Fearlessly Facing Fifty And Beyond
The Fearlessly Facing Fifty and beyond podcast encourages women to be fearless and fabulous at any age. Let's be honest, midlife and beyond comes with change. And let's face it, we are a masterclass in reinvention. So let's fearlessly face all the “F” words” together, like fashion, fitness, finances, family, friendships, faith, failures, our futures just to name a few. Let's get fired up about aging and CANNONBALL with confidence into our "next one thing".
Hosted by Amy Schmidt, a sought-after national media expert and thought leader on a variety of topics, an award-winning podcast host, stream show host, TEDx speaker, and author (Cannonball! Fearlessly Facing Midlife and Beyond) who has appeared in hundreds of publications, podcasts, live news, tv lifestyle segments, and radio, she is ready to arm you with all the tools to move the needle on your journey.
As a former journalist, turned what she calls, a ‘trailing spouse’ staying home to raise her children, she believes her voice and action-oriented advice allows people to move the needle on their journey and make positive changes in their relationships. Through countless reinventions, at the age of 49, she knew there was more to do, and she launched her brand and podcast, Fearlessly Facing Fifty.
Get ready to CANNONBALL with confidence and begin pushing play on your next adventure. Let's GOOOOOOO!
Fearlessly Facing Fifty And Beyond
EP210: Embracing The Gray: A Conversation with Beauty Icon Claudia Fabian
Beauty icon Claudia Fabian discusses her journey from coloring her first gray hair at 30 to embracing her natural silver locks and building a second career as a pro-aging influencer.
• Getting first gray hair at 30 and initially covering it for years
• How the pandemic lockdowns sparked a gray hair revolution
• Reframing aging as a privilege rather than something to fear
• Changing "I have to" statements to "I get to" statements
• Finding confidence and peace in your 50s that wasn't possible in your 20s
• The beauty industry's problem with ignoring older women
• Using "makeup meditation" as a daily self-affirmation practice
• How women can support each other through compliments and community
• Finding inspiration in mothers and mentors who came before us
• Treating yourself as a "guest of honor" in your own life
• Finding and sharing your authentic gifts as life's purpose
Ready to FEARLESSLY FACE all the F WORDS – be inspired and encouraged?
Get a copy of Amy’s Best selling book: CANNONBALL! FEARLESSLY Facing Midlife and Beyond here
Fearlessly Facing Fifty and Beyond has over 200 episodes with inspiration and stories to age fearlessly and connect confidently to others thriving at midlife and beyond.
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Hey, fearless Friends, it's Amy Schmidt and welcome to another episode of the Fearlessly Facing 50 and Beyond podcast. So today, the F word. Let's hear the drum roll. Here we go. Yeah, we are Fearlessly Facing 50s. All right, I'm right there with this guest. And you know what? She's pretty amazing. She's an icon in the beauty world, really. And you know what? She got her first gray hair at 30. Yeah, yeah, we're going to talk about all these things. She's basically got sparkling silvers that are lighting up the world with her pro-aging encouragement. So come along for the gray hair inspiration today and meet my guest, claudia Fabian. All right, so here we are. You heard in the intro, I got a pretty amazing guest today and you know, when she went on camera and we started rolling here, I was like, wow, you look fabulous. Look at you, claudia, you look amazing.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you and thanks for having me. I'm really excited to have this conversation, which I think is so important, and you know I can talk about this topic all day long.
Speaker 1:I know, isn't it amazing. I always feel like, you know, as we age, I think to my mom a lot of times. Now I'm well into my 50s, but when I first launched my brand, you know, I was thinking back to when my mom was 50. And I remember the day because I remember kind of helping her put a pearl necklace on because she was having a 50th birthday party, and then I kind of look where I am and I'm like, yeah, and my mom passed away in 2015, sadly, but my 50s is very different from her 50s.
Speaker 1:You know, I feel I had this conversation recently with a woman and I said, you know, I think I might just have more confidence than my mom had. I think we're more confident, more confident Gen Xers. What do you feel about that?
