"Life doesn't have to be big and fancy to be fulfilling."

In Profile: Johanna Walker

In Profile is a bi-weekly segment of We’re All Getting Older, a newsletter that explores packing the second half of our lives with meaning + joie de vivre!

Johanna Walker is an artist, business owner, gardener, non-parent but lover of children, speaker and speaking coach. She lives in a co-housing community where she gets to interact daily with kids and older adults and families, and animals!

Johanna, who tries to get around by bike as much as possible, loves to hike, backpack, grow flowers, play the piano, write songs, paint and dance. She enjoys life with a gang of women pals in their 50s and 60s who, like her, are single and kid-free.

Johanna once thought that having ADHD was her biggest challenge. And although it still kicks her ass, she now appreciates that this condition is the source of her genius and has developed a deep practice of loving her brilliant brain “as is”.

Johnna resides in Boulder, CO. You can learn more about her on LinkedIn.

---

IN WHICH GENERATION DO YOU BELONG?

Gen Jones: 1955 - 1964

DO YOU WORK? IF SO, WHAT DO YOU DO?

I’m a public speaking coach. I help my clients get clear about the ideas they want to be known for, craft them into compelling talks, and deliver them with confidence and power. I love being in front of a room as a speaker and trainer, getting folks into their bodies and voices and their brilliance.

WHAT WOULD THE 25-YEAR-OLD VERSION OF YOU THINK OF YOU TODAY? HOW ARE YOU MOST DIFFERENT FROM HER?

I was super quiet and lost as a 25-year-old. I spent a lot of time as a young person masking, pretending, trying to fit in, trying to figure out what to say to get people to like me. I was very lonely and terrified of speaking. If you told that girl I would be a public speaking coach, speaking on stages, leading other people to their voices, she would say, “NO WAY. You are lying! I will never do that!”

WHAT HAS NOT CHANGED ABOUT YOU?

I’m still often the quiet one in the room. My grandmother always said about me, “Still waters run deep.” I felt so seen by her because I knew there was a lot more going on inside than met the eye. That’s still true about me. I go pretty deep in whatever I do.

GOOD OR BAD, WHAT ABOUT MIDLIFE HAS SURPRISED YOU SO FAR?

I still feel young. The numbers keep going up, but I still feel like me. I can look at a photo of me at 40 and think, “Yep, that's what I look like.” And I know I don’t but I still see me in her. Hard to explain, but that’s a little surprising.

I notice myself getting tired at night. I’m not as interested in leaving the house in the evenings. In fact, it’s really hard to leave the house in the evenings! That’s surprising. I thought I would never get tired.

It surprises me sometimes that younger folks value my wisdom. That they don’t know what I’ve figured out. That what’s a no-brainer to me can really have a big impact on someone else. It surprises me when young folks call me “Ma’am.”

WHAT ONE HABIT ARE YOU ACTIVELY WORKING ON THESE DAYS?

I’m working on getting off my iPhone. It’s so freaking seductive. I feel pretty self-aware and in the driver’s seat of my life, and yet, that phone still sucks me more than I want. I would often grab that phone when I wake up in the middle of the night, and stay on it for sometimes a couple of hours! Then, in the morning, I would just check one thing real quick and end up scrolling!

I recently got a lockbox and a light phone (a tiny phone with just text and calling capabilities). In the evening, I would put the iPhone in the lockbox and set it to FORTRESS mode, meaning I wouldn’t be able to open the box until at least 9 am the following day. This has been a game-changer for my mornings and my sleep. Sad to say I needed the lock box to pull it off, but I wanted my mornings back, and that's what it took.

WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU HEAR THE PHRASE ‘FULFILLING LIFE’. HOW HAS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ABOUT THIS CHANGED AS YOU GOT OLDER?

I feel like it’s living close to our truest expression on the planet, what we’re here to do. In some ways, I feel like I can let that idea go and show up most fully for my life as it is. That fulfilling life is really about how we show up for the day-to-day and that to show up fully is fulfilling and enough. Life doesn’t have to be big and fancy to be fulfilling. At the same time, at 60, I sometimes feel like I'm still a couple of degrees off from what I’m here to do. So I often wonder about what the pivot would be to move a couple degrees closer. Is it a pivot? Or a Big Change? That's a question I'm living with right now.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST EXCITED ABOUT THESE DAYS?

Watercolors. I’ve been doing painting and drawing recently just as a spiritual practice. I just close my eyes and see what reveals itself to me. It’s magical and is like meditation. I also have been going to a monthly free drawing class at the Denver Art Museum. It’s my favorite day of the month. I take my bike on the bus down there and have a full-on art day, which includes this drawing class. Most of the people in the class are older than me, so I think, “Oh wow. This is a thing seniors do.” and I fit right in. 😊

IF YOU COULD GIVE SOME WORDS OF WISDOM TO SOMEONE 20 YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU, WHAT MIGHT IT BE?

It’s all ok. You’re ok. You might not have to work so hard. Learn to trust yourself. And love yourself. That’s the most important thing. But the truth is I aim not to share wisdom unless asked. Mostly, I believe we’re all on our own path and will figure out what we need to figure out in our own time. I might even say to a 40-year-old that although I  love sharing my wisdom, I’m more interested in listening to their wisdom. I think my listening to their wisdom will probably support them more than listening to mine.

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION: WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE SINGER/BAND GROWING UP?

First, it was David Cassidy. Then, Billy Joel.

• • • • •