Today we’d like to introduce you to Neeahtima Dowdy.
Hi Neeahtima, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
As I was approaching 50, I began to wonder if there was something more I should or could be doing. I wasn’t idle. After a career in journalism and public affairs, I had been the “CEO” of our little empire of our family of 5, plus up to 3 dogs, and for a few years a pony. There were years where I was in the car 11 hours a day, driving to three different schools, one 26 miles away. There were play rehearsals, football, dance, basketball, riding, voice lessons, riding lessons, swimming, and more. I held leadership positions in my church, sang in the choir, helped found a community moms group, and created and taught a middle school musical theater program at my kids’ school. Do-it-yourself projects took up much of my time, including things like refinishing my deck or furniture, designing and sewing ballgowns, and even building out a movie theater in my basement almost exclusively by myself.
So I was always busy. But was there something else? With the kids getting older–two in college, the third driving–they required less of my time. Like many women this age, I pondered what that meant for me. As I started paying attention to the women around me, there were many who were reinventing themselves at this stage. One friend went back into the workforce and was killing it as an executive, another discovered a new talent and had a flourishing art career.
One day it hit me. Reaching back to my journalism degree, my insatiable appetite for learning, and love of story-telling, I thought, “what if there was a YouTube channel where I shared these women’s stories to inspire the rest of us to dream bigger for our next chapter?”
One such friend and I had a mantra. When our husbands were trying to get us to “act our age,” we laugh and say, “We’re Not Dead Yet!”
We’re Not Dead Yet: Women Rocking their Next Chapter would be the perfect title.
While journalism, interviewing, writing and story-telling were in my wheelhouse, I had never been on camera. Furthermore, I knew nothing about the technical side–fliming, editing, sound, lighting. So, I was pretty scared. Was it weird to be putting myself on camera at MY AGE? What would people think? What if I’m terrible? What if my voice sounds funny? How would I find enough stories to tell?
Everything about it terrified me, but the idea kept nagging me. I shyly told my idea to a friend, here, and a friend, there. The more people I told, the more obligated I felt to at least take a step. Some suggested a podcast, but I envisioned a visual and interactive format, where I interviewed the woman in her environment. I imagined painting with the painter, dancing with the dancers, and working out with the fitness instructor.
I began with baby steps—securing the channel name, a logo, branding. Bit by bit, We’re Not Dead Yet was looking possible.
My idea was met with universal excitement from the women I told. Women with varied and interesting stories were drifting into my orbit. Interviews were falling into place. Friends who could advise me on the tech aspects appeared, and it seemed as if God was giving me the GO sign.
My supportive lawyer husband Craig stepped up as videographer, and I began to learn about sound and lighting. I hired a freelance editor for the first few episodes and then taught myself how to use editing software.
Soon it became clear that in order to grow the We’re Not Dead Yet brand, I would need a social media presence. Up to this point, Facebook had been nothing more than a way to share photos of my kids or travel, and I wasn’t even interested in Instagram. This required more bravery, more learning, and more growth. Reels, analytics, captions, hashtags, oh my! I went from basically 0 followers to 1500 in 6 months.
Every step was intimidating, but courage and inspiration came from the women I interviewed. “Just do it.” “Take the first step.” “Get out of your own way.”
The first year, I also taught myself how to build and launched a website, began a blog, drafted the first four chapters of a book, guested on numerous podcasts and a syndicated radio show, and was even the sole guest on a local hour-long television show. All of it was terrifying, but each conquered challenge made me feel more bold, more capable. Most recently I became a contributor for our community magazine.
The women I interviewed expanded my vision, and my mission for We’re Not Dead Yet evolved. I realized the next chapter doesn’t require dreaming BIG dreams, but more simply consciously maintaining a growth mindset. If we’re not growing, we’re dying. The key to staying vital, energetic, and confident is to continue to challenge ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually.
Women over 50 often admit to feeling invisible. The ageism you must overcome, first, is in your own mind. You’re not too old . . . for nearly anything. I started running at about age 50, and at 56 I’m training for a half-marathon. You’ve got to unhide yourself. Step out of your comfort zone. Try a thing. Be bold. Do it, scared.
Whether it’s exploring a new hobby, attempting a new sport, experimenting with style, taking on a new DIY project, or finding products that help you feel more confident, you deserve to live your best and most fulfilled life now. And, yes, if there IS a big dream lurking inside you, it’s never too late.
We’re Not Dead Yet is MY big dream. The goal is to monetize We’re Not Dead Yet: Women Rocking their Next Chapter and be able to hire staff, which would enable me to inspire and motivate exponentially more women. The common theme among the women I interview say, “you just have to do it. Do it scared. Just start. And then keep moving forward one step at a time.
So step one is complete. I broke through the fear and the “what ifs,” and did it–scared! Now, I’m just continuing to take those steps and see where they lead me. Because We’re Not Dead Yet!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
By far the biggest obstacle was/is me, and it’s a common response from the women I interview. They had to get out of their own way. Fear and insecurity can be crippling, and it was for me. Once I pushed through the fear of launching, there is the constant ups and downs and the need to push through the disappointments. People who were excited and pledging to help turned out to be too busy. In the long run, that forced me to acquire new skills, so it was a bonus. In the moment, though, you’re questioning whether you can even continue. There were women who would be great stories and interviews–even close friends–who then said, “absolutely not.” Then God would drop someone completely random out of the atmosphere as if to say, “keep going.” There were popular women with tons of followers who I thought were going to be a big hit . . . and then the interview would get 30 views. Then, a woman with little or no following would blow up. Social media growth would boom 10, 20, 30 percent a month for months and then come to a near halt. On another day, Voyage ATL contacts you. You must keep picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and moving ahead. One of my favorite mantras is “today is a great day to start again.”
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What sets me apart from other creators is that my brand is built on inspiring and motivating other women not solely with photos, stories, and information about ME, but by celebrating and sharing the stories of other women. I’m passionate about helping these women promote their business, service, art, social media platform, whatever. Some creators charge for this, but my model–and hope–is that by collaborating with other women and helping them, I will ultimately build a profitable business of my own through sponsorships, ads, and other opportunities. Several months in, friends and “experts” insisted that I needed to share more of ME, so I began incorporating more of my own style, DIY, fitness, and knowledge. I also choose not to do Zoom interviews. In the age of Zoom meetings, I don’t think people find watching someone’s Zoom call enteretaining. So I strive to do interactive and in-person interviews where I work out with the fitness instructor, dance with over 50 hip hop troupe, or paint with the artist. Of course, that limits the women I can interview.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
I often joke that I’ll be truly successful when I have trolls or negative comments on my platforms. But seriously, I hear from many women that my message is resonating with them. Occasionally, when I’m wondering if it even matters, someone will hit me in the DMs and tell me that I had prompted them to start thinking about their next chapter, or that they are going to start a new exercise regime. I’ve even had younger women in their 30s tell me they used to fear getting into their 40s and 50s and now they are excited about it. That feels like a success, but I’d like to make some money at it, too!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.werenotdeadyetwomenover40.com
- Instagram: @yetwerenotdead
- Facebook: @womenrockingnextchapter
- Twitter: @NeeahtimaD
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/WereNotDeadYetWomenRockingNextChapter
Image Credits
All images are taken by We’re Not Dead Yet: Women Rocking their Next Chapter
