Speaker 1: 0:00

It really doesn't have to be far at all, especially in the fall. You know you're up in Massachusetts so many beautiful places to go see the leaves Beautiful. I mean you're really close to a lot of great towns where you can really experience the season so beautifully. So I mean we just we got to do it.

Speaker 2: 0:22

Welcome to this Empty Nest Life. Join Jay Ramsden as he leads you on a transformative journey through the uncharted seas of midlife and empty nesting. If you're ready to embark on this new adventure and redefine your future, you're in the right place. Here's your host, the Empty Nest Coach, Jay Ramsden.

Speaker 3: 0:42

Susan Natari from Modern Empty Nester. Welcome to the show. I'm so excited to have you here.

Speaker 1: 0:48

Hi Jay. Thank you so much for inviting me.

Speaker 3: 0:50

Oh yeah. Well, I knew when I like I think we crossed paths on Instagram and I was like, oh, I gotta get to know this person more and figure out what's going on and what they're doing. And I love, like, the Modern Empty Nester theme. So tell me, like, how did that come to be? Like, how did you start that and start doing travel and tips and that sort of information for people in the second half of life? Where did it? Where did it come from?

Speaker 1: 1:14

Well, you know, I was on Instagram. I've been, I spent some time on there and I noticed that a lot of Instagrammers are really Gen Zers and I just felt like there's just something missing. There's no one that's targeting our age. There's no one targeting us and as Empty Nesters, you know, it is really a time where we should be focusing on ourselves. So, when the kids were leaving the nest, I'm like I kind of consider myself a seasoned empty nester. Now I have three out of the nest.

Speaker 1: 1:49

It's been a while and I knew it was going to be hard, because I was someone who left law to spend time with my kids and really didn't go back for quite a long time because I was so busy with them. So I kind of was anticipating that, oh, something is going to change and it's going to be hard. It's going to be really hard because the focus is your kids for so long. So I started a business some friends a wellness business. I am a wellness coach too, but I just felt like there was still something more that I wanted to do and I went online and I was like I don't understand why our age group isn't represented here, because, you know, we are actually a missed opportunity and people who really aren't represented enough online. And I also had heard at that time like a lot of people who were very depressed when they became empty nesters. And I thought, you know, I remember when it was first my time becoming an empty nester, one of my friends had called me, it was my birthday. And she said, she said, oh, you're going to be an empty nester, it's so great. And I said what are you talking about? Like, this is gonna be really hard, you know. And she said, no, it's great, you're gonna see, you're gonna be able to do so many things. And I thought, hung up the phone and I thought, okay, I don't, she's crazy, I don't know what she's talking about.

Speaker 1: 3:27

But little by little, I thought, yeah, you know, this is supposed to be a time where we're supposed to be doing things for ourselves. And so, little by little, that's what I started to think of what, what would be good? And we, we, we can't be, we're not our parents' generation. I thought, you know, they make us feel, so, you know, guilty.

Speaker 1: 3:48

I think, sometimes for doing things for ourselves, they're the ones who worked hard, saved, and it was all for retirement. You didn't do anything until then you know, just save, save, and then retirement comes, and when are you going to actually get to do anything? You know, maybe you're not even healthy at that time, maybe you're too tired. So I really think this is the time that we should be doing things for ourselves. I don't know what we're waiting for, and so that's why I called it Modern Empty Nesters. We're not the empty nesters of our parents' generation sitting by the phone waiting for us to call and just sitting home all the time. We are busy people. We've got things to do, places to go, things to see. So much to learn still, and you know we've got to get it done.

Speaker 3: 4:42

I love that. Like the concept of modern empty nesters kind of falls into. What I talk about with people is like we have modeling of life like all the way through we know what, going to elementary school, high school, all that kind of stuff. Like we know university, getting married, having kids, having a job, that's all modeled for us. And like even retirement, like oh, here's what retirement should look like. But nobody models like the in-between and that's where you are with Modern Empty Nester right, that's where we are in. Our lives is like we're in between. There's no modeling for what that looks like.

Speaker 2: 5:14

So I love that you're doing that.