Speaker 2:I would have to agree with that. I think that our generation has a that dichotomy of tradition and old school way of doing things and our generation has kind of broken some of those molds, thankfully, and I feel like we're paving the way for younger women to not fear getting older and I'm really happy to be part of that movement. I mean, to me it's like I said, it's a passion of mine and I can talk about it all day.
Speaker 1:And it is really a movement I want you to talk to me a little bit about, because we talk a little bit. Let's just go back a little bit here and meet Claudia when she was in her 30s and, like you know, take me back. I was reading an article. I think you maybe wrote an article, or there was a blog post or something that talked about I had my first gray hair in my 30s.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, a lot of women get gray hair in their 20s, you know, they start seeing gray hair. It's, it's nothing to be ashamed of. But I think when you're in your 20s and 30s, I mean I was working in the salon and spa industry, so it was nothing to color our hair, that's what we did, that was my occupation was working in beauty. So I've had all different color hair highlighted, you know, whatever covered the grays.
Speaker 2:And you know, when I first saw my gray hair, my dad went gray, very similar to mine, and he went gray in his 30s. But for men, you know, when I first saw my gray hair, my dad went gray, very similar to mine, and he went gray in his 30s. But for men, you know, that's, yeah, it's, you know, much more acceptable. And when I first saw my gray, I was like, oh no, like I inherited my dad's gray hair. So you know, of course I colored it for many years and really thought that I would be coloring my hair until I died. Like I was steadfast, like yeah, I'm going to, you know, bury me with my roots colored. And here we are today I have a whole second career because I embraced my gray hair.
Speaker 1:Go figure, yeah so, and it looks so beautiful and I see more and more women, I mean I don't want to say it's a trend, but I do see more and more women, maybe since 2020.
Speaker 2:I think 2020 did definitely sparked people not having access to hair salons. So, yes, they started to embrace their gray and thought you know what? I kind of like this, and so I think that definitely was the start of it, but I think, even more recently, with celebrities starting to embrace their gray, now it's really even more so catching on, which I think is wonderful.
Speaker 1:It's fabulous. So, you know, let's talk about aging, because there's a lot around pro-aging and you know all of that type of thing, and I love that because aging is such a privilege, right. I mean, every day we wake up and it's like this is amazing. But there's so many people and there might be people listening right now or that are watching and are saying, man, I just I'm really frustrated. I'm frustrated because I get up and I'm slower out of bed. You know, I have a little bit more tenderness in my joints. I look in the mirror and I see, you know, it's like woe is me every day, and there are parts of me too that some days it's like all right, I would rather stay in bed and I just don't want to tackle this today. But I get up, get dressed, get going. You have to. But for those that are listening and are really struggling, give us some tips on how we can just age fearlessly and boldly. Age fearlessly and boldly.
Speaker 2:Well, I will start the conversation by saying granted, we don't love everything about getting older. I mean, I think you know let's just call it what it is I mean, a lot of it is amazing, but a lot of it sucks. You know, you kind of see your old self slipping away physically. Yes, you have sore joints. You know, you're maybe in menopause. That's a whole nother podcast episode. But yes, let's remember, this is what I tell myself. Let's remember I didn't love everything about being young either.
Speaker 2:Every decade has its gifts and challenges, and so what was was right, we lived it, we had a good time. This is a new era. So, rather than trying to compare it to what was, appreciate it for what is. There are so many gifts that come with age, things that I now would not trade for. Perk your boobs. Let's just say that, right, yeah, yeah, love it. Let's just say that right, yeah, yeah, love it.
Speaker 2:My confidence, my sense of really knowing who I am, my you know, my peace that I have now at this stage in life, I would not trade that to go back to my 20s or 30s Now, that's not to say that there weren't great things about being 20 and 30. But that's it. I think we have to just learn to love every decade. But that's it. I think we have to just learn to love every decade. And that's really why I named my Instagram page the Beauty Debut, because I think beauty is different in every decade and we kind of reveal and debut a new version of ourself every decade.
