So we were talking about reinventing yourself,
finding a new passion, you know, whatever. And
again, the limitless possibility of that is very
exciting. Yeah. But what if we paint a different
picture? Right. So I have spent not me. This
is this is hypothetical person. I have spent
my 20. I got married when I was 23. I spent my
20s raising little kids, so that's full on. You
just kind of lose your 20s. Then I spent my 30s
raising bigger kids, so being very involved with
their school activities. Now I'm in my 40s and
again soon 50s. Everyone's flown the coop. I
actually don't know what I want. So all your
talk about seizing what I want and finally having
the time, I actually have no idea because I have
literally kind of disappeared myself through
those generations. And I come into my 50s actually
feeling quite directionless, a little bit depressed.
a little bit purposeless. Hey, hey, and welcome
to the 40s Formula, your go -to place for insightful
discussions on navigating the 40s and thriving
in this transformative decade. We're your hosts,
Jasmine and Amanda. Two women that are passionate
about exploring the challenges and adventures
that come with turning 40 and what lies ahead.
Preeti Sanjeevi is a dynamic entrepreneur currently
embarking on her third venture. Preeti's journey
began in the world of entertainment and digital
marketing, most recently culminating in a leadership
role as CEO of VML Singapore. She's now CEO and
co -founder of Great, a multi -service platform
serving the growing 50 -plus demographic. She's
a master of scaling businesses, particularly
in the complex Asian market, focusing on operational
excellence and strategic growth. A problem solver
at heart, Preeti thrives in fast -paced industries
and brings a unique perspective to every challenge.
And while she's busy building businesses, She
also dreams of a future filled with sandy beaches
and thrilling whodunnits. So if you think about
one of the reasons that Jasmine and I started
the 40s formula, it's because of the dearth of
good information, wellness specific to women
in their 40s. And today's guest, Preeti Sanjeevi,
feels exactly the same way. Her company, GREYT,
G -R -E -Y -T -T, GREYT, was founded on the mission
to challenge societal perceptions of aging from
travel to wellness to legacy planning. Welcome,
Preeti. Thank you, Amanda and Jasmine. Thank
you so much for having me here. We are so happy
to talk about Generation Great. I love that tagline.
Who are Generation Great? Why do you think that
they're important to identify and speak to right
now? So Generation Great as we define it. is
everybody who's, say, 50 years old to 70 years
old right now. Maybe up to 75. Yeah, my parents
are pretty great. I'm going to count them. Yeah.
And the reason we as a company actually are focusing
on them is when we look around in the world,
there's a lot being created for the under 40s
all the time. And there's a lot of action happening
in the last decade or so for the comfort and
life of 75 plus, right? So assisted living, caregiving.
great strides but then we were looking at it
and we're like 50 to 70 feels like a black box
a bit ignored maybe also because it's a very
transitionary time in the individual's life you
go through women go through menopause men go
through retirement and women go through retirement
kids leave home empty nesting happens so there
is a lot going on in that space where maybe it's
a time of rediscovery even for the individual
and hence we feel like There's no attention paid
to that group at all. The large differences that
we are seeing in generation grade, which is today's
50 to 70, which is different from, for example,
my parents, who are now 75 plus. They are coming
into this life stage with a lot of enthusiasm,
energy, independence. So it's not, oh, I'm retired.
Life is done. Kids are settled. No, it's not
that. this is my time this is my time to do the
things i never did to reinvent myself to live
this life stage in the way that i want to because
my responsibilities are kind of done and it's
like freedom time yeah so that's what about me
now that's what it should be right it's huge
we're seeing that in a lot of the consumer work
that we're doing right so we did a gen great
study across singapore and malaysia 80 of this
audience says that they're very optimistic about
the next few decades that are coming their way
that's amazing you know 88 said they want to
reinvent themselves those very words so very
different group of people yeah who are looking
to live life to the fullest and hence we feel
that it's important to understand them for who
they are not the biggest fight we have is to
dispel the myths around what a 50 plus means
we still get asked the question but can you reach
them digitally They're like, this is the group
of people who bought the iPhone first when it
came out. That's right. I was in my 20s. I couldn't
afford it. Yeah, same. I was in college looking
at the iPhone. Wishing for the iPhone. I love
that. Yeah. I'm like, they are very digital.
They're probably the first generation that started
using laptops at work. That's our biggest fight.