Speaker 3: 5:16

I love that you're showing people like here are things you can do and you make it simple, right. What I appreciate is like you're in the DMV right DC, maryland, virginia and you're not like off like in Europe doing stuff. You're popping into DC or you're popping into like different places in Maryland or, you know, down to North Carolina. Like you make it simple, it's not extravagant. So I try to do that, yeah.

Speaker 1: 5:41

I try to do that. I mean, of course, sometimes, you know, luke's travel is good. We all have a little luxury in our lives, including myself, so you'll see some of that, and I think we deserve it, because we have done a lot. We've spent 18 years, you know, raising our kids and putting them first. So you know we really need to stop feeling guilty for doing things for ourselves and in getting it done. But it all doesn't have to be expensive, and so we obviously have retirement, you know, down the road. So we don't want to.

Speaker 1: 6:14

We want to have a nice, healthy mix of things to do, and it could be, you know, an exciting trip to Europe. It could be a walk in your city, you know, down the street, and you discover so much, and it's something that we kind of take for granted sometimes. I mean, we live here, where I'm in Northern Virginia, near DC, just 20 minutes away, and you know, sometimes you know I'll say to my husband OK, let's go for a walk, but like we always walk in the neighborhood, but why don't we walk in DC? So like we'll go, walk and walk and walk and discover so much about our own cities that we didn't even know existed. And so you pick different neighborhoods, different parks, different aspects that you want to hit. A new museum exhibit comes up, let's walk in, let's's go. And it's so fun, it's so fun to be spontaneous, and I think you know that's really what we should be doing, because I mean, I don't just when we sit at home sometimes I get so restless, I'm like, oh my god, we're wasting time.

Speaker 3: 7:18

You know, we gotta go yeah, what for people who aren't necessarily spontaneous? Right, because I know there's a lot of people out there who are. But some people are like, oh, I don't know about that, just be like you said going for a walk, doing something simple.

Speaker 1: 7:50

If the weather's nice, go sit outside and have dinner outside somewhere. Take advantage of the simple things that are around you. I know it's hard to be spontaneous as an empty nester, especially a new one. You couldn't do that before, you never could. You couldn't just go out on a weeknight if you wanted to. But guess what? Now you can.

Speaker 1: 8:12

Your friends are your friends, call you to say, hey, let's, let's have a ladies night. You can say, yes, you're like, oh okay, let's do it, you know. Or let's go to a movie. Or let's like oh okay, let's do it, you know, or let's go to a movie, or let's. It's such a strange feeling at first because we really couldn't do that, and if we did we felt so guilty. So it's really really important to start doing that. And then, once you take the first step and the plunge to doing things like that, oh my gosh, it's such a good feeling, such a good feeling Like.

Speaker 1: 8:47

I guess I can give you a very extreme example of spontaneity where last year, friends of ours, we were supposed to go on a trip to Florida and a hurricane had hit and it had closed, and so I was half joking, half not saying to them what if we just went to brains, to champagne, because I was like I don't know why it was on my mind, I was kind of joking but it. But then we did it. They said okay. I was like, oh, okay, and it was such a fun feeling to be like that. That's obviously extravagant, and we were lucky that we could afford to do that. But it doesn't have to be France, it could be anywhere. And it's just the fact that we just said, okay, let's do it.

Speaker 1: 9:37

We just shifted gears to a completely different idea and it was so fun. We felt so I don't know like rebellious in a way that we did that and we just and we did something for ourselves and it was one of the best trips. We had a really good time and, um, a great experience, so I highly recommend it. And it was even on an off time uh, in december, not your typical time to go, so you might see a post of mine um christmas time in champagna, but it was like christmas markets were there. Um, it's only 45 minutes from from paris, so there are. You just have to think a little bit out of the box doesn't have to be a lot and just say yes, and you will feel so exhilarated because you did something for yourself yeah, say yes, and you'll feel exhilarated.

Speaker 1: 10:29

I love it I love.

Speaker 3: 10:30

That's a huge takeaway and I, yeah, get in the car or hop on. I know there's lots of places accessible by train.

Speaker 1: 10:38

Hop on the train, go one, stop it doesn't have to be up on the amtrak go one stop and explore a new city.

