In this interview, Mabel's Labels Founder and Author Julie Cole reflects on her shift from a law career into entrepreneurship because it gives her the flexibility and freedom, she needs to be the best mother to her six children. She talks about aging out of the ‘mommy’ cohort that is her customer base and describes her approach to parenting in a household full of teenagers. She generously shares the life lessons she’s learned from her hectic, but happy life.
Host Sherrilynne Starkie welcomes award winning entrepreneur and best-selling author Julie Cole to episode eight of the 50 Women Over 50 podcast to discuss the concept of ‘me time’ and what it means to an over 50 mom of six who is an internationally renowned business executive.
Julie is a former lawyer who, with a few ‘mom’ friends, co founded Mabel’s Labels, North America’s leading provider of kids label products. She’s also the author of the best-selling book, Like A Mother: Birthing Business, Babies and a Life Beyond Labels.
“I don’t need people telling me that I need to relax more. Don’t tell me to go for a manicure or to get a massage or in any way project how you relax on to me,” exclaims Julie. “Because quite honestly, this is me winding down. I love this. My work is so enjoyable that it feels like ‘me time’ to me!”
In this interview, Julie reflects on her shift from a law career into entrepreneurship because it gives her the flexibility and freedom, she needs to be the best mother to her six children. She talks about aging out of the ‘mommy’ cohort that is her customer base and describes her approach to parenting in a household full of teenagers. She generously shares the life lessons she’s learned from her hectic, but happy life.
About Julie Cole:
Julie Cole is a lawyer, mom of six and a co-founder and senior director of Mabel’s Labels.
She is an award-winning entrepreneur, best-selling author, and sought-after speaker, moderator, keynote and emcee. Julie is no stranger to the media, having appeared on NBC’s The Today Show, CNN, HLN’s Raising America, Breakfast Television, The Marilyn Denis Show, CP24, among many others. Her articles have appeared in The Huffington Post, Today’s Parent, The Globe and Mail, Profit Magazine, Working Mother Magazine, and others.
When Julie is not juggling her busy family and professional life, she’s an engaged community member serving on boards and volunteering. She is passionate about women’s issues, mentoring young entrepreneurs, and social justice.
Sherrilynne Starkie started this show as a creative project with the goal of interviewing 50 women past their 50th birthday to learn how they see the world, what lessons they’ve learned and what advice they have for us all. She’s been blogging and podcasting for 18+ years as part of a successful marketing and communications career and looks forward to learning from the women she will interview.
Subscribe to 50 Women Over 50 wherever you get your podcasts and please share it with your friends.
Machine Generated Transcript
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50 Women Episode 8
50 Women Episode 8
[00:00:00] Sherrilynne: Hello, and welcome to episode eight of 50 women over 50 a podcast for women whose personal confidence is born of experience. I'm your host Sherrilynne Starkie.
My goal with this podcast is to interview 50 interesting women who are over 50 years of age to learn how they see their lives and what they've learned along their way. Today. I am welcoming Julie Cole to the show. She's an award-winning entrepreneur, a best-selling author and a popular media pundit.
She co-founded and is a senior director of Mabel's Labels, north America's leading provider of personalized kids labels. In this interview, Julie explains why the concept of me time, it's a little bit different for a 51 year old, internationally renowned business executive who is mom to six youngsters.
She explains that despite experiencing the odd hot flush. She's loving life in her fifties and is optimistic for her future ambitions.
All right, so how old are you?
[00:01:10] Julie: I'm 51. Oh, right. So, you're a newbie? I'm a newbie, yes. And how
[00:01:15] Sherrilynne: was, What did you do for your 50th birthday?
[00:01:17] Julie: Well, we were in lockdown for my 50th birthday. I had planned on originally, I'm getting a bunch of girlfriends and doing like going away. All inclusive or doing something like that.
But nobody was doing anything, so in a way it just happened quietly. What I did do though, is I had a wonderful photo shoot, and that was a bit of fun.
[00:01:38] Sherrilynne: Yeah, I did that too actually, which was like the inspiration for this podcast. It was, local, photographer Anna Epp, who was on my first episode of this podcast because she did a 50 over 50, photography project for the year that she turned 50.
And I was one of her subjects. And I think that's a great way to celebrate going into a new
[00:01:58] Julie: decade. Yeah, absolutely. And I'm not sure who your photographer was, but if you've ever connected with Helen Tansy, she is amazing. She's done a really cool project and published a book, about like with her photos of women who are aging beautifully and, doing and owning it.