So I think it's important to understand them
for who they really are. And then say, okay,
what is it that we can create that's of value
to them? I feel like when I was younger, 50 just
felt like it was so old. You know, like, fucking
hell, when I'm 50, I don't know, I'm going to
be wearing those cardigans with, like, a low
bun. You know, like, that kind of image. That's
a very British 50. It is a very British 50. That
image is never going away. But now you look at
50 -year -olds, and I'm seeing, like, I've got
some cousins who are 50, and they are fucking
cool. And I'm like, oh, my God, you look amazing.
we're getting you know we're in our 40s yes it's
like 50 is not old 50 is like oh my god i can't
wait until i'm 50 i can't wait to be doing shit
that makes me feel amazing like i can just imagine
amanda when you're 50 you're gonna be on the
pull -up bar i'm gonna say i might be a competitor
in the crossfit games when i'm 50 maybe that's
the age where i can actually make it high rocks
has above 50 segment love it which two of my
friends are competing in and they're like By
the way, it's a great segment to compete in because
there are only four participants. Yes. Whichever
way you look at it, you will win. That's what
I'm thinking of. The older you get, the better
you get in a lot of ways just because of the
competition things. So what are some misconceptions?
So you shared the one about, you know, that,
oh, this generation, great, can't use digital,
can't use tech. What are some other misconceptions
that people have about that age group? The other
big one is, and I'll talk to some of the areas
that we've deep dived into, right? Because that's
where we wanted to build services for them. So
the fact that everybody thinks 50 plus means
they'll be doing tour group travel. Actually,
tour group travel is what I mean. Not true. Because
this is a bunch of people who've done DIY travel
all their lives. Their habits are not going to
flip just because they turned a certain age,
right? So that's the other big one. They're ready
to sort of hang up their boots in the very old
sense of retirement. But that's not true either.
A lot of people do kind of want to walk out of
the nine to five ish. corporate sector work they
do want to continue contributing in some way
to be professionally engaged to keep using their
experience in meaningful ways at this point it's
not easy to figure out what that means right
for for everybody out there from everybody we've
spoken to and the studies we've done more than
70 are like yeah i'd like to keep working in
fact even for financial reasons because we're
all going to live longer yeah so we are planning
for another three decades of life or more unlike
before where you know you retire at 50 and by
65 or 70 life is over that's not going to happen
anymore so they're like yeah even for financial
reasons but mostly for purpose, to feel connected,
to feel relevant. That's what they're looking
for. I remember reading an article somewhere
about how when you're in your 20s and 30s, you
are basically striving for like building a career,
right? So like achieving a skill or a promotion
or the next level career, right? And then by
the time you get in your 40s and 50s, it's about
teaching or synthesizing information or bringing
expertise to the next generation. Is that something
that you still see with Generation Great that
they want to kind of bring up those behind them?
Some of them see it as bringing up behind them.
Some of them just, I feel, see it, Amanda, as
I still have a lot to give. So can I keep giving
in some way? Whether that necessarily translates
into mentoring or teaching, maybe, maybe not.
I think it's very personal how somebody wants
to do it. But a consulting gig or even lending
their very professional services to, you know,
nonprofit organizations that would work too and
yes some of them have the ambition of saying
how can my experience help the next set of people
who need to run businesses or run the world or
you know, enter politics, et cetera. And I mean,
our audience generally, not to say all, but lots
of our audience is not quite in their 50s yet.
So they're kind of looking at generation great
from, you know, the future. And what type of
seed planting do you think women in their 40s
need to really consider? So obviously us here
in the wellness industry, right? I'm always harping
on you have to get your muscle mass up in your,
you know, as young as you can. You know, you
have to get your nutrition habits sorted. You
got to get your sleep sorted because these things
will come. back to haunt you in your older age.
How do you encourage folks that are not yet in
Generation Great to kind of prepare for Generation
Great? So I'm 45, Amanda. So I have just that
little bit of a ringside view to what it would
mean. And interestingly, the 40s were a big,
big time of change because the moment I flipped
to 41, my perimenopause started. So there was
a lot going on there, you know. From a wellness
perspective, to your point, I think everything
you've said, I can't say it better. You guys
are the experts. But I think a couple of other
things that I've seen my friends, my peers work
towards, I think it's important to figure out
what does purpose mean? And that could mean very
different things for different people. Just because
I think that transition from the 40s to 50s with
kids growing up for most people or full time
jobs becoming maybe a little bit less priority
means that there is a search for relevance and
purpose that comes kind of comes up front. I
think that search for purpose. has to be done
with intent. The idea is not to find what you
want to do tomorrow. You may just say, I don't
want to do anything or I want to continue doing
what I was doing and I'm fine or find something
else. But I think the intent to find purpose
and relevance needs to exist. Otherwise, sometimes
the 50s might creep up on us and then you're
like, what's going on? What is my life about?
