Amanda Goh

I’m 76 and joined a fitness group in my 60s. I still train every day and can do 5 muscle-ups.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ngai Hin Kwok, a 76-year-old living in Singapore. It has been translated from Mandarin and edited for length and clarity.

I’ve been active for as long as I can remember.

Growing up in Fujian, China, I lived near a university, and would watch the students running, playing sports, and working out. Seeing them move like that left an impression on me, and I think that’s where my interest in staying active began.

In the ’70s, I moved to Hong Kong and stayed fit by running regularly and even walking to work. After living there for 16 years, I decided to move to Singapore with my wife, where we raised our two sons.

I didn’t think much about aging back then, but I always felt health was important. When I moved overseas, I quit smoking completely. I haven’t touched a cigarette since, and I don’t drink alcohol either.


A man doing muscle-ups at a fitness corner in Singapore/

Ngai quit smoking completely, and doesn’t drink alcohol. 

Amanda Goh for Business Insider.



I spent most of my career in the jewelry business. In 2010, I transitioned to working for the company part-time, handling export documentation and running errands. I’m still mobile and able to get around, so I don’t see a reason to stop completely.

But with more time on my hands, I wanted to find like-minded people to stay active with. I read about a seniors’ gym at a community center in a local newspaper and decided to join them — that’s how I became a part of Team Strong Silvers.

Even though we’re older, we’re serious about working out and staying healthy. A lot of people are surprised when they see what we can still do. That’s why we’re sometimes invited to share what we do with other seniors to encourage them to keep moving.

On a typical day, I usually wake up around 7 or 8 a.m. and do some light exercise downstairs to get moving. In the afternoon, I go to the gym.


A man doing muscle-ups at a fitness corner in Singapore/

He exercises every day, and can do pull-ups and muscle-ups even at his age. 

Amanda Goh for Business Insider.



I typically do calisthenics, which uses your own body weight to build strength. Muscle-ups have become something of a signature move for me, along with pull-ups. I used to be able to do about 25 pull-ups, though it’s fewer now. For muscle-ups, I can still manage about five.

For breakfast, I usually rotate between two eggs with whole-wheat bread, steamed sweet potatoes, or roti prata, a fried flatbread of South Asian origin.

I keep my diet simple. I don’t restrict myself too much, but I don’t overeat either. I avoid fried foods and cook most meals myself, so nothing is too oily.

I also enjoy cycling, singing, and writing Chinese calligraphy. Occasionally, I lead calligraphy classes at the senior citizens’ activity center, guiding others interested in the craft.

When people ask me for advice about staying active, I keep it simple.

Start by walking. When your stamina improves and you feel steadier on your feet, you can add simple arm movements. It’s important to start light — don’t jump straight into intense workouts, or you’ll get injured.

Have a story to share about healthy aging or staying active later in life? Contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com




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I attended a weekend reading retreat in my 60s. Surrounded by women of all ages, I learned more than I’d ever imagined.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

In my 30s, I joined a book club but soon dropped out. Between juggling work and family, the last thing I needed then was another deadline, even a read-for-fun one.

Flash forward decades: I’m in my 60s now, the kids have flown the nest, and I have more downtime and love all things outdoorsy.

So when a friend suggested All Booked, a luxe reading retreat for women in New York State’s Catskill Mountains, I was excited to try book clubs again, especially this one-off weekend version.

When I signed up, I imagined lengthy chats surrounding the retreat’s featured trending book: “Mother Mary Come to Me,” a memoir by prize-winning author Arundhati Roy. We certainly had those.

But what made the literary getaway especially meaningful were the casual connections we shared as total strangers — eight women in our 20s to late 60s — about life, love, and living with intention.

The retreat’s luxe cabin was the perfect place for book chats and a reset


Exterior of a log cabin with bushes in front of it

The weekend retreat offered amenities, including a guided meditation and a hike in a gorgeous getaway-from-it-all location.

Sandra Gordon



Tucked among 12 wooded acres in Windham, New York, the weekend retreat’s luxury log cabin was straight out of Airbnb central casting, complete with pine exposed beams, stone floors, and a dramatic great room with soaring vaulted ceilings and cozy reading nooks.

The first night, we met our host, Suzanne, a former New York City journalist who headed to the Catskills a few years ago and never left.

