From 3000 to 128,000 Subscribers: How I Found My Tribe on YouTube..
In the vast landscape of social media, finding your tribe can sometimes feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. But what if I told you that in just one month, I went from having 3000 subscribers on YouTube to finding my tribe with a whopping 128,000? Sounds unbelievable, right? Let me share my journey with you.
Rejection to re-ignition
Many would assume that with such a rapid growth in subscribers, companies would be knocking at my door, eager to sponsor my content. However, the reality is quite different, especially for someone like me who sits outside the preferred demographic for many companies. As a woman over 50, I quickly realised that the advertising world largely overlooks us, rejects us, except for a select few niches like Saga Cruises, funeral services and incontinence underwear.
Earlier this year, after many rejections from companies unwilling to hire me for campaigns or pay a decent fee for my content creation, I had an epiphany – I am my brand, and my knowledge and experiences hold immense value. That’s when I made the bold decision to transition from Instagram to YouTube. While Instagram is a social media platform focused on connections and aesthetics, YouTube offered me the opportunity to connect with an audience hungry for information and new skills.
TikTok, with its predominantly young audience seeking entertainment through skits and dances, didn’t align with my vibe. So, I dove headfirst into YouTube, armed with a mission to share my insights and inspire women who, like me, are navigating the complexities of midlife.
From almost zero to paying my way
Despite accumulating 660K followers on Instagram over four years, the earnings amounted to a mere four cents. But within just one month on YouTube, I started earning a very decent living doing what I love – sharing knowledge and inspiration with my growing tribe of women.
The Midlife Edit
My upcoming book ‘The Midlife Edit’ is more than just a book – it’s a roadmap for women to give themselves a makeover, a life edit. Over the next few months, I’ll be teasing insights from my book before its release in September. It’s my purpose to illuminate the path for women who may have lost their way amidst the darkness of midlife.
YouTube isn’t just a platform for me; it’s a home where I can connect with seekers of information and inspiration. It provides a creative channel for me to share my life experiences and insights to empower others on their journey.
And this is just the start of something incredible. In addition to nurturing my YouTube channel, I’m already laying the groundwork for my second book. This upcoming work will delve deeply into the art of designing, creating, and manifesting the life of your dreams. It will explore the transformative power of setting boundaries, discovering inner peace, and forging a connection with your higher self.
But for now you can find me on YouTube, head on over and subscribe for the vibe!
Earth Day Reflection: Embracing Our Shared Humanity on the Pale Blue Dot
Earth Day is a poignant reminder of our collective responsibility to cherish and protect the planet we call home. Yet, beyond the environmental advocacy and sustainability efforts lies a deeper truth: we are all interconnected beings, sharing the same precious space on this magnificent blue orb we call Earth.
In our journey through life, we often find ourselves divided by borders, ideologies, and belief systems. We proudly wave our flags, laying claim to a small piece of land as our own, forgetting that beneath the surface, we are all humans with the same fundamental desires, struggles, and aspirations.
It’s a pity, isn’t it? How we succumb to tribalism, clinging to the notion that our ideas, customs, and gods are superior to those of others. We build walls, both physical and metaphorical, separating ourselves from our fellow beings, forgetting that we are all but transient inhabitants of this vast and wondrous universe.
But here’s the truth we often overlook: it’s okay to not agree on everything. In fact, it’s essential. Our differences are what make us unique, what spark conversation, and what propel us forward on the path to growth and understanding.
Yet, amidst the diversity of our experiences and perspectives, there lies a common thread that binds us all: our shared humanity. Regardless of race, religion, or creed, we all experience the same spectrum of emotions – joy, sorrow, love, and fear. We all seek meaning and purpose in our lives, striving to find our place in the grand tapestry of existence.
To awaken to this truth is to embrace our spiritual selves and the wonders of the universe. It’s to recognize that each of us walks a different path on the road to enlightenment. Some may journey through life without ever questioning the status quo, content to follow the beaten path laid out before them. Others, however, are acutely aware of the fragility of life and the transformative power of love.
