It’s October 17th and today we are launching our Bridging the Gap Campaign! I’m excited as the Millennial Director to take part in an unprecedented campaign for social change. We celebrate as 200 Influencers from diverse backgrounds come together to unite Millennial and Midlife Demographics, blur boundaries and encourage Reciprocal Mentorship! #WeAreStrongerTogether
I am excited to share my Midlife Partner with all of you in today’s blog post. Meet my friend Shauna from Chic Over 50. We connected through our friend Catherine Grace O earlier in 2017 and it’s been a wonderful journey as friends since then.
Together in Southern California
For those wondering…what exactly is Reciprocal Mentorship? It’s a way of bridging our two generations together because we all have different perspectives, talents and gifts to offer one another. We are empowering each other through this mentorship.
Shauna and I met immediately before the first launch of the Forever Fierce: The Midlife Revolution Campaign back in February 2017 (on the 50th day of the year to signify women over 50 years old). So when I had an opportunity to partner with a Midlife Influencer/Blogger for this campaign, I was SO excited to partner with Shauna. Shauna’s goal is helping women look and feel CONFIDENT and BEAUTIFUL! Shauna started her blog, Chic Over 50, in October 2015 on a whim and has grown it into a an amazing resource to help women feel good in their own skin! She has done this while having fun in trendy and colorful outfits and kick-ass haircut. Shauna has a unique way of combining her professional photography background with exceptional outfit styling.
Going back to the beginning, Shauna and I first connected over a social media question! I have a passion for technology and digital marketing so of course I volunteered to help a friend of Catherine’s on this topic! We talked on the phone that night and Shauna was so friendly and personable.
Afterwards, we connected in Southern California as Shauna travelled to LA for the Forever Fierce Campaign. Our first connection in person, Shauna graciously offered to shoot photos together and style our own versions of a Nautical-themed outfit (read blog post). When you look at Shauna through her Instagram, you see a fun-loving woman with colorful outfits and beautiful skin. Shauna looks young beyond her years (who could guess she is 57?!) and even more beautiful in person! I was so impressed by her welcoming personality, photography skills as she perfectly placed me during sunset photos and passion for fashion. Talking during dinner, we connected on our journeys to blogging and I was SO IMPRESSED by Shauna’s passion to help women of all ages and to empower women with confidence.
Blurring our ages, we thought it would be fun to talk about things that are similar between us. We’ve come to know one another and we BOTH…
- LOVE taking care of our skin and place skin health as a priority in our lives. We also both have a love for Dermalogica products!
- LOVE anything Aveda has to offer! I’ve been a loyal customer for over 20 years and this just further showcases how brands cater to many generations and change with us as we age and our hair care needs evolve. You can also see how different we style our hair – beautiful in our own way!
- Are PETITE! We are both 5’1” and love showcasing petite fashion and style on our blogs!
- LOVE fashion and style…could you tell 😉
- Have a quiet side to our personalities
- LOVE photography. Shauna has been a professional photographer for the past 10 years (Shauna Rae Art) while I’m just starting to learn past the basics. It’s always inspiring to see her photos and learn from Shauna. She’s a great mentor and inspiration to me.
Blurring our ages, let’s talk about differences between us. We have differences in our…
- Education, Family & Career Paths
- Shauna married young and never went on to complete a college degree. She’s never worked outside the home but has no regrets. Her greatest desire at 19 years old was to get married and have babies! She has three amazing sons and seven grandchildren!
- I’ve talked about this more personally on my Find Your Script business – I have a bachelor degree in Biological Sciences and Doctor of Pharmacy degree from USC. I completed a 2-year residency at University of Utah Health and am currently a board-certified critical care pharmacist and Assistant Professor.
- Shauna also came from a large family with nine siblings and a conservative upbringing. In contrast, I came from a smaller family with a twin sister and two-half sisters. Despite this, my two-half sisters are 12 and 17 years older than me. Since becoming an adult, I’ve never noticed our age differences; age is just a number…
- Our generations grew up during different times with different opportunities and social perspectives. As a Millennial, I was afforded more educational opportunities and was driven to go beyond my previous generations’ achievements (past a high school or bachelor’s degree to graduate school).
- I think this is a common theme today – passion towards improving upon our family’s legacy and the generation that proceeded us.
- Style
- Shauna has a trendy and colorful style. She loves prints and anything girly! She is always on trend often wearing clothing from Anthropologie and local boutiques.
- As you’ve seen, I’m focused on busy professionals like myself and bring in classic styles that are easy-to-care for and transition well into casual wear.
As you can see, we have MUCH MORE IN COMMON, than we don’t! Shauna and I have formed a friendship that centers around our passion for fashion and commonalities. I’ve never thought about our age difference and treat her as a peer. Yes, she has more years of life experience than I do and I value her opinion, feedback and expertise. I’m SO excited to showcase our reciprocal mentorship together to launch this campaign together! I’ve learned so much from Shauna and am so appreciate of our opportunity to connect. There is no question that Shauna is going places at Midlife and you better watch her as she empowers women all around her. I hope you ENJOY getting to know Shauna as much as I have!!! Read Shauna’s blog post on me on her Chic Over 50 Blog!
Together at New York Fashion Week (NYFW)
Share your thoughts on our Bridging the Gap Campaign & Forever Fierce Movement by leaving a comment below. Join our Facebook Group today & share with a friend.
Read ALL the blog posts related to our campaign over on CatherineGraceO. Plus, watch a special video by NetworkBe of Midlife and Millennials (including myself!)
Thank you for reading! My goal is to reach 1,000 more women by the end of 2017. Help me achieve this goal. Share this post using the teal buttons.
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Jessica Louie, PharmD, APh, BCCCP is the CEO of Clarify, Simplify, Align and Host of The Burnout Doctor Podcast. Dr. Louie uses her signature Burnout Doctor Method to coach burned out pharmacists & professionals to simplify because work-life balance is a LIE. Align work into your life & break free from people pleasing, perfectionism and thrive in life on YOUR TERMS.