Speaker 2:So I think again, rather than trying to hold on to what was, appreciate what is and the gifts and yes, there are going to be some things you're like oh, my back hurts now. Oh, I can't, you know, I can't run as fast as I used to, or whatever it is that you're lamenting about but I think that it's important to remember that, yeah, that happens, it's part of life. You know, aging is part of the life experience. This is a life experience we're having, and I look at it that way. So I think it's more about your mindset than anything else. You know, your mindset has to be in a place of peace.
Speaker 1:I love that. It does have to be in a sense of peace. It does. And I think, right along with that mindset reframe is the fact that, you know, I had on a woman years ago on my show and she's a friend of mine, but she actually lost her son in the Sandy Hook school shooting years ago and she was on the show and she was talking about just life and reframing narratives. Narratives, and one of the things she said that is so powerful, and certainly many have said it since, is you change those? I have to's to. I get to, you know, I get to wake up, I get to do the things because I'm aging and because I'm getting older, but I get to do those and I think that goes along with what you were just saying. You know we get to do this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we are fortunate, like you said, to have this aging experience, because what's the alternative? You're not aging yeah.
Speaker 1:what's the alternative?
Speaker 2:Yeah you're not living. So this is all part of the journey and the life experience and I think that I'm enjoying this decade of my 50s immensely and I'm hoping that I'll be enjoying my 60s and whatever you know, the universe has in store for me, whatever my life path will be. But I don't like to look back. I think that's where you can really kind of get stuck thinking oh, look at me here, you know. Oh, look at my skin, look at this. It's like what is the point in that?
Speaker 1:it kind of steals joy from the present moment of that whole phase of life in your 20s, when you're trying to get further faster. You know you're saying I can do it by myself. I can do it so much better alone because I'm in control of it.
Speaker 1:And it'll get done right. It'll get done the right way if I do it. And then there's this narrative shift and I think, in our 50s especially, I certainly have decided that I'm going to use my resources, I'm going to collaborate with incredible women. I want to meet somebody like you, claudia.
Speaker 2:I want to learn from you and there really is a shift around that, don't you think? Yeah, I think there is. I think that again we're talking about every decade has its gifts, right. So she's in that like phase of trying to get ahead, trying to figure out life. You know, you think when you're in your 20s and 30s that you don't have a lot of time, like we have to hurry up and have all these experiences.
Speaker 2:And what's really nice is when you reach a destination in your 40s and 50s, you're like I don't know, time just feels different. And to me now, you know, this last half of my life is going to be the best half of my life and that's how I move in the world and that's how I move forward. And I'm not in a rush because I think everything happens at the right time when it's supposed to. For you and I didn't know that or didn't have that in my inner knowing in my soul when I was in my 20s You're so worried about what others think too. When you're young, you're trying to fit in as much as possible. Being different isn't always celebrated when you're in your 20s so, like I said, I wouldn't want to go back to that time. I love it for your daughter and I think it's great and she's having her own experience. But I don't envy that.
Speaker 1:Right, I would agree with you 100%. I wouldn't want to go back either. I really wouldn't. Right, I would agree with you 100%. I wouldn't want to go back either. I really wouldn't. I've learned so much more, you know.
Speaker 1:I also think there's and I'd love to get your perspective on this, because I love that there is such a spotlight on 50s and beyond, and there is, there is a spotlight right now that is shining on this generation.
Speaker 1:You know, menopausal women, perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause. It's fabulous, but there also comes along with that, I think, a sense of pressure and what I mean by that, and I hope I can articulate it properly, because I'd love to get your perspective. I kind of take it back to middle school, like if you're walking the middle school hallways and you see somebody that you know made the cheerleading squad and they're a straight-A student and they're doing all these things and they're student council president, everything seems to be kind of aligning for them. And then there's a few that might have acne and are a little bit more shy and they just have a problem. They just don't feel confident. I worry a bit, when there's such a spotlight on us in our 50s and beyond, that there are some that are feeling very intimidated because they're having a hard time figuring out their next. They don't want to write a book, they don't want to be in the spotlight and be an influencer, but they want to do something for them. But they get stuck.
