In 2004, after becoming a grandmother, Paula Usrey started an encore career as an associate professor of communication. She is also a speaker and workshop facilitator. Her topics include communication and personal life planning. In July 2017, she gave her first TEDx Talk: Your Best Life at Any Age. Please visit her website here http://visionmaps4change.com/

Latest Posts By Paula Usrey

7 months ago

Our Voices Matter – 4 Simple Steps to Gain Confidence as a Speaker

As I walked behind two professionally dressed older men, I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation. I was heading to a class that promised to address public speaking anxiety. Apparently, these two men were headed in the same direction…

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11 months ago

Irritable Male Syndrome and Other Changes in Relationships As We Age

Just between you and me, I’ve secretly been worried that my significant other and I will get on each other’s nerves after I retire. I wasn’t planning on sharing this with anyone until last week. Last Saturday, while ordering a bite…

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1 year ago

Why It’s important to Listen to Our Intuition and Inner Voice as We Get Older and Wiser

What now seems like a lifetime ago, I was a volunteer for a homeless shelter located in a questionable area in downtown Portland, Oregon. Recognizing the possibility that I could get robbed, it was my naïve habit to put my purse in the trunk…

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2 years ago

Securing Your Legacy: 3 Ways to Have an Impact After You’re Gone

As a former non-profit director, I used to help raise money for teaching and learning. One of our most successful fund-raising campaigns was a donor wall. Those who contributed a certain amount would forever have their names inscribed on a beautiful wall…

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2 years ago

Can Plastic Surgery Really Improve Your Life After 60?

After a successful keynote speech we had co-presented, my friend Susan and I celebrated over a couple of cold beers. Maybe it was the beer, or the relief I felt after delivering our presentation, but I blurted out something I hadn’t intended to confess…

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2 years ago

How to Rock the Transition to Your Next Best Life in Retirement

Some things in life are easier not to think about, like death, taxes or facing a major transition such as retirement. Fortunately, my son, a financial advisor and business owner, had one of those “Mom, let’s sit down and talk about your finances” discussions…

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3 years ago

To Be or Not to Be Invisible After 60: The Choice Is Yours

A couple of years ago I realized how easily I could become an ‘invisible’ elder if I allowed that to happen. Read More

4 years ago

New Year. New Disciplines and a New You!

It’s a new year, a new beginning. For a little over 40% of us, it means we’re in the midst of establishing goals for 2019. These include learning a new language, exercising more or losing a few pounds. Read More

5 years ago

Looking at 60 with Fresh Eyes: Is This Really the Age of Change and Opportunity?

While on break from my classes, I took advantage of a free flu shot offered through the college where I teach. When I popped into the small conference room crammed with colleagues and nervous laughter, a young 20-something woman handed me a form that I completed and returned.

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5 years ago

Women Over 60 Have the Power to Help Create a New Narrative About Aging… Here’s How

When I was young, one of my mother’s favorite television programs was I Love Lucy. In this sitcom, actress Lucille Ball played the role of a scheming housewife who often used tears to soften her husband when he confronted her ‘childish’ behaviors. Not surprisingly, my own mother behaved in similar ways. Read More