Speaker 3: 10:42

Doesn't have to be far Up on the Amtrak. Go one stop and explore a new city. It doesn't have to take a lot of time.

Speaker 1: 10:45

It really doesn't have to be far at all, especially in the fall. You know you're up in Massachusetts so many beautiful places to go see the leaves Beautiful. I mean you're really close to a lot of you know great towns where you can really experience the season so beautifully. Here we see the same. So I mean we just we've got to do it.

Speaker 3: 11:09

We've got to do it. Yeah, like actually go and do it. I'm curious what's one place that you want to go to that you haven't gone to yet?

Speaker 1: 11:16

Oh gosh, I have so many places that I want to go. I mean, I tend to, I would love to do more national parks. I always like, tend to, I would love to do more national parks. I do, I always like, want to go to Europe and stuff. But national parks are something that I would think is we have so many beautiful places here in the United States that we really something to experience. But the window of time is not that great, so you kind of have to be a more of an advanced planner for that one um, so that would be really exciting.

Speaker 1: 11:55

Um, a lot of exciting trips coming up in 2025. You'll see later, but you know it is um, there there's a lot. There's always. There's always somewhere new, there's always something exciting new. And I, I I did even drive cross country um once, actually sort of semi-spontaneous trip, where a friend had to bring her son's car across the country and I said you know, maybe I'll, maybe I'll join you in the car. You know, I was like a new empty nester and, um, we had the best time, it was such a great time and we actually had to do it only in a week, so it wasn't, you know, as much time as we'd even want to, but so much to explore, even in the car. I love road trips. I love them. You feel so free and it's just like what a great feeling. You don't know where you're going to end up.

Speaker 3: 12:46

That's right. That's a. That's a great. I think that's another great Instagram thing. Right, empty nest road trip right, somebody can hop onto that and start start working through empty nest road trip.

Speaker 1: 12:56

So much to post. I just, I just can't even take it, there's so much information to share.

Speaker 3: 13:02

When I think about, like the spontaneity, or even just like travel, like what's a couple of travel tips that you've learned in your work that may be helpful for other people to know.

Speaker 1: 13:13

You mean for international or domestic?

Speaker 3: 13:15

No, just the domestic travel tips or things that you picked up along the way, even just doing stuff locally.

Speaker 1: 13:23

Well, I would say, look online to see what current exhibits are coming. There's always something new. There's so many exciting exhibits that you wouldn't even realize unless you start researching what's happening in your own town, and so that's the first step. Right there there could be a new restaurant that just opened and I love to go. You know, catch them, if I can. When they first open, I kind like not so new anymore, but, um, I think it's really exciting. And and when that happens and um, so that's like just in your own town there's a lot to do. Um, where you can, I mean internationally, you know, first of all, you want to um check your passport first. Obviously you have to make sure it's not going to expire soon. That's one thing. Make sure your names match your reservation, especially women with their maiden names. This has happened to me, actually, and I actually couldn't even get on a cruise once because of that. The travel agent used another name, my married name, but my passport didn't have that, and so it was a big, big mess. So make sure names match your IDs, because sometimes other people are doing the reservations, whether it's a travel agent. So you want to always double check that.

Speaker 1: 15:03

Bring a portable charger. I think that's so important. I've been on the streets of Paris by myself and all of a sudden the phone died. That was my map. I didn't have the portable charger charged up enough to have it go, so it kind of cuts into your time. You know that way. So there are lots of little tips here and there Don't overpack, and wear good shoes. Wear good shoes. I'm a classic overpacker myself. So you know I'm starting to learn little by little. Start tearing it down, because sometimes when you travel, especially abroad, you might be in an apartment where the stairwell is narrow or it's too many stairs to carry a heavy suitcase, especially if there's no one to help you. So there's so many, there's just so much out there so many different tips.

Speaker 3: 16:01

Yeah, travel to Europe on a carry on. You can make it work.

Speaker 1: 16:04

Yeah, that's my goal.

Speaker 3: 16:06

That's your goal. Yeah, I love that that you like think about the different things that people may need, and you talk about that a lot, I think, in your, in your Instagram, like you even have, I think, lots of tips and information and gear. I think I saw travel gear, yes, on your page as well.

