I am so glad Maria Olsen is mapping out her explorations and encouraging other women to go on their own adventures. I work with a lot of women who turn 50 and say, what now? what’s next? who am I? I love the idea of explorations, experiments and deep dives during this beautiful stage in life. What a gift to have this conversation. Ageing is really the privilege of a lifetime.
Maria Olsen has the courage and knows the importance of conquering fears, fulfilling dreams and taking new steps at every stage of life. I’d follow her anywhere!
Maria Olsen is a brave woman and a brave writer. Her new book 50 After 50 is sometimes raw in its painful honesty, yet always heartfelt and deeply inspiring. Her courage, resilience, and adventures in self-discovery will undoubtedly motivate many other women who’ve been hamstrung by psychological, emotional or social demons to move forward with passion and purpose in their journey toward self-compassion and self-fulfillment.
It feels like a miracle! Just as I am entering the final countdown to 50 myself, and as our youngest child has left for school, and am embarking on a career change, Maria Olsen, who I have long admired, sent me her delectable manuscript. This book is now cherished reading and a guidebook to the next chapter of my life. As soon as I put it down I’ll be starting my own “50 after 50” list and will get busy checking them off!
Maria Olsen is provocatively honest in her new book, Fifty After Fifty, as she openly talks about delicate topics from her past. I applaud her ability to recreate herself and seek her bliss. This book shows how we can all change our mindset and transform ourselves if we choose. I highly recommend this book for anyone seeking their best life.
Maria Olsen's new book, Fifty After Fifty is powerful, courageous and inspiring. Through her own adventures and experience, Maria shares valuable life lessons on every levelpsychological, emotional, spiritual and physicalto help the reader live their most abundant life. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to make the most of life and all that it can offer.
Maria's honesty about becoming herself is inspiring to women of all agesher journey toward living authentically reads as urgently as a mystery novel, with her true self being the mystery she is solving. I couldn't stop writing down ideas to apply to my own life as I discovered more about her path. This is the perfect book for any women questioning choices she has made and considering even just as a daydream different possibilities.
Maria Olsen's new book, Fifty After Fifty is powerful, courageous and inspiring. Through her own adventures and experience, Maria shares valuable life lessons on every levelpsychological, emotional, spiritual and physicalto help the reader live their most abundant life. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to make the most of life and all that it can offer.
2022-08-25
Attorney, journalist, and public speaker Olsen creates a list of things to accomplish as she enters what she calls “the downward slope of my life.”
The author’s apparent goal with this self-help work is to help women who are turning 50 formulate a fulfilling plan for the remaining “third third” of their lives. She starts by relating the story of various challenges she faced in her own life, and then details her road to recovery and journey forward. Olsen writes that she was sexually abused as a child, and is a recovering alcoholic; she also tells of experiencing racism as a biracial person. She encourages readers to look at her own journey as an example, and offers her list of 50 “big and small” things that she decided to do after she turned 50, dividing them into several sections, including “travel and adventure,” “learning and teaching,” “social activities,” “physical challenges and well-being,” “spiritual endeavors,” “thrill-seeking ventures,” and “lifestyle changes.” Olsen’s book has an intriguing concept, and her account of overcoming her personal struggles is admirable. However, her activity examples are likely to be out of reach for many readers. Although the book speaks of keeping things simple and the desire for “essentials and experiences only,” it features extensive travel and retreats with several gurus. The author also mentions doing things on “a shoestring budget,” but still visits Nepal, goes on an African safari, and attends a Costa Rican yoga retreat, and another retreat hosted by a Toltec shaman. In addition, the author’s enthusiasm for drum circles, flotation therapy, and using sage to get rid of negative energy may appeal to a limited audience. Suggested readings, a bibliography, and lists by others are included.
An earnest and personal work, but one that may struggle to find a wide readership.