And that can be very, very unnerving for anybody
in general, but women, I think in particular.
Because the 40s are busy. The 40s are so busy
for women. And then you hit that point where
you have all this time on your hands, maybe,
and you're like, okay, now it's about me. So
what do I want? And that can feel actually quite
foreign and unfamiliar. Absolutely. Because you're
not used to it. A lot of women are not used to
saying, me first, my needs, what I want. So that
can feel foreign. So I think the other thing
that... I feel really, really matters is to sort
of have a community really work on that, what
they call tribe, because there will be situations
that you cannot maneuver. You know, without three
other people telling you, hey, it's okay, I've
been there, we can get through this together.
Amanda, I feel the older we get, the more important
protein is. But the thing is, not many women
are eating enough. Absolutely. And you know,
protein isn't just for muscles. It helps with
hormones, metabolism, staying full longer. And
don't just guess, make quality protein a priority.
And that's why we trust The Meat Club. They deliver
ethically sourced meats directly to you. You
can get grass -fed beef. organic chicken, wild
caught seafood that is nutrient dense and packed
full of the good stuff. And here's the fun part.
We want to see what you're cooking. Show us your
creations and tag at the 40s formula and at the
meat club SG so that you have a chance to win
$250 in the meat club goodies. Entries will close
on the 5th of June and the winner will be announced
on the first episode of season six. So come on
guys, get cooking. And if you haven't already
used The Meat Club, you can. And you can save
yourself $12 off by using code TFF12. Head over
to themeatclub .com .sg, get cooking, and who
knows, you could even get $250 off your next
shop. From my perspective, especially in the
Indian culture, women spend most of their time
as they're sort of going through their 20s, 30s,
40s, focusing on their kids. And then they get
to this point where their kids have grown up.
And they're like, I'm done now. Like, I'm old.
It's over for me. And then they become this old
person. You know, the vision that I was explaining
of the person with the cardigan, with the logo.
They become that. My mum on the flip side is
completely different. I think she spent a lot
of time like, no, I'm young, you know, and like
she works out. She dresses cool. In fact, I always
want to wear her clothes. And I feel like a lot
of it does come down to mindset. And now I think
that was probably the generation before us. But
are you seeing a completely different mindset
shift with people of sort of our generation who
are edging towards 50 or even are like just reaching
their 50s now? For sure, Jasmine. There is a
market change, but I wouldn't say everybody has
changed completely yet. It's a journey, right?
And I think it's a journey for all of us. None
of us have gotten there with, you know, any sort
of perfection or not. And the same path doesn't
work for everybody. But I think there's a lot
more awareness and intent in women now to say,
what do I want to do with this part of my life?
What do I want to do with this life stage? How
do I maximize it in ways that I maybe never thought
of maximizing? They may have even had the opportunity.
But like I said, life is busy and there's a lot
going on. There are a lot of commitments. So
without those around me, what can I make of myself?
Who do I become? So there's a lot more thought,
intent, discussion. including you know the conversation
we are having uh but everybody has to sort of
find their own own path to it you mentioned reinvent
so how do people reinvent themselves like what
sort of i don't know i'm just imagining like
this transformation makeover type thing what
do you see or what have you heard that people
are doing to reinvent the image that they had
of themselves before to what they want to be
or how they are now I think it's both physical,
mental, social, the way I see it. The physical
part is a lot of what we talked about, but also
what, you know, we are trying to help people
with. So can I get into types of exercise and
sports that I never tried before? Love that.
Not just for the reasons that it's good for me,
but for the reasons that I've not done it before.
So let me try it. I know a lot more people in
their late 40s, early 50s were taking on adventure
sports because they're like. Never got the chance
to do it before. YOLO, let's do it now. I'm healthy
enough, so let's do it. Yeah, and we're fit enough
and let's do it. I think that's the other thing
though, Amanda, which is there is as much as
everybody knows they're going to live longer.
The 50s also feels like a point where you're
like, I'm going to live a bit more. But this
is kind of my life stage to max out as well.
I'm going to live and I'm going to live. Because
who knows, right? After the 70s, 75, everybody
has some, some health issues that they have to
manage and, you know, sort of work through mobility
issues. So they're like, okay, the next couple
of decades, it's time to have fun. So that's
one part of it. I think also a lot of people
are working on their minds as well. And I see
more and more of that around me, not just from
a psychotherapy perspective, but people are getting
coaches, for example, and saying, what can I
do in this phase? How do I maximize myself? Who
do I become? So I think that's some of the avatars
that I am seeing, you know, sort of the reinvention
take form in. So we were talking about, right,
reinventing yourself, finding a new passion,
you know, whatever. And again, the limitless
possibility of that is very exciting. Yeah. But
what if we paint a different picture, right?
