steve Harvey's top inventor. And the.

We were Vi and didn't know till we're in there. They do your makeup. I'm in the makeup room. They're like, it's for twenty thousand dollar prize.

And hurry up and come up with your one minute elevator pitch. Like I'm scared enough to be on tv. What do you mean that I have to do this.

Wendy Green: 00:13:42

And you probably had it from Shark Tank, but you go blank. At that point.

Christina Daves: 00:13:46

I was so scared. I called my friend who's a hypnotist. I'm like, brian, can you hypnotize me? I can't do this. Like, I can't do this. And he gave me the best advice.

I'll tell this to everybody who, because publicity will change your business at any age, whatever you're doing. He said, christina, nobody on that show wants to see you fail. Nobody watching the show, nobody in the audience.

And they had a studio audience and, and I caught a woman, beautiful, probably 65 year old black woman, in a red sweater with just shimmering eyes that just shined on me and said, you'll be okay. And I focused in on her and I still can see her clear as day. And that was a long time. But I, I won. I won, I won $20,000. I had no money.

It put me on the map. I ended up pitching. I was on three times in a year on the same show, same show because I had updates. Diana Ross wore my product.

Wendy Green: 00:14:43

Oh, no.

Christina Daves: 00:14:46

People ask, the worst anyone's going to say is no. That's, that's. You asked me the other day, you're like, how did you get your podcast on tv? I'm like, I asked. I. And I get a lot of no's.

You have to have thick skin.

Wendy Green: 00:15:55

Well, that's it. You learned a lot from all of the no's that you got, right?

Christina Daves: 00:15:59

Yeah, yeah. And it just builds, you know, to, to where I am today, which is a point where I'm, I'm not scared to try something new.

Wendy Green: 00:16:08

Yeah.

Christina Daves: 00:16:09

Might not work. I wasn't sure about the podcast, but it's doing great.

And you know, we have so many tools now to, to start a business for not a lot of money that, that you can go for it and see what happens.

Wendy Green: 00:16:24

So do you think, Christina, that, you know, you'd had a business, you're over 50, you have some life experience. Do you think that was a help or maybe a mindset, you know, oh my gosh, I'm too old to do this hindrance.

When you were starting, starting this new business.

Christina Daves: 00:16:43

Yeah, it's, it's really funny that you say that because I have been very fortunate to interview some really successful older women who had their success in their 20s. Elise Aaron's the co founder of Kate Spade, Wendy Zomner the co founder of Urban Decay.

And a lot of their success, they will tell you, came from not knowing any better. They are just they just went for it because they didn't know, you know, they didn't know what it meant. They didn't know.

So I, I think the difference is I was talking to a girlfriend this weekend at a wedding, and, And. And she. I said, yeah. I said, terry, I feel like we're so much more confident now.

She's like, no, I just don't give a crap anymore what people think, okay? And she said a little differently. I'll. I did the PG version here for our. For our live. But she's right like that. I think that's it.

That in the not caring so much what people think about it, it doesn't hold me back. I'm like, I'm gonna try it. And I was scared to death with the podcast. I'm like, you want to talk about imposter syndrome?

Like, do I know about a podcast? How can I do this? And, hey, it's okay. It's doing okay. Some people really like it.

So, yeah, I don't think it holds me back anymore because I've really embraced it with the. Just try it. The worst. And the worst that's going to happen is it doesn't work out the way you want it to.

Wendy Green: 00:18:08

Right. And then you can always pivot or you try something else or. Yeah.

And I think if you go into it almost like you were saying, those women that you spoke to, you go into it with a beginner's mindset, you know, like, you don't have to know everything.

Christina Daves: 00:18:22

No, yeah, you should pivot. It should evolve. Nobody's going to have the perfect concept, the perfect idea, the.

I mean, nobody comes out of the gate an instant gazillionaire because they found the perfect thing. There are always iterations, and you have to be open to that for sure.

Wendy Green: 00:18:42

For sure. And, you know, I certainly have seen that with my show. Podcast has pivoted a few times over the six years. So pr.

So you go from this boot invention, fashion boots, things, to public relations, and now you have a very successful public relations company or consultancy. How did you make that transition?

Christina Daves: 00:19:10

Well, it was really funny because I was doing. Once I got on, Steve Harvey was like, this is pretty fun. I like this. And I sold a lot of product from that one appearance on the Steve Harvey Show.