Speaker 1: 16:23

And also things that you can use on a plane that would make especially longer trips on a plane more comfortable, the more long haul flights. So, because there's a lot of places we want to see, right, we won't want to just stay locally. If we can afford it and are able to do it, some places are across the world and the flights are long. So we got to. We want to be comfortable. I mean we at this point in our lives, to me, comfort is number one.

Speaker 1: 16:53

I think we deserve it and I think you know that's why I, like I love actually highlighting products that will make people's lives a little more easy, a little more comfortable and um, you know, just kind of um. And then that's what I do, I, I, I try to research top quality and align myself with good quality companies with high quality products that are going to really help. I'm not going to. I only recommend what I love and um and have used for the most part as well, and so I think it is um, it's so important and I hopefully it's helpful in saving people time and money. That's what I try, that's good.

Speaker 3: 17:37

What's what's like your number one of comfort thing that you have to have with you when you travel?

Speaker 1: 17:43

Oh well, if I'm on a plane, for example, I always have to have some kind of a sweatshirt, pullover something for the plane. They're always cold. You've got to have something in your bag, no matter what, and I like soft things because I want to feel cozy on the plane. So like some kind of soft pullovers, you know, sweater, sweatshirt, I don't care what it is, but this is the number one thing. There's nothing worse than being cold on the plane. I can't take that.

Speaker 3: 18:16

Yeah, especially since they don't do blankets anymore on planes. It's really hard to get a blanket on a plane unless you're sitting up front.

Speaker 1: 18:23

I always bring an extra set of clothes in my carry-on too, because you never know, sometimes your luggage can be lost, and this has happened also, so you want to be sure to have something with you, just in case. Or maybe you're on the plane and there's turbulence and your drink spills all over you. I mean, what a disaster. You don't want to sit there for hours with wet clothes, so it's always good to have an extra, you know, something with you just in case Such good advice.

Speaker 1: 18:54

And headphones. Headphones are really important. Noise canceling I've learned by my lesson. I was near crying baby recently. No one loves babies more than me, I'm all about it, but not necessarily when they're near you, and so you know, I I I've had like the little earphones, but my husband was sitting pretty with his noise canceling headphones. So of course, after that I got a pair for myself and I actually did a review on on the website Um of of. I highlighted the top ones because people have different, you know, tastes and opinions on what they want.

Speaker 3: 19:34

Yeah, what's your go-to noise canceling headphones?

Speaker 1: 19:37

Um, I like Bose. I think Bose is pretty good. But um, uh, I think Bose is pretty good, but I'm not going to lie. I just recently was in the Apple store and saw the new Apple ones and I was like oof, those look nice. So, you know, I you can't have everything and you, you know you can get something also on, like a black Friday sale or something or any of those. These are great times to take advantage of that, because you can actually find some good, good deals.

Speaker 3: 20:03

Good deals. Yeah, I'm not sure when this episode will drop, but you know we're it's October. This could drop in November, right before Black Friday, as a good reminder.

Speaker 1: 20:11

Well, there's always a good sale at some point, and I try to highlight them if they come up, because sometimes it's a good time to grab some of those travel essentials that you need.

Speaker 3: 20:23

I love that. What's like one thing you wish for your future self. Right, we're in this era right now where we're taking advantage of everything. Right, you're like highlighting that take advantage of emptiness life. I do the same thing, but what's one thing that, when you look forward like, what do you wish for your future self?

Speaker 1: 20:39

Well, I mean, I always wish for good health, because if I don't have good health, I can't do, I can't live life on my own terms, right? So we have to take a good care of ourselves as best as we can, eat well, stay active and and just do the best you can, because that is obviously the number one. Can't be traveling too much if you don't feel well. So, um, you know that's, I would say that's the number one thing, um, but then, you know, hopefully new experiences will come along and, um, you know, I'd love to write more. Maybe. You know, go back and do something meaningful and long you never more collabs, just so many things. I can't even tell you. I have so many. I'm like one of those people who has so many ideas, so you never know what's going to come next.

Speaker 3: 21:36

I love that. Do you? Do you offer legal advice on your site with travel?

