Memoir Monday: Watering Joi This Summer
7 Things Every Woman Over 60 Should Do This Summer
Last summer looked productive from the outside.
Summer 2025 was the summer I launched The Joi of Courage. I joined Arlan Hamilton’s YF5K community. I was determined to build a coaching business that would help women find the courage to begin again.
I had a vision.
I had plans.
I had notebooks full of ideas.
And I spent most of the summer glued to my computer.
Learning.
Testing.
Tweaking.
Building.
Trying.
Failing.
Trying again.
I’ve learned so much.
The truth is, I fed The Joi of Courage.
But I didn’t feed Joi.
Somewhere between building a business and becoming a business owner, I forgot that I was also a woman who needed nurturing.
I forgot that dreams aren’t the only things that need watering.
People do too.
This summer feels different.
I’m pivoting my focus toward writing my memoir.
In fact, that’s the soil where all these business ideas sprouted from.
For the first time in a long time, I feel myself returning to the thing that has always sustained me: writing.
Not writing for algorithms.
Not writing for engagement.
Not writing for growth.
Writing because it helps me make sense of my life.
Writing because it helps me remember who I am.
Writing because some stories deserve to be told before they disappear.
As I thought about the summer ahead, a question came to me:
What if I spend so much time watering my dreams that I forget to water myself?
And then another thought followed close behind:
I wonder how many other women are doing the same thing.
How many women are taking care of aging parents, grandchildren, spouses, jobs, businesses, churches, communities, and everyone else around them?
How many women are pouring and pouring and pouring from a cup that hasn’t been refilled in years?
How many women are entering this summer exhausted, not because life is bad, but because they have forgotten they matter too?
If that’s you, consider this your permission slip.
Not permission from me.
Permission from yourself.
This summer doesn’t have to be about productivity.
It doesn’t have to be about proving anything.
It doesn’t have to be about becoming a completely different person.
Maybe this summer is simply about watering the woman you’ve neglected while taking care of everyone else.
So I created a simple checklist.
Not because you need another thing to do.
But because sometimes we need a reminder that we are worthy of care too.
The Summer 60+ Courage Checklist
☐ Spend one day doing exactly what you want.
☐ Try something you’ve been saying “one day” about.
☐ Have the conversation you’ve been avoiding.
☐ Create a new memory instead of reliving an old one.
☐ Write down 10 dreams you still have.
☐ Let go of one thing that no longer fits.
☐ Do one thing every week that makes you feel like YOU again.
As for me?
I’ll be writing my memoir.
I’ll be spending time at the library.
I’ll be taking long drives when I need to think.
I’ll be making room for quiet.
And I’ll be trying my best to remember that Joi is not just the founder of The Joi of Courage.
She’s also a woman still becoming.
Maybe you are too.
So before this summer slips away, ask yourself one question:
What would it look like to water yourself this season?
I’d love to hear your answer in the comments.
I'm writing my memoir, a story spanning four continents, reinvention, faith, motherhood, loss, love, and finding the courage to begin again. If you'd like to be among the first to know when it's available, join the list.