As Founder of the National Association of Baby Boomer Women, www.NABBW.com and www.BoomerWomenSpeak.com I\’ve learned that baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964 are interested in writing. There are many reasons for this midlife call such as:

• writing their own story that\’s been buried too long
• writing to heal self and others
• the need to connect
• blogging
• a desire to make a difference
• the desire to heal the world
• a need to educate others about a passionate topic
• having been told they weren\’t a good enough writer when younger, or shouldn\’t write as a profession because it wasn\’t lucrative

I\’m sure there are other reasons for writing, but due to the section of BoomerWomenSpeak titled Our Voices, I\’m aware that many boomer women want to share their stories for the good of other women. It\’s through opening up and sharing what\’s beneath the heart that women are healed and lives are changed.

Our stories of triumph and self-discovery give hope and inspiration to those who feel like they are alone. They make you laugh, cry, and empathize with your fellow boomers. You often see your best friend, sister, even yourself revealed as you read other\’s stories.

My prayer is that midlife writing will help boomers across the world connect. Many women feel trapped and lonely because they are holding everything inside. Laura Pappano, author of The Connection Gap: Why Americans Feel So Alone, believes our frenzied lives keep us from engaging and connecting in our relationships. Paring down our interactions is causing us to lose opportunities to listen and share, leaving American women feeling alone, and lonely.

For their book Meeting at the Crossroads, distinguished writers and psychologists Lyn Mikel Brown and Carol Gilligan found that as many girls grew up they felt “that the passage out of girlhood is a journey into silence and disconnection, a troubled crossing in which a girl loses a firm sense of self and becomes tentative and unsure.” The authors repeatedly learned that as girls grew into women, they lost their voices based on societal expectations. In losing themselves, women lose their true connections to others.

The women who write for Our Voices have found those voices that were lost, and they are anxious to share them. My hope is that women across the world will realize we are not alone in our thoughts, emotions, and actions.

Our Voices is an opportunity for a unique generation of women to share our in a genuine and heartfelt way without being judged. The stories break all barriers of self-consciousness and allow women to learn the truth behind our facades and grow from other\’s experiences. Stories about us, written by us, are what we need. The intricacies of our lives can help others live, survive, and thrive.

Keep on writing…

Dotsie Bregel NABBW Founder and CEO