Over-50

Incidentally, We Members of the Mickey Mouse Club Didn't Care About Who Walt Disney Really Was

M-i-c-k-e-y M-o-u-s-e. 

Poof. The iconic Disney logo can be eliminated from popular culture.

Deadline reports there is growing scrutiny of Disney's founder Walt Disney.

He was an obviously flawed human being. In fact, on speeches I had created on leadership for chief executive officers I leveraged his attitudes about his workforce as negatives. For example, he couldn't understand why employees would want higher compensation. After all, went his thinking, weren't they fortunate to be part of his team. In addition, he was in no way the kind of verbally polished leader of today. The undertow of his messaging signaled prejudice.

But that was then. A different time. Entrepreneurs, be they Disney or Henry Ford, could operate by their own rules. 

Today, Bob Iger, by so many current metrics, scores high on leadership. His memoir "The Ride of a Lifetime" captures his ethos of deep caring, especially of all the humans in the loop. They range from employees to consumers. 

On Glassdoor, the overall rating for working at Disney is "4" out of a possible "5."

After retiring from the job of chief executive officer, Iger parachuted back in when the business of Disney became troubled. 

Actually, as I argue in this article, Disney seems stuck. But that's a strategic matter, not a cultural one. Iger has a big job ahead of him.

That, unfortunately, will likely include the struggle to preserve the Disney logo. The founder's flaws have tainted the essence of what Mickey Mouse meant to generations. Part of that was the extreme power of creativity. 

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A Generation (including Donald Trump) Shaped by Medium of Television

BusinessInsider reports that John Bolton indicates that Donald Trump spends lots of time sitting in the Oval Office watching television. 

Born June 14, 1946, Trump is an Ok, Boomer. Just like me.

He came of age when the new medium of television was being added onto Americana's entertainment menu. Producers were smart and made it their business to include public service programming such as news. How dare anyone label television a vast wasteland. I watched the news in the AM and PM. I assumed I learned plenty.

I have to assume that so much of Trump's early years had been shaped by sucking in television. That could be more embedded in his memory bank than family life. And his deepest attachments could have been with television fictional characters, ranging from Jeff and Porky on "Lassie" to "Micky Mouse" on Disney. 

During that time, we Ok, Boomers were hiding under our desks to save us from a nuclear attack by the Russians. What restored a sense of safety were those warm and fuzzy television shows. Endings were happy. Maybe Trump still seeks that kind of refuge through television.

When I become anxious focusing on a communications assignment, I turn on the television.

It's to those soothing reruns on ION. The bad guys are always caught on "Criminal Minds" and "CSI Miami."

After a run of bad luck, I shut down my life and mainline network television until I can shake off the voodoo.

I blog about the relationships among the characters on programming, extending from the now-out-of-production "Without a Trace" to "Good Girls." Those connections are more compelling to me than the ones in my own little life.

For the Ok, Boomers such as Trump and myself, television was predictable when the world wasn't. The feeling is still sticky. Television is my safe harbor. Could be the President's also. 

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No Longer the Elephant in the Room: Professional Decline

" … full-scale professional … decline can feel, to some, as threatening as death itself." - Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, June 4, 2020.

Careers are lasting longer. That could because human beings are living longer and maintain good health. Therefore, they can remain productive in the workforce well into their late 60s, 70s, and beyond. Also, the increase in the years of a professional life can be the result of simply needing the money. This is not your father's retirement. The cost of living, with a few exceptions, has become high throughout the U.S.

Along that extended career journey there are those who blossom in new ways or fit into unexpected roles. 

Among the late bloomers has been Clint Eastwood. Now 90 years old, his later productions such as "Miracle Dollar Baby" and "Unforgiven" have been authentic art. 

At law firm Paul, Weiss, chairperson Brad Karp has added on a global leadership position in philanthropy and social justice. His initiatives range from the Paul, Weiss Coronavirus Relief Center to creating a consortium to eliminate racial bias. Simultaneously, he manages about 1,000 lawyers at the firm.