Speaker 1: 21:41

No, I don't, but actually that is something that I was thinking that I would focus on more in 2025. Maybe knowing some of your legal rights for travel, because I think this has come up now quite a lot, where there's been a lot of canceled flights, you know, and due to weather or due to data breaches or due to other things, and so I think it would be nice to highlight some of those things as well, because you you just don't. You know you need to be armed and know what your rights are. Right, and it'd be nice to just have something where you could just click this is it?

Speaker 3: 22:24

Yeah, like in a nutshell, here's the thing. If you're a modern empty nester and you're traveling, here's the go-to tips for yeah.

Speaker 1: 22:30

Even for myself. I mean, like this is great. I love researching things Like that's. That's what. I just research things sometimes a little too much, but I want to know that I've gotten the best thing or going. I want to find the best places to go see, go eat, you know, go visit and experience. So, um, that's also something else that you know we need to know is what are our rights? What makes life easier as a traveler? You know I don't like standing along lines anymore. I don't have that kind of patience, and so you know we want to, we want to speed things up, you know.

Speaker 1: 23:12

Plus, I also think it's nice to learn about how we can save money and travel. How can we maximize our points on credit cards for free travel, getting free upgrades? It's surprising that actually a lot of people don't really read a lot of the fine print of what their card offers. There's so many things that can that you know it actually does. So I'm going to be highlighting that more. I do do some of that in the Savvy Nestor newsletter that I also have, and you know, if anyone wants to subscribe, it's on the website but and it's on Instagram, but I do money saving tips on that, and some of it is on travel and on how to maximize value for travel, because we all want to save money and there's nothing better than traveling, and traveling when you know it's free.

Speaker 1: 24:05

Yeah, that's so good, more exciting, so good.

Speaker 3: 24:08

Yeah, I love that. I just taught my daughter how to use points to and miles to actually book a flight and she was like, wait, but then it only costs $12 plus the miles. And I was like, yeah, that's so cool, exactly.

Speaker 1: 24:24

You. It doesn't mean you have to open up a bunch of cards, but at least know what card your cards offer, and you know there's some that have better point. Uh, you know, depending on what you're doing, whether you're eating out or whether you're buying groceries or gas, they all give different, different values.

Speaker 3: 24:41

So like why not maximize it so you can save for a new trip? That's right, yeah, what works best for you? There's so many different offers that work. You just got to decide what's the right mix for yourself.

Speaker 1: 24:51

Yeah exactly Cause the kids will have a different card, for example, than we may have, and so because their goals and their uh spending habits are different. So it just you have to look and see what you spend more on than you know. I obviously like travel, so travel cards are more attractive to me. My mother doesn't really go anywhere, um, she doesn't need that. Hers right more on groceries or gas she likes the cash back yeah. Yes, exactly, and kids also like that.

Speaker 3: 25:25

Nice. What's the biggest motivator in your emptiness life right now?

Speaker 1: 25:30

I think finding new experiences for myself and my husband. Obviously it's fun, it gets me going and also spending time with my family and friends. I really am really trying to have more meaningful relationships, spending more time with them, whether it's here or on travel. You know we have a fun group of friends who also like traveling a lot and I think that's a really fun thing for empty nesters to do is find people that you kind of align with, travel wise and go do it, and it can also be couples. It could be ladies trips, it could be guys trips. I think guys trips are very underrated and are very important. I don't know if you experienced any of that but I think it's really important for men also to bond and connect.

Speaker 1: 26:29

So that's been actually something that has been. My husband is now, I think, feels like he can kind of engage in more now that the kids are gone too, and you know he's having so much fun and doing things that I wouldn't necessarily want to do, like he'll go hike, serious hiking, you know, like I probably can't handle that as much, or he'll go, they'll go skiing, or you know. So it's. It's good they come back feeling refreshed, connected and just ready to tackle on the new. You know, work week Everybody needs a good break, so I think that's that's really fun.

Speaker 1: 27:13

I love finding new things for my Empty Nest followers and I think it's just I'm just always looking into new things.