[00:02:18] Sherrilynne: So, do you think then in future you'll, do your away day with your girlies and stuff that when things are like fully opened up and people are traveling again or.
[00:02:28] Julie: You know what? I feel like a little bit, I like, I'm pretty busy anyway, and I have a lot of, I do a lot of travel with my work. I think that ship is a little bit sailed for my 51st. I did have, a bit of a party, so that was things that opened up. So, I feel like I did a little something, so I'm fine.
I'm fine. Yeah. You've moved on. Yeah, I moved on. So how did you
[00:02:51] Sherrilynne: feel when you were coming up to your 50th birthday? Were you like one of these? I can't quite believe I'm about to hit that. The beginning of old
[00:03:00] Julie: age or like right attitude? No, as I approached 50, I was actually fine with it and I was a little nervous because I had seen other friends turn 50 and they were starting to, like, one friend had a really hard time.
She went through it a really hard time, just approaching 50. So, I was like, is that going to happen to me? And it, and it really didn't. I do feel though 51 has hit me a little bit differently and only because I actually am starting to, I think when I hit 50, I was still feeling like really. Like age wasn't impacting me, but I, I do feel now, like I'm, I'm, hit menopause.
So, I'm dealing with hot flashes. I've never ever struggled with my weight, and I've done nothing differently, but I've got this like little punch, so my clothes aren't fitting me properly, and I'm like, that's not fair. I haven't done anything differently. So, I felt like at 51 I was like, Hold on. I think I never thought aging would impact me personally.
Right, right. Like it was something other people were impacted by, but I mean, hormones are, are real. And the, the hot flashes were, are really annoying quite frankly. And, and yeah, and the bit of weight gain, but at the end of the day, the only worst thing than turning 50 is not turning 50.
Right. So, I'm, I'm very grateful and, and in a lot of ways, It's an enjoyable time too because my kids are older, right. And I'm not running around after them and they're so interesting because they're at interesting ages and we have lots of wonderful discussions. So there, there's a lot of good that has come with it as well.
But yeah, 50 approaching 50 hours fine. 51 hit me a little bit funny.
[00:04:39] Sherrilynne: Sounds familiar actually, but I decided, I started getting those hot flashes at 52 and I just thought, you know what? I'm just going to ignore these, and they'll go away.
[00:04:50] Julie: Basically nobody can touch me. Yeah. Yeah. And I did find it hard through Covid because I found that the masks really triggered the hot flashes. And I'm a little bit claustrophobic anyway, so it was just, and then, you're in bed and the sheets are on and off and then on and off, and it's just that whole song and dance, right?
Yes,
[00:05:16] Sherrilynne: yes. But my attitude was just to embrace it like as a totally normal physiological change in my body, just like puberty was. Right. Although I tell you what, everyone in the house knows when I'm having a hot flash
[00:05:33] Julie: that's, Oh, I know they're a little, I don’t know why I feel the need.
I'm like, I've become one of those obnoxious people who announces it and like I'm the person I used to probably make fun of, but my kids are all like, We know ma. Yeah. Yeah. I'm like, Guys, I'm getting a sweat mustache,
[00:05:50] Sherrilynne: Yes, Yes. Quite. And I remember doing my mom and now I'm so ashamed of myself for doing that.
My poor mom caught her one time sticking her head in a freezer, , I've never let her forget that., If only now the freezers are at the bottom of the fridge.
[00:06:07] Julie: Right. If only I can stick my, That's awesome. Your mom was onto something. So, You do a
[00:06:18] Sherrilynne: lot of blogging on your website for mothers.
and, mothers of young children and stuff. Do you think now that you're, coming into your fifth decade, is there scope for change to the focus on that, on that blog?
[00:06:32] Julie: Well, that's a really great question. So, when I started Mabel's labels, I, I was a young mom. I had three young kids.
I went on to have three more. I have six children. Wow. Yeah. So, it's, it's good times, good times. And that's why I can honestly say it's way easier now. Back in the day when I was having 6 C-sections and starting a company and, those were, those were pretty crazy times. So interestingly though, our, like a very.
Invested in the mom community because of my company and because of our market. So, what I've had to really adapt to is that I'm not the mom I used to be. I'm now selling to a different age bracket. I'm dealing with millennial moms. And so, I'm not so much a part of their community. I'm coming from an approach of more a seasoned mom.