Speaker 2:Can you see what I mean a little bit. Oh, I love that. I would have to agree.
Speaker 2:I think that when we scroll through Instagram and we see women in their 50s being celebrated, you know I will say it's kind of. There is a certain type that gets celebrated. It's tall, thin, right, thin sometimes, you know, still coloring their hair, thin, sometimes, you know, still coloring their hair. We're still, as a society, holding on to. I'm going to celebrate this person because she looks young, right, looks young for 50. Yep, and so this type of person can be celebrated because, wow, look at how she looks right, where the majority of women in their 50s aren't tall and thin.
Speaker 2:You know, we're going through menopause, you have a belly, your boobs are shifting the position of the body, you know, and I think that we, the more of us that do put ourself out there because I'm not that tall, thin person I never was, I never will be but I think when we can find people on Instagram that look like us, that we can relate to in some fashion, I think that really helps and I think the more of us that are coming forward and putting ourselves out there is really better for the whole of everybody, because aging looks different on everybody.
Speaker 2:I get critiques sometimes on social saying, oh, you've had work done, you've had this done, you know. And I think we forget in our society that everyone does age different and it's okay, it's not a right or wrong. And I think we forget too what a real aging face looks like, because we've been. I mean, there's filters, people have gotten, you know, cosmetic enhancements as they age, and so we forget what does a real aging person look like? What does a real aging, you know 50 year old or so look like? And I think it's. You know we're still a little twisted in the way that we view aging, that we're only going to celebrate those that look younger or we're only going to applaud the women that have been able to maintain a slim physique.
Speaker 1:I have to agree with you on that.
Speaker 2:I think that there's still a lot of room for change and even though we're being elevated and celebrated, marketing and the beauty industry ignores us completely. So we still have a lot of work to do. You know we don't see ourselves even in. I was shopping for clothes the other day online, and you know, shopping at a store, macy's let's just say online, there are no women our age modeling clothes, right, right, right. You know we still have a long way to go to be truly seen as not evaporated. You know you don't see any beauty ads with. You know, maybe here and there sprinkling, but overall it's, you know, an average 30 year old that's being featured, or a 25 year old. And you know that's where I'm trying to make some change in the beauty space. I love that Is how we see aging, more women being featured, and that's really, really important to me.
Speaker 1:It is. So I think I don't have a long way to go. I've got to be honest with you. I had my physical with the new doc where I'm living now and I've got to be honest. I went in. You know, you got to do the old remember the scale when they used to have to move that metal thing and it would go click, click oh it's horrible.
Speaker 2:You just wanted it to stay.
Speaker 1:Yes, you wanted to stay at the quarter and then it moved to the half and you're like, oh damn it. But anyway, I I had to, you know, be measured and you got to stand at the wall and let your shoulders down and I'm like just fingers crossed, toes crossed, I'm still five, four and a half. Come on, I'm still fine. And she goes about five, five. I was like what? Like I'm five, five. Now I'm really going to celebrate this. So it is funny, you do kind of. You know you go in and I still have a little bit of dread around the scale and things. But you know we've got to celebrate where we are and our stories, that we've got here and that's why I love what you're doing, just around pro-aging and embracing this stage.
Speaker 2:I do want to talk a bit about comparison you mentioned your daughter. She's 20, right 27. 20-year-olds are starting to be marketed to fear aging. They're telling these young women to get Botox to prevent age. That infuriates me, because when can we just be like? Even being a 20 year old isn't good enough anymore. You have to start preparing not to get, not to look older Like. I'm so glad that you know. We grew up in a time where that wasn't a thing and we got to just enjoy being 20 and it was great.
Speaker 1:Right now, it's just so much pressure on women.