We introduced ourselves with a favorite book recommendation over an Indian-inspired dinner of delicata-squash salad and curry-marinated chicken, a nod to featured author Roy, who calls New Delhi home.

After changing into our PJs, we gathered on yoga mats in the cabin’s loft for a guided meditation before padding off to our log beds.


Two beds in room of cabin

We slept in cozy beds.

Sandra Gordon



Introductions continued the next morning over a breakfast of blueberry scones and homemade granola.

Among us were two 20-something bookstagrammers, each with her own daunting stack of extracurricular romantasy novels to speed-read.

Their tripods and ring lights triggered the multitasking question that seemed to trail many of us these days wherever we went: Should we turn an experience into shareable content or power down and just enjoy it, conceivably leaving likes, followers, and revenue (from somewhere) on the table?

Aside from planning to snap a few photos, I am Team Commune with Nature.

Our multigenerational group bonded over books, nature, and a lively debate


Wood table with books on it

Our trip consisted of more than just reading.

Sandra Gordon



After a morning of quiet reading time, our group met at the Windham Path for an afternoon of forest bathing, which turned out to be a slow-motion hike led by Beth, our certified forest therapy guide.

Beth, who left a corporate job to embrace her calling as a forest therapist, invited us to wander off and “connect with a tree you are drawn to.”

After appreciating the bark, treetops, and stillness, we reunited with a tea ceremony. Beth poured tiny cups of tea steeped from pine needles from an insulated kettle.

Before sipping the sour reddish liquid, we were instructed to pour some on the ground to give back and thank the forest for its sustenance.

During Saturday night’s dinner, Suzanne moderated our discussion of “Mother Mary Comes to Me,” about Roy’s complicated relationship with her mother, Mary, which eventually led to this question for the group: Is it OK to go no-contact with your parents if they upset you?

The 20-somethings were Team No-Contact, while those of us in midlife and beyond disagreed because bad-parenting moments come with the territory, and well, family is family.

Our POV tracked with the memoir’s theme: Roy remained stubbornly devoted to her mom despite their lifelong turbulent relationship.

The connection and community I found that weekend reminded me that life is full of possibilities


Author Sandra Gordon smiling in front of trees

I left the weekend retreat with a new perspective.

Sandra Gordon



The next day, I came home intoxicated with pine-scented fresh air and nurtured by the experience.

Confession: In this chapter as an empty nester, I often feel nestless. It’s almost like I’m back in my 20s, asking fundamental questions again, such as: What should I do now? Where should I live now that I don’t have to be tied to a good school system?

However, spending the weekend with retreat members, including Suzanne and forest-bathing Beth, who’ve made bold midlife moves, reminded me that life is an open book, filled with exciting possibilities.

Meanwhile, I’ve been really noticing the trees during my daily walks, brushing up on my vlogging skills (inspired by the bookstagrammers’ industriousness), and seeking out even more ways to meet new friends of all ages.




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Jacob Zinkula

I was laid off in my 60s and can’t find a job after 11 months. I wish I could retire, but I can’t afford it.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Robin Peppers Daniel, a job seeker in her early 60s who lives in South Carolina. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Last April, I received a notification that I had 30 minutes before I would lose all of my work access — and that within an hour, I would receive some paperwork. Then my boss called me with the news: I, along with several colleagues, had been laid off.

I was working for Wells Fargo in a management role, and had some suspicion that a layoff was coming. This wasn’t my first layoff. In 2018, I was laid off from Walmart, where I worked as an instructional design manager.

A little over a year later, I started working for Wells Fargo as an external regulatory reporting consultant and was later promoted to a lead control management officer role.

My last working day at Wells Fargo was in April, but I was technically still employed and received paychecks through mid-June, followed by a few months of severance. Nearly a year after being laid off, I’m still looking for a full-time role.

My search strategies haven’t landed me a role so far

After some reorganization about a year earlier, there was redundancy in certain areas, and I felt like my workload started to dry up. My husband and I decided to start financially preparing, which proved to be beneficial.

I’d already been casually looking for work, partially because I’d felt for a while that the role wasn’t a good fit for me. But it wasn’t until I was laid off that I updated my LinkedIn profile, and not until around June that I began actively searching for roles. I was initially focused on banking and corporate trainer roles, but I’ve become open to any position where my skills are transferable.