Speaker 1: 27:23

I just have so many ideas that I can't even post them all in time, but I will be and I'm actually, you know, going to be gearing up more for 2025. I think 2025 is going to be a big year, and so you know I'm going to be actually highlighting more experiences for empty nesters, whether it's it's echo travel, slow travel, um, you know, um, uh, biz, not really as much business, travel more for for um pleasure, I would say, so you get a break. But, um, there's so many experience, travel that people can do, um, and a lot of people are going and going to shows and concerts that are not local anymore. This is a whole new kind of phenomenon I've noticed too, and so that's kind of exciting. So it could be for shows, it could be for events, it could be for like a tennis tournament, it could be for literally anything. You can make anything, a trip out of anything, and if you've always said, oh, I wish I could do that, well then let's do it. There's nothing stopping you so good.

Speaker 1: 28:40

Yeah, I think you know. We've just got to act on it. What else are we going to do? Right Literally we're in the sweet spot of life, right.

Speaker 3: 28:48

So true Is it.

Speaker 1: 28:50

We, like you said, we're in that middle ground, where we are. You know, the kids just left. Hopefully we're feeling good Probably don't have grandkids yet and hopefully parents are feeling okay. You got to grab these moments. That's the way I feel. I feel like time is of the essence. I don't know what it is, but I just feel like grab them. You don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, and so you want to do something. Just get it done.

Speaker 3: 29:19

Reserve it, get it done. Yeah, move on and do it. You had talked about slow travel and I was reading about that recently. Can you talk a little bit more about that?

Speaker 1: 29:28

Well, that's something I also hope to do more in the future too. It's more spending, more quality time in a place. I mean, I think after COVID, everybody was just anxious to get back to countries and cities that they've always wanted to go to, and so it was just like boom, boom, boom, I need to go here, I need to go there, like you don't know if you can do it again because of COVID. So now things seem to be simmering down. I think that people are now wanting to. Just now, you can. You can, if you want you, go back to that city but really savor the time there and really maybe get an apartment, maybe feel like local, maybe hang out at the cafe. You don't have to go to every site if you don't want. It's about experiencing life in those cities, and I definitely that's on my list of things to do and would love to spend, you know, more time there, for sure.

Speaker 3: 30:28

Yeah, I love that concept. My wife and I and the kids, we went to England and Ireland this summer and we basically did it in about six days and it felt like, okay, we saw a ton of things, but it felt so rushed as opposed to being able to go back and being like all right, we're going to spend a week in one place and just like pretend like we live there.

Speaker 3: 30:48

And exactly what you know, where are we going to go to dinner and where are we going to go get coffee? And are we going to go see this you know museum or this, or are we just going to hang out in the park, like whatever it may be. It's just like slowing down and I like that concept of slow travel, so I'm glad that you brought it up. It's like we don't have to do all the things so quickly and you can do the same thing at home.

Speaker 1: 31:13

Right at home too, right, yeah, you can imply the concept of slow travel at home as well, Right, right, no, I, I, yeah, you can do it at home too, exactly, and just, you know, you, you get, get in touch, like, start learning about new neighborhoods, spend more time there, what it's like to be there, I think, absolutely, I think I think it's great and you know, I, absolutely. I think I think it's people and, um, you know, my husband was going on a guy's trip and, um, I thought, oh, okay, well, I guess I'll, I'll just be home, you know. And then I thought, wait a minute, why am I going to be sitting home alone, when I could be sitting alone in the middle of Paris? This is going to be great. Alone in the middle of Paris, this is going to be great. And so I was determined to do that and I did, and that was a really big step, I think as an empty nester, because never would I ever feel like I could do that.

Speaker 1: 32:27

And I was a French major in college and study abroad and couldn't even do that at that time. I even had wanted to work in France and a job offer in DC prevented me from doing that. So I always felt like I had this unfinished business of wanting to go spend a little time there on my own time, not having kids with me, not having my husband rushing around, and always, you know, thinking of what he would like to do, my husband rushing around and I'm always, you know, thinking of what he would like to do. I thought, okay, you know, maybe I'll, maybe I'll do that, and it's, it's a. It was a daunting idea to go by myself because nobody was there at that time that I knew, but I felt like I needed to do it and I think it's a very it's a character building thing to be able to go by yourself and make you. It makes you feel a lot more independent and like a true empty nester, and I did that and it was very exciting.

