60 & Unstoppable: Our Co-founder

There's a certain kind of person who, when the world piles on, doesn't crumble. They bend.

They feel it. They cry a little. And then, almost impossibly, they look up and find something to look forward to.

Our EvolveMe co-founder Linda Lautenberg is that person – and this month, she turned 60!

It would be easy to write a breezy piece about reaching this milestone. But the truth is, she walked into this birthday carrying a lot. The kind of weight that’s specific to this midlife age and stage.

She's navigating the grief of losing a parent – one of life's most profound losses, the kind that reshapes the way you see absolutely everything. She had looked forward to celebrating two milestone birthdays together – her father's 90th and her own 60th, just three days apart. Instead of a party, the family gathered for his funeral.

At the same time, Archie, her beloved dog and cherished family member, was fighting for his life. For years, he had been her work-from-home companion and a therapy dog, visiting hospitals and nursing homes. She nearly lost him.

And then, of course, there is the world itself – loud, uncertain, relentless in its chaos – enough to make anyone want to pull the duvet over their head and simply opt out for a while.

Anyone would understand if she did exactly that.

But she won't. She never does!

There's a reason "glass half full" has become a cliché –  it's because genuine optimism, the kind that is hard-won and chosen every single day, is rare. Linda has it. 

It’s not that she pretends problems don't exist, but she has the uncanny ability to sit beside the problem, acknowledge it fully, and still manages to say: and yet.

And yet, there is still so much ahead.

And yet, there is still reason to celebrate.

That quiet defiance – the refusal to let hard times be the whole story - is not a personality quirk. It is a muscle built over decades of choosing presence over paralysis. 

And at 60, that muscle is strong (and so is her sheer physical power from years of lifting weights!).

Speaking of choosing presence: this year, she and her husband celebrated 30 years of marriage. Thirty years. Half her life, give or take. And her youngest daughter graduates from college. 

All the highs and lows of life are coming together at this stage – and she’s here for it all – with optimism and hope. 

And a new lease on life. Joining a beginner pickleball league (and bullying her friends into joining her!). Signing up for weekly drawing lessons to re-explore an interest from her teens. Doubling down on strength training (HYROX, anyone?) and running. Simply saying yes! And always putting family and friendships ahead of everything.

Because we couldn't resist – here are 60 reminders of how sixty can be a new beginning!

60 Things You Can Do for the First Time at 60 

1. Train for something physical that felt impossible at 40.

2. Change your mind about something you held tightly for years.

3. Call the person you've been meaning to call for too long.

4. Say yes to the thing that scares you just enough.

5. Say no without a lengthy explanation.

6. Practice gratitude. Every day.

7. Book the trip that's been on the list for a decade – now.

8. Go back to school - or just take a class for the joy of it.

9. Throw the dinner party you've been overthinking.

10. Take regular walks with a friend to catch up.

11. Do a random act of kindness for a stranger once a week.

12. Start a business (Linda already did this one brilliantly!).

13. Plant a garden, even if it's just a windowsill.

14. Get a dog or cat – or love the one you have fiercely.

15. Take a nap without guilt.

16. Mentor someone younger – and let them teach you something back.

17. Dance more, whenever, wherever

18. Learn a language – your brain is more capable than it thinks.

19. Reread the books that shaped you - they'll say something different now.

20. Learn to cook one dish so well that people request it by name.

21. Swim in the ocean in a month that isn't July or August.

22. Write the book you've been "meaning to write" since your thirties.

23. Send the handwritten letter instead of the text.

24. Take up painting even if – especially if – you're terrible at it.

25. Watch the sunrise somewhere new, just once.

26. Cancel the plan you agreed to out of obligation, guilt-free.

27. Go to the concert of the band you loved at 20.

28. Ask for the raise, the upgrade, the better table. You've earned it.

29. Volunteer for something that has nothing to do with your career.

30. Learn to sit in silence without reaching for your phone.

31. Take the long route home occasionally – the scenic one.

32. Get a library card and use it!

33. Make a playlist for every mood.

34. Try the food you've always said you don't like.

35. Watch the classic films you somehow missed entirely.

36. Take a trip somewhere you've always been curious about.

37. Have the difficult conversation you've been avoiding for years.

38. Start meditating for 5 minutes every morning.

39. Book a table for one at a restaurant you love.

40. Take up a social sport like pickleball or golf with your partner or a friend

41. Forgive someone, not for them, but for yourself.

42. Redecorate the room that's looked the same for fifteen years.

43. Tell people you love them directly and more often.

44. Try a new genre of book – the one you always dismissed.

45. Book a spa day instead of just pinning it.

46. Learn where your food comes from and cook one meal entirely from scratch.

47. Take a photography course and finally understand your camera.

48. Say "I don't know" without feeling the need to fill the silence.

49. Do something outside your comfort zone: paddle board, karaoke, trampoline.

50. Go back to a place from your childhood and see it with new eyes.

51. Commission something handmade from an independent maker.

52. Watch a sport live that you've only seen on TV.

53. Buy yourself flowers on a completely ordinary Wednesday.

54. Learn one magic trick – it works at every age.

55. Write down the family stories (and recipes!) before they exist only in your head.

56. Try sauna or cold plunge and see what all the hype is about.

57. Do nothing on a slow Sunday morning.

58. Stop waiting for the right moment – this, right now, is it.

59. Celebrate louder – your wins, your people, your years!

60. Begin again – because you always, always can.

Here's to Linda! To 60 years of showing up. To the decades ahead of her. Lucky for me to work with her every day! 

Glass half full. Always. Happy birthday, friend and partner!