University of Chicago research professor David Galenson documented that phenomenon of the late bloomer or game-changer in his book "Old Masters and Young Geniuses."

More often, though, is the awareness of not being the player one used to be - or the fear that could soon occur. Among the poignant memes in "Boston Legal" had been Denny Crane's observing that he could no longer sustain his once-brilliant performance as a lawyer. Instead there would be only the occasional flashes of genius. 

Professional decline, points out Brooks, can take many forms. Those range from others receiving the attention and rewards you had to not being able to keep up with what used to be the expected daily workload.

The usual response to that unraveling is denial, embedded in a thick emotional wrapper of fear. Brooks hammers that only worsens how decline impacts a professional life.

As in so many spiritual programs - be they Buddhism or the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous - Brooks' advice is acceptance. Yes, embrace that reality and go on from there.

That "there" could be a shift to semiretirement, rebranding, delegating more and taking on the role of manager, reducing the number or intensity of assignments, and/or forcing yourself to learn new skills. In addition, there is the option of retiring. That's what Johnny Carson did when at the top of his game. 

Among those who are pulling that off well has been Betty White. She created new space for herself as The Aging Woman. Bill Gates shifted from the fast-moving tech sector to funder and thought leader for making the world a better place. 

Among the professionals who might be stumbling is investment guru Warren Buffett. Although not all have given up on him, enough have. It makes you wonder why he hadn't left center stage when his act was still engaging. 

Also, in the legal sector, you got to ask if iconic David Boise, founder of Boies Schiller and Flexner, should consider rebranding. In 2020, there has been at Boies Schiller the "Partner Diaspora."

With the numbers of aging who are still doing paid work growing, the issue of decline is no longer the elephant in the room. It's palpable. Every day you size up your colleagues and yourself asking: Do they and I still got it?

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Sleepless in Time of COVID-19: Time Travel Back to Golden Age of TV

Alfred Hitchcock

The Twilight Zone

Perry Mason.

The psychologists, executive coaches, and psychics have all been brimming with advice on how we human beings should be navigating the stress of the COVID-19. Both the health threats and the economic fallouts.

If you have been helped by all that, good for you.

But when sleep is supposed to come, after I make it through another day in COVID-19 Time, it doesn't. 

What does eventually bring sleep, I have recently discovered, is circling back to the Golden Age of Television. At midnight.

On MeTV are the oldies but goodies. Magically, trying to anticipate the twisted ending of a Hitchcock production, I lift myself out of my preoccupations. They range from if I will die from coronavirus to how to keep changing my marketing as the world of business keeps changing. 

By time the second Hitchcock half hour programming is over I am back okay. No need even to pop a few melatonin from the wellness store to catch the zzzzzs. 

It's interesting to reflect that, during severe crisis, we seem to turn for comfort to the medium we grew up with.

For my parents it was radio. When my father feared a layoff, he consumed radio non-stop.

We OK, Boomers came of age in front of the small screen. To me it's embedded with the memory of having adults protecting me, always finding next to me cookies and chocolate milk, and knowing I could talk my way into having them purchase for me Mickey Mouse whatever.

Be a Post COVID-19 winner. Exactly the right positioning and packaging for your messaging. Complimentary consultation for what you need for strategy, research, ghostwriting, and editing janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Rebuilding a Life - Elizabeth Kendall, After She Discovered Her Lover Ted Bundy Was a Serial Killer

Shock.

Relief she and her daughter Molly hadn't been murdered.

Grief of a love affair that was over - or maybe never really existed.

Mystery why she hadn't connected the dots. 

All those were emotions that Elizabeth Kendall felt and probably still feels when she reflects on her long-term romance with Ted Bundy.

Last night ABC's "20/20" looked into her heart. Her daughter was on the set with her. Both were grateful they were alive but shared the pain of the parents whose daughters weren't. Those daughters had been murdered by Bundy.

