Siobhan is 62 years old. She retired from the BBC two years ago, after 30 years working as a Reporter, Presenter and Producer in News. During that time she juggled being a single mother with working full-time. When she was nearly fifty and her daughter went off to university, she took a gap year from work and backpacked solo around the world. It was then she hatched a plan to one day travel around in a motorhome when she retired. By her mid-fifties she felt burnt out after dealing with symptoms of the menopause, ageism and bullying. She realised she needed to find her escape plan. So it was in 2019, aged sixty, she bought a motorhome and embarked on her solo trip around Great Britain, to champion positive ageing and to challenge ageism and ageist stereotypes of what society thinks a retired woman does. She wants to change narratives around ageing from ANTI-AGEING to POSITIVE-AGEING. She has faced her fears and weathered severe storms and a pandemic along the way but she feels the highs and lows are all worth it. She hopes her experiences inspire women, both young and old, to embrace ageing. New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast go live every Tuesday at 7am UK time. Subscribe so you don’t miss out. You can support the mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media. Visit www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast. Show notes Who is Siobhan Learning more about her background Buying her motorhome and travelling Great Britain Her goal to promote positive ageing Having a hysterectomy at 40 Taking a gap year from the BBC and going solo backpacking around the world Feeling ageless and alive Wanting to retire and go travelling Planning her gap year with Trailfinders Going with the flow and meeting incredible people Fears and concerns before the adventure Magical moments which bring joy Dealing with change Facing each challenge and breaking it down into little bits Running marathons in her 50s Not being a planner - “My plan is to have no plan, to go with the flow and see where life takes me” Losing family members and going through the menopause Struggling with life Out of adversity comes opportunity Being a stubborn Yorkshire lass Finding a way to do things Fitness and exercise and how it’s evolved over her life Training for her first marathon and her feelings after crossing the finish line Top tips and advice for new runners who want to take on a marathon Why you are never too old for adventure What pro ageing looks like Changing the negative narrative Retirement rebellion and why its a chance to have more adventures Working on a farm for 5 weeks in Dorset Feeling liberated after selling everything Confidence around driving the motorhome Enjoying her own company Sharing her life online and blogging Writing a book?! And signing up with a literary agent Living her life by 4 values Talking about bravery Being an anti-agism campaigner Being true to yourself and age as positively as you can Why you should enjoy and embrace ageing Plans for 2022 Taking the motorhome over to Europe How to connect and follow Siobhan Final words of advice for other women What do you want to do? What would make you happy? You will work out a way to have your adventure Social Media Website: shuvonshuvoff.co.uk Blog: shuvonshuvoff.blogspot.com Instagram: @shuvonshuvoff Twitter: @siobhandaniels