In terms of my job search strategies, I adopted the “open to work” banner on LinkedIn and posted that I was seeking work, which helped me connect with people who said they’d be open to referring me for roles. I’ve also tried looking for job postings on company websites rather than only on LinkedIn, where I’ve found that some postings can be outdated.

Despite these strategies, I was still struggling to land a job. There was one opportunity last year that I thought might work out. I had a referral from a former coworker who said she’d spoken about me to the hiring manager. After three interviews, I waited several weeks and eventually heard they were going in another direction.

I pick up substitute teaching shifts when I can, but I’m still unemployed

My husband and I have enough savings to be financially stable for roughly the next 18 months. In a perfect world, I would retire and get out of this work rat race, but right now, I unfortunately can’t afford to.

Last August, I applied to be a substitute teacher in my area so I could have some form of income once my unemployment benefits ran out. I used to substitute teach when my daughter was preschool age, and I enjoyed it.

However, I had to be very strategic about taking on substitute work. I live in South Carolina, but I worked in North Carolina — and was therefore subject to that state’s unemployment system. In North Carolina, you can earn a maximum of $350 a week in unemployment benefits for up to 12 weeks — $4,200 total. You can also earn up to $70 a week without impacting your unemployment check.

A full week of substitute teaching paid about $550, and depending on how many days I was needed, I had to make sure what I’d gain in income would offset what I’d lose that week in unemployment benefits.

I’m now considering teaching full-time

I’m pursuing an alternative teaching pathway in South Carolina that would eventually allow me to work as a full-time teacher after the initial testing is complete. The salary wouldn’t be what I earned in banking, but it would allow me to do something that I enjoy.

I’ve also started exploring part-time options that could hopefully provide me with income and benefits, including a small web design business my husband and I have run for years and a small skincare products business.

Read more about people who’ve found themselves at a corporate crossroads

I’ve realized this could be a really long-term unemployment spell

During much of my job search, I was fairly optimistic because I’d previously found full-time jobs through my network. Over time, I’ve realized that I could be unemployed for a while.

I think my age might be holding me back in my job search, and that some employers view me as overqualified, given my past work experience and education. As a result, I’ve been conscious of the way I present and talk about my experience level.

Nowadays, I’m only half-heartedly looking for full-time work. If a job posting has more than 100 applicants, I don’t apply. I’ve resigned myself to semi-retirement.

If I have any advice for struggling job seekers, it’s that tapping into my network and family has been the biggest help for me, even if it hasn’t led to a job yet. I’ve had some former coworkers — more acquaintances than friends — reach out to tell me about jobs. I really believe that in this market — where AI might be the one reviewing your résumé — it’s all about networking.




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Coach’s former CEO said Gen Z is most similar to the 60s generation

by with No Comment Xpandfy

Coach’s former CEO said Gen Z reminds him of his generation.

Speaking to Bloomberg in an interview released on Sunday, ex-CEO Lew Frankfort said he started at the New York City-based luxury company 45 years ago.

“So I’ve seen generations change, and Gen Z is the generation that’s most similar to my generation, the sixties,” he said.

“They’re very value-driven,” Frankfort added. “They’re concerned with climate, they’re concerned with authenticity, truth, being who they are, and relationships.”

Frankfort joined Coach in 1979 and served as the company’s CEO and chairman from 1985 through 2014. He sought to position Coach as an “accessible luxury” brand.

Coach’s current CEO, Todd Kahn, started in the role in 2020 and led the company into its current Gen Z-focused era.

Kahn said in the Bloomberg interview that Gen Z customers are “very, very thoughtful about their purchases” and like to shop in physical stores, making shopping an experience.

Coach has resonated with budget-conscious Gen Z consumers because it sells products priced lower than those of other luxury brands.

Gen Z is big business for Coach. A 2023 consumer spending report by market research firm Earnest Analytics found that consumers under 25 increased their spending at Coach by 10% from January through June that year.

To attract more of this consumer base, Coach has doubled down on its charm range in recent years, catering to Gen Z’s love for bag charms, trinkets, and collectables. The cherry-shaped charm was a Gen Z favorite, said Joanne Crevoiserat, the CEO of parent company Tapestry, during a May earnings call.

The company is also bringing in Gen Z celebrities into campaigns and as brand ambassadors, such as rapper Lil Nas X and K-pop artist Lee Youngji. Celebrities like Bella Hadid have been spotted carrying Coach bags.

