Coffee with 50 Forward Club founder Lisa Murphy
Introduction
Instagram has made a lot of changes in the last few months and frankly, they are driving me crazy - but sometimes Instagram gets it just right and shows me exactly what I need to see. Case in point - The 50 Forward Club, started by Lisa Murphy.
50 Forward Club is a place where women can get inspiration and motivation from others and be reminded of all of the incredible things that 50 plus women do, and 60 plus and 70 plus 80 plus 90 plus too! Lisa’s feed is full of wisdom and positivity and humour. It’s the tonic we need especially, on days when you’re feeling your motivation draining away.
Reading more about Lisa in a 2022 Globe and Mail article, I learned that she had also reinvented her career in her early 50s - leaving the corporate world behind to start her own digital content strategy business. I knew I needed to speak to Lisa and so I reached out on LinkedIn. When we finally got on a Zoom call - it was like talking to an old friend.
Hope you enjoy our interview as much as I did. And definitely follow the 50 Forward Club on Instagram. Link below.
Describe your career path in two or three sentences including any twist or turns ending with where you are now.
I started out as a writer and an editor before becoming an online director and branded content specialist for Canadian media brands like House & Home.
I was fully entrenched in the corporate media world and then in 2020, I did a complete 180 and became a freelance digital content strategist.
In the past, I thought freelance is the thing you do in between jobs and then I realized, no, no, freelance is actually where it's at!
Freelancing allows me to make my own schedule and I no longer have to work 10-hour days. But I still have to be disciplined to ensure my hours don’t creep up.
Working with a mindset coach, I’ve come to realize that it's not just my career that's important - it's my whole life. I wanted to craft a business that creates a wonderful life for me and also helps other people. This evolution lead me to get certified as a coach myself - an absolute departure from what I was doing before.
What decision/experience proved to be the most helpful to your career? This could include a failure that set you up for later success.
Over the years, there were times when I chose to step away from quite senior jobs. And that was scary because I didn't know what it would mean for my career. But it actually ended up just being the best thing I could have done. Because when you work for yourself and start consulting, you realise the value that you bring. And you're able to focus on work that is truly meaningful to you.
How did you come up with the idea for your business? And what made you think you could make it work going alone?
Luckily there’s a huge demand for digital content, and I knew that as a result of the wonderful relationships I’ve built over the years there were people and companies that would hire me.
What does being a freelancer mean to you?
It’s important to me to create a freelance business that also allows me to try new things and pursue different interests.
So, for example, I started 50 Forward Club on Instagram to celebrate 50+ women who are creating lives they love. And I’ve completed my coaching certification and started mindset coaching.
What advice would you give your 20-year-old self knowing what you know, now?
I would tell my 20-year-old self to drink less and be kinder to myself.
I would give myself full points for going back to school at 29 to get a journalism degree, however. I learned so much about writing and editing and it allowed me to work in media with some incredibly talented people.
How do you deal with any self-doubt or impostor syndrome?
Imposter syndrome has been a really big issue for me throughout my entire career. The coaching work I’ve been doing over the past two years has a huge difference in my life and my mindset.
It’s work I do every single day to help me work through my feelings, challenge my assumptions and learn to do exciting things despite any fears or doubts.
In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour or habit has most improved your working life or your approach to creating your post-50 work life?
In the past, I was focused on getting outside affirmation, through work titles and promotions, but it never felt enough and now I know I have to create that affirmation for myself.
Coaching has 100% changed my approach to my work and to my life.
I've created new daily habits that support where I want to go, make me much more grounded and help me achieve big goals.
What is your favourite business hack or piece of advice?
Definitely hiring a business coach or a mentor. I think it's important to work with somebody who can help you explore beliefs that might be holding you back and help you to become more accountable for where you want to go.
How do you define success now that you're in your 50s?
To me success is about how I live my whole life. And not just, my work life and whatever, fancy title I might have.
It's about doing things that excite me, learning new things and trying new stuff.
And it’s also about being a supportive and authentic friend and family member and living a fulfilled life - as corny as that may sound.
Final question, what is the book or podcast that you most recommend to someone thinking about starting a new business or making a change or sort of been a similar journey that you've been on?
There are so many amazing books - that’s the challenge. The one book that really stands out to me is called Change your Questions, Change Your Life, by Marilee Adams.
The book argues that by asking more and better questions, we're getting real data that can help us. So, for example, if you find yourself going into a negative, judgmental space, you need to stop and go into question mode instead to make sure you challenge your assumptions and understand the problem before brainstorming solutions.
So, tell me about the 50 Forward Club. How did you start it and how’s it going?
Six years ago, when I was 47, I started having hot flashes - I was clearly perimenopausal. I felt terrible and lost my confidence. It took me a while to come back to myself.
During that time, I started speaking to other women who were going through the exact same experience. These were talented, gorgeous women, incredible moms, amazing career women who were at the top of their field and yet they felt terrible about themselves.
That’s when I became interested in starting 50 Forward Club, to create a place where women could get inspiration and motivation from others and be reminded of all of the incredible things that 50 plus women do, and 60 plus and 70 plus 80 plus 90 plus too.
50 is an amazing time to rethink what we want to do next. We don't have to continue with the status quo. Not only can we fight for rights and representation, but we can also decide to make wild career changes.
For example, we might decide on something that maybe makes a little less money or pursue a passion project. Fifty is a good opportunity to take the time to think about what we want out of life and to make the next three or four or five decades amazing.
Rather than looking at age through the lens of loss, it’s about reconnecting with ourselves. And if we do, we'll be better businesspeople, better parents, better family members, better friends…
That's not to minimise that age can bring very real health issues. And I know a lot of people who are struggling with mental health issues - the pandemic has been a really tough time.
More than ever, we need to lift each other up and support each other. And it's been so fun to profile women that are starting their own businesses or just making a big life change.
