Beyond the Mask: Discovering Your Authentic Self After 50

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Have you ever felt like you're living someone else's life,

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Like you're wearing a mask to fit in, but it's slowly

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suffocating your true self. If so, you're not alone,

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and this episode is for you.

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Hey, friend. Ever feel like those old fashioned

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ideas about aging just don't fit you? If you're ready to

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own this incredible chapter with grace, style, and a touch of

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sass, this is your space. Welcome to the aging with

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grace and style podcast. I'm Valerie Hatcher, and I'm here

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with empowering tips, inspiring stories, and a whole lot of

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fun just for us, women over 50. So grab

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your favorite beverage, turn up the volume, and let's

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get started. As women

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over 50, we often find ourselves navigating

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significant life transitions, and embracing our true selves

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can be a powerful and liberating a.

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Kinda like when you've had on Spanx all

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day and you take them off and you feel like you can

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finally breathe. Well, that's also a liberating experience that

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I a this to. In today's show, we're discussing

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authenticity. We'll define it, discuss its

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importance, identify common barriers, and

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share practical steps to embrace our true self.

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Authenticity has played a significant role in my

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life and in the lives of many women that I've spoken with.

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For me, embracing authenticity meant

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letting go of societal expectations and

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truly listening to my inner voice. It's been a

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journey of self discovery and empowerment, and I'm

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excited to share this journey with you. As we

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age, many of us find ourselves

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on this journey to authenticity.

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Maybe you've always put others first, or

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perhaps you've been living up to an image

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of who you thought you should be, well, now

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is the time to embrace personal growth and self

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discovery. There are myths that

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authenticity means sharing everything or

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having no filters. So but what does

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it really mean? Authenticity is about

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your true self. It's aligning

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actions with values and living without pretense.

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It's the courage to show up as you are

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without hiding behind Sass or conforming

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to others' expectations. For women over 50, this

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journey is particularly meaningful as we

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navigate new chapters in our lives.

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So life transitions like the empty nest,

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retirement, or career shifts offer,

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a unique opportunity to reassess and

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embrace authenticity. These changes often

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prompt us to reflect on who we truly are

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and what we want from life. Living authentically

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brings numerous mental and emotional benefits.

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Actually, studies have shown that it can significantly

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improve mental health and overall well-being.

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When we're true to ourselves, we form

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stronger, more genuine relationships. It's a

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time for self awareness and reconnecting

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with our true self. And let's not forget the

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boost in confidence and self esteem that comes from

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embracing who we really are. Now let

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me share a personal experience about staying true to

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myself. For years, I have found

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myself more drawn to conversations

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about sports, cars, world events, and some

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shopping rather than what some might consider

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traditionally feminine topics. I guess you could

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Sass, I have always been a guy's girl. No.

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Not in a flirtatious way at all. I've just

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enjoyed those conversations. This preference

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sometimes put me at odds with certain

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social groups. I once joined an

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organization where the popular crowd

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had very specific interests, like tea parties

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and shopping and what I felt was surface level

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chatter. Now don't get me wrong. I enjoy a good

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shopping spree now and then, but it's not my main

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focus. I think my background in corporate a

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has meant that I was more comfortable with the, quote,

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unquote, water cooler a, discussing

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business strategies, technologically technological advancements,

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or the latest sports news, kids, and shopping.

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My dad was 1 who could talk to anyone

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about anything. So I felt, and, actually,

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I still feel, it's good to know a little bit about

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a variety of topics for the sake of conversation. But

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back to my story. In this group, my

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interests were seen as unusual,

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and I felt pressured to conform. I

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faced a choice, change myself to fit in

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or stay true to who I am. I

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chose authenticity, which initially led

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to feeling somewhat isolated. Yes. It

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stung a bit. But pretending to be someone else

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just to please others, that felt dishonest

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and exhausting.

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Interestingly, as time passed and some of these

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people got to know the real me, attitudes began to

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shift. They started to appreciate or

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maybe at least better understand my perspective.

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This experience actually taught me a valuable lesson.

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Conformity, it can sometimes border on

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cult like behavior, While authenticity,

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though challenging at times, allows for

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genuine connections and self respect. Now the

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takeaway, align yourself with people who appreciate

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your true self a of whether your

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a fit expectations. It's far more

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fulfilling to be authentically you than to

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exhaust yourself trying to be someone

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that you're not. The path to authenticity

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isn't always smooth, especially for us over 50.

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We face unique challenges touch as societal

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expectations, Societal pressures and

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stereotypes about how we should behave or look can

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inhibit our authenticity. We may feel, I don't

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know, compelled to conform to certain roles or

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appearances, which can stifle our true self.

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Then there's fear of judgment. The fear of criticism

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and judgment often holds us back. We worry about how

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others perceive us and whether we'll be accepted.