These individuals walk a lighter, love-filled path, guided by empathy, compassion, and a deep reverence for all living beings. They understand that true enlightenment comes not from domination or conquest but from humility, acceptance, and a willingness to embrace the interconnectedness of all things.
As we celebrate Earth Day, let us reflect on the beauty and complexity of our shared existence. Let us recommit ourselves to protecting and preserving this fragile planet for future generations. And above all, let us remember that we are all passengers on this pale blue dot, united by our common humanity and our shared journey through the cosmos.
When people come to my home, the first thing they notice is that I don’t have a TV. ‘What do you do instead of watch TV?’ will be the immediate question on seeing the sofa pointing at the view, instead of a TV on the wall. Well, what don’t I do would be easier to answer. You see, I have a fear of missing out – ‘FOMO’ I feel that if I waste time watching TV, I’m potentially missing out on something better. If you thought you had a week to live, would you spend any time watching TV? I suspect not.
The problem I have is, that I have too many projects on the go at the same time, and any spare time is spent trying to figure out how I can squeeze more projects into my waking hours. I’m in the process of sorting my life out and developing a plan to have more structured days and a routine (I hate routine!) so that I can maintain and improve my fitness, as well as provide value to you the reader with interesting content.
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I’m prioritising my fitness so I decided today that jump rope/skipping is back in my daily fitness routine. I’m starting from scratch with just 5 minutes skipping today (it’s harder than I remember). Follow my progress to see if I can make it to 10 minutes…or more!
Things I’m currently working on.
Building my home and designing every aspect of the interior, exterior finishes, landscaping and of course I’m managing the budget.
I make videos for YouTube for my construction project, which haven’t achieved the number of views I was expecting, so I need to research how to use YouTube more effectively to ensure people searching for new house construction, can find my video.
I write for Wherever Magazine and also blog as often as possible on here – I’m aiming for posting daily.
I have started making wall hangings again from rope and shells I’ve collected from the beach.
I’m creating digital art of interesting places I’ve photographed around eastern Algarve, which I’m loading onto an online gallery where people can buy posters. I’ve made sales already!
I’m also creating a collection of NFT’s which I hope to mint/publish within the next couple of months.
My T shirt store ships my designs all over the world, but I am struggling to keep up with the maintenance of this store to be honest.
I paint abstract art on canvas with acrylics. I sold all my paintings when I left the UK. I now need to create more for my new home.
My Instagram had gone on the back burner earlier in the year, because I don’t like how it’s developing into part of the Metaverse, even so, I enjoy connecting with likeminded women all over the world through this platform. I said I didn’t want to enter the Metaverse, but I’ve realised I am already in it. The secret to not being swallowed whole by virtual reality, is to ensure you check out of your online world often, and reconnect with nature, animals and possibly some real humans 😉
FOMO or ADHD?
Two people have recently asked me if I have ADHD, as I’m involved in so many projects. I know I suffer with FOMO, ADHD……well I’m not so sure. My husband said recently, that he’s never met anyone else who has such a broad range of knowledge on diverse subjects. There’s a theme in the conversations. Is there something wrong with me? Am I weird? Do I care? – Not at all. But just because I can do something, doesn’t mean I should. I decided to sit myself down and give myself a good talking to. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed and stressed for the past six months or so, not because of moving countries or building our home, but because of what’s going on in the world. I can’t make sense of it – mainly how people are treating each other. It really hurts my heart and mind. So I fill my time and head with new projects to distract myself, but I get carried away until I don’t know which direction to turn.
It’s time for me to focus and ask myself a few questions
What gives me the most joy?
What would I be prepared to commit to on a full time basis?
What is my best skill?
Which project generates the most income?
What activity gives me the most freedom to work where I want, when I want?
What will be my legacy/how would I want to be remembered?
What I am most knowledgeable about?
What skills could I pass on to other people?
….and so the list went on….
Lets get started with my answers;
What gives me the most joy? I enjoy receiving messages from women, who say that my words have enriched their life and enabled them to relax about and even enjoy the ageing process. Women who’ve been inspired to start exercising, eating more fruit and veggies and making a little more effort with their appearance. Women who’ve decided to fulfil their lifelong dreams, making major changes and letting go. My mission is to give women the skills, permission and power to enjoy ageing. I want them to cherish every wrinkle, embrace their silver sparkles and appreciate how blessed they are to be growing old.
