What’s Age Got To Do With It?
Adventure, Wonder & Living Fully at Every Age
People ask me all the time,
“Where do you get your energy and don’t you ever slow down? How old are you?
And I always smile and say…
What’s age got to do with it?
At every age we are still curious.
Still filled with wonder.
Still capable of learning, growing, exploring, and trying something new for the very first time.
In fact, trying new things may be one of the most important things we can do as we age.
Science now shows that learning new skills and stepping outside our comfort zone helps create new neural pathways in the brain. We literally keep our brains younger, more flexible, and more alive when we continue to challenge ourselves with new experiences.
And it’s not just our brains.
We build new muscles.
New confidence.
New friendships.
New stories.
New ways of seeing ourselves.
As we age, we don’t need to shrink our lives.
We need new frontiers.
That’s one of the reasons I started Women’s Quest over 33 years ago — to ignite the hearts, minds, and spirits of women around the world through adventure travel, wellness retreats, movement, mindfulness, and meaningful experiences in nature.
I never wanted Women’s Quest to be about “bucket lists.”
I don’t believe life is about rushing around the planet simply checking destinations off a list.
Our retreats are about transformation.
They are about remembering who you are.
They are about celebrating these incredible bodies that carry us through this life — at every age and every stage.
I’m 65 years old and I just returned from two weeks of surfing in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica.
And honestly?
We were out there longer than anyone else in the water… and riding bigger waves too.
The bigger the wave… the longer the ride.
That’s how I feel about aging.
“We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”
Adventure belongs to anyone willing to PLAY and say YES to life.
And one of the most beautiful things I’ve witnessed over the years is watching women surprise themselves.
A woman in her 70s getting on an E-bike for the very first time. A women riding an Icelandic horse across the countryside with a smile as wide as the sky.
Someone hiking higher than she ever thought possible after recovering from illness or loss.
A woman who was terrified to surf AND SWIMMING and suddenly standing up on a wave and laughing like a little girl.
Those moments change people.
Not because they conquered a mountain or learned a new sport…
But because they remembered something powerful inside themselves that had been waiting to wake up again.
Confidence doesn’t disappear with age.
Joy doesn’t disappear with age.
Wonder doesn’t disappear with age.
If anything, they deepen.
And research on longevity continues to show us something important:
it’s not perfection that keeps us vibrant.
It’s movement.
Purpose.
Friendship.
Nature.
Laughter.
Community.
Curiosity.
Women supporting women.
That kind of connection keeps us alive in ways no supplement ever can.
Sometimes adventure looks like surfing warm waves in Costa Rica.
Sometimes it looks like hiking through the breathtaking Dolomites in Northern Italy — what I lovingly call “E-Hiking,” because we take gondolas high into the mountains and explore pristine alpine trails that are accessible for many ability levels.
And sometimes adventure looks like riding E-bikes through the rolling hills of Tuscany, stopping for cappuccinos in tiny villages, soaking in natural hot springs, laughing until your stomach hurts, taking cooking classes with world-renowned chef Chicca, tasting incredible wines, and remembering how beautiful life can be when we slow down enough to truly savor it.
That’s the magic of transformational travel.
It wakes you up.
And the beautiful thing is… adventure isn’t only found on retreat.
Adventure is everywhere.
Every single day.
Sometimes adventure is simply saying hello to someone new.
Sometimes it’s taking a different road home.
Sometimes it’s getting back on a bicycle after years away.
Sometimes it’s having the courage to begin again after loss, illness, heartbreak, or kids going off to college.
Even driving through traffic can become an adventure if you approach life with presence, humor, and openness.
Every moment is an invitation to wake up more fully.
Helen Keller said it perfectly:
“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
I believe that with my whole heart.
And now, more than ever, I believe women need spaces where they can reconnect with joy, movement, nature, community, and possibility.
Not to escape life.
But to re-enter it more awake.
To breathe deeper.
Laugh harder.
Move their bodies.
Challenge themselves.
And remember that vitality has very little to do with age.
So wherever you are in your journey — whether you are 35, 55, 65, or 75 — know this:
Your spirit is still meant to expand.
Your life is still asking you to grow.
And your next adventure may be waiting just around the corner.
This fall, we still have a few beautiful spaces open on two retreats that are perfect for women wanting to move, explore, laugh, and experience adventure in a supportive and uplifting way:
✨ The Dolomites of Northern Italy — with stunning alpine trails, gondola-access hiking, mountain villages, fresh air, and some of the most breathtaking scenery on the planet.
✨ Tuscany — our beloved E-bike retreat through rolling vineyards, medieval villages, healing hot springs, incredible food and wine, and soulful Italian moments that stay with you forever.
You do not have to be the fastest.
Or the strongest.
Or the youngest.
You simply have to be willing to say YES to life.
The mountains are calling.
The waves are rolling in.
The world is still full of wonder.
And perhaps the greatest adventure of all…
is fully living the life you have been given.