Speaker 1: 33:19

And I have to say, when it's a weird feeling, you get off the plane and you're, you're, you're all you know, walking quickly off the plane and then you realize, oh, there's nobody waiting for me, there's nobody here. I don't even know anyone here right now and I thought, oh well, I guess it's my own schedule and so it takes a little time to get in the swing of it. But that is, you know, another form of kind of slow travel where you can go on your own experience a city on your own, whatever city you feel comfortable doing, but that you've always wanted to do. Like it should be about what you've always wanted to do, because there's no other time to do it. So if that's something that's always nagged you in the back of your mind that you oh, I wish I could do that, just do it. There's no better exhilarating feeling than doing that.

Speaker 3: 34:12

So good. Yeah, I have a friend who lives in Florida, but she came up to like she was switching between her career she was retiring out of one and starting a new career as a coach. And she was like you know what? I'm going to come up to Boston and I'm going to take a, like a weekend class at Harvard because I can, right. So I make the point because you don't have to go to Paris, right, I love that you did that. But also let people know there are things you can do within the US yes, even closer to home, where you can go and do something.

Speaker 1: 34:44

Harvard has a lot of great classes. Yeah, you can take, as an older person, for enrichment in person, and I know people who've done that. I even know people who rented apartments there to do that very same thing. But you can do it in your own town and go back to school. It kind of is fun feeling you know, but it's again, that would be something that you've always wanted to learn or you know, or a hobby that you've always wanted to do. Like you want to become a pastry chef, go take a class, you can do it. You can do anything you put your mind to doing.

Speaker 3: 35:21

You just want to do it. Such a great takeaway.

Speaker 1: 35:23

Go paint, go take painting class. Museums even have painting classes. I mean, how exciting is that you could take a painting class in somewhere like Italy?

Speaker 3: 35:35

Dream big, dream big Right. And if you can't afford big, do small Right Do small, do local, even a friend.

Speaker 1: 35:44

I had a friend who did a pastry class she had trained in Paris. Such a fun class and it was so it was, she was so good and it was so delicious. You know, your friends, actually are these resources untapped resources? They have so many talents. Just ask, right Just ask and they'll be so happy to show you.

Speaker 3: 36:06

So good, Susan. What is your empty nest life motto?

Speaker 1: 36:11

Free as a bird. It's your time to fly. I love it and it is. I mean you are free as a bird. I mean we have work, obviously, and you have other commitments, but basically you're not tied down to the children anymore, so they you should. You're free, that's your job, it's your time to fly. They're flying, so they. So they're off, doing their own. You know they're on their own journeys, but it's important for them to see that you are also flying high and that you're doing you know what you love, and not just waiting for them to call. We got to show them how it's done because they are watching us.

Speaker 1: 36:51

We're role models right.

Speaker 3: 36:53

Absolutely, absolutely. And it's so important to remember too, like in nature, an empty nest is really an empty nest, right? The baby birds go, the parents do too. Yes, right, they don't come back to the same nest. They go and do stuff they go and do a different part of the forest, yeah, so yes, exactly, you're right.

Speaker 1: 37:10

They have other things to do now, not just sitting in the nest. Maybe modernemptynestercom and I was. I'm on Facebook, but I'm not really focusing on the Facebook part of it because there was some unusual activity. So definitely, instagram right now is where it's at and the website and people can subscribe to the Savvy Nestor newsletter to hear more from me and money-saving tips that they'll be getting. That, you know, hopefully is relevant to their empty nester life and midlife. And just stay tuned for much more Follow along on Instagram and there's going to be a lot more coming up with city guides and big travel suggestions for 2025. I'm gearing up, I'm going on a deeper dive and I'm so excited for it.

Speaker 3: 38:24

So good, susan, thank you for being here.

Speaker 1: 38:26

Thank you so much for having me. It's been such a pleasure.

Speaker 2: 38:31

Are you ready to start living and enjoying your empty nest years? If so, head over to JasonRamsdencom and click work with me to get the conversation started. This Empty Nest Life is a production of Impact One Media LLC. All rights reserved.