In the old days I talk about my favorite triple stroller because I was literally pushing one around for 10 years and I would talk about diaper blowouts and I would, because I was the living and, and it, and it made so much sense. The way moms make their purchasing decisions is they want to buy from brands that they feel connected to.
They want to feel like they have community. They don't want to buy from nameless, faceless brands. They wanted to buy from me because I'm also trying to get through the day without smelling like baby vomit. So luckily, all my days now don't involve baby vomit. But at the same time, I really do feel like our market and the moms particularly can sniff out of fake.
So, I am not going to pretend that I am still that mom in the trenches with them, because I am not, I am out of the trenches. So, we bring on other bloggers in our Mabel’s Labels community to talk about those things and then I can share what I've learned again from that seasoned mom perspective.
So, Think honestly that your brand and your personal brand can change and evolve and grow and that you will keep your follow followers as long as you're transparent about it. Yeah. Yeah. And plus,
[00:08:36] Sherrilynne: your customer base is
[00:08:39] Julie: aging with you. Right, right. And see that's a really good point. So, the young moms who are there when I was a young mom are still with us, because now their kids are at university.
And we've evolved our product line too. We started, when I had tweens, I'm like, Oh, we need some cooler tween labels. We need some, and, and now even. A lot of people of our generation, their parents are going into residential care and they're like, I need labels for grandma. So, Right. So, we just need Mrs. Walker room 325, like plain, basic, that will go through the dishwasher and microwave and also through the washer and dryer and those sorts of things. So yes, we've certainly evolved, but at the same time being very aware that we want to. I mean, I'm having new customers born every day, right? Right. So, we want to make sure we're connecting to those.
And that means, in the old days it was all Facebook, but now of course we're on TikTok. I'm not personally, but still, I'm a very young social media experts at Mabel’s. Labels are, I'm doing more Instagram. You go where your customer is and our millennial moms are on the Instagram, so we need to be.
[00:09:39] Sherrilynne:. Yeah, I totally agree with you. And also, about the TikTok. Yeah. Young mothers are right. Gen Z's there. And so, Gen Zs are like, they go up to 25. ,
[00:09:53] Julie: Mom's on there, right? Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. We've got a lot of, And you also have to understand how millennials and Gen Z do the, like how they make their purchasing decisions and what makes them love brands.
And, that's. That's just good marketing, right? So yeah. I to your point, like I have evolved, and I have changed. I'm not going to talk about menopause on the MAs label site because that's not my market, but that's okay. I mean, there might be, there might be occasions to do that. I might do something like an Insta Live and call out to our, like OG mamas who are og Mabel Mamas and do something like that.
There there's ways That's a great idea.
[00:10:32] Sherrilynne: Yeah.
[00:10:33] Julie: Are you a grandma? I'm not my youngest, my oldest is 22. Okay. So right now, I'm really in teenage wasteland times., like I've got, it's really stinky at my house, and they eat constantly. Oh my, So I've got 13, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22. But. Oh my God. Yeah, there's a lot.
Right. So, I've got three who are away at university though, and only three at home. So, and I have another one that goes to university next year, and then another one who goes the year after that. So, they're dropping like flies around here. Right, right. You got to
[00:11:10] Sherrilynne: get another mortgage on the house, then pay for
[00:11:12] Julie: solutions.
Oh yeah, believe me, there was a lot of fight when we packed these kids in pretty tight. There was a lot of financial planning that went on around RSPs and Yeah. Yeah. Oh yeah. There was, yeah. Had to do that.
[00:11:24] Sherrilynne: So, I grew up with a, a family of four, four of us were teenagers at the same time in the same house.
And I tell you what, my mom was queen of the labels at that time. She had labels on all the food in the fridge. Don't eat this. Don't eat until Tuesday.
[00:11:37] Julie: You know what we've got said? You're in trouble. It's your, your mom. She's my like, role model because I do have, there's nothing that drives me crazier than I do at the grocery shop, and I have things like that are planned for dinner or to go into school lunches exclusively.
Like you don't get to just snack on like packaged something, like that's not right. So, I have certain, cupboards that. You cannot eat without permission. And I have a certain pantry that is open to neighborhood kids and friends and like, the frozen pizzas and the coke in the basement.