Molly was her daughter from any earlier relationship. She had met Bundy as a single mom. 

At the end of the two-hour show, Elizabeth finally got to the issue of rebuilding her life. Once there was no question that Bundy was a prolific and clever serial killer, she had to parachute out of denial into reality.

At first she started drinking. That, she conjectured, probably saved her life. Then, to her surprise, she discovered that she could put something new together. Both she and Molly did that. Their advice to the parents of the murdered women is that they too can rebuild. It's slow. It's hard but it is not impossible. 

In 2003, I had to start on my own rebuilding. I was over-50. I had that brutal Ah-Ha Moment: Yes, my nest egg, my communications boutique, and my minds were all gone.

It's 2020. Finally there is something solid.

Fortunately, I didn't know it would take me so long and involve such pain. Sometimes, in my coaching, I can help others grab onto enough hope to be able to start rebuilding. That's the gift I can pass on from my own suffering.

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Storytelling Not Only about The Great Depression - Also, We Boomers Heard Lots about Spanish Flu

Television was a new medium. Families were afraid of too much of it. Also, there was not a whole lot of programming and what was available shut down late at night.

So, storytelling still provided a major entertainment in the homes of us Baby Boomers.

Of course, The Great Depression generated myriad anecdotes. Our favorite was my mother's skit about how the floor supervisor's face fell when she told her she was quitting. And gave no reason. In those days females usually left the workforce when they became pregnant.

But along with making it through hard times without being destroyed, there were the chronicles about the Spanish Flu.

The family called it "influenza." And the experience wasn't abstract. My grandmother had been a victim. She was expected to die. Death was no stranger to that family of eight. During their infancy two boys had died.

Family members were selfless back then. So all pitched in to take care of her, not protecting themselves. But none had become infected.

Medical doctors were also selfless. One made it up three flights of stairs in the Bay Street, Jersey City, New Jersey tenement. He didn't become infected either. 

Those stories of survival were recounted with pride, not self-pity or fear of what could be the next shoe to drop. Yes, it was a different time.

Reflection: Some speculate the coronavirus could be "Another Spanish Flu." I heard enough about that suffering to steer clear of plane travel. Unlike my family, I am afraid of this shoe which could drop. 

Smart global ghostwriting, with SEO and social networking know-how. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Happy Birthday, Betty White

Role model of sustainability for all workers, Betty White has turned 98.

In addition, she has become the pragmatist about navigating the aging process. Her meme is: Getting older is not for sissies. 

What White has accomplished is positioning and packaging aging as a predicted rite of passage. It's like going to college is today and getting married was for Ok, Boomer.

All rites of passage are tough. As the movie "The Graduate" hammered, moving on from life-as-classroom to life-as-life is filled with uncertainty. After the Ok, Boomer received the college degree the journey forward was filled with nervous breakdowns, financial peril, and, yes, great success in the surging post-war economy. Many also realized they married too young. Divorce went mainstream. Their offspring had parachuted into therapy. 

This ritual also has no personal precedents. Ok, Boomer (along with members of the Silent Generation) is out here both struggling to find joy and getting it that he or she is going to die. Maybe soon. 

White has been there holding up the light of endurance to make that journey less scary.

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Richard Pryor - The Pain/Rage White Ok, Boomer Couldn't Touch (often not even in therapy)

The ABC special on Richard Pryor hammered his pain and rage. His family of origin was a "mess."

He endured and tried to channel into comedy what the white Ok, Boomer usually couldn't touch. Not even in therapy. Ironically, we were the first therapy generation.

How could we, the first gen to be able to attend college, admit how really bad it had been? Not allowed. Even the counterculture didn't open the door to embracing the pain and bellying up to the rage.

Instead we found work. How successful we, many from blue-collar backgrounds, had become in white collar career paths.

Now, of course, we who had been our work are struggling with a new kind of pain: fading professional identity. Not that we are "done." We are just no longer at the top of our game. We have to go on with the rest of our lives being ordinary. Extraordinary held the rage down.