Speaker 1:You think about the photos and now the social media. I mean I still have my little senior picture and people would sign it on the back Hegs have a great summer. It was like that was it? You had the little I mean. Now it is, and it is true about 20-year-olds it is. Now they're marketing Botox for 20-year-olds to be proactive for aging. It's crazy. I want to talk about, of course. Eleanor Roosevelt said comparison is a thief of joy. We've heard it a million times. How can we get past that? Because we get stuck in that trap of comparing ourselves to others. How do you move past that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think there's a turning point. It's nice to follow certain influencers or people on social or whoever it is that you get inspiration from. I think that's where inspiration is great. You know, I follow people that I'm. You know, like I was talking about fitness, right, I follow some 50 somethings that are just really into fitness and it motivates me. It's like, okay, I know I can do this. You know, maybe not to the extent that they're doing it, but it motivates me. So that's inspiration. Where it becomes negative is when you're feeling less than you're not feeling good about yourself because something, even if they're not meaning to do it you watching them makes you feel bad. That's where you have control, though. On social media, you can choose to unfollow people and nothing against them they haven't done anything wrong to you but you have to fill your feed with what? And there's nothing wrong with protecting your mental well-being.
Speaker 1:Amen, there's nothing wrong with that?
Speaker 2:That's like a life audit and a time audit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there's nothing wrong with that. Yeah, and it's evaluating.
Speaker 2:You know I had unfollowing people because they made me feel like I wasn't where I should be in life. You know Exactly.
Speaker 1:And nothing against them.
Speaker 2:They're living their best life, but for me I had to like against them, they're living their best life, but for me I had to like mute them. I had to like I can't see that right now because I'm not in the headspace where I can take that on, so I think it's totally okay to curate your Instagram or what you're letting into your space.
Speaker 1:I love that. Yeah, I always say bless them and block them. That's what I do. I mean, it just is one of those things bless them and block them because it just isn't the right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know it sounds good.
Speaker 1:Well, we're not talking about trolls. Trolls are different. Yeah right, that's different, that's different. Let's talk about your routine a little bit that it's important to have routines. Is there kind of a beauty routine that you follow, a morning routine that you can share with us and somebody listening might go? Okay, claudia, does that, I can do that.
Speaker 2:Well, here's the thing as an influencer guess what? I'm not going to even mention one product or one cream or one serum or one makeup product that you need because you don't need it. It's fun to have, but you don't need it. Makeup product that you need because you don't need it it's fun to have, but you don't need it. When I get ready in the morning, I call it makeup meditation, and I know that sounds like it doesn't go together.
Speaker 2:But all of my life taking time in the morning, whether it's just putting on a lipstick or massaging and a face cream for the day, whatever, your limits are right that is the time that I personally and I recommend this to women that's like our only, sometimes our only time to quiet our mind. You're looking at yourself in the mirror, what you say to yourself in this five minute time, 10 minute time, whatever time you have so important to set your intention for the day. So, rather than looking in the mirror and be like, oh, when did this spot appear? Or oh, look at my wrinkles. I don't do that and that has helped me mentally I look past that and I just tell myself you know, you got the day, you're beautiful, you know. Whatever I need to hear that day, or maybe in my mind. I'm kind of working through a life situation and I'm kind of working a conversation in my head how I'm going to say something. That is my meditation time.
Speaker 2:So I call it makeup meditation, you can call it skincare meditation, but this is a time to be loving to yourself. Tell yourself that you're a value, that you matter, that you count. I think that is such an important aspect in beauty and often not talked about. You know, people are selling us anti aging creams. People are selling us oh, this foundation will make your skin look good. All of that is fun. I see that as fun. I don't hold it to the value that maybe others do. I think it's more important that, as your ritual, what are you thinking? You thinking in your mind is most important, and that is the key to aging well, and what you hold true for yourself in your mind is really what shines through to other. You know that all your cells hear what you're saying. Your body hears what you're saying, so you gotta I would agree with that.