Like, so when teenagers are over, that's their, their go-to. So yes, you definitely have to label and manage. And I find it funny because my kids label their own stuff. So, if they buy something or if they go out for dinner with friends, stamp leftovers, they'll, they'll label it. Of course, my kids have access to countless labels. So, they'll label it because they don't want somebody eating their leftovers. Because you know that feeling when you get home, you're like, I've going to have my leftovers and they're gone. Or if one kid says like, I don't buy chocolate milk. So, if they go and buy themselves a big cart of chocolate milk, they put a label on it.
And that is not a shareable item. And do they respect the labels though? That they do? Oh yeah, they do. Oh yeah, they don't Look, they, yeah, you got to keep the peace in the house. This busy. You got to keep the peace. What advice would you give
[00:12:53] Sherrilynne: to your
[00:12:53] Julie: 30 year old self? It's funny.
I think that, I don't know that I would, I would have anything. I, I even feel this about like, when I was a tween and, and into my twenties and thirties. I think that, I'm on the right path. I'm, I'm doing the right things. I'm being myself. I'm being true to myself. I'm being honest. I live with integrity.
I, when I mess up, I apologize, and I learn from it, and I move on. I don't carry guilt about it. Joke that I gave up mom guilt four kids ago. I'm proactive. I don't complain. I'm not a why. I've got a good attitude and I had all that then. And, I think I would just say to myself, You're on the right track.
It's going to be okay. And, and, I did the things that I knew I could do. Like I don't think having 6 kids is for everyone and that's okay. I don't think entrepreneurship is for everyone, and that's okay. Just know your limit, live within it, and, and you do. Well, you trained as a lawyer, right?
Yeah, that's true. I joke that I'm a recovered lawyer.
[00:13:53] Sherrilynne: So, what, explain the transition to me then, like how old were you when you decided I, the traditional lawyer's life is
[00:13:59] Julie: not for me and. Right. Yeah, that came, That comes along with actually why, the business got started anyway.
So, I mean, I think anytime you're going to start a business, I think with any decision you make, you have to go to your why. Right? So, with Mabel's labels, there were, there were two why's. Along with my co-founders, we had little kids, and we were losing stuff. We're going to play dates and you know whose sippy cup is this, whose wipes container And kids are going to daycare and everybody's bubbles look the same.
And we are using masking tape and marker and it's. Not working and it's ugly. And we're like, there's got to be better, something better. And there wasn't. So, we had this idea about creating this dishwasher microwave safe label, that's highly personalized and super cute and durable, and da da da. So, we had the idea.
So that was our first why. And then the second why for me was that the, my son, who is now 22, he had just turned three and he received an autism diagnosis. And he already had two younger siblings. I had already had three kids by the time he was three. So, at that moment when he got the diagnosis, I was like, All right, I got to buckle down here.
I need to get some programming for this kid. I need to be able to get him to his therapy appointments early intervention his key here. I need to be a strong advocate. I don't think the traditional workforce is going to suit me any longer. I need a little bit of flexibility. So along with wanting to leave the traditional workforce and having a great product idea, I said to the gals, Hey, what do you think is now the time?
And that, that was the time and we, we never looked back. And that's coming up to 20 years, honestly. Good for you. Congratulations on 20 years of business. Yeah. Pretty wild. Pretty wild ride.
[00:15:40] Sherrilynne: And do
[00:15:40] Julie: you miss the law? You know what I, I, I do. But it's funny because I feel like at first when I left and I didn't even think I was going to be an entrepreneur, that was not my life plan.
I'm like a, I was working for Women's legal service. I get like restraining orders. My sport was going after dead be dads. I also be like a legal aid worker for the rest of my life. That's my passion. So, it. It was a huge shift. Now, when I did leave, I thought, wow, I'm a very like overqualified diaper changer and label maker
Right, Right. But then, I do think with anyone, when they have a business or they're an entrepreneur, you do bring skills from your previous life, and they do add value. So, it wasn't a waste at all. And being able to, look over contracts and send a cease and desist letter and those sorts of things and, and my co-founders as well, one was in graphics, one was a financial planner, one was a teacher.
They all brought skills from their previous lives as well to the table that helped contribute to our business. And how many partners were did you have? There were four of us, which is a lot. Right. But, it, it did really contribute to that early growth because we were able to divide and conquer, all these brains at the table.