Coach reported sales of $2.14 billion in the latest quarter, a 25% increase from the same period the year before. It had 330 stores in North America and 619 stores internationally, as of December.

Tapestry’s stock has risen about 85% in the past year.




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In my 60s, I sold the home I raised my son in and took a job on a cruise ship. It gave me the freedom I needed.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

At almost 70, with my son grown and building his own creative life, I realized the home I had poured myself into for two decades no longer supported the future I wanted.

For almost 20 years, that house looked like the picture of stability. Teal doors, a tire swing, and a sunny studio beside the garage. It was where I raised my son as a single mother and built my photography career. Most people assumed I would stay there forever.


House exterior

The author decided to sell the house were she raised her son.

Courtesy of the author



But when my son graduated and moved to Orlando, something shifted. I had spent years encouraging him to live the life he wanted. Suddenly, I realized I needed to do the same.

The house was a money pit

Behind the postcard charm, a truth emerged. The house no longer supported my future. What once felt like a comfortable sanctuary had become a moneypit, its growing debt reminding me daily that I could not afford the life or the freedom I wanted. I had built a home to raise a confident and independent child, and I had done that, but holding on to the house was keeping me from evolving into the next chapter of my life, a chapter filled with creative possibilities that debt made impossible to pursue.


Baby items

The author purged her belongings before selling her house.

Courtesy of the author



Sorting through the rooms, I noticed how little the objects mattered. It was never the things, only the memories. And memories do not require storage space. I photographed what mattered, donated most of the rest, and watched the remnants of my old life line the curb. Letting go gave me breathing room for the first time in years. I could imagine what came next.

I sold the house and found confidence

Selling the house gave me the financial and emotional space to address something I had avoided for years. I needed extensive dental work, and with missing teeth, I no longer felt confident in my own smile. As a photographer, I had spent decades coaxing others to relax while I avoided the lens myself.


Rio de Janeiro

The author traveled to Brazil after selling her house.

Courtesy of the author



I trusted a cosmetic dentist in southern Brazil, the parent of an exchange student I once hosted, and the cost was far more realistic than in the United States. After surgery and the initial healing, I traveled to Rio. For the first time in years, I felt free to focus my lens and smile at the world around me without hesitation.

The physical and financial weight I had carried for years began to lift. Brazil restored my confidence and reminded me that reinvention was still possible.

I took a job on a cruise

Before selling my house, I had researched ways to travel while working. A friend hosted dinners as a sommelier on cruise ships, and my algorithm kept suggesting photography jobs at sea. I applied to a few with curiosity.


Cruise

The author took a job as a cruise photographer.

Courtesy of the author



While I was still in Rio, the call came. I was offered a contract as the master photographer on a premium luxury cruise line, a role that would take me across multiple continents. To qualify, I needed a Seafarer Certificate, which at my age required extensive medical tests and functional exams. It was humbling, but I passed.

I was notified with less than a week to prepare that my contract would start in Sydney. After a 31-hour flight, knowing I would board within 24 hours, I dropped my bags at the hotel and walked the waterfront from Darling Harbor to the Opera House. A mist hung in the air, turning the city into a soft shimmer through my lens.

Life at sea was a study in contrasts. I photographed in a studio on the 15th floor but slept far below in a windowless cabin. I climbed endless flights of stairs each day. The ancient programs, cameras, and equipment made my days long and tedious. But above deck, the ocean made everything worth it. An unobstructed sunset on open water can shift your entire mood. Each time we reached a new port, the world opened again. My creative mojo began to gel for the first time in a long while, and I realized I was able to absorb so much only because I had let go of so much.

A new home and a new beginning

In six months, I had visited three continents, become healthier than I had been in years, and for the first time in decades, my smile came without hesitation. My financial responsibilities felt lighter, and the spark I had been missing finally came back after years of accumulating belongings and obligations that had kept me anchored when I was ready to sail into another chapter filled with creativity.

While recovering in Miami from an injury, I received another unexpected call. An apartment had become available in the Asbury Park building where I had applied years earlier. It had an ocean view, a community of artists and musicians, and a rent I could actually afford. It felt like the universe was giving me the chance to finally act on my hopes and creativity.

I had let go of everything that once held me back. What I gained was freedom, the freedom to create, to travel, and to smile freely again, with my camera as my ticket forward.




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