So I have spent, not me, this is a hypothetical
person. I have spent my 20, I got married when
I was 23. I spent my 20s raising little kids,
so that's full on. You just kind of lose your
20s. Then I spent my 30s raising bigger kids,
so being very involved with their school activities.
Now I'm in my 40s and again soon 50s. Everyone's
flown the coop. I actually don't know what I
want. So all your talk about seizing what I want
and finally having the time, I actually have
no idea because I have literally kind of disappeared
myself through those generations. And I come
into my 50s actually feeling quite directionless,
a little bit depressed. a little bit purposeless
yes how do you how does generation great and
also just you know you in general address that
type of arrival at 50. yeah not not so much the
seize the day as much as the what is the day
yeah yeah what day is it i mean first the recognition
of it let's let's take a step back right first
the recognition that it's common that it happens
and when it happens what is the individual's
response to it right and that differs again and
no judgment on how what it is for each person
somebody will say oh i don't know so i'm going
to do a hundred things to find out what works
for me someone else might be like it's so so
overwhelming i don't know where to start and
maybe i shouldn't start at all and both those
things happen i think they happen to all of us
at different points in life as well maybe the
Maybe it lands with a lot more weight in the
situation that you've just talked about, Amanda.
So like I said, I think the first port of call
has to be sort of your closest confidants. People
that you can go and say to, hey, I'm feeling
like this. Because typically that conversation
itself will either lead to, why don't you try
this and this? Or hey, you could meet somebody
and get some ideas. or hey come let's brainstorm
together i've seen that happen in my own life
at different points of time when i felt stuck
uh just talking to three of my best friends and
saying i'm feeling stuck and they've i've always
come away from those conversations feeling okay
maybe there's at least a couple of things that
i can explore a little bit more Feel unstuck
first and then like you said Amanda It's about
you know seizing the day and all of those wonderful
things that tribe is really important. I think
the other thing Maybe is to look at it as an
experiment It's okay to try a few things and
for them not to work till you feel like yes i
like i like this i like what this makes me feel
that could be anything it would be a new sport
it could be a new job it could be a volunteering
piece that you pick up you know or start a podcast
doesn't matter the 50s formula yes you've got
a segue you've got a segue into that let's be
a little more experimental in our approach to
it It's not always easy to approach it that way
because everybody's purpose and self gets tied
up in it. So it's not easy to do it, but it's
probably the better way to approach it to give
yourself the latitude to, you know, figure it
out. You don't have to have it figured out. It's
not possible. Yeah. And I think, you know, something
that comes up as a thematic with all of our conversations
here on the 40s Formula, right, is the letting
go of expectation. And that freedom that you
get in your 40s, right? And your midlife in general.
Like you said, you can try something and suck
at it. And then you can try it again. And try
to suck less. Yeah. Or you can not do it again.
Absolutely. And say, you know, I tried and I
sucked. Absolutely. It's like you can let go
of the outcomes. Absolutely. At this age because
you have maybe a bit more financial freedom,
a bit more time, a bit more. Correct. Like you
don't have to be so tied up in the expectation
as you might when you have less time, less money,
less resource. Most importantly, we've let go
of the expectations in our own mind. Yes. Like
I started playing paddle like two months ago.
Padel, right? The P -A -D -E -L, right? Yeah.
The paddle. That's right. I would have never
tried it 10 years ago. Because, I mean, I've
always liked tennis, but I've never played it.
And the first few times I played, I sucked. I
mean, connecting ball to bat was such an effort.
Harder than it sounds, folks. Yeah. In the 20s
and 30s, I would have been a little embarrassed.
And I would have been like, maybe not. This is
not for me. And now I'm like, I don't care. I'm
going to keep going and keep playing. And I'm
going to get better at it. And I have. Because
you're having fun. I played six times and now
I can play. Yeah. Amazing. So, yeah, I think
that's important, too. In our mind, say, this
is who we are. This is what I'm going to try.
We'll see where it goes. You know, you've mentioned
this theme a couple of times now, which is like
the path, whatever that is, looks different for
every individual, right? When you're developing
generation, great. You know, from your website,
it says, you know, it's an individualized, coached.
Can you share a little bit more about that, how
you individualize the programming for your clients?
Sure. So this is specific to Great Moves, which
is a fit for 50 plus fitness solution that we've
come up with. The reason for going personalized,
in fact, is when we look at 50 plus and fitness
as a crossover. Everybody is looking to do different
things as outcomes. So true. In a more generalistic
way, fitness is no longer about the vanity of
it. It's also not about just medical health because
everybody's like, yeah, I got a couple of things
that I've got to work around. You know, somebody
has creaky knees. Somebody's got a back issue.