So I was like, I, I. I want more of this. And I just started pitching myself. I really taught myself. You talked about my Get PR Famous formula. I kind of named it.

But I figured out a process in a system that works. So I kept doing it. And in the first Year of business, I was in 50 media outlets, which was Steve Harvey, the Washington Post, Fox tv, NBC tv.

Like, it just.

Wendy Green: 00:19:46

I just out paying for any of them.

Christina Daves: 00:19:48

Didn't pay anything. I didn't pay a PR firm. I didn't. I did this all by myself. And I'm not a communications major from college. I'll just lay the playing field where it is.

I was political science and German.

Wendy Green: 00:20:02

Okay, okay.

Christina Daves: 00:20:04

Never worked in a PR firm. You know, entrepreneur, had a retail store. So I, I really had zero background in pr. Zero. But I, I figured it out. I read a lot of books. I.

A lot of TR there. Well, then I would go to these entrepreneurial conferences, you know, with my boot, talking about my boot, and everyone's like, forget the boot.

How are you doing that? How. How are you doing the media? Because small business owners can't afford PR firms. They. And. But they have great stories to tell.

So everybody was like, figure out how you can start a business for this. And literally at a conference, I wanted it to be PR for everyone, which I now own that domain too. But what was available was PR for anyone.

And in a conference on GoDaddy, I bought the domain and I, I put an ask out to the universe. When I got back, I'm like, again, imposter syndrome. Hey, this worked for me. I helped a couple friends. It helped for them, but.

So I did this ask to the universe to, to go to New York and interview people. I interviewed a producer from the Oprah Winfrey Show, Peter Shankman, who founded Help a Reporter Out. Everybo said, yes, everybody.

My friend's dad had run communications in the White House. He did an interview with me. So it kind of was this platform that then I had all this credibility around me that, hey, I think this is what works.

But all these professionals are going to tell you, this is what works. And with that, it was born. And I just do a lot of speaking and it's training. It's basically DIY pr. It's. How can you be your own publicist?

And forever, not just for. For a finite amount of time, but how can you constantly pitch? And that's what I do. I'm on TV twice a month now, at least. I started freelance writing.

So I'm in major publications. Southern Living, Newsweek, Business Insider. Because I pitched, I asked. And yeah, it worked.

Wendy Green: 00:22:11

My dad had pr, an advertising company. And yeah, okay, that's what he always said. You know, you just got to keep asking. I mean, what's the worst that happens? People say, no, no.

Christina Daves: 00:22:22

And you guys Aren't going to say yes to everything. And it's funny now that I.

The podcast is getting really popular and my writing is out there, I'm getting pitched like my mailbox is full of pitches and I look at it, I'm like, these are terrible.

Wendy Green: 00:22:36

I know, aren't they?

Christina Daves: 00:22:37

I know.

Wendy Green: 00:22:39

Do you even know what my show is?

Christina Daves: 00:22:42

And my favorite is I am such a fan of your show. I listen to it all the time. I would be a great guest. And for those of you who don't know my show, I only interview women over 50.

139 episodes, only women over 50. And this will be like a 30 year old man, right?

Wendy Green: 00:22:58

I know, I get those. And you're like, oh, please, no.

Christina Daves: 00:23:01

Right?

Wendy Green: 00:23:02

Not what I'm talking about.

Christina Daves: 00:23:03

Not me.

Wendy Green: 00:23:04

But it is interesting when you first start getting those pitches, you're like, oh, my people find me.

Christina Daves: 00:23:09

Right?

Wendy Green: 00:23:10

Yeah. So, so do you.

When you talk to people in your PR business, do they come to you because they have a product, they want to start a business, but they don't know what to start, or they have a service and they want to pitch that? I mean, how do you go about that?

Christina Daves: 00:23:30

Most people want to be known.

Wendy Green: 00:23:32

Okay.

Christina Daves: 00:23:32

And that's why, like my platform is, is really called established to known. So they have a product, they have a service, they know it's good, they good, but the world doesn't know about them.

I say my ideal client is the world's best kept secret. And, and when I say that, when I speak and you know, I'm like, how many of you feel like you're the world's best kept secret?

And everybody goes like, how did you know? Like, because it's everybody.

Wendy Green: 00:24:00

Yeah. So, so what's the steps? How do you take them? Kind of through getting known.

Christina Daves: 00:24:07

Yeah. So I always start local and, and if you live in New York, I'm sorry, that's the number one market. It's going to be tough.

