The Power Of Unseen Women - September 23

Older women are too often left feeling unseen and overlooked by society. In today’s 5 Minutes in Nature, Liz celebrates their strength, wisdom, and untapped potential—the very qualities that can bring meaningful change to both community and the wider world. She invites these women to reconnect with their voice, rediscover purpose, and step into a new season of contribution and empowerment.

Transcript

Hello and welcome to five minutes in nature with me Liz Scott.

Just looking at the blue of the sky,

The white of the clouds,

Seeing the beech tree leaves blowing in the wind with the branches ducking and diving.

It's always quite windy up here or often it's quite windy up here up on Dartmoor and this is no exception.

And today as I am just looking at the tail end of the growth of summer I can see the seed heads of some thistle plants around me and the the dryness of what would have been a foxglove plant still standing straight and tall but now brown and looking like it's about to topple over at any moment.

Just standing here and realizing that this is a real blessing to be present to the seasons as they change is just a wonderful thing.

And today in five minutes in nature I just want to reflect on something that I've been seeing for myself.

If you've followed me on my journey you'll know that for the past couple years I've really been on an inward journey,

A reflective journey.

I went on a pilgrimage following ley lines back in March and April across England and it was a seven-week pilgrimage that really was about me looking within and becoming present to who and what were my next steps in the world.

And it's taken me several weeks,

Well several months actually,

To come to a point to realize that I'm starting to look outward,

Starting to feel as though I am moving in a different direction.

And one of the things that came to me as I was reflecting on this different direction is I've noticed a few things that feel very important as I move forward,

That feel like they're going to be part of what I'm up to.

And I just want to share it with you and just get your your sense of what you feel about that,

What resonates for you and whether this feels like a good direction of travel for you.

I've noticed in the work that I've done in the community and just being an older woman myself,

I'm in my late 50s now,

But one of the things I've really noticed is that I've noticed that as women move into this middle age,

This sort of older,

Wiser part of their life,

There can be,

It can be a real place for transition.

It's a time when you may be transitioned from raising a family and being a full-time mum.

It might be that you transition from having to work full-time.

It might be you're transitioning from work life to retirement.

It might be that you're transitioning in caring for a parent or your parents have passed on.

It feels to me at this time of life we are in big life transitions as women.

I mean men too,

But I'm a woman and I really want to just to speak to women in this particular instance.

And one of the things I've noticed as I worked in community is that many,

Many,

Many of the groups and organizations and the well-being charities and help groups and caring and care groups,

Many of them are populated by women.

The majority are women that make up these groups.

Women seem to be the ones that really step forward in community and I'm not saying that men don't,

Please don't hear me incorrectly here,

But I'm just saying that often it's women.

And women that I see are powerful,

Are strong,

Have a voice,

Have a purpose,

Have a sense of reaching out and making a difference in the world.

Often these women,

Well they just do themselves down.

They don't realize that they are powerful beings.

Powerful with so much yet to give,

With a lot of wisdom and insight and connection that they could provide within a community setting,

Either a physical community or maybe their family setting.

So for me this is about connecting with women like that.

Women that don't feel that they're quite ready to live a life of ease and leisure.

Women that feel that they've got something to give,

They want to find their voice,

They want to articulate in the world,

They want to be present to what they might engage with in the world.

And that for me feels very strongly,

Excuse the mooing of the cows,

But they obviously agree with what I'm saying.

But for me it's about connecting with women like that and encouraging women to step forward,

Step into themselves,

Step into their authenticity and to step out into the world.

The world at the moment needs people like that,

Needs people like you.

So tell me if this resonates with you because this really feels very much like the direction of travel I'll be taking in the future.

Reviews

Liz I think this is an area worthy of attention. So many changes-welcome and not so welcome-are in front of us as we age. Opportunities. Conversation and support around this is important. 😇🩵🙏🏻

As we woman mature we absolutely need our trusted women network. This subject is a frequent discussion in a couple of the groups I am a part of, we have “found our tribe”
We are a diverse bunch of ladies, some single some in long relationships, from many working pathways, most retired or semi retired. Each group has a common interest, for me one is a craft based group and one is a mahjong group, that common interest brought us together but from that grows a very supportive and non judgmental group we all know we can relax and be ourselves. From this space we reach out into the community and contribute in many ways to help with projects or in places of need but that arises from the strength of the group, the primary focus has organically become women supporting fellow women. We also now have welcomed a few much younger women who love the safe nurturing space and the wisdom that comes from us older folk.
Women supporting women is vital as we age.

Thanks Liz 🙏🏼
We are in our ‘wisdom years’ as older women…yes.
We have many strengths and knowledge to share.
It is only a society based on ego aand worshipping youth that chooses to put us in the ‘invisible’ category.
I refuse to be ‘invisible’ and believe our convictions in our own strength, abilities and wisdom is an additional life force.
🌿☘️💚☘️🌿

Hope you don’t mind me commenting, but as a man I agree with what you’re saying Iam so lucky to be part of a little charity supporting mental health awareness in our community,being the only man I am blessed to work alongside 7 amazing women

Yes, yes, and yes, this resonates. Not only am I pivoting from my former role in technology to a completely new direction, it's specifically focused on helping women to rediscover their inner voice, purpose, and passion. The current system of management has fundamentally repressed, suppressed and depressed the feminine for millenia and I believe that there is a shocking imbalance in the world right now and if we bring the feminine energies back there is a chance that balance can be restored. Probably not in our lifetimes but it has to start somewhere.