Essential Takeaways
• Our 50s are the most optimistic time of our lives (1)—something that Dian Griesel certainly embodies in both her career and daily rituals.
• In addition to becoming a model with Wilhelmina at 55, Griesel recently launched a popular online community and blog called Silver Disobedience, a self-described rebellion around aging and what it really means to get older. (Did you know that creativity actually spikes in our 50s (2), too?)
Did you know?
According to research, our 50s are the most optimistic time of our lives (1).
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“I’ve had more business cards than I can count,” laughs Dian Griesel. It’s an apt description for a career that otherwise defies definition. “Reinvention” doesn’t seem like the right word for someone who has always embraced an identity as a wearer of many hats—this is just, at her core, who Griesel is. She has owned and helmed a PR firm for 30 years, she’s an author, she is, as of a few years ago, a model with Wilhelmina. She teaches self-hypnosis as a meditation technique and consults CEOs of publicly traded companies. And as far as Griesel is concerned, she’s just getting started.
With this kind of CV, it’s hard to believe that there’s anyone better suited to spearhead a new conversation around aging—or rather, flip any preconceived notions about the 50+ set on their head. And that’s precisely the M.O. of Griesel’s online community (did we mention she’s also an incredibly successful blogger?), Silver Disobedience. Half a million readers devour her daily posts which span music, travel, career pointers, and interviews with notable authors. It ultimately reads like a guide to a life truly well-lived. And it’s clear after a few conversations with Griesel that she embodies every word she writes.
As we talk about her fascinating career and the rituals that get her going every day, Griesel’s laugh and general joie de vivre are nothing short of infectious. So too is the way she chooses to treat her moments of vulnerability: Insecurity is inevitable, she says, so why not lean into the discomfort and know that it could mean something great?