We are not growing older. We are growing wilder. We are the Wild Queens.
As I approached my 60th year, I felt an aliveness that I hadn’t felt for a long time. There was a sense of joy and acknowledgment that I had made it this far. I had survived the storms of my life and here I was on the precipice of a new age, a new becoming and new experiences. Gone was the insecure girl of my 20s and the rather anxious young woman of my 30s. Instead, here I am, at 65 years old, feeling that perhaps this is where the real story of my life truly begins.
It made me wonder if everything up to this point in my life had simply been a rehearsal for the woman that I have become and am becoming. I didn’t expect to feel this way. Growing up I was given messages about the “rules” of becoming an older woman.
Don’t wear your hair long, keep it short and sensible.
Don’t draw attention to yourself – what on earth would people think?
Wear clothes that minimize you – you don’t want to look like “mutton dressed as lamb.”
And yet, here I am, wearing my hair long and free, my clothes are a mix of bohemian spirit meets romantic essence. I teach, write and dance my way through life. Those old beliefs and “rules” no longer apply to me because I realized that my experience of growing older was up to me and the choices I made, the beliefs I had and the actions I took. This, more than anything, is what empowers me as a life, Body Confidence and Joyful ageing coach. I have lived it and now I teach it.
Life is full of choices and endless moments of possibility. So many choices hovering in the space around you, waiting to be filled, waiting to be claimed, owned and dreamed into being by you. What will you choose today? There are billions of paths less travelled, which ones are yours? How do you know which path and journey will lead you home? The answer is that you’re already home. The real question is how do you embody the space called you?
What is it that makes your spirit soar and your heart sing? What are the words that you long to hear and crave to say? Where are you wild, untamable and free? What is it that you and only you can bring to this world in your own unique and inimitable way?
So today, as you breathe in another moment of your life and wonder what you might do with all of these unlimited possibilities of pure potential – choose consciously, choose courageously, choose wholeheartedly and choose kindly, lovingly and with compassion.
There’s a quiet revolution underway – and it’s anything but invisible. It’s radiant, unfiltered, and fierce. Women over 60 are shedding the outdated scripts handed to them by a society obsessed with youth, and stepping boldly into a new chapter – one not defined by decline, but by deep power, unapologetic freedom, and wild self-expression.
In my book, Romancing Your Body: How to Fall Deeply, Passionately and Wildly in Love with Your Body and Your Life, I share seven promises that are vital to make to ourselves as we age. These help to truly embody the age that we are in – the age of the wild queen.
To be wild is not to be reckless. It is to be unruled. Unbound by the expectations that once tried to define you: how to dress, how to speak, how to age “gracefully” (when all you wanted was to age in YOUR own way). The wild woman listens to the wisdom of her bones. She wears what makes her feel electric, untamed, unbound and free. She says no without guilt and yes without apology. She walks her path barefoot if she must.
In her wildness, she remembers what it means to belong to herself and live her life in a way that shapes and honours her soul.
For too long, ageing has been sold as something to resist – a slow retreat from relevance, vitality, and desirability. But that story isn’t true. The 60-plus woman is not fading; she is flaming. After decades of caretaking, career-building, surviving, and striving, she now stands in her full power – self-knowing, intuitive, untamed.
Empowered ageing isn’t about “anti-ageing.” It’s about being pro-evolution. It’s about honoring the richness of lived experience and using it as fuel for a more authentic, liberated life. It’s realizing that freedom doesn’t come after the wrinkles disappear – it arrives when we stop asking permission to be ourselves.
One of the greatest gifts of this stage is clarity. Wild Queens know what they want, and even more importantly, what they don’t. Saying no becomes sacred. Saying yes becomes a dance of joy – yes to new adventures, yes to solitude, yes to creativity, sensuality, play, and purpose.
This is the time to wear the red boots, the pink taffeta skirt, dye your hair purple, start the book, join the band, or simply spend a quiet afternoon doing exactly what your soul needs. There are no more rules. The only requirement? That it feels true, authentic, light and empowering for you.
In a world that worships speed and surface, the deep wisdom of older women is radical. You’ve walked through fire – heartbreak, reinvention, grief, joy, love, loss, and rebirth. Your insight is not just valuable; it’s vital.
Empowered ageing means claiming your space as a leader, mentor, healer, artist, storyteller – whatever your version of royalty looks like. It means showing the next generation what true beauty and strength look like: not filtered, not perfect, but fully alive. Part of this for me also means sharing my own journey on Instagram and inspiring other women to rise into their own majesty and magnificence, no matter what age they are.
