From the Alvin and Rosalie Sara Check studio PBS Kansas presents Empowering Seniors Welcome to Empowering Seniors I'm your host Katherine Ambrose And today we're talking about aging gracefully To help us have this conversation is the original pioneer of aging gracefully Mitzi Beach Mitzi welcome Thank you Welcome back to the seniors Yes because this show started in 2019 And you were my second interview and you had so many good things to say In fact it was in this house Yes it was here in Wichita Yes And we gave you two episodes 102 and 103 Yes So some viewers may be able to go back and watch those episodes And you lived in Wichita for a long time 30 years 30 years I loved Wichita and so And now you made a move and we talked about that in the show So tell us a little bit about making the move we left my home my my tribe my world Due to some personal reasons with my husband And he's fine now He's our miracle man But we had to make a decision And so we're from Ohio So we moved back to Ohio In 2019 And it was a very difficult move And I've learned a lot from that and how to help others Don't wait too long Be prepared for what a new world will be Your identity all of that I wrote a book on it and it's still smacked me upside the head as my dad used to say and tell me And so Yeah life is about change and we need to go with it And so one of your key components in that book and we talked about that a few years back was the acronym Smart Tell us a little bit about that design smarts S is for your space your living space And that's of course as an interior designer My my passion my world And am is for your mindset Nothing happens in life unless we decide to do it And then a is your attitude and it's a lot about our attitude on aging gracefully Yeah It's called stinking thinking And we have to ditch this And you know we're going to age beautifully and we're going to live long and we're going to live strong But you have to have the attitude to do that Are is for routines and your lifestyle And that's how everything in your life sleep balance eating all of it t is for togetherness And that's one of the reasons I'm doing what I'm doing now and why I wrote the door to restoration is is to give back and also to leave a legacy most of us have been given a lot in our experiences And if we're not going to share them and have concrete something it's just going to go when we go And I felt very strongly that I needed to do that That I wanted my family my friends But many people to know that this is this is a journey And at the end of that journey what have you done with everything that you've accomplished Yeah I love that because I believe the same thing That we're on a human journey We're on a soul journey I know and so when it comes to togetherness and say family what do you want your family to remember?

What do you want grandchildren to remember?

I want them to know that their Mimi kept going and lived life with such passion and zest And she was fun and she wasn't staying at home just doing whatever That Mimi Mimi was a mover and shaker And I had one granddaughter She was only nine when Zoomer Smart actually came out It was a book I teased on Don't go there It's It was my practice You wrote an earlier book A practice book Okay And she says maybe you're going to be famous and that makes me famous at nine you know?

But the point is they see me in a different light than we often think And that's what I want I don't know what my future holds but they're going to remember what I've done thus far And I mean at this age what do they enjoy talking to you about Well a lot of it is I mean I keep well read and up on fashion and they want to know when they're going to do something Do these shows work Mimi What do you think about this dress And we talk about house and we talk about how important that is I can imagine that they have a lot of fun with that and that you're having a huge impact on their mindset their perspective going forward Yeah And I do have one grandson we call a max man So I don't want to forget Max And he and I have a different relationship obviously But he he listens and watches everything so it matters Everything we do matters So tell us about your theories about aging gracefully come from the interior design world Yes And now you've written a handful of books and you're inspiring people I see you on Facebook teaching and inspiring So you've stayed up with technology?

Tell us a little bit about that because you don't need to know everything about technology You just have to have a desire to use it So how do you use technology?

I use technology in a way that allows as a vehicle for me to get my passion out there to all kinds of women whatever profession they're in I love interior designers I love everybody in the housing industry But my world right now is to inspire educate and motivate women And so technology today is the way to do that And I learned when I started this whole journey in 20 something or rather early 2000 that we are to use our gifting and then bless others to use their gifting should be a synergistic you know entity I'm right brain as far as right brain can get but I have to know some technology in order to I can't have somebody every day posting my Facebook or you know what I'm doing So I I have somebody I've hired somebody I have to learn early that we must invest in ourselves And for me investing in myself was realizing I'm not to do this I need help But also there's basic things everybody can learn We can all learn ChatGPT People scoff at it like they did Facebook but when they when my grandchildren see me pick up and go well what about blah blah blah?

And they'll go oh okay me me cool You know And that requires no technology right I is so easy to use People are scared of it Like they were scared of electricity They were afraid electricity was going to come out of the sockets at night and hurt the family Like we've always been afraid of technology People are very afraid of AI Yes We don't know everything that's going to happen with AI but with those of us that are using No it is amazing It's a resource for So it is absolutely incredible You know instead of asking Siri we ask ChatGPT and we get way more So my world right now Katherine is about aging gracefully for this huge hundreds of thousands of women in this you know and then to their aging gracefully It's helping the men love our men We've been married a long time We love these guys But overall the the we're talking about one of the things we're talking about today is looking good as we age I am a firm believer that as we take care of ourselves it affects our self-confidence our self-esteem And I see too many women in this identity crisis conundrum period that they've totally shut down They have let them I hate the phrase let themselves go Yeah That hurts my heart because it's so unnecessary And I think a lot of people do not have role models And there were three role models in my life that really drove this home to me My mom my mother in law and a lady that I worked with in Design World All three of these ladies were 20 years older than I was ish and they looked awesome My mom and my mother in law had very little money But if you were to see them the way I mean even when my mom was in a nursing home with a hip issue she wanted her lipstick Yeah because it made her feel good And when we think we look good and we feel good I mean you can't believe the nurses and everybody are like oh I love your mom She cares about things Right And so if that translates to being loved back Like it seems weird but it is just human nature Yes it is And I've gone through times in my life where maybe I didn't try as hard And really what it is is depression Yes you can tell yourself all day long that it doesn't matter about what you look like but it does because how fast is the world?

