Linda Whitney Wants You to Do Things You Would Never Do

This interview with Linda Whitney is part of the The Unfollowables Series.

The goal of this series is to help you find actionable ideas and inspiration from others’ most extraordinary experiences.

Three of my favorite takeaways from Linda are:

1. To second-guess the things I’ve told myself “I’ll never do.”
2. How to use unconventional tools like tarot cards for inspiration.
3. The immeasurable value of “living travel size.”

If you’d like to be featured in The Unfollowables, or have a suggestion on someone else to interview, please contact me.

1. 👣 Life Story

Q: What’s your life story so far, told as briefly as you can?

I would like to build a graph of my life. I feel that I have become younger-minded as I’ve aged.

Grew up in a relatively normal, stable two-parent family in Miami, FL. As a young adult, after high school, I went straight into marriage and children.

Widowed at 27 and started college part-time while single parenting two kids. I studied Fashion Design.

Fast forward: 42 years old, graduating with a Master’s and starting my first corporate job in the Apparel Industry. Remarried at 43 and moved around the US for interesting new jobs (still in Fashion, but now managing). I spent 20 years working in the corporate world (the white box).

At 62, another big life change: divorce. Decided to retire from the corporate life (at 64) and work on my next career!

I am free and traveling the world (like I wished I would have as a young adult). Recently, spent one month in Medellin, Colombia learning Spanish! I feel younger now because I am living my life without the responsibility of children and other financial ties (such as an expensive home and too much stuff).

My life is now travel size.

2. ❄️ Quirks

Q: What fun facts and/or quirky things make you you?

My first vehicle was a motorcycle, a 1975 Honda 175cc. I worked all summer to buy it and rode it to high school every day, back when girls weren’t really riding motorcycles. I still know how to ride and still love motorcycles (although not riding anymore).

I am happy to be single. (Is that quirky?) Not interested in dating apps and focused on building my next career.

3. ✊ Mission

Q: How are you trying to make the world a slightly better place?

My goal is, by example and through sharing, to help other women in my age range to find the courage to live their lives in an amazing way! To not live in a state of fear of new things and to do the things they’ve always wanted to do. To know it is not too late.

4. 🦸‍♀️ Role Model

Q: Whose life do you look up to?

Dolly Parton.

I think she is amazing. I’d also have to include Jane Fonda. Two older women who have continued to be relevant and successful in their chosen professions.

5. ⚡️ Huge Zag

Q: What’s one of the most impactful zags (proactive changes to your life’s path) you’ve made?

Choosing to downsize my life and travel the world solo.

My divorce in 2020 pushed me into it. The divorce was not happy—when are they?—but it gave me the freedom to do what I’ve always wanted: travel the world! I have never lived “big” but decided to make my life “travel size” so I could easily take off at any time to anywhere.

Freedom comes in many packages. Mine was not being responsible or accountable for another person’s happiness and not having my possessions own me.

My last trip to Medellin in December really opened my eyes! I have done “vacation” travel for a week or two, mostly in Europe. But traveling to a new region, South America, staying there for a month, learning the language, and experiencing the culture was amazing.

The best part is I was able to just be me. No one knew me or my story. I was a brand-new person. It was very freeing. Also, it gave me the insight that I can go anywhere in the world I choose by myself. It made me braver!

6. 💡 Life-Changing Learning

Q: Can you share a source of information (book, podcast, video, etc.) that pushed you to take action that improved your life?

Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck, by Christian Busch.

This book turned around my way of looking at things. It definitely pushed me to be more aware of and not let opportunities pass me by. For instance, answering Chris’ email about The Unfollowables and sharing me.

7. 👀 Change of Mind

Q: What have you recently changed your mind about? What caused this change of mind? How has your behavior changed as a result?

I have decided to try new things—especially things I said I would never do, like:

• Learning improv (loved it).
• Taking a cruise (TBD).
• Trying Salsa dancing (I sucked).

It has given me more confidence and I am more likely to say yes to new things! It is helping me create a more interesting version of myself.

8. 🔬 Curiosity

Q: What are you currently excited to learn more about?

Blogging.

• Sharing my travel/experiences with other women/persons who could benefit from my point of view and “how to” information.
• Recording the steps I am taking as I continue my life transformation.

I need to learn how to establish a virtual presence, including all the social media tricks of the trade.

9. 🚧 Struggle

Q: What are you currently struggling with? How might the person reading this help you?

Not being ageist.

Seriously, I struggle with not judging myself based on my age. I want to be free to think of myself as just “Me”. Not an age. Freedom from self bias.

10. 🥊 Disagreement

Q: What might you and the person reading this disagree about?

Happiness is a choice.

When I was 27, my husband was killed instantly in a car accident. We were all in the car. I was widowed with two small children.

At some point after that tragic event, I woke up and decided I would find a way to overcome and choose happiness, for myself and for my children. Trust me, my life has not always been easy. I have had people in my life accuse me of being “pollyannish” in my views. This is the disagreement part.

It is how I choose to live my life. Barring mental illness and depression, which I fortunately have not experienced, I believe you can take actions to instill joy into your life.

My way to keep the joy in my life?

• Don’t watch (ingest) the news.
• Spend time with people who are positive and working towards positive things in their lives.
• Read a lot of books and blogs on how to maintain positive outlooks and self-improvement.
• Meditate.
• Take walks.
• Treat myself with kindness.
• Nurture friendships
• Spend time with family,
• Eat good food.
• Appreciate beauty in nature.  

I would like to add about the “not watching the news” that I am not uniformed or apathetic. I just choose to not absorb all the bad news of the world. I read somewhere that you won’t miss any big events by not watching the news. Someone in your life is watching and will tell you. I found that to be true. Also, my email seems to pop up a breaking news feed that forces me to be somewhat aware.

11. 🙃 Unusual Practice

Q: Do you have any unusual practices that you think more people would benefit from trying?

Every morning I journal (not that quirky) but I use tarot cards as prompts.

I pull three cards every morning and read the “message.” (There is a book that goes along with them). I use them to start my writing and to give me questions and thoughts to ponder. I am not a fortune teller, LOL. But I find them very helpful! 

12. 👍 Wonderful Thing

Q: What’s something you own that, if you lost it, you would rebuy the exact same model without looking at alternatives?

My Nespresso machine.

I am addicted. Unfortunately, it doesn’t travel with me.

13. 👊 Challenge to Readers

Q: What one thing do you challenge the person reading this to try this week?

Get outside and look at your surroundings with new eyes. Be a tourist in your own city.

I live in Richmond, Virginia. I got online and researched all the must-see things in my city, pretending I was visiting and trying to find interesting places and things to experience. Then I went to see them.

I looked for free things first and found free self-walking tour guides around the city. My friend and I followed them and discovered super interesting and diverse neighborhoods. Richmond also has an amazing free museum (VMFA).

We have also paid for a food tour in different parts of the city, a great way to find out about new restaurants.

You could even expand from your city to your region. I recently took the train to Washington, DC, about 100 miles north of my city, and did a tour of some of the museums there. Except for the train fare, it was all free. A fun, relatively low-cost day trip.  

14. 🎤 Question for Readers

Q: What would you most like to get an honest, unbiased answer to from the person reading this?

If you could magically change your life, what would it look like?

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Before You Go

1. Keep following Linda’s “unfollowable” journey on Instagram, @lindawhitney1.
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3. Get featured, or suggest someone else. Just send me an email at c at thezag.com saying “I’m interested in being featured in The Unfollowables.”