5 Women Influencers Over 50 Who You Will Want to Follow
Social media has absolutely exploded over the past 10 years with 3.96 billion users which is an astounding 51% of the world’s population, according to Hootsuite. If you had the assumption that social media influencers were exclusively millennials, think again! Women over 50 have captured a huge following on social media sites as they leverage their expertise, expand their platforms and monetize their successes all while impacting multiple industries. Marketing executives would have to be fools to ignore the purchasing power of women over 50 as they make up a whopping 27% of consumer spending says Why Marketers Should Be Scared of Ignoring 50 Plus Women in AARP solutions.
Don’t take any of their successes for granted - unless you are accustomed to walking the red carpet because of your “day job,” building a following organically into the tens of thousands of loyalists is no easy feat. Scroll through Instagram and you will find women in the over 50 age group presenting the latest makeup palette, juicing with the newest mix, showing us how to wear fashion forward styles at any age, and providing tips and tricks of how to stay fit (menopause and all).
I connected with 5 of these amazing women and you might just want to follow them! There is a common thread that runs through each of these fabulous ladies. Don’t expect to find them on the sidelines. They each bring their knowledge to their respective platforms but more than that, they are passionate about what they do, committed to helping other women, and they are determined to never give up on living their lives to the fullest no matter their age.
Let's meet 5 amazing women over 50 who have turned their passion and expertise into influence:
Lauren Dimet Waters
Fountain of 30
Co-Host of the podcast Beauty is a Bitch!
Instagram: 84,000 followers (@fountainof30)
When you talk with Lauren, you get the sense that she is an expert in marketing, blogging and social media platforms. Her depth and breath is expansive, not surprisingly, given her education and experience honing her skills. Lauren has a fabulous “1-2 “ punch” with both marketing and fashion industry experience as well as a Masters of Business Administration (MBA). She started her career in a more traditional corporate America path and after she “burned out,” Lauren moved from New York to Chicago and started to blog,15 years ago. She was a bit ahead of her times since blogging was not really even “a thing” when she first started. She and her partner spoke more to a local Chicago audience at the time with her original blog Second City Style then after returning to New York years later, her audience grew nationally and she transitioned to her current blog, Fountain of 30. Her blog and instagram offer great content about fashion, beauty, health, travel and more.
She and her partner, Carol, have a great motto we can all live by: Growing younger in mind, spirit and beauty. Her platforms are all really visually appealing and offer a great dose of humor. Enjoy a glass of wine while listening to her podcast Beauty is a Bitch - she and her co-host have an inviting vibe and you will feel like you are in the room chatting with the ladies.
Lauren’s advice to the Hello50 community:
Don’t let anyone tell you what ageing looks like.
If you want to wear it, wear it. (Rules are made to be broken).
No need to act your age - have fun and it's ok to act younger than you are.
Lee Holmes
Supercharged Food
https://www.superchargedfood.com
Clinical Nutritionist, Chef, Author
Instagram: 59,000 followers (@leesupercharged)
Lee Holmes is Australian based but has gained international recognition with her successful branding of life-style blog and as the author of 9 books. She also sells an expansive line including a variety of health, home and well-being products. Her influence has caught the eye of many magazines. She appeared in Vogue, Nature Health and lots of other platforms. Lee is an expert in nutrition which, as she explains, “I fell into it, actually. My website www.superchargedfood.com was created 10 years ago.”
Although Lee has studied nutrition and even gone to cooking school, her real catalyst into Supercharged was fueled by her personal health challenges. “I started it because I had a health issue and wanted to document ways to recover from the inside out with nutrition and recipes.” After an autoimmune disease diagnosis and fibromyalgia several years ago, Lee was continually lethargic and prescribed a whole myriad of drugs and antibiotics. She decided to find her own solutions to gut health and nutritional well-being by living it, not just reading about it.
Lee began documenting on Supercharged her successes, her progress and sharing new discoveries.“I’m trying to change the way that people see health, and help people take it into their own hands, one gut-boosting smoothie at a time and I started a new website called www.superchargeyourgut.com which is all about gut health.”
Lee's site makes you feel comfortable and relaxed when looking around at recipes and information in a laid back way. She shares "My motto more or less in life is “less is more” and I love the minimalist approach. This theme wanders throughout my life from my kitchen benches, to the food I eat and even having a minimal wardrobe.” Lee attributes her success in developing her business and her influence in the nutrition arena on hard work, passion and the ability to be empathetic, most likely because of her own health struggles, Lee explains.
Lee’s nutritional advice to the Hello50 community
Eat the rainbow. Try and have a multitude of different colors and textures on your plate. It really helps to get your antioxidants, and macro and micronutrients.
Secondly, eat mindfully and take time out for yourself!