Somebody's, you know, got blood pressure. It's
par for course. It's going to happen. So then
fitness becomes about how do I stay independent
longer? How can I keep myself functional? And
that in turn is about helping them live the life
that they want. Freedom to travel, freedom to
work, freedom to play, freedom to, you know,
volunteer, whatever that might mean. So I think
that's why we've taken a personalized approach
where it's personal coaching. Our coaches are
all certified fit for 50 plus. They've either
been through courses or they have experience
working with a certain with the segment. And
even though we have methodologies, we are also
looking to at some point get to a point where
you can have a mixed methodology option. So for
the goals that you want to get to, we can give
you a session of yoga, a couple of strength training
sessions and a Pilates mixed in. And when you
do that in combination over, say, a couple of
weeks, it gets you to the goals that you want.
We also approach it from a lifestyle goals perspective.
so not so much from fitness goals so it's not
about losing weight or building strength which
will all happen as a result of doing all these
wonderful things right but we are saying maybe
you're an avid golfer and you just want to build
strength to play longer games or more games you
might be someone who loves traveling but travel
does take the mickey out of you depending on
you know how long the travel is and all of those
things so how can we get you fitter for that
you could be a shopping enthusiast and that's
fine that is a category on the website literally
as a shopping enthusiast i was like i love it
you need strong legs and you need very strong
arms So we're like, let us help you build strength,
build mobility, but for the things that you're
so excited to do in this life stage. So I think
that's been our approach. It's been very appreciated
so far. I think the other piece that it solves
for is a lot of people who may not have. you
know, been to the gym forever in their lives.
They're a little apprehensive of engaging with
fitness itself, especially strength and weight
training, weightlifting. It feels intimidating.
Imagine walking into a gym where people are doing
like crazy reps. Like, oh my God, this is not
for me. So the personalized approach allows for
us, for everybody to try. Because like we were
just talking, I don't think... it's about i can't
do weight training it's about i need to do weight
training the way it's right for me oh yeah in
in the in the frequency in the intensity that
works for me that works around okay my knees
are not okay that's fine but i can still do several
things while not stressing them out right so
i think that's also what we're trying to solve
with the approach which is for anybody who hasn't
engaged uh massively in physical physical exercise
all their lives it's a way to Start without feeling
intimidated. Yeah. And I think, you know, like
everyone's hearing now, you need to lift heavy,
you need to do this. But lifting heavy is so
different for everyone. You're not expected to
go out and just do 100 kilos straight off the
back. You have to build it up. And it might be
that five kilos is heavy for you until you build
it. And does the job. It builds the strength
you need. It builds the balance you need. Exactly.
And which is why also a lot of our group classes
that we have, for example, are only for 50. plus
right love that so even and it's small group
yeah so one it's in a setting of your peers so
you don't feel intimidated two it's small groups
which is a max of about eight which means even
within a group our coaches can give a little
bit of individual attention right they can say
okay you can't do this why don't you try this
version of it you can still do it but do it in
a different way which is very important which
then doesn't make someone go oh this is not for
me That's not where we want to get to, right?
It is important to do these things. It's just
how do you calibrate for it? You know, representing
the fitness profession here, right? It's like
we don't do the greatest job. Of communicating,
first of all, very technical information to the
layperson. So, you know, all of us fitness elite
kind of operate up here, right? Where everybody
understands what 120 to 180 minutes of zone two
exercise. Of course, everyone gets that. They
do not. The more lingo and jargon you use, the
less likely it is to be understood. That's right.
Go pick up heavy weights. Don't want heavy weights.
You know, it's like it's immediately we set up
barriers without even realizing it with our language
and our approach. And it's also the imagery,
Amanda. and google deadlift today yes who do
you see you're going to see someone very fit
lifting something that i don't even want to be
around but that's not what so when i started
my weight training i was like i do deadlift on
that machine which has springs on it because
that's easier for me it bothers my back less
it's not loaded up it's just like you said i
think 20 kgs but it still does the job that it's
supposed to do for me so it's also that imagery
and that imagery if we put the lens of 50 plus
doesn't exist yeah you're absolutely right like
a regular 55 year old lifting weights you won't
believe it we can't find stock images yeah i
was just saying ai is where you generate those
images we are actually generating gen ai image
Which is we can't find people 55 lifting weights
on any of the stock image sites. I'm hearing
you. You got to dig deep even into like the Instagram
algorithm to get what you want in that regard.
