PASSING ON THE GOOD STUFF

I think the word mentoring is pretty boring. I prefer to call it passing on the good stuff, which from our generation to a younger one can include everything from how to put down a sexist jokester in the office to getting rid of the guilt for hiring someone to clean your house.

And there’s all that professional wisdom. My first newspaper editor convinced me that developing a personal style of writing was better than the reporting formula I learned in journalism school. Writing style is still one of my favorite things to discuss with new writers.

It is shocking to realize how quickly you go from being the fresh-faced new talent to the wise woman with institutional memory. But it’s exciting to work with younger people because it keeps you relevant, visible and in demand.

We should be proud of all that we have taken on in our professional and personal lives as women. We’re pretty wonderful role models. Some of us can remember when high school advisors declared the most dependable career choices for women were nursing and teaching. And look at us now – rock stars and CEOs and a presidential candidate front-runner.

I talked about mentoring in my Juicy Tomatoes show (www.juicytomatoes.com) this week, discussing with a few contemporaries what we have to give and what we get back when we advise, befriend and support younger women.

It may not keep you 35, but it does keep you current. And if you’re lucky they’ll share their new playlist for your iPod.
Susan

MARVELOUS, YES. MATRONLY, NEVER.

We all know women who dress to be noticed by men and women who dress to be envied by other women, but most of us after a few years on the planet start dressing for that woman in the mirror. Or that woman you suddenly come across reflected in a store window.

I have a friend who always wears red silk when she's anticipating a rough day, like going into the clinic for some scary, important exam or facing off with a difficult employee.

We all have our personal Wonder Woman apparel that we draw on for strength and security. Some women will not go anywhere, even into their own kitchen to make coffee, before they have their earrings attached. I personally believe there's nothing more all-powerful than a long, snug, butt-cupping pair of jeans.

Fashion is an art, a sport and sure, an indulgence, but it's also a way of celebrating yourself. When we get past caring how we look, it's a slippery slope to shapeless sweaters and serviceable shoes.

Brenda Kinsel and I talk about styling a Tomato in this week's Juicy Tomato radio piece at http://www.juicytomatoes.com. Brenda is an image consultant in the Bay Area and author. Her latest book is Brenda Kinsel's Fashion Makeover: 30 Days to Diva Style. Listen to her and you'll never wear that lumpy denim skirt again.

DOES THE JOB STILL WORK?

I’ve been a newspaper reporter since I graduated from college and we learned our craft on typewriters. I joke that I will keep writing until I fall face down onto my laptop. I’m not sure if I simply found my career niche early or I’m just not very imaginative because I never came up with anything else I wanted to do.


But I know a growing number of women who have switched occupations, started new businesses, gone back to school at an age when others would be thinking more about early retirement than re-inventing themselves.

Ours is the first generation of American women who have made career an essential part of our lives. More than 60 percent of Boomers say they’re planning on working past the traditional retirement age. For those of us who stay in the same profession, it means keeping up with the technology and remembering the passion that got us into this field in the first place.

In this week’s Juicy Tomatoes radio show I talked to five women about career. And what keeps them packing their briefcase every morning. Tell me what about the job that still works for you.
Susan
www.juicytomatoes.com

GRAY PRIDE

It’s being called the Gray Wars, although the battle is more within ourselves, rather than on the streets - that big decision to cover the gray or not. Since more than 60 percent of American women color their hair today, gray hair is actually considered the unconventional choice.

That makes rebels out of those who don’t, which is kind of a nice way to spin it. Instead of women surrendering to their destiny, they are society’s mavericks: gray and proud.

I talked to four women in their 50s and 60s about what they decided to do with their hair color and why for my Juicy Tomatoes radio show. Two of them started going prematurely gray in their 30s. One of them steadfastly colored it until she was in her 50s and then decided her natural silver was more "her."

Another stayed gray through her 30s and 40s but when she hit her late 50s, opted for some honey tones.

It’s a tough call. We will know that gray is okay when we get our first commercial with the woman looking into her mirror and exclaiming. “Oh honey, come look. My first gray hair.”
Tell me what you think.
Susan
www.juicytomatoes.com