What would I be prepared to commit to on a full time basis? Blogging and vlogging. Writing is easy because it just flows, but I enjoy shooting and editing videos.
What is my best skill? Communicating with people. Explaining things in plain English and being able to talk about any subject. I can use words to connect with people and they feel the emotion in my writing and humour.
Which project generates the most income? My blog and my freelance writing is regular income, my additional income is from videos I make for product manufacturers such as cruelty free cosmetic companies, which pays more, but is sporadic and not guaranteed.
What activity gives me the most freedom to work where I want, when I want? Well they all do that, but I can write notes whilst I am out walking, making my porridge, in the car (as a passenger!) or waiting around on the building site. I don’t have to sit at a computer all day, and thats something I am very grateful for. Putting it all together on the website takes the most time, but I enjoy working on that in the evening, making it look slick and adding all the different media content.
What will be my legacy/how would I want to be remembered? I want to be remembered as a woman who encouraged, supported and championed other women (and men!) to embrace who they are, and to be the best they can be, no matter their age.
What I am most knowledgeable about? This is tricky as I will tell you I am good at everything! But, I’ve spent years learning about the technical and creative elements to blogging. Creating content is my thing.
What value do I provide to other people? I know from reading my emails that I connect with people of every age and nationality. However, women over 40 are going through the same challenges that I have been through. Ageing is never ending…oh, well except from death of course, but some women can’t cope with the ageing process and are fighting to hold back the years. Ageing is awesome, I truly mean that, so I can take the stress out of ageing. Then there’s becoming an empty nester, down sizing, going grey, weight maintenance, self-care, dealing with stress and juggling too many things that 40+ women are dealing with. This is my space and I like it.
Streamlining my work life.
I am going to slim down my T shirt store to just offer positive ageing and silver sister T’s. It’s all too much work and I don’t have the time or the budget to grow that business further.
My digital art I will do on demand. If you want a portrait of your dog, a drawing of your house etc, drop me a line and I will see if I can squeeze it in. I love doing it, but I cannot focus on it full time as then it would become a chore.
I can’t let go of the NFT project, as I spent a lot of time researching this and it’s a challenge I want and need to complete. I am going to put it somewhere in my free mind space, to think about rather than taking any action the moment.
A BIG thank you.
So here I am, where I am meant to be. I’d like to thank my friend Rowena, CEO and editor of ‘Wherever’ magazine for encouraging me to write. She is a professional writer and has worked with the biggest brands and publications for many years. To be honest, I was a bit embarrassed when she first asked me to write a column for her. I told her “I’m not technically a good writer, I haven’t been trained and I know I make lots of grammatical errors”. She told me I am a good writer, because ‘people like reading my words. It’s that simple’.
I have lost my FOMO (fear of missing out) and can now focus on making this blog the best it can be. Stay tuned for regular content and guest appearances from some of my 50+ online friends and collaborators.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have a beautiful day. Gail x
How my jump rope session ended. Questioning my breakfast choice of a big bowl of porridge. Note to self, it’s already too hot for leggings!
Enjoying winter in Algarve with a stroll and dunk on Praia do Barril, Santa Luzia.
A warm up in the sunshine after my unexpected dunking.
It’s been a wonderful winter in Algarve. Very little rain or cloud to block the glorious winter sun. I watched a few videos of the storm in the UK yesterday and was reminded of the many wet and windy days in Devon last winter. It’s almost one year since we packed up the car and headed back to Algarve and I don’t think we’ve had more than 7 days of rain in that whole year. I know that there’s more to life than just the weather, but waking up to sunshine pouring through the bedroom window puts a smile on my face before I’ve even opened my eyes.
