#10 My Body My Story 45 Over 45 - Katrina

In this episode Katrina talks about a lot of changes in nearly every part of her life in the last 2 years, She, changed careers, bought herself a house, lost 35 kilos, began running, and reunited with her sweetheart which she first met 30 years ago!

She also talks about the major shift from a reactive to a proactive approach at her new job and, as she was a nurse for the past 30 years she has to adjust from days being driven by others, to days where she is in charge and takes lead in her new role.

The last 2 years have shown her that It’s never too late for a second chance.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (auto-generated): 

Hi, you are listening to My Body My Story podcast,

But I think that's it. Yeah, if there was one thing I could change in myself at any age, it would be the What If..

This is the 45 or 45 chapter where we celebrate rule breakers and role models, the women who inspire us to live life our way and to show that sensuality, beauty, soul and true essence. Here we talk about what it's like to be 45 Plus, adjusting to the changes that come with time, and will listen to the stories of our participants. If you have an interesting story to share, we would love you to participate, you can email us on info@aleksandrawalker.com or visit our website, www. aleksandrawalker.com

How about you tell us a little bit about yourself?

Oh, I don't know where to start. I'm a mother of three. I'm recently divorced, as in only, I suppose officially in January this year. I am a nurse. I've been a nurse for just going on 30 years. But about 18 months ago, I left nursing and went into pharmaceutical repping, lots of change, lots of changes. And obviously, with the separation and then the divorce obviously changed the house dynamics. And probably one thing COVID did give me was a bit of time. So I actually searched the Internet for houses and I bought myself a house. Wow. So that was a Yeah, that was a big, huge change. It's been like it's been a crazy two years. It's lots of changes. I've lost well probably lost and regained I lost 35 kilos. Up until about 12 months ago. I probably put on about a little bit since COVID. But nevertheless, I got fit. I have never been a runner. And I learnt to run so about 18 months ago I did my first five kilometre run with some help of some friends

I couldn't survive a kilometre.

And I've probably been a little bit slack of late. I haven't been running very much. But I do want to get back into it. So yeah, so yeah, lots lots of changes, lots of positive changes.

You change your career. It's kind of it's a big thing. Like you've been doing nursing for so long. And then are you enjoying this now?

It has its ups and downs. It's a whole culture change. It's a whole whole mindset change on nursing, I think in nursing. II, I suppose your day is driven by other people. Whereas in this role, I have to drive my day.

So reactive versus proactive?

Absolutely, absolutely. I think I've been in a reactive role my entire life. So that's probably the biggest struggle I have in the job that I have is that I have to I have to plan I have to be very proactive. I have to put myself out there put my big girl pants on, as I say and and I go out there and face the world. Yeah, what made me change? I don't know, I think I did a after everything I'd been through. And I had a lot of anxiety around the separation and a few things and I met some people and I did a self development course. And I think I don't know whether it sort of gave me the courage or whether it just kind of I don't know, English but yeah, pushed me forward a little bit. But it gave me a little bit more of a bit more of a boost and probably a little bit probably guts is a bad word. But yeah, it sort of gave me the I suppose the guts to to put myself out there a little bit more. And it was probably something that not necessarily pharmaceutical repping, but medical type things has always been in the back of my mind. And this job sort of just presented itself at a probably the perfect time because if it would come up probably now I probably wouldn't have taken it. And certainly would come up, you know, a couple of years earlier. I certainly wouldn't have taken it. So it was obviously it was obviously the right time that it popped up. And yeah, so it's been it's been interesting. It's been a big learning curve. Yeah, well,

It has been busy. So if you had to choose something, what are you most passionate about?

Probably my family. And when I say my family, like, obviously, you know, my dad, and my mom's passed away a few years back, but, you know, I think my kids, but also, I suppose over the last 18 months I've taken well taken on I mean, I suppose being involved in another family in that my partner's family and, you know, and I think I'm passionate about them doing well, as well, as well as my children. And although we are obviously not the same family, I think we blend quite well. And I think for me, I wish, and I'm probably passionate about them doing probably as much as my children.

Oh, that's very sweet. So everyone knows that with age we change, but what positive changes have you experienced as you're growing older?

Probably. And people would prefer, my partner would probably beg to differ on this, because I do still have a lot of anxiety and a lot of negativity around things. But I think I think with age, I suppose it's given me the ability to do things, like as I said, I would never have run before, because I would have been too embarrassed to do it. Whereas now I just do it. I might not do it very well, but I go and do it. And even the job changing the jobs, you know, I wouldn't have done that years ago, whereas now I sort of think, well, it's now or never, you know, I think just get it done. But yeah, I think as I said, I mean, I still do have a lot of a lot of fears and a lot of probably irrational anxieties over doing new things. But I think change is hard. Yeah, and I think but I think but I think as I get older, I think you know, I probably do put myself out there a little bit more than I used to

You have the strength to sort of fight your fears

possibly, possibly, I mean, I as I said, I'm gonna probably have a little bit of you know, panic panic around in that space.

But anyway, plenty of time. You'll be doing something you know, jumping off the plane

I don't really I don't think that'll ever happen

So what is the biggest challenge you're experiencing at this age now?