But I started in dc, which is the number six market, and I've done okay. You have to have a good. A good story, a good, timely, relevant story. And with that. So I have a. That Get PR Famous formula is three steps.

You want to be newsworthy, you want to create a great hook, which is your subject line. Because if you don't have a good subject line, forget it. And then you need to find the right journalist.

I remember finding someone at Forbes that had nothing to do with entrepreneurship or products or anything. And I was like, oh my gosh, I'm going to pitch them because they'll forward it on and they're not going to forward it on.

Wendy Green: 00:24:50

Yeah.

Christina Daves: 00:24:51

So that newsworthy is the first piece, you know, what is relevant to and it could be a launch, it could be, you know, what's happening in the world. You know, right now it's, it's near Thanksgiving. Do you have something related to the holidays?

You know like I'm, I'm pitching that I'll be on in December. I don't remember exactly what I'm going to do, but it's, it's perfect. Holiday gifts for the active mom or grandma in your life.

So you know, for that fit, health conscious person in your life who has everything, what can you get them so that that's timely because it's related to the holidays. You know, you wouldn't pitch that in July. And you always want something timely and relevant. So you get the yes or the no.

If it's what we call Evergreen, that could be a anytime story. They might file it away.

Wendy Green: 00:25:40

So do you have a product still? Are you still doing the boot?

Christina Daves: 00:25:43

No, no, no, no. I sold that. That is done. I went to a hospital system which was perfect and no because this, the PR stuff really took off and that.

Wendy Green: 00:25:54

Really kind of lights you up.

Christina Daves: 00:25:56

Yeah, yeah. The say I'm not a salesperson. I was never good at trying to sell the boot product to the doctors and then I had the boot manufacturers involved.

But again I was too early. I was just, I was just a little bit too early. It did fine. It just wasn't, it wasn't my billion dollar idea like I thought it was going to be.

But it was good.

Wendy Green: 00:26:15

Yay. Hey, it was good enough and you won the award and you sold it and hey all and I launched.

Christina Daves: 00:26:21

It was my business stepping stone to where I am today. I wouldn't be where I am today if I didn't have that.

Wendy Green: 00:26:29

So are you imagining that this PR business is going to now take you into the next 10, 15, maybe 20 years? Yeah.

Christina Daves: 00:26:39

. I love my Tick tock. I have: 13000

So I'm you know just trying to give advice on next chapters reinvention, you know, doing a lot more user generated con content for brands and products trying to attract 50 plus year old women. I still take some private clients And I still do speaking on it. It's more of a visibility platform now. It's okay. It's everything.

It's pr, it's social media, it's writing, it's podcasting. There's so many things we can do to get our voice out there doesn't just have to be pr.

Wendy Green: 00:27:34

Right. And we all need. We all need the help and we all need to be doing that, that we are still relevant and involved and engaged and have things to say.

So when you give advice, okay, I say I come to you and I say, Christina, I really need to get help with getting this business known. You know the coaching side of it. Right. The podcast is doing great. Getting the coaching out there.

I'm like, timely, you know, like, what do you, what do you say about coaching? Coaching is evergreen, right? You can use coaching anytime. So there's.

Christina Daves: 00:28:11

But you really have to go into. For example, I think it's August 21st is National Grandparents Day.

So that's a very timely date for you to pitch about being an active grandparent or how do you. And I don't know exactly what your coaching is, if reinvention or. But that's a great day. You should write that on your calendar next year.

That's a perfect thing to pitch. There are a lot of days like that on the calendar and the media loves that. Yeah, they love that. Okay.

I'm working with a client who was a huge designer in LA and had a horrific, horrific motorcycle accident, was in a coma for a long time, lost her eye. She has no short term memory. And how she's rebuilt her life. And so we. So I was doing her calendar and there's like national PTSD month. Brain brain.

Or is it tbi?

Wendy Green: 00:29:08

Trauma.

Christina Daves: 00:29:08

Brain Brain trauma, Brain injury month. So we. I found all these things. Oh, and while she was. Came out of the coma, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. So another.

You know, you hear so many breast cancer stories, but you don't hear that story. So building out what that looks like. What are, you know, the various holidays or seasonality related to people over 50, people over 60.

Wendy Green: 00:29:32

Yeah. So I want to talk about your podcast. I had so much fun. Okay. I had so much fun being on that.

