Flamboyant Grays shares stories from inspiring Role Models who changed their lives beyond 50, 60, 70, … Flamboyant Grays are older professionals who actively changed their lives later on. This is a space to share thoughts or connect with role models who walk the talk. You can read and listen to contemporary role models via podcasts, or reflect on your own barriers and advantages. Some of us share roads less traveled, either way, Flamboyant Grays ignite our lives with actions based on shared wisdom.
The goal of Flamboyant Grays is to showcase historical and contemporary role models, and have fun!
Where did the idea of Flamboyant Grays come from?
The Flamboyant Grays idea came to me (Inge) after having experienced some strange, new phenomena regarding my age. While doing nothing special, I had reached 50 and people started to look at me differently. I have always worked and created new applications in the gray area between technology and teaching & learning. I even pioneered mobile learning and MOOCs, but for some reason, I started feeling that some people thought technology was something I was unaccustomed to.
Change is in the eye of the beholder
While I was living my life, moments of age-based stereotyping started to manifest themselves more frequently. Was it me becoming less capable, less tech-savvy? Or was there something in the way I came across to people that influenced this new behavior in others? I decided that it was mainly due to the latter. This meant that I was stared at differently, but what had changed? So, unavoidably, I wondered what could be done …
Shares Stories from Inspiring Role Models
Can you start a new career beyond any age above 50? Where do you start? How do you change your path to reach your new goal? There have always been successful late bloomers, but how can we help each other so that we can all benefit from this energy and knowledge? This initiative gets the word out and shows what it takes to start a new path later in life and enjoy it.
When you are an older professional, you might encounter biases. Assumptions on your capacities, your socio-economic usefulness (watch out, research) within society, and even your identity as a fully capable person. Flamboyant Grays highlights older professionals that managed to shift careers and turn them into success. If we can do it, surely, we break down the walls of stereotyping older professionals and older workers no matter what their age.
That is why Flamboyant Grays shares stories from inspiring Role Models, it is all about stories, actions … and fun!
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