Probably. Mood fluctuations. My mood, as my son says, I can go from a hero to a zero in five seconds flat. But yeah, I think I think that's probably the hardest thing. I don't believe like just talking to other people. I don't think I'm going through menopause terribly. I mean, some people have got, you know, horrendous symptoms. I met someone the other week who hasn't even been able to work. Because hers have been so bad. But so yeah, so I obviously do fine. But I think the moods to me like you wake up and you don't really know how you're going to be for the day because it kind of takes over and although you can probably try and control it to a point. It does become quite irrational. And I'm probably very lucky in that. My partner is quite understanding of my moods. He he has a bit to say about them sometimes when you're not here to start out there. But he Yeah. But he's very, very understanding I think yeah,

it's great. Describe your greatest accomplishment.

Children children, although they know my daughter's only 16 but they haven't kind of obviously all found their path because they're still young. They're all switched on they're all fit, they're healthy. And they they follow what they want to do which is good. did well and they don't get in trouble which is good.

What advice would you give your 30 year old self?

Probably not worry so much. Probably try and go with 50 I still do What If but I don't even said the other day and I stopped with the what ifs, but I think that yeah, if there was one thing I could change in myself at any age, it would be the What If just you know, just see what happens write it out and and see what happens. Live in the moment. Yeah, live in the moment, which is something I'm not very good at.

Yeah. Yeah, not many I think. Can we all worry about either the past or the future? What advice would you give younger women who will eventually undergo these changes?

Talk about it. Don't be afraid to put it out there. And don't hide it, don't hide behind. I suppose if you know if you're feeling anxious, depressed, talk about it. Definitely,

just talking about it helps, right?Sharing with a friend or colleague or anyone really,

I mean, I can tell my partner my irrational thought process and he'll say, You do realise that's in your head. That's not the real sad, I'm well aware of that. But just being able to voice that to somebody helps.

And needed to hear that back. Yeah, it's just in your head. Okay. It's in your head. But where do you think the idea of a perfect body image comes from?

You know, I think people say the media, I think you look, I think the media has a lot to do with it. But I don't know that it is just that because if you turn back time, way, before, you know what's out there today, with the Instagram and everything else, there was always still body images. You know, there was always tall, short, fat thin. Exactly. So I think I think it's something within I think, if you don't feel good about yourself, you're never going to portray yourself as well. So yeah, I think yeah, I think look, I think media certainly hypes it up a bit. But I think ultimately, it's within,

What does it mean to you feeling good, and looking good? And what do you think comes first?

Feeling good. Definitely. I think if you feel good, I know, I can look back at photos for me a couple of years ago, even further back where I probably wasn't in a great place. And I looked terrible. And then probably a couple of years ago, where, you know, I remember my dad saying to me, this is so exciting. It's nice to see Katrina Doyle back, which is obviously my maiden name. And I look at photos from then. And I was on top of the world like I was, you know, so I think if you feel good, you come across vibrant and you come across happy and peaceful. And I think that is very attractive.

Yeah. And he also puts you in the mood to looking good, whatever that means to you by putting a new dress or whatever.

Yeah, yeah. And I think having that confidence, I saw it in my daughter the other day, you know, she always gets around in you know, sweatpants or whatever. But then we went and saw Hamilton, and she and she put some high heels on and you know, she didn't put a lot of makeup on she just put a little bit of makeup on. And you could see the difference in because she felt good in what she was wearing. Yeah, so I think I think that's it. I think the feeling comes way before the before how you look.

Yeah, everything, everything else shapes after that sort of put gets, put into place in a way.

What makes you feel the most beautiful?

I don't know. Probably won't feeling fit and healthy. I think definitely. But also feeling the love from my partner, I suppose. And from my children.

Being surrounded by love.

Yeah, definitely. Definitely. Without that, what is there?

Yeah, yeah. What's your favourite quote about being a woman? can be anything like a song or some piece of poem you heard or anything that you thought of yourself?

No, I have no idea.

I know, it's a hard one. This there's so many out there

I don't know, nothing really comes to mind with a quote.

Maybe something like, I don't know. Don't be afraid of change, or you've had a lot of changes. A lot of change in you, you own it. You're winning. You're on top of the world. Even if you do have anxiety, you are doing it.

Yeah. I'm probably in a situation where I've been able to get a second chance at life. I'm actually with somebody who I dated 30 years ago.

It's like a whole different podcast.

It has its ups and downs. But I think maybe, you know, maybe it's never too late to get a second chance.

Yep, that's a good one. Never too late for a second chance. I like that one. Thank you so much. Thank you for sharing your story, Katrina. Thank you for being with us today.

Thank you

If you have an interesting story to share would love for you to participate. You can email us at info@aleksandrawalker.com or visit our website, www. aleksandrawalker.com

This is the 45 over 45 chapter of MY BODY MY STORY podcast, where we celebrate rule breakers and role models - the women who inspire us to live life our way and to show their SENSUALITY,  BEAUTY, SOUL, and TRUE ESSENCE.

 

For more information about the project visit: 

https://www.aleksandrawalker.com/45-over-45

 

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