Let me clarify my use of the word ‘Prosperity’ here. I believe that prosperity is so much more than financial wealth. It’s when everyone has the opportunity to thrive in an inclusive society. It’s local and global communities harnessing ideas and talent to create a kinder, fairer world, built by empowered people from all walks of life, owning their stage, contributing and playing their part in promoting well-being for all.

As females, we learn, grow and develop through many stages in our lives.  Babies, children, tweenagers, teenagers and adults.  Adulthood, to me, is a very inclusive word for all people over 20 years old.  We have young adults, middle-agers and ‘old’ age. 

How do we like the terms ‘old aged’, ‘elderly’,  ‘geriatric’, ‘pensioner’ etc? They all have their purpose, but I like the term Queenage better.  She who is transitioning from middle-age and menopause and ripening into a wise elder, rich with experience, expertise and wisdom.  She who owns her stage as a Queenager.

A coach, writer and performer, in my Queenage years, I have created the character Wiselda.  She is a Wise Elder Queen, the Elder Tree Faerie Queen. A strong confident woman who has inspired my Wiselda Project. 

The Wiselda Project is the umbrella for all my coaching/ writing/ performing initiatives and activities to empower, inspire and motivate wise elder women on their Queenage Quests. Women who are passionate about making a difference in their local and global communities and creating the physical and spiritual reality we wish to inhabit.  Queens who will pass on their wisdom and ultimately their crowns and legacies to the young women of the future to carry forward.

My own Queenage Quest (passion project) is about encouraging Deaf/Hearing collaborations in the arts.

I’m currently finalising my first novel under the Wiselda Project umbrella - watch this space! I’m putting it out into the universe to have it published in 2025.

My current script-writing project “A Work in Progress” begins with Wiselda visiting a young Deaf girl in her dreams.  Some later scenes are designed to be used as coaching exercises to assist groups and communities in clarifying and achieving your passion projects.

My vision for this play is to use it to work with a wide variety of communities to identify your own pathways to prosperity through drama and help you create an action plan to be catalysts for change. To play our part in creating a kinder, fairer, more inclusive world, as life imitates art.

As Queenagers, I invite you to own your stage.  Embrace who you truly are, start from where you are right now, with whatever you have and pursue your own pathway to prosperity.

Born half deaf and now in my 60s, I am only now at the beginning of my journey learning British Sign Language (I have been awarded Signature’s BSL Level 1).  My vision is to work alongside BSL and spoken English writers and performers to promote Deaf/Hearing collaborations in the arts.

Owning my stage and walking my talk, here’s a short video of the opening scene from “Work in Progress”.  Using whatever we could find and with massive thanks to Emma and Stephen Barrows for performing, filming and producing, this demonstrates what can be achieved from where we are right now when we “Dance to the beat of our heartfelt dreams”. 

The idea for this play came to me whilst learning Latin and Ballroom Dance as a total novice.  A huge thank you to Giovanni Pernice (from Strictly Come Dancing) for his nightly online classes during Lockdown and (through his kind and insightful feedback both online and in studio classes) for giving me the courage to dance in public.  He has brought many world class dancers and teachers into my life since and I’m so grateful for Luke Miller patiently choreographing and teaching me (with my Queenager dodgy joints!) how to use Paso Doble steps to create the story.

The Wiselda Project aims to be entertaining and fun.  Magic happens when we align mind, body and soul and follow our life purpose with passion.

I am passionate about the importance of creative arts in unlocking our potential to be catalysts for change.  Passionate about everyone, whatever their stage in life, having the opportunity to find/create and use their voice for prosperity.

The whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts.  Individually, we can do our own specialist part.  When we find our tribes and work together, we can create prosperity in our local and global communities.  Here are a few of the organisations creating inclusive opportunities that I support.  Maybe they will resonate with your Queenage Quests too.

Redbridge Drama Centre: https://visionrcl.org.uk/centre/redbridge-drama-centre/ https://platform.nationalfundingscheme.org/FOCH006?charity=FOCH006

Deafinitely Theatre: https://www.deafinitelytheatre.co.uk/appeals

New Diorama Theatre: https://newdiorama.com/support-us

Theatre Royal Stratford East: https://www.stratfordeast.com/support-us/

Strictly Foundation (Strictly Theatre Co): https://www.thestrictlyfoundation.com/

64 Million Creatives: https://64millionartists.com/

RNID: https://rnid.org.uk/

British Deaf Association: https://bda.org.uk/

Signature: https://www.signature.org.uk/blog-competition-winner-what-signing-means-to-me-by-stephanie-barrows/

The Institute for Spiritual Mediums:  https://www.ism.org.uk/

The Woodland Trust: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/

Phoenix Rising supports KIVA: https://www.kiva.org/