Hi, my name is Richard and here is why I started this community.
I shouldn’t be here.
The consultant looked at my X-rays. “I’m so sorry, but we’ve got the wrong ones – these are the x-rays of a dead man, and you’re very much alive”, he joked. He would have to reschedule my appointment.
Of course, it turned out they were my X-rays. (I later gave my consent to use them in the teaching syllabus, with the promise I’d be famous… in medical school.)
It all started when I woke up one morning, stretched, and tore my right calf muscle. While still in bed. So I think that perfectly illustrates my fitness level in 2012, unmoved by the London Olympics going on in my hometown.
From there: a visit to the doctor, pain, A&E, then a deep vein thrombosis diagnosis, crutches, and finally, serious breathing difficulties. This feels very English: for some reason, I decided not to call an ambulance, but take the bus to A&E.
I had a bi-pulmonary embolism. A buy what? The NHS describes this as “a serious medical emergency where blood clots block the arteries in both the left and right lungs”. I asked, “What are my chances?” My wife, Katherine, had arrived just in time to hear that the most likely outcome was… I would die. Glad I asked.
Living in America
As they say, what doesn’t kill you makes you drink more. After a long recovery, I was going to make some changes in my life. I was going to do stuff.
So, at 40, I quit my 20-year career in radio. I had managed big teams and launched new stations, but I swapped the BBC in London for starting our own little business in the US. It was full on, but I felt alive. And then, pretty soon, tired. Really tired. We put everything into this business, but nothing would move the dial. I loved it, but it was really tough.
I was burnt out and having a real “what am I doing with my life?” moment. And I found that so many of my friends were riding/falling off that same wave.
And so, after many wonderful years, we decided to head home to the UK. That was the most difficult decision we ever made, because the US was our home now.
London Calling
Back in London, I picked up my old radio career and blew out the candles on my 50th Birthday. How did that happen? I was overworked, overweight, and now over the hill! I had also developed a buffet of lung conditions, thanks to my episode a decade ago.
That’s when I made a decision: I had been given a second chance, so the second half of my life was going to be the best half. I read absolutely everything medical and became obsessed with health and living longer (healthspan vs lifespan).
But I also wanted to be in control of the next most important thing in anyone’s life: not money, but time. Trading time for money is not the best way to earn a living, yet I had been doing it my whole life. It’s what most of us do. So, I was determined to find a better way.
Staying Alive
I passionately believe that anyone can start something new for themselves – whatever their age. Whether that’s a Plan B for later, or a little extra money for now. Tech tools, AI, and social media have leveled the playing field, if we could just find the time to learn.
And so, I decided to start sharing what I’m doing in the hope it could help other midlifers like me become healthier and wealthier after 50.
Thank you
I just wanted to take a moment to say that I’m really grateful you took the time to read this far.
I’d like this blog to be a community for people who want something different, who want to change their life and start living again. After 50 is definitely NOT too late for better health or wealth. Quite the opposite – now you have contacts, knowledge, experience, expertise, and access to capital.
So, please feel free to get in touch because we’re all on the same journey, and if we can help each other out, we all grow.
Thank you again for reading,
Richard
Be a social butterfly…