And we had our own little community. Right. I think solo entrepreneurship can be very, very lonely. But it's not without, it challenges too, because you have lots of feisty ideas and feisty personalities and conversations and stuff. But, but overall, it was a, it was a really great experience.
[00:17:13] Sherrilynne: And are they all still involved in the business?
[00:17:16] Julie: Nope. Just me. I'm the only one left. Okay. We had an acquisition about five years ago and two of us two left right away and moved on to other things. Two stayed on. I was part of the sale was me staying on for one year, and then after the one year, They're like, Are you still having fun? I'm like, I'm still having fun.
Do you still like me? We still like you. So, I've just been on ever since and I'm not super involved operationally I'll, I mean, obviously I'm on the management team and I'm doing some of the Strategic planning and that sort of thing. But I'm very much, I'm the spokesperson.
I'm the face of the brand. I am the senior director of public relations. So, I'm all about just getting out there, fostering relationships, making connections, going onto the media, writing, blogging, podcasting, public speaking. I just published a book in May. So that's been a really exciting, development.
Tell me about your book. So, the book was on the to-do list for quite some time. But with the pandemic, I found that not traveling, gave me a little bit of a hunk of time and I thought, this will be my pandemic side hustle. Women were starting side hustles all over the place during the pandemic, so I thought, if I don't write the book now, whenever am I going to write?
Get the time to write it. So, I, it's called like a mother Birthing Businesses, Babies and a Life Beyond Labels, and it's all full of my life hacks, parenting hacks, and business hacks.
[00:18:46] Sherrilynne: Well, I'll put a, a link to that in the show
[00:18:47] Julie: notes. I'd love that. Thank you.
[00:18:49] Sherrilynne: Be a great, a great read for most of our audience.
[00:18:51] Julie: Yeah, it, you know what, it hit best seller within 24 hours on Amazon, so that was, that was pretty exciting.
Wow.
[00:18:57] Sherrilynne: That is really, really impressive because I know, like I have. A couple of friends who are authors, Canadian authors and let's just say they all have side hustles. Nobody makes a living.
[00:19:08] Julie: No, honestly, and for me, like, I'm not writing the book to make money for me, it's about sharing my story.
I. If I can help any other young entrepreneurs out there, or young parents or, or particularly mothers who are trying to do it all. If I can do that, I'm happy. But also, in a way a book is like a modern day business card. It's got me speaking engagements, it gets me to, to events.
There's a lot of value that comes with the two. And I'm about to do the audio book as well, so, Okay, once I record that, I've actually really procrastinated on that because the thought. Reading my own words with my own voice out loud, honestly. Ugh. Can't be bothered, but it's on the, it's on the books for December.
I'll do it then. Okay, good, good.
[00:19:52] Sherrilynne: So, it'll be available on Audible then? Yes, it will. Perfect, perfect. Excellent. Good for you. So much done over the last 20 years. What do you do when you're not working? What's your fun?
[00:20:03] Julie: Oh, what's my fun, talking to you like it's, it's interesting. I actually just did a LinkedIn post the other day about the concept of me time, because I find that people often would project onto me that, they'd be worried about me.
Julie, you mean me time? You need to rest. You need to go for manicure, you need to have a massage. You need to, And I realized like, I don't mean people projecting how they relax and how they wind down onto me because quite honestly, This is me winding down, like, I love this. My work is so enjoyable that I feel like it's me time.
So, and, and also just. Hanging out with my kids or, I'm the trainer on my daughter's, hockey team, so I go to her hockey games and I'm on the bench, and I love that too. Like I caught a red eye home from LA on Saturday night, so I could be on the bench on Sunday and yeah, I was tired, but I love it.
That's me time for me. It's fun. So, I think everybody has to just do what works for them. Yeah, I agree.
[00:21:01] Sherrilynne: Totally. Where do you see yourself in
[00:21:04] Julie: 10 years from now? I guess 61. Hopefully the hot flashes will be done. Maybe have a grandkid.,
[00:21:14] Sherrilynne: I've been told from reliable sources that they're never done.
[00:21:17] Julie: Oh, don't do this to me. You kill joy. 10 years. Look, it's, that's a good one. I, I don't know. I, for now I'm just enjoying what I'm doing. It is still crazy around this. I'm still busy with work now that travel's picked up. Again, I'm all over the place and, booking lots of speaking engagements and I'm just living in the moment.
