“I don’t want 60 to be the new 40.I want a better 60”
What started for me as a personal crisis has turned into a calling
a little about me
I was 62 when I wrote my viral essay “You Know Her” about my own experience with long-term unemployment and financial insecurity. As a Harvard MBA, former retail entrepreneur, and C-suite executive, I never imagined I’d find myself in this situation.
I felt wobbly and vulnerable.
Back then, I was in the dark about the sheer number of individuals like myself who had found themselves in similar circumstances - millions of people of us in our 50s, 60s, and beyond who had experienced success throughout much of our lives but were now struggling financially and facing the prospect of downward mobility -- many for the first time.
At my lowest point - out of work and scared, I wrote an essay about what it was like to land here in my fifties. That essay led to a book and a TED talk with hundreds of thousands of you responding, “me too.”
You wrote about many things, but a recurring theme was the need for safe, secure, affordable housing, often our biggest expense as we age.
This got me thinking about
This got me thinking about how we might pool our resources and age together “Golden Girls” style to reduce our housing costs, combat isolation and loneliness, and build community.
This thinking inspired my project.
“NUUage Coliving
Thriving in Place Together
And, if we have to live smaller to afford our housing, let’s make sure it is beautifully designed and near the amenities that matter to us.
In March of 2022, I joined the Ideas42 venture studio, opening up the opportunity to make NUUage Coliving a reality.
I am currently in talks with developers, architects, and government officials, and will soon be seeking funding.
I am inviting you to join me to be part of co-creating and shaping NUUage Coliving’s future.
Over the coming months, you will have the opportunity to provide your reaction to visual representations of the NUUage concept, join focus groups, attend interactive sessions, and become an integral part of the journey.
The starting point for NUUage Coliving is simple – that downsizing need not be all about loss and deprivation, that bigger is not always better, and that living alone and fending for ourselves in old age has more downsides than upsides.
Think of NUUage as the right balance between privacy and community.
You will have your own private living quarters where you can retreat and have personal space while also having opportunities to engage with others and build relationships through shared common spaces and activities.
If aging in place is not feasible, let’s at least age in the community we know.