Perhaps the most empowering truth of ageing is this: you are not becoming someone else. You are becoming more you. The parts that were hidden, silenced, or shaped to please others now rise. The Wild Queen is not a new persona – she’s who you’ve always been, finally unmasked.
This is your time:
So, to every woman over 60: You are not growing older. You are growing wilder. And the world has never needed your magic more.
“Whose story am I still living? Whose approval am I still chasing?”
Tip: Sit down with a journal and write your own story of ageing – not the one sold by society, but the one you choose now. Include your values, your desires, and your truths.
“What makes me feel alive in my body, heart, and spirit?”
Tip: Desire doesn’t retire. Ask yourself: What would bring me joy, connection, or creative flow? Even small acts – dancing in the kitchen, booking that solo trip, trying something totally new – ignite aliveness.
Every morning, ask: “What would feel wild and free today?”
Then do one thing in that direction, however small.
“What am I no longer available for?”
Tip: Boundaries aren’t walls – they’re clarity. You’ve earned the right to be discerning. No more over-giving, over-explaining, or tolerating energy leaks.
Make two lists:
Commit to one boundary shift this week and take action on it. Start small, but mean it.
“What if this body is not a problem to fix – but a story to honour?”
Tip: Instead of fixating on what’s changing, practice reverence and gratitude. You are not becoming “less” – you are becoming legendary. Repeat out loud to yourself every morning, “This body is mine and she is enough.”
Empowered ageing isn’t about doing it all. It’s about choosing you – every day of your reign on this earth. It’s about no longer waiting to be invited or validated.
You’re already enough. Already wise. Already worthy. This is your time. Not to fade, but to flourish. Not to conform, but to expand. You are a Wild Queen – untamed, unfiltered, and unforgettable.
Because 60 is not the end of the road – it’s just the start of your reign. To go deeper into the wild queen, you may love the Wild Queen Journal. A beautiful resource of 50 potent journal prompts and empowering affirmations designed to help you:
For more inspiration and queenly coaching tips please join me on Instagram @romancingyourbody. It would be lovely to have your company and you are very welcome.
Who are you becoming now? You are not who you were at 30, 40, or 50 – and you are not finished becoming. What new version of you is emerging now?
Tags Empowerment
Great article – I just turned 65 this year and I feel like I am a new person. I’m looking forward and planning to retire in the next year. As my husband passed away a number of years ago, the children are grown, in their own homes and having their own children. I actually feel freedom to do what I want when I want to do it. I am exploring new hobbies, although landscape photography will always be my favorite hobby. I am enjoying growing my own veggies each summer and canning these items for winter use. I am looking forward to the days and months ahead to explore and enjoy my life with family and friends. I am blessed and will enjoy my destiny.
Thank you for this inspirational post! It landed at just the right time for me as I’m coming up on 70 in a few weeks. While I consider every birthday a reason to celebrate this one has caused me to take time to reflect on how I really want to spend my time going forward. It’s quite easy to let the days slip by and then look back wondering where has this year gone?
Most of us know by this point in life that “life plans” don’t always work out the way we expect. That’s certainly proven true for me. That doesn’t mean we can’t still be intentional about our choices but rather remind ourselves to be resilient and adjust course when the unexpected happens.
Having the freedom to make our own choices without worrying what others think is liberating. Finding what brings us joy is a wonderful choice even if it’s as simple as being grateful for drinking good coffee while having conversations with my beautiful plants every morning! And yes to growing our gray hair to lengths not seen since our teenage years! Here’s to celebrating women’s beauty, wisdom, and joy as we reach 60, 70, 80, 90 and beyond!
Really like your opinion Audrey.
My feelings too.
And to Astrid -wow- keeping this to do some of the ideas.
Thanks so much Carol…so glad you enjoyed the article. Have a beautiful day…warmly, Astrid http://www.astridlonghurst.com
Hi Audrey, thank you so much for your beautiful words. I am so glad that you enjoyed the article. I loved it when you wrote about life plans not always going the way we expect them to but that it doesn’t mean we can’t be intentional about our choices. Yes! I think it’s this that helps us to grow from what we encounter and to adapt and to find our own fabulous authentic way. The simple things are often the most beautiful…listening to the birds sing and as you say so well, drinking good coffee while having conversations with your beautiful plants every morning. I loved that. Thank you again Audrey. Wishing you a magical day…warmly, Astrid http://www.astridlonghurst.com