Okay. Yeah, Yeah. I don't, I don't look too far ahead. I mean, obviously from a business perspective, do a lot of like long term planning and five year goals, two year goals, when your goals, all that jazz with the team. But for good old JC Julie Cole here, yeah, I'm just pulling away.
Get, Maybe I'll be an empty nester. Woo. How old you say your youngest is? He's, he's grade eight 13. Okay. You got a ways to go yet. Yeah, but they say, I, my mom always said, they leave, but then they come back, and they bring, Yeah, they come back, and they bring people with them. Although I've been trying to coach mine about my no re-entry policy, but they're not buying it.
[00:22:17] Sherrilynne: No, No, it's true. They come back. They come back and they
[00:22:20] Julie: do bring people with them., you're right. Partners, friends. Yep. Children. children. Exactly. What are you most
[00:22:28] Sherrilynne: hopeful about the future?
[00:22:31] Julie: Wow. That's a really big question because I can be hopeful about many things and scared about many things as well.
I am hopeful that, my children will all launch with, a certain amount of confidence and success. I've raised them to be independent. I put in the work, I've let them make mistakes. Not helicoptered them or snow plowed them. I, I always believe today's problem solvers are tomorrow's leaders. So, I let them practice problem solving the little stuff so that they could problem solve the big stuff later.
I don't expect any 30 year olds to be in my basement playing video games. So, I am confident and hopeful that, my kids will go off and, and lead lives, with, with confidence And that's all I really hope for, for them. So, I am excited to, to watch that, Roots and Wings.
[00:23:24] Sherrilynne: Yes. Yeah.
But you said your, you had your, your oldest boy had an autism diagnosis. Yeah. You also said he is off at university. What's he
[00:23:32] Julie: studying? Yep. So, he's in his last term in the University of Guelph. Yeah. And then after at Christmas, he's going to go traveling with one of his, sisters. They're going to Australia Yeah.
To backpack and hang around and pick up jobs and do that sort of thing. So, They'll go do that thing. And that's the other thing about having a bunch of kids is like they're buddies with each other, right. And they look out for each other, and she'll have him. And I have to say, because like with the autism diagnosis, as Mabel's labels has grown and developed and experienced some wonderful success as.
So has my son. He's 22. Like I said, he's finishing university. It's been a slog. I'm not going to lie, often, like the executive functioning skills are not perfect. So, he always, he works with an executive functioning coach once a week to help plan out his course load, to plan out, chunk his essays when he should have what done by, that sort of thing, which is incredibly helpful.
That's all right. We're happy to provide him with the tools for that. But he is got, a great friend group from high school. He has done aid work. Africa. He's a lifeguard. He's a black belt. He's got his driver's license. So, goodness. Very accomplished. Yeah, very accomplished. We didn't like to let the diagnosis scare us off, but we did a heck of a lot of early intervention and, he, has amazed us as he has succeeded and grown, so has he and I, I often joke that on my deathbed I'll say he's my life's greatest achievement.
And the other five are OK too. Nice, nice. Right.
[00:24:58] Sherrilynne: Let's switch to the
[00:24:59] Julie: quick round here. Ooh, Quick round. That sounds stressful. No, it's
[00:25:03] Sherrilynne: not. Just, Okay. Off the top of your head, what are you reading? What are you watching? What are you binging right
[00:25:07] Julie: now? Okay, So, I'm always reading, like I've got a bunch of friends who have written books lately, so I'm reading a lot of those.
I want to give a shout out to my sister-in-law, who was my partner. She wrote a book called Big Gorgeous Goals. Her name's Julie Ellis, so I'd like to give her a shout out. Maybe you can throw that in the show notes. It's a book about how, when you pivot, how to set other goals and, and to, and to follow them and how we have to like to embrace them.
It's for probably, very ambitious women. That's a, that's probably the market for it really. As far as binging. I try to binge with my kids. We try to have our own little Netflix series, so a lot of times with teenagers as I try to connect with them on their level. Like sometimes I watch them play video games.
Sometimes we go do Pokémon Go. Like it's not stuff that is in my wheelhouse, but you know what? You just have to meet them where they are because that's where the chats happen. Yeah. So, my little, my guy who just turned 16, he's obsessed with Breaking Bad. So, he's making me watch the series. We’ve actually just wrapped up.
