hirley B. Novack has reinvented herself more than once—or twice.

She grew up in a family where girls weren’t expected to go to college, worked to put herself through school anyway, entered laboratory science, became a teacher, raised three children, built a decades-long career in interior design, opened a summer candy shop and eventually returned to the dream she'd carried since childhood: writing.

At nine years old, a teacher told Shirley never to stop writing because he believed she could become a great writer. She never forgot him. Decades later, during the pandemic, Shirley began writing the story inspired by her father's extraordinary—and often painful—early life. She published her first novel at 75.

Our conversation wanders exactly the way a good conversation with a born storyteller sometimes does. We talk about difficult marriages and finding yourself again, why age can bring better boundaries, trying things even when failure is possible, the assumptions society makes about older people—and why Shirley believes another door can always open.

There are also detours involving Cyndi Lauper, Colin Powell, the bomb squad at Logan Airport, a suspected terrorist, a cocaine mule and a Porsche.

Because apparently one lifetime wasn't enough material for Shirley.

In this episode we talk about:

• reinventing yourself throughout adulthood
• recognizing your own worth and abilities
• going back to school later and learning simply because something interests you
• leaving a difficult marriage
• refusing to let age decide what you're capable of
• finally pursuing a childhood dream
• becoming a published novelist at 75
• finding stories—and opportunities—in unexpected places
• remaining curious about whatever comes next

Content note: This conversation includes references to emotional abuse, gambling addiction, sexual violence, human trafficking and a serious medical crisis.

Learn more about Shirley and find all her links at The Boomer Woman's Podcast