Will Ok, Boomer break out in self-destruction as had Pryor? Already it's happening. In our age category, boozing is up. Suicide makes sense. 

Another option. Give touching the pain another try. Meditation can relax us enough to calm down and sit in the past.

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Feelings, So Ok, Boomer - Bring on the Lawyers

It had to come to this: Psychologists are analyzing Harry, who at this time is still a prince but maybe not for long. Here's an example from Daily Mail.

The story is too big - the biggest in the UK since the abdication of King Edward VIII - not to parachute in all forms of expertise. 

But the input from psychologists could be the weakest link in providing insight for the scope of this disruption. After all, the discipline of psychology as a form of treatment for distressed human beings has declined from the heyday of Freudianism.

The Ok, Boomer such as myself invested years, multiple times a week, seeking clarity and inner peace from psychotherapists like David W. Harder, Ph.D.

That was then. 

Now, in America the Litigious, we know we can turn to lawyers.

"Court TV" has tutored us in the language of law, the strongest points of law, and the rules of evidence.

We can belly up to the bar feeling confident about pitching our beef to a law firm to take on contingency.

 In addition to seeking justice, plaintiffs can enjoy a high profile in the media. The classic example is Gretchen Carlson who sued Fox News creator Roger Ailes personally.

Since legal action is a slow-mover, that spotlight can linger a long time.

Incidentally, Carlson continues to be covered by the media. Meanwhile, what a good feeling is correlated with seeking what's right via America's legal system.

Also, along the way came Prozac, et al. from BigPharma. There were also mindfulness, executive coaches, 12-step programs, and psychics. 

During that brief moment when psychologists made it their shot at fame to size up Donald Trump, so many smirked. Who really gave a damn (except the writers and producers of shows like "Criminal Minds") how those inner gears operated. What we paid attention to were what the lawyers were up to. This was so much so that some contend that triggered the surge of applications to law schools.  

Prediction: The lawyers on both sides of the ocean will provide the perspective on Megxit and its implications. 

 

Smart global ghostwriting, with niche social networking know-how. Also communications coaching. Emergencies welcome. Complimentary consultation (pressure-free) janegenova374@gmail.com.

Meltdowns Lite - No-cost or Low-cost Options to Pricey Psychotherapy

Boston, the city of psychotherapists, is still stuck with the stigma against this formal mode of treatment for emotional distress and more.

In Boston Magazine, Tessa Yannone covers that.

That's unfortunate.

The Boston Metro area is the setting for so many high-powered careers. It is jam-packed with elite educational institutions. Those usually nurture an almost infinite variety of, what they call on "Criminal Minds," "stressors." 

Having on your "record" that you have been in psychotherapy can prove to be a flaming hoop you will have to jump through in some lines of work or to be admitted to some educational programs. After all, the misfit Puritans, who founded this mighty economy, didn't tolerate such vulnerabilities. Our nation really can't shake that off.  

In addition, although studies prove out that psychotherapy is effective, that doesn't mean it will be for you. There are so many variables at play.

I don't know if my three years of therapy, multiple times a week, and later on an intermittent basis with David W. Harder, Ph.D., based in Lincoln, Massachusetts, were or were not effective. Reconstructing the past is tricky business.

What I do know is that from the get-go, I should have demanded to have access to what he was putting in the clinical records. When I finally had a lawyer obtain those records I concluded, by the tone and content, we were not a good fit.

In therapy, as in just about every other aspect of life and work, fit is everything. If your insurance coverage involves managed care, you may have limited or no choice on the therapist you will be working with. You may or may not be able to interview, on a complimentary basis, several. 

Also, there's the cost of therapy. In college, graduate programs, and professional schools, that could be absorbed in other prepaid fees. Once sprung into the real world of work, if your employer kicks in for your health insurance, the co-pay can eat into a budget. There even could be double-dipping. There could be a co-pay for the psychiatrist who's prescribing medication and also for the psychotherapist. No health insurance? A session could run three digits.