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Going back to my story, it would have been easier for

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me just to be like the others than to be shunned by

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them. Then there's internal doubt.

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So internal struggles like self doubt or

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imposter syndrome can also hinder our

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authenticity. We may question our worth and our abilities,

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doubting whether or not we can truly be ourselves.

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Career transitions or retirement can shake our sense of identity.

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Changing family dynamics, such as children leaving the

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nest or as we later become a,

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health and body image concerns that come with aging, all

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of these can affect our path to authenticity.

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But remember, these challenges are also

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opportunities for growth and self discovery.

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So how can we cultivate authenticity in

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our daily life? Well, if you've been around, you

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know I have some steps. Actually, I have 5 of them, so

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here they are. Number 1 is self reflection.

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Take time for self reflection through journaling.

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You know I always talk about journaling, meditation,

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or conversations with trusted friends. These

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practices help us gain clarity and connect with our inner

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selves. Number 2, identify core

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values. Identify and align with

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your personal values. Understand what truly matters

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to you, and let those values guide your decisions and your

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actions. 3, set boundaries.

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Setting boundaries is crucial for protecting your authentic

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self. Learn to say no when necessary and

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prioritize your well-being. 4, practice

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self compassion. Embrace self compassion

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and patience on your journey to authenticity. Be kind to

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yourself and acknowledge that it's a continuous

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process of growth and self discovery. And 5,

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take small steps. Start with Style,

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authentic actions and gradually expand

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them. Each step you take towards living authentically

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builds confidence and reinforces your true self.

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I, recently listened to a psychologist who was

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discussing just this topic. Her advice was

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to start small. She said, a isn't

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about making drastic changes overnight. It's about

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gradually aligning your outer life with your

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inner truth. Small steps can lead to

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significant empowerment in our happiness and provide a sense

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of fulfillment. Some techniques that she

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suggested were, when you feel afraid to express

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your true self, ask yourself, what's the worst

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that could happen? Often, our fears are

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exaggerated. 1 of my favorite

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quotes about authenticity is from Brene Brown, and

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it says, a is a daily

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of letting go of who we think we're

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supposed to be and embracing who we are.

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a of our listeners told me that

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she had spent her whole life being who everyone

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else wanted her to be. But at 55,

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she finally asked herself, what do I

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wanna be? And I was recently at a

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podcasting summit, and I talked to a few women over

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50 on our we were talking about our

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why. What brought us to podcasting? And

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1 of them told me, she said she finally decided to pursue

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her passion for podcasting at 57. And she

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said it's been the most fulfilling journey.

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She told me that, embracing her true and

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authentic self had brought her so much joy.

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Now I talked earlier about steps to embrace

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authenticity, but here are a couple of other tips

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that you can use daily. So

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if if this is new to you because you've spent

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so much time conforming to the expectations of

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others, then you will need to really get

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in touch with who you are. 1 way of doing

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so is to incorporate daily mindfulness practices

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to stay connected to your true self. So

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whether it's through meditation, deep breathing,

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or just simply being present, Mindfulness

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helps maintain authenticity. And then

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another is to live authentic

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authentically by communicating honestly.

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Now that doesn't mean you just say whatever's on your mind all

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the time. We still need to have a filter and to respect

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others' feelings, following your passions

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and embracing imperfections.

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Remember, authenticity is about progress,

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not perfection. So Sass we wrap

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up, let's recap our key points.

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Authenticity is about being true to yourself.

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It brings benefits like improved well-being and

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stronger relationships. While there are challenges,

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especially for women over 50, they can be a.

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And practical steps like self reflection and

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pursuing passions can help cultivate authenticity.

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I encourage you to take 1 step towards

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living more authentically this week. Maybe, you know,

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is trying a new hobby that you've always been curious about

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or having an honest conversation with a loved 1

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or not doing what everyone else is doing to fit in.

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Or maybe like me, just don't go to the tea and crumpets

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place to fit in because you know when you leave, you're

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gonna be hungry. Remember, it's never too

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late to start living your truth. I'd

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love to hear what living a,

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yes, I've been struggling with that word, means to you. Share

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your stories in the comments or on social. Don't forget. You

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can leave me a voice message at pod.aging

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with grace and style.com. I'm getting more and more messages

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every week, and I love them. So thanks

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for joining me as we take this journey to embracing

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authenticity. Until next Style, keep embracing

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your authentic self and being true to

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who you really are.

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Thanks for hanging out with me today. I hope you're feeling

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inspired and ready to own your awesomeness. I love

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sharing this space with you, and if you of today's episode,

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do me a favor, share it with a friend who could use some

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extra inspiration. A quick rating and review

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really helps too. Don't forget to subscribe so

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you never miss an episode. Let's keep this conversation

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going. Head over to pod dot aging with

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Until next time, keep shining with grace,

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style, and a whole lot of sass.