Make a judgment on your house or the way you look?

Yes Within seconds?

Yes Within seconds So it's really one of these Fight the enemy That and because the world wants to a lot of the world wants to say it doesn't matter what you look like The naysayers research finds that all the research experts say that And when we don't feel like we are our best Who's gonna know what's in there?

What we're holding back from the world Everybody has something cool about themselves And when we stay home and we're isolated and we're like oh whatever It doesn't matter if I get dressed today nobody's going to see me I know a lot of women that no matter what they do they get up and they get ready And they feel they tell me how much better they feel I do that They're probably more productive just happier They just feel a little more You don't feel like you're lounging around So it is important whether people want to believe it or not And what I hear all the time from older adults is that I feel invisible I used to be somebody So that's how the identity crisis I used to be somebody People treated me like I was somebody And today I'm like invisible People don't need to see So it's our responsibility to not fade and be invisible like that so we can still live our mission in life perfectly said Katherine And that's exactly the point we are in a culture now that ageism is stereotype is a real thing And I like you I hear so many women tell me you know I just feel invisible I used to matter I don't know what I'm going to do And that led me to start in my Facebook group life Sizing for the overcomers we can't assume someone is going to respect us because we're older That culture is gone It used to be Respect your elders Yes And you're saying that culture's gone?

Yes We have to earn respect And the owner and these three women that I talked about I mean there was so much about them that I wanted to be like them So I'm I'm feeling like this is my responsibility I have been you know those that are blessed a lot need to bless a lot We give back what we've given been given I want to be that role model Not just for my family for lots of women The thing Well at your age why does it matter?

That's our whole point Yeah At your age And see that's an age A statement we're saying against ourselves When we say oh you know or you go to the doctor and they say well what do you expect at your age Right And so we've got to stand up against ageism This show is about empowering ourselves as we age Exactly And we've got to remember those grandsons and granddaughters are watching us And they will think about us decades after we're gone Exactly Just like you're thinking about these three women role models and you're wanting to carry that on and be that's carrying the light And a lot of it is our our joy and our peacefulness that comes from within If you are around older people that all we hear is complaining about this ailment and this doctor and this thing I'm sensitive that I've gone through it We all have But my mom was really something about that where she said I don't want to go have lunch with All we talk about is what medications people are trying Well and it's not just medications Let's be frank That a lot of people are disempowering themselves because the constant complaining about how the lawn is cared for where they live how this is done and how that constant judgment of other people Yes And so you don't want to catch that vibe You don't want to be that way And you don't want to be spending your time with people that are doing that or speak inspiration into people Let's talk about positive things So you're always talking about ideas Positive people are talking about ideas They're talking about the future They're talking about making an impact Versus the lowest level Kind of energy level You can be at is when you're complaining Exactly And then you're just repelling people and it you put toxic toxicity into your environment And we have to be very careful of that because it's easy to fall into that When is the weather going to change I'm so tired of winter area right there We are putting ourselves in a position We rob somebody else and ourselves You know you get up in the morning The most important thing we do in the morning is we do self-talk Sometimes you know we say we even look in the mirror and go you're doing great And this is going to be a wonderful day for you And that starts me off because if I get up not quite Didn't sleep good I didn't feel this might be whatever a I have to go stop That's why the two acronyms were mindset and attitude That the whole thing about aging gracefully it matters how you look has to start with your attitudes and your mindset because you don't want to invite more misery You're wanting to keep that at bay and keep the positivity going May I give one quick personal thing?

Yeah My husband was diagnosed in 2015 with life threatening It's in the book Stage four metastasized lung cancer He was a jock and never smoked And this was not a good diagnosis then And so the whole time I literally people know it I have witnesses that have told me that I remember you saying that And I thought whatever Mitzi I would not allow him to say I have cancer Bob what do we say?

He goes I am fighting cancer And that's I mean that's going deep Yeah To what I just said about looking in the mirror and telling Mitzi you're going to have a good day This was not claiming this disease Exactly So we believed I mean he's a miracle No signs He goes all the time for tests Nothing And I believe God and medicine are the key But so are our words There you go That's why the show is called Pairing seniors Because I believe in empowering language And I believe in people being empowered to live their best life And so what you're talking about is the magic of empowering language Yes Yes Words have power So the empowering seniors is like spot on to what we're talking about Well and I know some people might not want to be called seniors And I even see studies that talk about people that are 55 plus I don't think any 55 year old really thinks of themselves as being a senior I even cringe when I see certain research that says 65 plus like show me some statistic about 85 plus Now we're talking so there's there's ageism everywhere Yes there is And there's no other good word for seniors We could say older adults You know we can make up words We can say seasoned mature But the truth of it is we're not freshmen or sophomores right now Why?