Speaker 1:It's such a challenge, claudia. It's such a challenge for so many to treat ourselves as a guest of honor. You know it is. I say it all the time. You've got to treat yourself as a guest of honor. When you have people in your home, you welcome them with love and kindness and generosity and all of those things, and we don't do it for ourselves. And now we've earned this part of our journey. I mean, we've earned this. We've earned. We should wear this aging as a badge of honor because it's pretty fabulous. But you're so right Just to take a few moments every day and just be present with yourself where you are in the moment. I love that. I think that's a great takeaway for people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and to me that's the best beauty advice I can give. It's not about what you're putting on, it's really what you're telling yourself. And it took me a long time to learn that this wasn't something that I just have always known. I was very hard on myself and my youth and criticizing myself and putting myself down, and I think maybe someone out there can definitely relate to that. But there came a time in my life where and it really was, as I've embraced this aging, you know, really at the when I turned 50, it's just like something really happened, shifted and I just started saying enough, enough of this like this is not serving me and it really has changed my life.
Speaker 2:It really has changed the way I see aging and the way I see myself and the way I feel about myself.
Speaker 1:And it shows. It shows how you carry yourself and that's so important. You know, it's just that you're a beautiful woman and you can tell beautiful inside and out. And following you on Instagram, which you know everyone that's watching and listening will. I'll have that on the episode notes, but I think it's just so encouraging for us because we need to have each other's back. I would love for you to walk me through. You mentioned earlier in this conversation that there have been times when there's been comments. I mean you're an influencer, people are looking at you and they're judging. You know they're all judging. I mean everybody's a judger at some point. They're judging you, they're judging this, they're judging that. How do you get your inner cheerleader back when your inner critic is really, really loud and you're looking at comments that people are putting and you're going? I mean those have to affect you.
Speaker 2:Sometimes they sting when it comes from other women, when it's criticizing, you know, your gray hair or your choices about aging. But I think what I've learned about people being on social media is it's really more about them than it is about you. Sometimes people are triggered and that triggers their own ageist views or it triggers their own self hatred and they kind of spew it back at you. So I've learned just to really let most of that roll off. I mean, there's some days they get me and I'm like you know, back at them Because I'm human.
Speaker 2:You know right? Yeah, overall, I let it roll off off and I leave the comments there. I don't delete them because, good for you, let others see what they're about, because I think, yes, we do judge each other and it's OK to scroll and you see something. Maybe you're like, oh, that looks terrible, look at her outfit, I don't like it. But you know what? What? What healthy people do is they keep scrolling. You know to to stop, to take time to put something mean on. Another woman's post to me says a lot more about them. If something isn't resonating with you, keep scrolling. Again, you're the curator of your Instagram, so you can decide what you want to see.
Speaker 1:Right, you want the power there, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you know haters or trolls, whatever you want to call them, when they leave mean comments, I laugh to myself because I'm like guess what? Now you're going to start seeing more of me and more women my age, because the algorithm says oh, you're engaging with this, you like this, Let me show you more. So I think it's hilarious, so go ahead comment, comment all you want.
Speaker 1:So last two questions what's really inspiring you right now? Is there something, someone that's really your inspiration right now?
Speaker 2:Well, you know, funny enough, I think my inspiration and I'm so blessed comes from my mother. My mother is always been my inspiration. You know, I am very fortunate to have such a close relationship with my mom and she inspires me Because I feel that, you know, now I appreciate her so much more than I did when I was a young woman.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I know your daughter is going to feel that way about you as she gets older and has more life experience. And you know I love just sitting and talking with my mom and really seeing her not as my mom but as a woman that went through life, had struggles, you know, had to find her way, and I take inspiration from learning about her journey and really seeing her as a person, not just seeing her as my mom and you know, with the expectations we put on our mom, I'm just seeing her as Rosemary you know, as who she is and really appreciating the sacrifices and things that she did in her life to make my life better. So she is my inspiration.
Speaker 1:Oh, do I love that. What a gift. What a gift. You know it's funny. My mom sadly passed away in 2015. And I miss her so much. I had a woman on last week we were talking about. I asked her the question. I said she had lost her mom recently and I said do you still talk to your mom? Because I talk to my mom every day.
Speaker 1:And there was that point, like you just said, in your relationship and I remember it in my relationship In my 20s. It was like oh yeah, she's always going to be there, mom's always going to be there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she doesn't know what she's talking about.