The good news is that there are no-cost or low-cost alternates to therapy. That doesn't mean they are appropriate for you at whatever phase of emotional distress you are at. If you feel you are becoming undone, those in the mental health field worth their salt mandate: Call 911.

But, if you have a hunch you can try other ways to navigate the whatevers, here are 8 tips.

Free, 24/7 confidential hotlines. Several of my clients who had lost jobs obtained immediate relief - and hope - by speaking with the trained human beings at the other end of the phone line at The Samaritans. In the U.S. the number is 212-673-3000. No, you don't have to be suicidal to contact those capable of deep listening. Sensing you are going through emotional distress is enough. Just let them know that's how you are feeling. Globally, through Befrienders Wordwide, there is also help.

Meditation. Research and experience indicate this is a useful way to calm the "monkey mind." Here is a free online video introduction to the basics by American Buddhist nun Pema Chodron. While meditating in a group can seem to increase its impact, there is no reason why a daily practice can't be done alone - any where - multiple times a day. Yes, before pitching to a key prospect, meditate. 

Exercise. Working out isn't just for body contours and a healthy heart. It's a natural remedy for clinical depression and anxiety. The trick is to incorporate it into a daily routine. Do that and the body will hunger for that kind of ritual.

A trusted friend 0r Fido. Those in the mental health field who understand healing will tell you that a close friend who knows how to listen and to maintain confidentiality can be SuperTherapist. The edge that person has is knowing what you're about. Other options can be the sponsor in a 12-step program, a stranger on the seat next to you during a plane flight/Amtrak trip, or your dog. Regarding the latter, because the four-leggers in your life are empathetic and non-judgmental, they can provide solid platforms back to hope.

Herbs et al. Bless the internet. You no longer need to purchase a book on what non-prescription substances can be effective. Here, for example, is a run-down of them. Some contend any effectiveness results from the placebo effect. The attitude of those who receive relief smirk and respond, "Bring it on." All forms of mental distress cause pain. Whatever reduces that could be worth experimenting with. Many of the natural treatments do not have the possible severe side effects of a number of prescription remedies.

Spirituality. Very different from formal kinds of religion, spirituality essentially entails a surrender to some force greater than yourself. That takes the burden off you for controlling every aspect of your life and work. You can get out of the driver's seat. No longer do you have to be hyperalert and compulsively focused on goals. Incidentally, this kind of "turning over" is the core of the Alcoholics Anonymous approach to sobriety. The joke there is: Being in charge of the universe is a big job and we're not getting paid for it. 

Psychics. Those with the powers to "read" a suffering human being are being embraced as the new therapists. Lawyers, listen up: To protect themselves from  lawsuits, most post the disclaimer that their services are for entertainment only. However, there is usually extreme earnestness in the encounters between them and those who reach out to them in-person, by phone, or through email. Their methodologies range from pure intuition to tarot cards to crystals. As with myriad other services, this field has its share of cons. It's necessary to ask around for a "legit." 

Coaches. More and more professionals are simply hiring coaches instead of interviewing therapists. Coaches are usually specialized. Those niches range from overall life to career. Most will provide short complimentary sessions for you to check out the chemistry. Since there is no stigma, this could be what to try first. Over the holidays, an underemployed 63-year-old came to me for help with getting more work. What we decided was her immediate need was for a life coach. 

What's labeled as "mental illness" could simply mean hitting the mid point of the continuum of stress. You could be heading toward impairment of the ability to function. So, if you perceive yourself as gravitating out of what's today's norm for stress, take action. That could be the now-traditional way of finding out what kind of therapy your medical insurance covers to lighting a candle and turning over your will to something bigger than you. Should you sense you are in crisis, call 911.

Coaching, lecturing, and writing/ghostwriting thought leadership content on human resources and careers.

For individual coaching – sliding scale fees. Complimentary initial consultation. The special area of expertise is the displaced over-50 professional. Please contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.