Jane Witherspoon is a Canadian expat, an adventurous spirit, and a dedicated yoga instructor who now calls Dénia, Spain, home. A passionate Rambler at heart, she embraces the richness of life in her new Mediterranean lifestyle.
Somewhere along the way, many of us begin to believe that there is an expiration date on new beginnings.
We tell ourselves we're too old to start a business, learn a new skill, write a book, travel the world, change careers, or chase a dream.
But the truth is, women in midlife and beyond are living in a world that looks very different from the one we entered as young adults. Never before have there been so many opportunities to learn, connect, create, and build something meaningful. We can start businesses from our kitchen tables, learn almost any skill online, reach people around the world with the click of a button, and turn a simple passion project into something far bigger than we ever imagined.
I recently came across research showing that women over fifty are one of the fastest-growing groups of entrepreneurs, launching start-ups and new businesses at an unprecedented rate. Researchers suggest that this isn't simply a trend—it's the result of women reaching a stage of life where decades of experience, financial stability, professional networks, confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose come together in powerful ways.
We are at the forefront of a remarkable revolution as women in midlife and beyond redefine what aging looks like.
We are taking decades of experience, resilience, wisdom, and passion and using them to create something meaningful. Some are starting businesses they've dreamed about for years. Others are turning hobbies into careers, writing books, launching podcasts, opening studios, becoming coaches, artists, makers, or consultants.
Our age is no longer the barrier we once believed it to be. In many ways, it's our greatest advantage. We bring decades of life experience, resilience, wisdom, and perspective—qualities that can't be taught in a classroom and often become the very foundation of success.
Perhaps this isn't the chapter where we slow down, but the chapter where our greatest adventure begins. I know this because that's exactly where I found myself when I turned 58.
What began as a simple passion project with a few friends during the pandemic, fuelled by a love of walking and bringing women together, has grown into something I never could have imagined. If someone had told me that I'd be helping build a technology company in my sixties, I would have laughed.
And yet, here I am.
Not because any of us were tech experts, but because we, the founders of Sole Sister Ramblers, dared to dream a little bigger, said yes to an idea, and refused to let age define what was possible.
Throughout my life, I've worn many different hats. I've been a hairstylist, a corporate paralegal, a restaurant manager, and later, a yoga teacher living the dream of an expat in Panama. Each chapter taught me something different, but none of them hinted that one day I'd help build a technology company.
Then came the pandemic.
Jill Thomas came to visit me in Panama, and during our long walks along the beach, we spent hours talking about life, women, and what was missing. We both felt there was a real lack of meaningful communities where women in midlife and beyond could connect, support one another, and feel a true sense of belonging.
Somewhere on those beach walks, what began as a conversation became an idea. That idea became a passion project. And little did we know, it would grow into Sole Sister Ramblers—a community that has connected thousands of women around the world and led us into the unexpected world of technology.
Before long, there were five of us. We started a Facebook group and invited every woman we knew to join. It was a simple beginning, fuelled by a shared belief that women in midlife and beyond needed a place to connect.
Living in different parts of the world, we met online regularly, brainstorming ideas, sharing our dreams, and asking ourselves one simple question:
What now?
None of us had a roadmap. We simply kept saying yes to the next small step.
Over the last five years, that simple little Facebook group has grown into something we could never have imagined.
Built from the ground up and funded entirely with our own money, we created local, in-person Sole Circles, developed Fitness and Lifestyle Challenges that inspire women to move, learn, and grow, and introduced international group travel adventures that bring women together to explore the world side by side.
There were no investors, no venture capital, and no big corporate backing—just five women who believed in an idea and were willing to invest their own time, energy, and resources to bring it to life.
Every step of the way, we listened to our members, adapted, and built what they needed. One conversation, one friendship, one Challenge, one Ramble, and one adventure at a time, our community continued to grow.
Today, what started as a passion project has become a thriving global community of thousands of women, and we're now in the process of building an app designed to bring everything we've created together in one place.
As I reflect on this incredible journey, I'm reminded that none of us knows where one small idea might lead. If we'd spent our time worrying about our age, our lack of technical knowledge, or whether we were qualified enough, Sole Sister Ramblers would never have existed.
Instead, we simply took the next step.
What I never expected was that this journey would give me so much more than a business. It has brought me some of the deepest friendships of my life, countless moments of joy, and an overwhelming sense of pride in what the five of us have created together.
Watching women connect, support one another, step outside their comfort zones, and discover they are capable of so much more has been a great privilege.
Perhaps that's the lesson I hope you'll take away from my story.
If there's something you've always wanted to do—a business you've dreamed of starting, a book you've wanted to write, a class you've been meaning to take, a place you've longed to visit, or a passion that's been quietly waiting in the wings—don't let your age be the reason you hesitate.
The world has changed, and so have the opportunities available to us. Women in midlife and beyond are no longer winding down; we are creating, leading, innovating, and redefining what this stage of life can look like.
So, my Sole Sisters, as you ramble into your week, remember this. You don't have to have all the answers. You don't need a perfect plan. You don't need to know where the journey will end.
You simply have to be willing to take the first step.
Because it's never too late to learn.
It's never too late to change direction.
It's never too late to surprise yourself.
And it's certainly never too late to begin.
“True friendship is oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are...”
Real name: Mary Ann Evans
Pen name: George Eliot
"I used to think 50 was old. I was wrong. Not even close." - Harriet Anderson
(79 years old and oldest female to ever finish the Ironman World Championship)
READ MORE > Jane's Mindful Musings, Rambler Cafe Blog
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