Silver Sirens - Redefining Ageing

Welcome to all Silver Sirens, anyone near and dear to a Silver Siren, and anyone who stumbles across this page because the name caught their eye :) 

I’m writing this in the after-glow of a superbly planned, impeccably executed and utterly magnificent conference. Congratulations and thanks to Faith and her fabulous Silver Sirens teams, to anyone who volunteers, to speakers and of course to all of us who were in the audience. What a day!

As a sixty-something who is herself grappling with a sense of invisibility, I am in awe of Faith, her presence, energy, clarity, warmth and vision. She brought together such a brilliant selection of speakers, each so different yet highly relevant in different ways. So much inspiration about living with purpose, living longer and living well. I often say that I’m here for a long time and a good time, and Saturday truly was a good time and so much more.

I promised to have some details and available, so right up-front here they are, with more about the sensational Silver Sirens conference below this:

CHALLENGE 1: Email us with your feedback about the 802 BRILLIANCE Face Balm. I’ll make sure that you’re flagged as a Silver Siren in our system. The more we get, the more we will donate. 

CHALLENGE 2: All orders placed by Silver Sirens (or by people who contact us on the recommendation of Silver Sirens) between now and Christmas this year will have a bonus included for you, and a contribution to the Grandcarers donation.

With so much conversation about a life of purpose and living well, you might be interested to read some personal perspectives on purpose, the philosophy our business embodies, and the promise we make to our customers. 

If you’re someone inclined to keep skincare quick simple and go with the flow, here are the key collections that might be of interest to you as a Silver Siren: 

• • Mature skin, normal to dry-dehydrated, might be prone to a little rosacea / redness / sensitivity (link will be added shortly)
  • Mature skin, combination or slightly oily, perhaps a little prone to congestion (link will be added shortly)  

Here is a more comprehensive overview of the Y natural range. products, just for the Sirens amongst us who love skincare and want to know all about it. 

Please note that while we are ‘natural’ in our overall approach, this is not a term we use that is intended to hit loaded with judgment. We’re not here to side-eye anyone. Everyone is welcome here – eg if you’re someone who chooses to use botox, you might like to try this, which helps the effects of botox last longer, so instead of quarterly appointments, you can get a month or two extra time between bo-top-up visits. 

If you have any questions regarding choices that fit with your personal skin priorities or concerns, drop me a line and I will personally write back to you, or call if you prefer, to help identify the right products to support your aims.

I’ll ensure that everyone knows how much we – together, as part of the Silver Siren Sisterhood – are able to give to the Grandcarers organisation.

The presentation by Mike Feszczac (CEO, Grandcarers) was truly an eye opener. I had no idea as to the prevalence of Grandcarers needing to step up into a breach, and how little support the government provides to something that has a huge economic and societal impact – not to mention the personal impact on the children and adults directly involved. I hope that together with many other Silver Sirens, we’re able to make a meaningful contribution.

I’m a former ultra marathon runner and year-round ocean swimmer, and now, as a sixty-something I’m in the process of choosing a New Hard (thanks Dr Amanda!). Like many others, menopause double-whammied me, and everything I ever understood about managing my health, fitness and well-being has been turned on its head. Now with adult-onset asthma in the mix, the other day I said to Yuna that perhaps I need to join a choir to improve my breathing and strengthen my voice. Seeing the choir walking onto the stage – and hearing their wonderful voices – was for me the surprise highlight of the day. They were clearly having such a good time, I’m now even more inspired! Singing and heavy weights. I’m onto it.

I have long been a fan of Real Food, as Chiza called it. Latest research suggests we should be aiming to eat at least 30 different plants a week to help sustain a healthy gut microbiome, and being someone who likes a challenge, I generally aim for fifty a week. My approach to skincare is possibly an extension of this mindset – our skin also has a complex microbiome that’s important to our health, and I like to feed it with Real Food. I get a little kick out of knowing that my skin is getting at least 50-odd plant ingredients a week too. Inside Out and Outside In. I hope Chiza keeps the Sirens informed about her research – I’m super keen to know what new insights she discovers, particularly about heart and brain health as we age.

Everything Dee said resonated with me too. I don’t think my mother has ever heard of Swedish Death Cleaning, but it’s something I’ve witnessed her doing for well over a decade, gradually, at her own pace. When Dee mentioned updating wills and paperwork, organising passwords and so on, she might as well have been poking me in the ribs. Yes ok, Dee. I’m onto it. And I’ve added scanning my photos and discarding the box of originals to the list too.

The sharing of stories, both in the panel sessions and later the storytelling sessions, was like being on a rollercoaster. Things nobody should ever have to experience. Incredible reinventions. The kindness of strangers. Illness and recovery. The colour of music. Being different. Loss. The wisdom of our elders. Living a life that will leave us with happy wrinkles. Being the custodian of a family’s stories. Heartfelt thanks to everyone who so bravely shared their story.

What a day! So much to think about and appreciate.

Thank you Faith, for having this vision and making it happen. Thanks too, to your team, and to all the sponsors who helped add something special to the experience.

PS if anyone wants their link added in, let me know-- e.g. the authors with books, people with shows coming up (looking at you, Margie), coaching, etc. Happy to share.