Motherhood Talk Radio hosted by Sandra Beck, Christy Holly, and Rick Swanson, welcomes Linda Franklin of the Real Cougar Woman

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond with each of the 5-carats representing an essential facet of her life.   The 5-carats are:  health, beauty, relationships, finance and spirituality. Achieving clarity in all 5 carats insures she will shine just like a perfect-cut diamond.

The Real Cougar woman realizes that she, and she alone, is responsible for everything in her life.   Just like an artist, she sits in front of a blank canvas every day and creates her reality. 

Being a 5-carat diamond allows her to be:

• A woman who isn’t afraid to knock down walls and crash through glass ceilings.
• A woman who adores men but refuses to be defined by the age of the man she chooses to be with.
• A woman who goes inside herself for the answers.
• A woman who knows how to keep her body healthy, her beauty radiant and her spiritual reservoir full.
• A woman who puts financial freedom high on her priority list.

Linda retells her story, “Every woman, whether she realizes it or not, has a Real Cougar just waiting to be unleashed. Living your life as a smart, sexy, independent woman is the best gift you can give yourself. So get over listening to what other people think you should do and start living the life you deserve.  This is the time to let go of your preconceived notions about aging, about sexuality, about beauty, about relationships with money, and give yourself permission to explore all of your possibilities. 

I know many women think that a cougar is a derogatory word used to describe women who  prefer younger men.  Nothing could be further from the truth. A Real Cougar, a term I coined in 2007, is any woman over 40 who is turned on and excited about life. 

The Real Cougar Woman is a fabulous female who is reconstructing the role of women today and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Achieving the rank of Real Cougar is a privilege, never an embarrassment.  You have worked hard to earn your stripes, so be proud to revel in your accomplishments.  For far too long, women over 40 have been pushed to the sidelines. You are mothers, business executives, entrepreneurs and teachers. You are a million things, but not the complete woman you have always wanted to be.  Now is the time to change all that.

Now is the time to realize your brilliance.  If not now – when?

I was born inToronto,Canada and moved toNew York Cityin my early twenties.  Never having finished college, I worked as a secretary because that’s all I thought I was qualified to do.  

Wall Street in the late 70’s was not a woman friendly environment but I used that to my advantage.  At age 28 I walked into my boss’s office and asked to work in the firm’s trading department.  He said yes, but it came with a very big caveat.  He said, “make it or be fired”.  That challenge made me determined to succeed and I did.  I was the first Canadian woman to own a seat on The New York Stock Exchange and then went on to manage this leading investment firm’s all male trading department.

Then at 48 my life changed drastically.  Due to a number of circumstances I decided to leave Wall Street.  That transition was a devastating blow to my psyche.  I didn’t realize how much of my identity I had attached to my work.  Retirement had never been a thought in my mind and I  had no idea of how to cope with not having a good reason to get up in the morning.  

When I could no longer stand wallowing in self pity, I made the conscious decision to take back my power and my life. Over the next two years, I went on a quest to find the answers that would help me with my relationships, maintaining a healthy body, looking fabulous, starting a new career and filling my spiritual reservoir.   That journey, as tough as it was, turned out to be a blessing.  It re-ignited my passion and allowed me to get excited about act two of my life.

Wanting to share what I had learned I started a blog.  People ask me all the time why I decided to call it the The Real Cougar Woman. 

It wasn’t planned – it just happened after I started to read a slew of unflattering articles about women over 40.  They were being called “cougars”, and portrayed as predators on the prowl for young men. This negative spin upset me and  I wanted to focus on the many virtues of real women not the media’s idea of women over 40.  So I coined the term Real Cougar as  my way of celebrating our age, our accomplishments, our independence, and our passion for life.  I make it clear that a Real Cougar refuses to be defined by the age of the man she chooses to be with.  Today, three years later I am still doing everything I can to make “cougar” a designer label that women all over the world are proud to wear.

My best selling book Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am! – The Real Cougar Guidebook for Life After 40 is helping me to expand my message.  It has important information that every woman needs to read.  I have also included inspiring stories from other fabulous females that truly warmed my heart.  It let me know we are all together on this journey through time.

My newest initiative is “The Combat Cougars”. This is my outreach to support women in the military.  Like most worthwhile ventures it wasn’t planned.  After receiving emails from military women ‘combat cougars’ who felt empowered after reading my blog – the path seemed obvious.” 

Motherhood Talk Radio is co-hosted by Sandra Beck, Christy Holly and Rick Swanson, hosted by Toginet Radio and powered by Motherhood Incorporated.  Motherhood Talk Radio would like to thank our guest who have spoken with respect to motherhood on the following topics: women’s issues, parenting, relationship advice, personal growth, divorce, marriage, dating, weddings, relationships, health care, pet health, crafting, beading, relationship advice, cooking, family matters, care packages for soldiers, nutrition, child adoption, children with brain injuries, children’s advocacy, autism, cancer, eldercare issues, child care issues, personal growth and parenting issues.