I've watched all the entire series, not my cup of tea at all. So now I'm putting him off for a little while because he wants to do Better Call Saul. He's already done it all, but he likes to watch it with me so he can see my reaction. And then we can talk about our favorite characters and the development of the plot and that sort of thing.
So, I, I do, I do recommend for people who have teenagers to, yeah, to meet them where they're at.
[00:26:35] Sherrilynne: Well, I too have watched all of those two series and. You're going to love it. Very inventive writing. Very inventive storytelling. Really, really enjoyed those ones. Awesome. Are you working with any charities or doing any, supporting any good causes these days you'd like to give a shout out to?
[00:26:53] Julie: I just was a celebrity judge for the PR with the Stars event, which is the Oakville, Milton Humane Society. I ran a fashion fundraiser with a couple of local friends and seated. In the spring, and that was for Halton Women's Place. And we're doing that again.
I'm actually speaking at an event on Thursday night, which is a fundraiser for Halton Women's Place. I'm on the board of directors for the, Sound of Music, Burlington. I am, very involved in the United Way. I just did the, the Walk for Women United. Oh my gosh, there's so many. Honestly, I, I'm a big advocate for.
Community, giving your time, giving your treasures, giving your talent. And that's what I try to do, and I try to role model that, to my kids as well.
[00:27:40] Sherrilynne: I agree. It's really important. Yeah. I'm finding through these interviews that a lot of us who. Have always done that. When we went into our bubbles, we got out of the habit of volunteering in the community.
[00:27:52] Julie: Get back out there. Yeah. Yeah, that's a good point. Is there an app you couldn't live without? The social media apps? Oh, yeah.. I think I find them very, they're good.
Personally, they're good for your personal brand, their way of connecting with people. They're good for your business. They build trust, they build loyalty. Yeah, big fan of the social media apps.
[00:28:17] Sherrilynne: Okay. Yeah. Well, I mean, yeah, my business is social media, so I hear you.
[00:28:21] Julie: There you go. I'm, I'm, I'm preaching to the converted
[00:28:26] Sherrilynne: Is there an over 50 life hack that you'd be willing to share with our audience?
[00:28:31] Julie: Over 50 life hack. So, like, something that I've picked up along the way. Hmm. You know what I would say? Just, just keeping a really great perspective. I, I often joke that when life gives me lemons, I make a gin and tonic,
Yeah. Like I think, we have, I don't believe in like the toxic positivity, but I do believe. That, sometimes our minds can go to negative places first. If I can take one thing, either a negative way or a positive way, I don't give it a second thought. It's always the positive. I don't, I don't really care what people think about me.
Like I will invite anyone over to my house if they say it's messy. I'm like, yeah. It is like, like I'm not, nobody at my funeral is talking about my beautiful meals and my, in my beautiful, like my perfectly clean house. I'm, I'm good about that. I don't want them talking about that stuff at my funeral.
So yeah, I guess maybe take a hot minute to think about what do you want said at your funeral and then live the way so, That is what they say. That's
[00:29:32] Sherrilynne: wonderful, wonderful advice. Thank you for sharing that. So that's the end of the questions that I had for you. Is there anything that you wished I'd asked you and I didn't?
[00:29:41] Julie: Not at all. Just that, if people want to stay in touch with me, I'm on Instagram at Julie Cole Inc. At Mabel’s Labels. If you want to check out my website, I'd love you too. It's Mabelslabels.com and if you want to learn more about me specifically, you can go to MablesLabels.com/JulieCole, and you can even order my book from there.
Perfect.
[00:30:01] Sherrilynne: And that's it for episode eight. This has been 50 women over 50 a podcast for women whose personal confidence is born of experience. And thank you to the amazing Ms. Julie Cole for joining me today, her energy optimism and Joie De Vivre is an inspiration to us all.
I loved her advice. To think about what you'd like to be said about you at your funeral, and then to design a life that will lead to just that what a great way to live life after 50. I've put links in the show notes so that you can easily find Julie online. I've also included links to many of the books, organizations, and resources that we discussed on the show.
I've got lots more lively interviews lined up with some wonderful over 50 women. So don't miss an episode, subscribe to this podcast now. And if you have a second, please drop a rating or review on apple or wherever you get your podcasts, because it helps other people find the show. Let's connect. Let's create a whole community of wise women over 50 by sharing a link to the show with your friends and connections.
See you next time on 50 women over 50. I'm your host, Sherrilynne Starkie.