I was one of those women who DARED. I divorced an abusive husband and left with the clothes on my back in 1986/87.

I struggled to support myself and two children after a diagnosis of schizophrenia in 1978.

Motorbikes and Mustang in parking lot behind my building

I went to University and obtained a B.A. with Distinction (1975) after my first husband was killed in a motorcycle crash. He left me with two infant children to raise and a generous insurance settlement that showed how much he cared about taking care of his family even beyond the grave.

★I started my own successful home based medical transcription company in 1999 at the age of 54 after many years of working for others.

★I began to get articles, poetry, and a play published two years ago, at the age of 65, and continue writing today.

★My first book, a young adult/middle reader Sci Fi novel, will be published this summer.

★I've finished a 110,000 word anthology of three horror novellas gleaned in some fashion from unsuccessful novels I've written over the past 30 years.

Yes, we could all use some DARE!

The following excerpt is taken from Liz Weinmann's new book, "Get DARE From Here!". It's available on Amazon.

Here's what Liz has to say about it. You can visit her on her website and find out why North Americans don't PLAY enough, either! A remarkable woman.
 

We Could We Could All Use Some Fresh DARE!
For sure, many women over 40 think about going back to college,
or becoming mothers again (or for the first time), or leaving
a corporate job for something more fulfilling. Many of them
want to venture out from the empty nest. Many need to go
back to work for the first time in many years. Some of them are
anxious; others are outright terrified. Maybe they lack the right
encouragement, empowerment and exchange with like-minded
women.
Could it be they’re discouraged, even disgusted, by epithets
about women over 40 that in any other context would smack of
profiling? How many idiotic refrains of name-calling — whether
cougars, cobras, drones, or crones — do we need to hear before
we start to believe that’s what we are? Why do myths persist
that more women over 40 obsess about being dumped, stumped
or trumped, than positive examples about those who DARE to
figure out how to move on to bigger and better opportunities?
Let’s call an END to the myths! Let’s call an END to the
biases! Let’s call an END to the stereotypes! In fact, we have
no choice, because the recession that began in 2008 issued
new mandates to millions of female baby-boomers and Gen-X
women, as follows:
• We are the first generation of women who will need to
continue working well past traditional retirement age.
• We are the first generation who will divorce our spouses in
greater numbers than any generation before us.
• We are the first generation of women who can and will
choose alternative lifestyles, independent of the financial
support of any life partner.
• In addition, the statistics persist that most women will still
outlive their male partners — many of whom have been
forced into early retirement with fewer financial resources
than they had hoped.