And again, this is something I feel very strongly
about with the community that I work primarily
with, which is prenatal postpartum. Like show
me a pregnant lady lifting a barbell. You got
to dig deep. And again, sometimes you just have
to AI generate what you want it to look like
because there's so little information out there
for that group. But it is what it is. Again,
that's why I really love poking around your website
because the imagery that you did get, whether
AI or not, I assume it's real, it looks real,
is very interesting. And again, the way that
you appeal to skills and outcomes rather than
weights and modalities is very, very smart. And
it really connects with the consumer so much
more realistically. Thank you. the majority of
what fitness culture is doing right now. Thank
you. That's great to hear from a fitness professional.
Something we're doing right. I do have a question
though. So when you do say over 50s, deadlifting
or whatever it is, I wonder how AI generates
it because I remember seeing an article about
a woman going through, in her 40s, going through
perimenopause and it was a graying old woman.
And I was like, fucking hell, is this what people
think 40 year olds look like now? Also a good
point. Because actually, I've seen 50 year olds
who look, Amazing. Amazing. And you would never
think. Have you seen J -Lo? Have you seen Gwen
Stefani? No, I'm just kidding. Even outside of
those ones. Let's start with those. Yeah, let's
start with the pinnacle. Oh, I'm so hungry. Oh
my gosh, same. On recording days, I am the hungriest.
GYG? Yeah, of course. What are you thinking?
Should we try their new chicken rendang? Yeah,
that's actually not a bad idea. It's their special
SG60 launch. Slow -cooked Guerrero marinated
chicken in a rich rendang sauce with coconut,
lemongrass, and over 10 aromatic spices. Sounds
incredible. And it arrives so fast. Oh, wow.
This is yum. Oh, this is so good. Oh my God,
Amanda. I wish our audience could try this too.
Actually, why don't we make that happen? Yes.
So here's the deal. We're going to give away
10 free chicken rendang burritos or bowls. And
all you need to do is One, jump on your favorite
podcast streaming site and leave us a review.
And then two, screenshot that review and send
us a DM on Instagram at The 40s Formula. And
that's it. It's first come, first served. So
our first 10 DMs will receive their free food.
And make sure you get it in before 4th of May.
So get reviewing, get DMing, and get ready to
enjoy some seriously healthy but fast food. And
make sure you check out the limited time only
Chicken Rendang at All GYG outlets, but only
until May 4th. But it's true, right? Like, you
know, if you were to say AI or chat GPT, can
you create a 50 year old deadlifting? Are you
going to get the cardigan? I think you would
actually, Jasmine. We should do it. Yeah, actually
you would. Because even Gen AI has taken in what
the world already had, which means also the biases.
So the 40 year old woman. This trope is just
hilarious. Hilarious. At 50, they're like, your
life is over. You have wrinkles, your life is
over. Are you kidding me? My life is just starting,
actually. I mean, all of my 30s feel, frankly,
like a prep for my 40s. Oh, I love that. Like,
we're all insecure and we go through so much.
And yes, there's a lot of ambition, which means
there's a lot of angst because you want to get
ahead on so many things in life. In the 40s,
just the feeling of this is who I am is so amazing.
And I can only imagine that that gets better
in your 50s. I'm like, if I can feel like this
is 45, I'm going to feel bloody fantastic at
55 because I'll be so much, I own this and I'm
fine. I remember turning 30 and being like, oh,
fuck, I'm at 1030. And it just, I just remember
feeling like. oh you know like oh this doesn't
feel good but i remember the approach to 40 i
was like fuck i'm gonna be 40 and i feel great
you know yeah and again when you say 50 i just
think like oh god 50 my kids will be like able
to wipe their own ass what a glorious time to
be alive you know it's so far away right now
but like that's coming right that's coming for
me it's definitely coming like all three of mine
are doing it so it's not too far away so pretty
you you know you opened up to us that you were
45 so i'm not just calling you out although i
did have that note in my notes. And so I want
to talk a little bit about you and your entrepreneurial
journey, right? So you have done 18 years at
the global creative, the big global creative
VML, right? So that's a big part of your career.
What advice can you give to women in our age
group in our early forties, right? Who have ideas
and who want to explore new technologies. They
want to pivot in their careers, but they kind
of feel locked in. And you were there for 18
years. So you know what it's like to, to feel
like you're in one career and then. Yep. taking
something else. How did you do it? Good question.
