How Twinagers was born
There is so much to talk about!
What do everyday people think about aging? Where do we hear those stories? Where do we hear the stories that more closely relate to our lives? The fact is among normal everyday folks, there are ‘Magic Hour’ stories that deserve to be told and can serve as inspiration… which became our inspiration.
We are so excited that you are here.
How did we conceive of this idea? It had been brewing for a while. Both of us realized that while we had had very different career paths - Leslie in Financial Services and Cynthia in advertising production - we experienced many of the same issues as we climbed the ladders in our respective industries. Our corporate lives came to an end and we pivoted. Cynthia’s was a pivot from big ad agency security to putting it all out on the line by starting her own company. For Leslie, the change was just as dramatic as she left a secure 25 year corporate career to devote herself to smaller passion projects.
With the aging population living longer and healthier lives (more on that later), we want to highlight a new attitude towards aging by connecting and amplifying the voices of those that celebrate aging. Let’s flip the script on what it means to age and grow older.
Is Twinagers about being twins?
We're Twinagers – a dynamic duo that's not just about being twins, but about challenging the aging narrative. At 63, we're using our unique bond to showcase the power of diverse perspectives in redefining what it means to grow older.
As twins, our voices may be synchronized, but our experiences and viewpoints are distinct. Together, we offer a dual lens to explore the journey of aging, proving that there's more to growing older than meets the eye.
Join us as we flip the script on aging, embracing the contrasts and complexities that come with time. We're not just twins—we're Twinagers, and we're here to show the world that aging isn't a one-dimensional journey, rather it is filled with endless possibilities.
What’s the one thing you wish that more ‘grown-up’ people gave themselves more credit for?
No matter how you got to this point in your life, your experiences (no matter how small or seemingly unimportant) are powerful and deserve to be shared. We don’t give ourselves credit for just how much we know and as such at this stage of the game, our confidence and self-esteem actually start to erode when the opposite should be happening. We really all need to learn to be more kind to ourselves.
Tell us more about the inspiration behind twin-agers.com and how you hope to change the narrative on aging?
The inspiration is all around us, once you learn to open yourself to see it, hear it, experience it. But the inspiration takes a decidedly narrow form today… normally in the guise of older celebrity women (models/actresses) focusing on issues related to fashion and beauty. Think Justine Batemen recently talking about why she won’t get a facelift.
This got us thinking beyond celebrity stories… What do everyday people think about aging? Where do we hear those stories? Where do we hear the stories that more closely relate to our lives? The fact is among normal everyday folks, there are ‘Magic Hour’ stories that deserve to be told and can serve as inspiration… which became our inspiration.
In terms of how we hope to change the narrative… we hope to change everything about it. Not very realistic perhaps, but when you really start to think about the time left and realize just how productive you can be, then changing the whole narrative necessarily starts with impacting younger generations. Show them that aging is something to be embraced and celebrated. It is not something to be feared.
It only makes sense to turn to storytelling to change the narrative. After all, a narrative is just an account of connected events. Stories breathe life into those events and give them meaning.
How do you envision Twin-agers making a difference to those midlife and beyond, i.e. living their magic hour?
Maya Angelou said "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” We think that is right. Twin-agers can make a difference if we focus on how we make people feel by creating a safe space to talk about aging. So we want to inspire and build a community around connection and even consolation.
We can make a difference if we can show all generations what an age-friendly or age-agnostic world looks like.
We also think we need to ask hard questions and to quote hockey broadcasters everywhere, go into the dirty areas of the ice for the answers.
Another key to making a difference is to introduce ageism into the larger conversation of diversity, equity and inclusion.
In what ways will you be using your platform for the greater good? (eg: “leaving this world better than we found it.”)
Forgive us for another Maya Angelou quote, but she said, “The desire to reach the stars is ambitious. The desire to reach hearts is wise and most possible.” So I guess we strive to use our platform to reach hearts. To that end, we want it to be a place for connection and community where people can share intergenerational stories to advance the understanding of aging across all ages.
We believe that by providing inspiration to those in the Magic Hour will help them navigate this time in their life and with luck make it a happy time.
If at the end of the day we can point to our platform as one that furthered the understanding of aging and the aged, as well as shine a light on other cultures and how they embrace aging, then we will have left a positive social impact.
How do you plan to do things differently from other influencers in your field?
It starts by not being an influencer which tends to infer commercial relationships or partnerships. The only thing we want to do right now is present our fervent belief that as a society we need to think very differently about the people in their Magic Hour.
Rather than influencer, perhaps a better label for what we are doing is facilitator or accelerator. We hope to encourage and amplify conversations and actions about all aspects of aging… the good, the bad and the ugly.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes, It’s important that we talk about kids. If you want to eliminate discrimination of any kind, you have to start with kids before they adopt the prejudices of those who influence them.
To that end, even though they are grown, we want to be role models to our own kids. We want to show them how one can continue to contribute to their community and society in a meaningful way by demonstrating their value and sharing their wisdom.
Finally, and we can’t stress this point enough, we have to be open to learn from the younger generation. We have to be willing to see the world through their eyes and understand what is important to them. Call it reverse mentoring if you will, but as we tackle the Magic Hour of our lives, we have much to gain by removing the barriers with those younger than us.
Reach out to share your magic hour story. We want to hear from you! Share you story here.