Today we had some lovely vegan pancakes for breakfast with maple syrup and cinnamon, a huge pot of Jasmin tea and a compulsory double espresso before we headed out to the beach. If you follow me on Instagram you will know that I posted a cheeky photo of me naked on the beach this week (scroll down to view). All rather unplanned, but I want to see more natural ageing bodies in my feed so I feel I need to contribute to the cause. I’d like to say that I always stroll along the beach completely naked (it is a designated naturist beach), but I simply don’t feel the need to cast away my clothes. Last year I was stung 6 times by wasps over the course of the summer, the thought of getting stung on any of my lady bits is enough to make my eyes water. Personally I think most people look better clothed. Having said that, I don’t have a problem with nudity, and the double standard of the male vs female nipple is beyond my comprehension. Free all the nipples!
Bird, a little puzzled and curious as to why I threw all my clothes on the beach before making a dash for the ocean.
Sparkles and a dunking.
I decided to take a dip today and was enjoying the view of the sun dancing on the ocean beyond my toes as I floated in the Atlantic, when I noticed a rather large wave heading my way. In those few seconds I was trying to calculate whether the wave would break before me, or if I had the option to simply ride over the wave and continue my wallowing. Mid calculation, I realised it was time to grab my sunglasses and jump as high as I could to avoid the wave that was about to break ON MY HEAD.
… I managed to hold onto my sunglasses but lost my cap as I tumbled in the wave. I popped up just in time to see the next one coming so made the decision to dive through it rather than try to avoid it. Shaun was on the beach approaching the shoreline, wondering whether I would appear laughing or gasping for air after my slamming from the wave. I gave him a thumbs up to indicate I didn’t need saving and scouted around for my hat, whilst making a swift exit from the sudden swell. There was a bit of a rip current, so I swam parallel to the beach until I was safely out of it, enabling me to easily return to shore. Bikini off, my lovely hooded towel poncho on, and it was time to soak up some sun in the dunes.
It’s a dog’s life.
Ginger and Bird love the beach. As soon as they see me packing my backpack with my swim stuff they run to the car to jump in. We have collapsible crates in the back of the car which they snuggle in to and get comfy for the 5 minute car ride to the boardwalk by the beach. We used these crates when we drove from the UK to Portugal and I can highly recommend them for anyone wanting comfort for their dogs, with the convenience of easy storage when not in use.
Beautiful Ginger, she loves the sun almost as much as rolling on dead fish.
Bird loves to swim in the shallows looking for fish, Ginger on the other hand, likes to run along the high tide line of flotsam and jetsam to find disgusting things to either eat or roll in. She almost died twice from eating washed up palm oil on the beach in Devon about 7 years ago. Now she prefers dead birds and rotting fish, the smellier the better. There’s a risk she could eat palm oil again, so I could put a muzzle on her, but that would prevent her from enjoying her game of chasing Bird with sticks and fetching the ball. I do worry so keep an eye on everything she munches on.
Stunning sunsets
Stunning sunsets this week, no special effects just mother nature showing us her beauty.
This week we’ve had the most amazing sunsets, one of the best things about winter in Algarve. As my friend Sarah once said, you need clouds to make a good sunset. I guess the same can be said about a good life. We need a few dark days to appreciate the good ones.
I hope you like this new format. Drop me a line to hello@fiftysister.com with questions or topic suggestions. I hope you have a beautiful day.
We rescued her in January 2020 from Vizsla Rescue UK. She was just over a year old and in need of a new home, due to a change in family circumstances – for her original owner.
She was a reluctant surrender, but it was the right and honourable thing to do, giving her to breed rescue who found her a loving and active home with me.
We renamed her Bird, because she pecked at her food, chirruped when she wanted something, and always perched herself on my feet (or shoved her butt in my face – not sure thats a Bird thing…but feel I should mention this).
She is always by my side, and a brilliant and constant companion for Ginger. They play non stop, taking it in turns to chase each other through the long grass and amongst the orange trees.
She was skinny, nervous and not too keen on cuddles when she arrived, but we found food that she likes, she’s become confident, brave and obedient and can’t get enough snuggles, belly rubs and ear scrumples.
She always wants to get in on the action (as per these attempted photos on Sunday) and plant a kiss or two on my face – which makes taking photos more challenging, but these are the photos and memories I treasure the most.