Some of it I have answers to. Some of it was,
you know, fate and serendipity and trial and
error and all of those wonderful things. I loved
what I did throughout those 18 years and before
that. I've enjoyed my marketing services career
because it's a creative. I was not a creative
person myself, but you always worked with creativity
around you. So to see the outcome of the hard
work always resulting in something that's a beautiful
ad or a wonderful website or a fantastic app
for the consumer, that was always very, very
gratifying. When I was CEO for VML Singapore,
i quit with no plan in 2022 uh services business
had been very hard through covid and everything
so i was just feeling like sort of super burnt
out at that point maybe i didn't recognize it
even as a burnout but i just knew that i can't
keep going like this potentially so i said okay
let me step away from it all a little bit and
take a breather first i had no plan because i
didn't know so to your point of After an 18 -year
career, I didn't know what next for myself. I
just knew that I needed to take a break and a
breather. It so happened at that point of time
that one of my co -founders, Rajiv, who's also
my colleague and mentor of many years from early,
early VML days, approached me and said, you know,
I feel like I want to do... he's 60 by the way
and he said i feel like i have one startup left
in me and i want to do it with people that i
you know like and have fun with and that's kind
of how the great great path happened for me that's
why i said i don't have all the answers because
i can't say it was complete intent there was
some intent in saying i gotta take a breather
because i feel like i can't go on this way i
didn't really have a plan entrepreneurship had
been in my mind for many years actually more
than a decade um just never you know never got
around to making that jump but your question
of what can we do i think my personal thing is
if you're getting the feeling that something
is not working um it's hard but we gotta be brave
to say let me take a step back. I think it begins
from there or take a breather. I mean, people
do it in different ways. I just quit, but people
take sabbaticals or just take a break from work.
And all of those are good options. Or even if
you're not a career person and you're looking
for that change, that's creation of space is
important. Whatever that means, right? That could
just mean a vacation somewhere. It could mean
going back to your... um childhood city because
that kind of brings you back to centers you back
to who you are it could be many things it could
be many many things so i think that taking a
pause is one one part of it from a learning perspective
like you talked about new technologies pivoting
career there is so much information today out
there that it's overwhelming so one interesting
way to do it is find a couple of people who want
to do the same thing with you Maybe that's an
interesting way to learn. So I learned everything
about Bitcoin super late in life in 2021 with
a bunch of friends. And I did with a bunch of
people with who I'm like, I will not mind asking
the stupidest of questions in this group. It
will be fine to ask silly questions and we'll
answer it for each other. And that's how we learned
everything about crypto and Bitcoin investments
and stuff like that. So I think finding a group
that you can sort of say. let's learn together
let's explore a little bit together it's not
impossible to learn it's actually very easy to
learn there is tons of options out there in the
world yes finding what suits you from that can
feel a little little daunting right because there
is too much out there yeah so i think that's
that's kind of where it sits and Some of it you
have to allow for life to take care of you as
well. Not all of it is under our control. I'll
be honest. What's that saying? Like, you know,
jump first and build a parachute on your way
down. I feel like that's what you did with putting
your job. You're like, you know what? I'm just
going to jump out the way and hope that before
I smash. Even though I did it with intent and
I wanted to do it, I'm not saying that that journey
wasn't easy. The first six months, I was just
like, what have I done? Because I've worked for
22 years of my life. I'm like, I don't know what
I am without a job, without a schedule, without
a paycheck. That's your identity there. Yeah.
I didn't know who I was. There would be days
when my husband would come home and I'm like,
I didn't do anything today. He's like, what do
you mean? You survived the day. That's pretty
good. But I'm like, yeah, but I didn't do anything.