And I know you have some amazing women that you've spoken to and great stories that you've told. I wonder if you see like some similarities and some of the stories of what brought somebody to that next reinvention.

Christina Daves: 00:29:53

Yeah, most of the time it's. There's a need. They need something. Angel Cornelius, who founded Maison 276 which is a hair product for silver and gray haired women.

And she's this, this gorgeous woman with this gorgeous gray curly hair. I mean she's stunning. But she couldn't find any products for it. It was just. She'd use the purple shampoos which, you know, it's.

If, I don't know if you've ever used purple shampoo.

I know with my daughter, I mean if you don't do it exactly like the instructions say and you have the exact right things in your hair, it's going to be a debacle. So she was, she mixed things in her kitchen, figured it out. She's 57 years old. She's a big healthcare administrator for a huge pediatric clinic.

And then her friends are noticing her hair. Like angel, you look fabulous. Like, your hair looks so great. Can I have some? So she started selling to friends, she started telling more friends.

So she opens an Etsy shop. And then all of a sudden her kitchen is too small for the demand.

Wendy Green: 00:31:00

Okay.

Christina Daves: 00:31:01

And she had to make the decision. I think she was 60 when she finally decided to retire from her corporate job, which is all she knew and you know, go to a.

What's it called, like a packing house where somebody else would actually do it. And it was her product. She wasn't white labeling it. It was her, her ingredients. And she's in Walmart, she's on qvc, she's on Amazon.

She's, you know, she's, she's built a brand like it's huge and it's just amazing. And she's 67 now. So she started 10 years ago.

Wendy Green: 00:31:36

Yeah.

Christina Daves: 00:31:36

Mixing. And she's incredible.

Wendy Green: 00:31:39

So what advice would you say to somebody that, you know, they've got this little side gig going on and it's starting to take off. Like that's hair shampoo.

Christina Daves: 00:31:48

Yeah.

Wendy Green: 00:31:49

Like, where's that moment when you say, all right, I'm ready to go for it.

Christina Daves: 00:31:55

Well, and, and a lot of the women that I talk to, it's. It just kind of happens where, you know, you're at that. You're at that cusp and you can stay here. Status quo.

Where you're at your job and you're getting your paycheck and everything's fine and this can stay right where it is or you can take the risk. And, and again, it doesn't have to be a huge financial commitment. For, for example, for angel, it was more time. You know, she had to give up.

She's working and she was working a lot. 50, 60 hours a week. So what if she took those 50, 60 hours and put it into Maison 276, which is what she did, and she exploded the brand.

Wendy Green: 00:32:34

Fantastic. So do you find that there are certain types of people that are better prepared to take that risk? The more entrepreneurial personality type?

Christina Daves: 00:32:48

That's a good question. And I don't know. I think it's just really the. The person who. Who really believes in what they have.

That for some reason, that just sparked me that my first interview on the show was somebody who became a friend, and she was the former executive producer of the Today show. And she left the Today show because of menopause. Basically, she was dealing with menopause. She was a late mom. Her son was in high school.

She was missing out on a lot of that. And. And she's like, I. I want to tell the world about menopause.

And she went and she started trying to raise money for it, and everybody said she was crazy. Nobody's going to listen to you. Nobody cares about menopause.

Well, years now, I think it's four years later, she was the co executive producer of the M Factor film, which has blown up. I don't know if you've watched it or not, but it's all about it. Oh, my gosh. It's fabulous. They got every top doctor.

She partnered with Tamsen Fadal, who was in New York City. She was a Fox anchor. And it's. It's.

I've watched Tamson grow because when they first started doing it, I think her Instagram was 40, 000, and now she's at like 1.2 million.

Wendy Green: 00:34:00

Oh, goodness.

Christina Daves: 00:34:01

So they knew in their hearts that women want to talk about menopause. Women want to understand it and not shove it under the rug. And again, that was just. They just went for it. They just went for it.

They just kept talking and talking and talking to people to see who believed in this, too. And, you know, they've got Halle Berry and all these, you know, really big names and the top doctors on menopause in their documentary.

And now they're doing a prequel to one about perimenopause. And I'm sure that's gonna do just as well. Yeah, so. So again, it's kind of if you have a passion for something.

Wendy Green: 00:34:40

Yeah.

Christina Daves: 00:34:40

I think you're gonna figure it out. I think you're. You're gonna figure it out.

Wendy Green: 00:34:46

So I'm thinking of how I would answer this, but what would you say is one of the things that you run across that really kind of Stop people from taking that leap that go to that next step.