Angelique Miles
Living My Best Life at 50+
angelique@angeliquemiles.com
Instagram: 51,000 followers (@angeliquemiles)
Angelique’s path to top flying instagram influencer started a bit by chance. She previously spent years as an executive in the music industry. Not long after 911, a contract ended and she was enjoying time off before what she assumed would be her next industry job, which was common for her profession. That call never came as the industry at the time was experiencing change. Angelique wanted to maintain structure in her schedule so she started focusing more on fitness. Her body was changing and people noticed the difference.
Angelique began CrossFit and feeling good about her progress. Angelique said “someone should know I am doing this.” She started with Twitter then moved to Instagram to promote her workouts. Angelique’s following was growing organically but she wasn’t sure how to monetize her platform. She finally started working with partners, slowly, in 2015. As her platform followers continued to grow, so did the number of companies seeking her influence. Angelique partnerships expanded and last year, her platform has grown to a full time business. Angelique says the harder you work, the more you get out of building the platform. She now has partnerships with brands marketing athletic wear, menopause products, fashion and other niche brands. Angelique used to reach out to companies but now, they come to her. Angelique explains that she would be practicing self-care, working out and using the products in her everyday life so it only makes sense to also have these partnerships.
When you check out Angelique’s instagram page, she conveys a body positive image and infectious smile. She shares all sorts of great work out tips, hair and skin care advice as well as some great pearls of wisdom along the way. You will also love her fabulous work-out attire!
Angelique’s advice to the Hello50 community
There are assumptions of what “over 50” looks like and you can defy assumptions.
Self-care is important at any age including wellness, fitness. You should be happy when you look in the mirror.
If you are 35 or 40 and thinking about 50, don’t be scared!
Laura Heikkila - Ageless Women Society
Helping Women Over 40 Transform Their Bodies
Instagram: 34,000 followers (@so_this_is_50)
Laura Heikkila is a 52 year old wife, mother, caretaker and entrepreneur living in Southern California. Laura’s fitness journey started after giving birth to her daughter at 35. She lived a high stress lifestyle as the owner of the largest insurance agency in Idaho. She said that it was not uncommon for her to sit and eat a half pound bag of peanut M & M's. She began working out during lunch as a stress reliever and started looking forward to it. That is how her fitness journey began.
Laura moved back to her hometown in California at 45 to care for her father so she sold her insurance business and went home. Laura wanted to work in a field she felt passionate about and opened a fitness studio to help others. At 49, she started an instagram account to document her turning 50 and called it @so_this_is_50. Her page grew quickly with over 10,000 by the time she turned 50.
As her platform grew, women started messaging Laura asking her to help them manage perimenopause and weight gain. In response to those requests, Laura started the
Ageless Women Society Program. Laura shares “ Now I'm helping thousands of women around the world take back control of their bodies!”
Laura attributes her success to women relating to her own journey to fitness and because women can see what is possible after 50. She has been able to monetize her success through her 8 Week Hormone Balancing and weight Loss Program and her Stay On Track Program. She also is an influencer for products she likes.
However, she explains that life work balance is important to Laura so she strives to keep both in check. Her instagram photos do show that it is possible to become and stay fit after 50. She also shares great menu ideas to stay healthy and enjoy savory options.
Laura’s advice to the Hello50 Community
Patience and Consistency. She explains that we live in a time where instant gratification is right at our fingertips all the time. She adds "Your body isn't Amazon Prime. You are not going to get the body you want in 2 days.”
It took time to get out of shape and most of that happened, according to Laura, is because as women we tend to take care of everyone else but ourselves. I want women to know it is not selfish to put your health first and this is the time to do it!
Caroline Ida
fiftyyearsofawoman
Silver Influencer Paris
Instagram: 30,000 followers (@fiftyyearsofawoman)
Caroline is a 60 year old French woman living in a French suburb. She speaks French, English, Portuguese and Italian. Caroline launched her platform 3 years with a focus on fashion, make-up and art. Her goal at the time was to gain 10,000 followers her first year on Instagram and she was successful! Caroline has a fashion background which includes 7 years designing bags. She decided to “re-invent” herself with her blog and social media platform. Caroline has an international following and considers herself to be a “woman not just of France but of the world.” She thinks her large, international following is perhaps because of her authenticity. She also wants to break what she calls the “invisibility of women over 50 in society.” She also wants to encourage women to reconnect with themselves and practice self love!
Caroline is so clearly enjoying life to the fullest. You will find her dancing away on Instagram reels and have your dancing shoes ready because watching her is contagious.
Caroline’s advice to the Hello50 Community
If you don’t want to wear make-up, throw on a little lipstick
make sure to practice self-facials.
These women are following their passion, sharing their expertise and impacting their industries. They all successfully utilize social media platforms to create their own business opportunities. Take a look at their social media sites