To celebrate aging How many people do we know that have passed and would love to have more time?

Right and with that thought is the worst we can have Steve Jobs and all these major people One of the main things they said was regret Yeah We want no regret We want to take the little bit of time we have and we're going to make a difference We're going to be passionate and we're going to motivate others I if I'm in a Debbie Downer kind of deal I have pulled myself apart I have had to say I'm not going to do a post today a video Because I have to get my act together I have to let's see Get it together And that is the whole key of everything because you want to put goodness out And so the whole thing what we're talking about has to do with we have to love ourselves Don't wait You have to run And if we cannot love who we are we can you cannot give away what you don't have I think the major thing I've learned throughout life and that I want to share with your all your beautiful listeners is that loving ourselves is not wrong The reason is If I don't love Mitzi and Katherine doesn't love Katherine how are you going to give from your essence?

How are you going to pour back into people?

You can't give what you don't have And many people will say this episode oh is vanity that wanting to look good as you age?

Then they've missed the point Our point is we take care of ourselves because we love ourselves enough to be more for others The philosophy for the Facebook and other things I do is we do more for ourselves so we can be more for others and that goes into everything doesn't it?

So let's talk about what you do to take care of yourself Let's get into specifics What is how do you invest in Mitzi?

Well first of all is lifestyle And lifestyle is an umbrella Balance you know?

Shalom Nothing missing nothing broken The Hebrew word And so people think oh it's like you know going to the gym two hours or whatever No it's it's the whole enchilada So I try and do exercise every day I need to do more weights But the whole exercise movement as we talked about is critically important It's so important for brain health dementia etc etc but it makes you feel good My little 22 year old Jake we walk every morning and I walk I took that from my mama She and her friends would walk unless it was 30 or below windchill You know so I'm out there with Jake and walking in the winter outside Oh my gosh It's just okay I'm going to charge my day and I don't want to walk with anybody I don't want to have earphones on This is my time And so exercise I'm very into eating clean 80 20 80% of the time I am like don't do that Mitzi 20% of the time I've never met a pizza I don't love you know?

Oh yeah sleep I need eight hours of sleep I need at least that Yeah And it's so underrated Absolutely It's the most important thing we do every day is sleep I couldn't agree with you more And controlling stress And that's what our exercise does And the only time our body can restore itself is in sleep in the in that REM sleep So I don't feel guilty if if I go to bed at 9:00 Yeah You know I mean I need that has to happen because that's the only time that you have to rinse your brain Right It's only takes care of itself when you're sleeping What have you done medically?

Or cosmetically?

People might want to know about that Or not done cosmetically That's kind of our joke I haven't had any Botox or any of that jazz yet or procedures and perhaps I should have but I believe in I get facials And that's my treat About every six weeks And that's just a wonderful thing I do because I I'm doing a lot for a lot of people Yeah And that's my be nice to medicine kind of self-care That's why I love to say Yeah And then medically what have you done that might surprise people Because most people that they like my Medicare cover that How do you invest it in yourself outside of outside of work Bioidentical hormones I have been blessed and my medical provider is a guru on women's health most people don't realize how much how little is spent on marketing for women that are post menopause Pre and post So to find a care provider that bucks the system was a challenge And I have been with my provider She saved my life on two different things What she did for me fighting osteo breast cancer And I'm a survivor and it's because of her I've been on bioidentical hormones for I think about 16 ish years I have bloodwork every six months and that says you know this this this and it's all natural It's not the primer and the horse urine that everybody said oh you're going to die of cancer So this to me is one of the it's for heart It's for bones It's for collagen brain That's my biggie Me too And so many people would say oh I've already been through menopause I don't need anything Or no Is it covered by Medicare And we are telling you it's you know you're telling you invest in yourself Clever isn't going to So your insurance works for things that are very important But if you really want to feel good and be as vibrant as possible you've got to invest in yourself And you know what we say You either pay now or pay later Pick your pain Pick your pain Pick your hard right And so we know that people are on limited incomes But there's ways to help your you know what are affordable moving movement is the most Yeah Most important thing you can do move is sleep zero zero cost Right And what we value we buy what we You're right because people spend money on stuff Oh yeah That they don't want to spend money on an extra blood test Especially women Yeah And so thank you so much for helping get this message out It's so important to thank you Live your best life Age gracefully Yes You may be able to feel much better than you possibly could know right?

And if you love those grandkids you're demonstrating for them how to age well So years later they think about you like I think about my mama Yeah And it gives you strength Yes you're right Katherine Thank you so much Mitzi for being on our show again I thank you And thank you for watching If you have questions about this topic or anything else that we cover reach out We'd love to hear from you You can email us at Empowering Seniors at CPT dawg I'm Katherine Ambrose and I'll see you on the next Empowering Seniors This