Speaker 1:Mom, stop, yeah, yes, she knows nothing, basically. And then there's that shift. And what beautiful words. I will have the production team here send a special thing to you about that, because I want you to always remember the things you just said about your mom, because they were so beautiful, and I want her to be able to hear that, because she will, oh, that will resonate in ways that you, that's a gift to her you've just given. That is just incredible. So thank you for sharing that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I, you know, and for those I know, not everyone has that kind of relationship with their mother, so I don't want to put that, you know, to make anyone feel bad. Again, you know, not comparing, you know, but I think we all have somebody that's a mentor in our life, another woman, you know. I feel like we don't get to where we are in life without help, you know, whether it's from a teacher, whether it's from your best friend that you were blessed with. You know, a sister. There's another woman in your life somewhere that took out a hand and said here, let me help you up, let me show you or let me give you some guidance, and to me those are the women that are inspiring. They're kind of like the unsung heroes. I think. You know, we could easily point to a celebrity or point to you know somebody like that, but there's, there's stars in our lives that we overlook.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, and I think we should hold the door open with our heel and open it for that next woman to pass through, because I think that is so important. Oh, Claudia, I love spending time with you. I could talk forever. I love the way you you influence in a way that is very inspirational. You offer great guidance and insight and value through your words and I can tell how thoughtful just from following you and not meeting you until today your thoughtfulness and how you execute your words is a gift from God and I think that's fantastic.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you. Thanks so much.
Speaker 1:You're welcome. No, I really like, and I think, another thing at this stage of life and then I'll ask you. The final question is that we need to let women know when we admire them. So often we forget to do that or we say, oh yeah, they're really great, oh yeah, but we don't take the time to actually be intentional about it and say you know what I admire you for this. So anybody listening or watching, if there's a woman out there, just like Claudia just mentioned, there's people that help us along. We all have mentors and those people may not even know they mentor us. But you know what? If you admire someone, let them know, because what a gift that is to hear that, because often we feel very undervalued or overlooked. So let them know.
Speaker 2:We do, and don't be afraid to give another woman a compliment. I make effort when I'm out, whether I'm just at Starbucks getting coffee and I see, you know, interact with another woman. I'm like your eyes are so beautiful, you'll be surprised. People are taken aback there, you know. You could tell that maybe they're not used to hearing that or they haven't heard that in a long time. Uplift each other. You know women could tell that maybe they're not used to hearing that or they haven't heard that in a long time. Uplift each other.
Speaker 2:You know women have to look out for other women and I make a point of that and not because I'm trying just to. You know, blow smoke up someone's butt. You know I say things genuinely and I find beauty in all women. I did makeup for many years on women and I was always just so amazed that, no matter who my client was, I was always honing in on their beauty. And I'm like women just don't know how beautiful they really are and the power that they have within them. And you know, I think makeup is power. I think you know all of that can be very powerful. But it's okay to adorn yourself.
Speaker 1:You know it's okay, girl, you, yep, yep, you are my soul sister on that. I love that. I love that. So last question for you is a question I ask all my guests, and that is Claudia if you were sitting on the couch and you look over and there you are, at 30, what advice would you give her?
Speaker 2:I would let her know that everything you need to be successful is already inside of you, everything you don't need to search outward. You know, god placed all your gifts inside you on the day you were born and it's there for you to share with the world. So all you have to do is be your authentic self and share your gifts. We all have gifts and we have something to offer the world and I think again, we're trying to fit into molds as we are growing and finding ourselves and all the gifts we have are placed there and they're there for us to share. And that's really the journey of life is sharing your gifts with other people, whether it's through your word, through your food, through whatever gifts you're given. That's the purpose of life is to share that with everybody.
Speaker 1:Thank you. I love that. That is fabulous advice, fabulous advice. Thank you so much, claudia, for joining me today. Well, thanks for having me. It's been an honor. Thank you so much. You're welcome and we'll be in touch and everything will be in the show notes where you can follow along and learn more about Claudia. Thanks again, thank you.