Oh, that curse of productivity. Yeah. That is
the working woman's burden to bear. And I think
also the mother's burden to bear. Right. It's
like you get home and your husband's like, what'd
you do today? And you're like, I changed diapers,
made food. You know, it just feels like so much
nothingness. It's a lot. Yes. But I kept this
human alive, which is, in fact, like the most
productive one could be. Right. So it's a similar
thing. that reassurance of productivity, successful
women can feel lost, I do feel. I've started
actually writing down every night. what have
i done today as a list look at you productivity
just because i was getting to the point where
i was like right i need to know that i've done
stuff and so like writing it down even if that
means just going to the gym and doing some strength
training or whatever it is stuff i feel like
oh that's an achievement you know even if it's
one email that i needed to send yes i sent that
email that's been lingering in my brain and i
think what might feel like a nothing is actually
something when you take a step back and look
at your day but I totally understand what you
mean by the whole I did nothing without my job
I did nothing yeah because you put all your identity
everything about you was your job yeah and then
all of a sudden it feels like I didn't do what
I meant to do and now and when you're in it you
seriously underestimate what a schedule does
for you yes I was at a point in my career where
I would walk into work And four hours of work
are already planned for me without me having
to do anything. I show up at those meetings,
me being me, I'm prepared for them and I've contributed
positively. That's it. My day, my month, my salary,
everything is justified. But when your time is
your own, it took a while to figure out that
that's a gift. It felt like a curse. It took
a while to figure out that, okay, this is a good
thing because I get to choose everything I do
in a day. So now I've hit that point where I'm
like, great. If I choose not to do this meeting,
it's of my, it's my choice. It's my intent because
it does not add to what I'm trying to build or
what I'm trying to do. But yeah, it's a journey,
like I keep saying. And can I be honest with
you? What you just described, right? Being in
full control of your time, taking a meeting if
you want it, right? That to me is wealth. so
like you know when we're talking about you know
what is the what is changing in kind of the legacy
planning of this generation yeah it's what is
wealth it's not working yourself into an early
grave so that the paycheck you bring home has
more zeros no it's making the choices that sometimes
feel hard like quitting your ceo job of 18 years
to actually achieve what you are now and again
i don't know what your paycheck was before and
i don't know what it is now but i would assume
that you feel just as wealthy or wealthier no
absolutely it's just that we are not wired to
think that way in so many ways but also the wealth
of fitness for example or wellness also the wealth
of mental wellness the wealth of social wellness
like to have friends that you can be yourself
with to have families who are supportive You're
absolutely right. If we take all that into account,
some of us are way, way more blessed than others.
Yeah, exactly. Independent of your paycheck.
Well, that's actually a great segue, Preeti,
into our final question for you, which is what
we ask every guest here on The 40s Formula. What
is your 40s formula? From your experience, how
can women thrive as best as possible in this
decade? I'll tell you what I do. And I hope that
helps anybody who's listening to this right now.
And I look at it. um again i think over the last
few years i've kind of started looking at it
in three three areas one is the physical uh side
of things and that for me has been 30 minutes
of movement every day whatever that is right
and on some days it's just a walk around the
you know condo that i live in and that's fine
so 30 minutes uh movement every day i've started
cooking and eating at home a lot more so that's
that's two things that i do for physical physical
side physical wellness I think from a mental
wellness perspective, it has been the just owning
who I am and being totally OK with it. So now
I dress up or dress down for myself and I play
paddle badly, but I still play. So that whole
thing of I really don't care what the next person
thinks. And this is about me maximizing my life
that has done wonders for mental health, obviously.
And I think the third part is the social wellness
side of things where. you just you have to work
hard at building a community because it's not
easy in today's busy lives to you know form relationship
deep deep connections so i think there is effort
needed there and it's worth worth making that
effort so that's that's kind of what i'm building
around in my 40s i love it put in you know what
you want to get out right actually make an effort
physical mental social that's right well thank
you so much for being with us today pretty we
really enjoyed our conversation and you've given
us a lot to think about for this next uh generation
ahead thank you thank you myron jasmine wonderful
being here and uh you guys are doing fab work
i'm glad to hear that this is happening in my
country and we can do more of this thank you
Let's be real. Perimenopause is a game changer.
One day you're cruising along and the next your
body puts a spanner in the works. Sometimes symptoms
feel manageable. Others, well, let's just say
we have to breathe through those. And I'm not
there quite yet, but the research shows that
staying strong physically and mentally makes
a world of difference. That's why GREAT created
Menopause Mojo by GREAT Moves. It's a fitness
program designed just for this stage of life.
It helps with pelvic strength. breathing exercises,
and muscle training. Everything you need right
now. And we've got a special deal just for you,
listeners of the 40s Formula. Use code TFFspecial
at checkout to get your first class for only
50 bucks. Or go all out and save 33 % off a five
-session starter pack. Your body's changing,
but you're still you, and you deserve to feel
great. Let's get moving with great. Guys, you
know we love coffee. And if you want to show
us some love, you know you can always get us
one. Just visit buymeacoffee .com slash the 40s
formula. Cheers. Before we go, please remember
to hit subscribe and take a moment to support
the 40s formula by leaving a review on your favorite
podcast platform. Your reviews will help us to
reach more people and allow us to continue to
bring valuable content. It should only take a
moment and it's a free way for you to support
the show. You can also stay updated with The
40s Formula by following us on Instagram at The40sFormula,
all one word. We share behind the scenes insights,
episode updates and much more. So please be sure
to hit that follow button. We appreciate your
time and support. Thank you for being part of
this community. And we'll be back next week for
more empowering conversations with inspiring
guests. Bye. say to you is really loud yeah i
love it though i love it no it's beautiful thank
you i'm a colors person as you can see perfect
this is us chatting and laughing