120. Flip the Script with Yvonne Marchese

FINE is a 4-Letter Word

Sometimes things seem to fall apart just when you think all is going well, and sometimes it seems to happen over and over where it feels like you can never catch a break.

But what if those moments where things are no longer "fine" turn out to be springboards that move you to the next step?

Growing up, Yvonne Marchese was raised with a strong work ethic. Her father sold suits; her mother worked, even though she preferred to be a stay-at-home mom. Her father's mantra was "Don’t be afraid to scrub a toilet". The lesson stuck.

Yvonne's dream was to be a theater actress. She went to college for it, working her way through school in line with her work ethic. Then she married right out of college and began doing theater in Denver while holding down the first of many "survival jobs" - but she was on her way. Everything seemed fine.

But Fine is a 4-Letter Word.

Yvonne and her husband got divorced. This was her chance! She made her way to New York City, the best place to be if you want to act in theater.

While she started acting again, she held another series of "survival jobs" that worked out quite well. Her employer gave her generous time off to pursue her dream. While on a 2-month tour, she met her second husband. They started a family, her acting career went into high gear, and everything seemed fine.

But again, Fine is a 4-Letter Word.

How could she pursue a theater career and be a mom? Now that she could make a living off theater, how did it suddenly become a "job" rather than a dream? She stopped theater, transitioning into work-from-home jobs. But with her kids different naptimes, this arrangement proved unsustainable. So she got a full-time job that lasted until the economic crash of 2008.

Once again, she was asking, "what am I going to be what I grow up?"

The next morning, she woke up and decided to become a photographer – the profession she enjoys to this day. However, at 48 she found it impossible to get out of bed and get going. She was tired and angry all the time, screaming at her kids for being "late" when SHE was the one running behind.

An introduction to Mel Robbins’ book “The 5-Second Rule” led her down the self-help path. She took up meditation, her kids noticed she was happier, and once again everything seemed fine. Until that morning she was frightened by the middle-aged woman staring back in the mirror!

In a moment, when you meet Yvonne, you'll discover how each of these moments where things were no longer "fine" proved to be catalysts bringing her closer to her destiny. Today, she’s an “Age Agitator” on a mission to explore what it means to age playfully who believes it’s never too late to pursue a dream and that the stories we tell ourselves have tremendous power in our lives. She’s the host of Late Bloomer Living podcast and the Midlife Uprising Summit. And the author of In Full Bloom – a Guide to Aging Playfully.

Along the way, she's had even more moments where she discovered things weren't "fine" - but we'll let Yvonne tell us the rest.

Yvonne’s hype song is "Just Like Fire" by P!nk.

Resources:

• Yvonne Marchese’s website: https://www.latebloomerliving.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yvonne-marchese-85111751/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/latebloomerliving
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/latebloomerliving/

Invitation from Lori:

Like Yvonne, you may find your dream becomes unsustainable - or once you achieve it, suddenly it’s not what you expected. Now what?

The first step is to go to https://zenrabbit.com right now and download the 5 Easy Ways to Start Living The Sabbatical Life guide.

Once you read it, you’ll be able to understand and embrace things that, up until now, have not made sense to you. It’s only 7 pages, so it won’t take you long to get through. The five tactics are pretty simple, but once you follow even ONE of them, you may find the answers to questions you didn’t even think to ask.

When you’re ready to say F*ck Being Fine, then this guide is the place to start. It’s time to blaze a new trail and chart a new course!