Christina Daves: 00:35:00

Oh, probably fear. Just fear. I. I go through it all the time. Imposter syndrome. I. I'm like, who. Who wants to listen to me? Like, why? And I remember I had a coach when I.

Before I did the podcast, because I really wasn't sure what direction. I knew I wanted to do something for this, women over 50, but I really didn't know what.

And I said to her, I said, but, you know, if Jennifer Aniston or Reese Witherspoon wants to do the same thing, they're gonna blow up with it. You know, why. Why doesn't I get that you want to hear Jennifer Aniston talking about. Exactly.

But she said to me, she's like Christina, but they're not reality to 99% of us. You can speak to all the other women just like you. You know, if I. I mean, I love Jennifer and Jennifer Aniston.

I love Reese Witherspoon, but I probably don't have a lot in common with there. There are many less zeros in my bank account. I don't.

Wendy Green: 00:35:58

And they're probably just nice people. You would love them anyway, I'm sure. But it's. I. Yeah, but they're not us to.

Christina Daves: 00:36:07

You know, I mean, they look fabulous. Yeah. Do I do a little bit to touch up? Yeah, but I. I don't. You know, I don't. I don't. I don't have the means to do as everything that they do and.

Wendy Green: 00:36:19

Exactly.

Christina Daves: 00:36:19

The spas and the retreats. And I used to say, with Demi Moore, what was the movie she did, the military movie, and she looked so fabulous, like, so fit. I was like, yeah.

If I had a professional cook and somebody, you know, fitness instructor in my home, I look like that, too, right? Yes.

Wendy Green: 00:36:37

Right. But that's. But I think your coach gave you really good advice. You know, we all have imposter syndrome, and. And it is true that we have things to say.

You know, we have learned some lessons, and we are relatable. Right.

Because we've made some of the same mistakes that our listeners would make, and we face some of the same fears that our listeners would face, and I think it makes it a much more relatable experience. So. Yeah.

Christina Daves: 00:37:07

And I have things. I have two adult kids, so I went through teenage years, and this is my station that I'm on here in D.C. that I love.

They're like, I just adore them all, but there's nobody who looks like me on the show. They're all Young. They're all. And I'm like, I bring a lot of wisdom and, and knowledge that. And they're great.

I. I just feel like they're all my kids, you know, they're late 20s, early 30s, and they're just so sweet. But sometimes in an interview, I can connect more with an older person because I've experienced it, something related to them. So.

So there is value in, in just being us and learned experiences. I've been married almost 30 years. There's a lot that comes with that.

Wendy Green: 00:37:59

That's true. And I think we have a different way of looking at the world, so. I love how you phrase that. Yeah. We bring a different perspective.

Christina Daves: 00:38:06

Yeah.

Wendy Green: 00:38:07

Yeah. So to get to any kind of actionable advice. If somebody wanted to start a business over 50.

Christina Daves: 00:38:16

Yeah.

Wendy Green: 00:38:17

They have an idea, they have a product. You know, what are some of the first two or three things they need to do to start thinking about branding it or getting the word out?

Christina Daves: 00:38:27

Yeah. Well, first, start small. You talk to your friends and your family. Get. Get honest feedback from your neighbors. I remember when I did cosmetic.

I did a focus group and I invited all different kinds of people.

People like parents from my kids, friends at school that I hardly knew, to my best girlfriends, to neighbors, to just a whole hodgepodge of people to get feedback. And I remember one woman was big corporate. She was a mom, one of the moms of my daughter's friend.

And she's like, I. I probably am not gonna like this. Just, Just so you know, just. And I said, that's fine.

I said, it's an anonymous questionnaire if you don't mind just, you know, answering some questions. So I. To get feedback. Will she end up loving it?

Wendy Green: 00:39:09

Oh, yeah.

Christina Daves: 00:39:10

So you don't know. But I would definitely start with that. And here's the greatest thing, you guys.

Now we have ChatGPT, which I think is just the most incredible invention of our time. I know people are afraid it's going to take away humanity and, but it doesn't think for us and it can't make us feel. So that's where we come in.

But it sure as heck can help you ideate. So you can go. And, And I, I tell this to people. I talk about this on TikTok. Like, you know, what did you love to do in your 20s? And.

And I actually did my own exercise and kind of forgot that I loved writing. I was. I wrote in my 20s a lot. I had a column, a real estate column, and I, I started writing again at 58.

