Dreading your next milestone birthday or watching loved ones struggle with aging? Tamar Hurwitz-Fleming brings transformative wisdom to ThirtyFiveSixtyFour about embracing birthdays at any age. As the author of "How to Have a Happy Birthday," Tamar challenges the narrative that aging means decline. At 59 and approaching her own 60th birthday, she shares honest insights about physical changes while celebrating the wisdom, confidence, and freedom that come with each decade. Karen and Tamar dive deep into birthday anxiety, the privilege of aging, and why your birthday is the most sacred day of your year—one that deserves intentional celebration.
Ready to transform birthday dread into birthday joy? Tamar reveals why half of us experience birthday anxiety and how childhood experiences shape our relationship with aging. From dealing with perimenopause at 46 to embracing gray hair and wrinkles, this conversation tackles the real challenges of midlife while offering practical strategies for celebration. Listeners discover why "aging is a privilege" isn't just a platitude—it's a powerful reframe for living fully. Tamar's personal stories, from a devastating 18th birthday to her best birthday ever in France, illustrate how taking charge of your celebration creates transformation. Whether you're planning a milestone birthday or supporting someone who is, this episode provides actionable wisdom for making every birthday meaningful.
Tamar Hurwitz-Fleming is a birthday coach dedicated to helping people harness the transformational power of their birthdays so they can experience more joy, meaning, and fulfillment in their lives. Growing up, Tamar had happy, sad and terrible birthdays until she realized that having a fulfilling birthday was entirely up to her. In her award-winning book, “How to Have a Happy Birthday,” and its new companion workbook, Tamar explores why birthdays matter, why they can be hard for us, and what we can do to fully put ourselves in the center of our day.
In this episode:
- (00:00) Introduction to Tamar and the Art of Happy Birthdays
- (01:43) Tamar's Perspective on Turning 60: Embracing the Milestone
- (03:12) Why Younger People Struggle with Future Planning
- (05:59) Reframing Aging: Beyond "Over the Hill" Thinking
- (08:44) Social Pressures of Youthful Appearance vs. Natural Aging
- (12:47) The Mirror Exercise: Changing Self-Talk and Self-Image
- (14:14) Supporting Loved Ones Through Milestone Birthday Anxiety
- (17:04) The Visibility Myth: Who Really Sees Us as We Age?
- (18:50) Physical Health and Aging: Investment in Your Future Self
- (22:39) Perimenopause, Menopause, and the Journey Across the River
- (25:00) How Men and Women Process Aging Differently
- (28:11) Meaningful Birthday Celebrations on Any Budget
- (33:11) The Birthday Blues: Unmet Expectations and Childhood Wounds
- (36:34) Tamar's Origin Story: From Birthday Trauma to Birthday Coach
- (41:21) How to Acknowledge Birthdays: Phone Calls vs. Social Media
- (53:33) Connecting with Tamar and Birthday Coaching Services
Follow Tamar: https://howtohaveahappybirthday.com https://instagram.com/author.tamar https://facebook.com/author.tamar
Resources: https://www.amazon.com/AM-Club-Morning-Elevate-Life/dp/1443456624
About:
ThirtyFiveSixtyFour is a podcast for listeners between the ages of 35 and 64. Available on all m...
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