Age-Friendly Vibes

This year during annual planning, I revisited one of my favorite business books; 'Start with Why' by Simon Sinek. While sifting through year-end numbers, my endless to-do list and priorities that pull me in several directions, I'm grateful that my why is very clear: I love helping people feel better about getting older. Knowing that an age-positive mindset impacts longevity and witnessing countless examples of ageism in the media, advertising, and on the internet, it comes as no surprise that many people dread getting older. And when that dread shows up as internalized ageism impacting our friends, colleagues, loved ones, and even ourselves, it's natural to want to do something about it. If you miss an opportunity to have a discussion about ageism as it happens, the next best time is when celebrating birthdays! Every quarter I design new cards and am amazed at the fresh new ways there are to make people feel good about age. Here are six new designs I'm excited about: - Research proves birthdays are good for your health - Here's to another year of crushing age stereotypes - It's time to party for ALL the ages - You're older, wiser, stronger than ever - A birthday reminder aging is the goal, despite what society says - One candle hotter, happy birthday! Here are six of my top-selling birthday designs: - The older you get, the more beautiful you are inside and out - Don't worry about getting older, everyone's doing it - Thanks for being a long-time friend - The streak continues! Aging fiercely since birth - Welcome to the best years of your life! - Eighty years of amazing you! (available in ages 50-100) Do you notice a theme? I don't avoid talking about age. I address it in clever, interesting, and thought-provoking ways. Age-Friendly Vibes now has over 150 age-positive designs for many occasions, including birthdays, milestone birthdays, love/friendship, gratitude, inspiration, retirement, grandparent, caregiver, sympathy and more! Do you have a card shop in your community that you think should carry Age-Friendly Vibes? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll contact them to provide details about my specials during the Faire Market from 1/21 to 1/24. Here's my Faire link: https://lnkd.in/gGA4EY27 PS - For everyone else, these new designs will be added to my website next week, just in time to celebrate my business birthday! Sign up for my email list to stay in the loop: https://lnkd.in/gM4PQ2jh

It was a match made in heaven. Learn how a greeting card designer found her people at a gerontologist gathering (aka...American Society on Aging On Aging event). First up for the greeting card designer...what exactly is a gerontologist? - A gerontologist studies all aspects of the aging process and works to support the needs and wants of older adults. - Some gerontologists work within healthcare. Many others work in a wide range of sectors, including business and education. All gerontologists have made a career of embracing age. Some gerontologists may wonder...what is an age-positive greeting card designer? - Age-positive greeting card designers study the harmful effects of ageism, finding ways to amplify the positive aspects of getting older, using greeting cards as a medium. - Some greeting card designers stick to cards. Others also create buttons and pins that embrace age! The result? The exchange of a powerful symbol of this unity. The 'embrace age like a gerontologist' sticker and button. I had the pleasure of meeting many gerontologists at #onaging24, and was fortunate enough to grab a photo of Leanne Clark-Shirley, Ph.D., FGSA, Carrie Aalberts BS, MS, CDP, CMDCP, and Christina Peoples, MS. If this story resonates with you, get your symbol of unity by visiting Age-Friendly Vibes. And make sure to tag your fellow gerontologists! Buy the sticker here: https://lnkd.in/gnenjRmi Buy the button here: https://lnkd.in/gRAdUtP6 Message Jan for information on bulk orders and non-profit discounts. #gerontology #embraceage #ageismawareness

Look who’s 70! Happy Birthday to the American Society on Aging! I’m proud to design a special button and sticker to be given away at the 70th birthday party at #onaging2024 next Monday, 3/25 in San Francisco. Age-Friendly Vibes will be exhibiting, so if you’re one of the 2,000 people attending, make sure to stop by my booth! I’ll have all of my products on display and be ready to take orders (sorry no selling from my booth). I’m also available to provide bulk pricing and discuss your ideas for spreading age-positivity with your staff, members, or at your next event! I’m looking forward to seeing my fellow pro-age advocates IRL and to meet lots of like-minded people! Let me know in the comments if I’ll see you next week at On Aging 24!

I am honored to have been chosen by the American Society on Aging and Next Avenue as a 2024 Advocate for Aging! I'll be participating in a panel discussion with other Advocates for Aging on Tuesday, March 26 at 10 am at OnAging 24. I hope to see you there! Thank you to Julie Pfitzinger for the excellent article on Next Avenue.

Who doesn’t love a good laugh? For many, it's a way to relieve tension, escape reality, and find common ground. However, when it comes to jokes about getting old, we may be doing more harm than good. What we joke about can reflect our biases against aging. Are you planning to attend OnAging 24, hosted by the American Society on Aging? If so, look for our workshop in the ageism track, 'Ageist Humor: How Jokes About Getting Old Are Getting Old,' on Wednesday, 3/27, at 3 pm. Join me and Sara Breindel from Changing the Narrative, a leading anti-ageism initiative as we explore how humor can disguise ageism, which impacts our ability to stay employed, the quality of healthcare, and even how long we live. You’ll learn how ageist humor can reinforce prejudices against older people in our society and is harmful. We’ll share examples of ageist humor (birthday cards are a prime example) and dig deeper into the values behind them. Most importantly, when you encounter ageist humor, we’ll show you how to use it to talk about #ageism. We are scheduled near the end of the conference, so we plan to keep the workshop light, interactive, and fun! Visit https://lnkd.in/dez6x6KU to learn more about OnAging 24, where ASA is celebrating its 70th birthday! Let us know in the comments if you plan to be at the conference, and share this post with people you think may be interested in this topic. Age-Friendly Vibes will also be exhibiting at On Aging, so stop by my booth and say hello!