Wendy Green: 00:39:56

Yes.

Christina Daves: 00:39:57

Wow. I Love telling stories. That's why I love the podcast. Well, now I get to write the stories of the incredible women.

And I'll be writing about you too, Wendy. But. But think about, what did you love to do? My aunt ran a shopping mall. That was career for as long as I can remember.

When she retired at 60, she didn't realize she was artistic. She started taking painting lessons and making jewelry, and she did that. She just turned 89, and I think she probably stopped a year ago.

I mean, she had paintings in galleries. In galleries from a shopping mall manager.

Wendy Green: 00:40:36

That's awesome.

Christina Daves: 00:40:38

So think about. That's what I was telling you. Think about what you love to do, that you want to do. Don't feel like it's something you have to do.

And I said, go into ChatGPT. You know, when I was in high school, I did this. When I was in college. I like this.

You know, even raising my kids, I always wished I could sneak away and write in a diary. I don't. Whatever that is. Or cook or recreate my great grandmother's recipes.

Wendy Green: 00:41:00

Right.

Christina Daves: 00:41:01

We met a woman in Detroit. We went to visit our best friends. They this amazing market, and this woman was there, and she had all this signage.

She had been on the Today show and Oprah and Good Morning America, and it was her great grandmother's, wasn't it? Maybe it was a cheesecake recipe, but it was like nothing. It was like a lemon pie and banana walnut and. But she. That's what she does.

And she sells out every Thanksgiving, every Christmas. So what do you love to do that could be scalable, could be doable and.

Wendy Green: 00:41:34

Right.

Christina Daves: 00:41:35

Go for it. Start small and go for it.

Wendy Green: 00:41:38

I love that. Start small, figure out what you love. That's great, Gina. Thank you. And one final question. What gets you excited to wake up each morning?

Christina Daves: 00:41:49

Oh, you know what? My kids are gone, and I'm loving my adult kids, but this podcast and. And just this whole life after 50, I feel like I have a platform.

And it's like every day, kind of, what can I do to. To grow that more? That lights me up. I get really excited about that.

Wendy Green: 00:42:11

Yeah. Yeah, that's great. Well, you keep doing it because you do a great job. And I love the stories that you shared with us. You are a great storyteller and.

And the inspiration that, you know, it's not too late. We can find our next big thing if we want to. Right? It doesn't have to. You don't have to. We don't have to. Right.

Christina Daves: 00:42:30

If you feel something stirring Go for it.

Wendy Green: 00:42:33

Yeah. So before I let Christina go, I want to tell you how you can find her. And she. Her website is Christina Daves.

So that's Christina with a C-Dave's-A V-E-S.com that will be in the show notes. But you can find out more about her and all of the shows she's on and all the writing she's doing now. So fun. The writing is fun, isn't it?

Christina Daves: 00:43:03

It is fun. I love it. I love it.

Wendy Green: 00:43:06

I also wanted to tell people about my what's keeping you stuck Quiz. And one of the things that keeps people stuck is this idea that they have this dream. But like you were talking about imposter syndrome. Oh, gosh.

Well, you know, why could I do it? How could I do it? Well, try the what's keeping you stuck quiz.

And when you get the answer your stuck type, it's going to give you five personalized emails over the next seven to 10 days that are going to have resources and ideas that will help you kind of think about what's keeping you stuck, but also more proactively, help you get unstuck. So the link for that is bitbit ly not stuck dash renewed again. That will be in the show notes. And one more thing before I let you go.

If you love to travel, listen to the only podcast dedicated to the boomer and beyond adventurer, the Ageless Traveler with Adrienne Berg. Adrienne is part of my Agewise collective group and she talks about everything from travel, health to exotic locations.

She gives you the tools to never stop traveling. So listen to the podcast and subscribe to her follow free newsletter Travel Tuesday@ageless traveler.com Christina this has been so much fun.

Thank you so much.

Christina Daves: 00:44:43

Thank you for having me.

Wendy Green: 00:44:45

And be sure to listen to Christina's podcast, Living Ageless and Bold. She really has amazing guests and they tell wonderful stories. And thank you for listening to us today on Boomer Banter.

I appreciate your trust and support in the information we share on this show. And remember, next week I'm going to do a Q and A of some of your questions.

So if you want to send me a question, you can send it to my email at wendyboomer Biz. Thank you so much. And we will see you all next week.