Updated: Nov 4, 2022
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE:
In this episode, you will learn 10 FACTS about Lucinda and what she thinks about perfect body image, positive changes and challenges of 45+ women, what is it for her to feel good and look beautiful, and what advice she would give younger women and 30-year-old self!
You can READ the interview transcript HERE
10 Facts About Lucinda
(at the time of the project)
1. 52 years old.
2. Lucinda has been a single mom of two amazing teenage daughters
3. She works in Corrective Services New South Wales, with offenders in the community. She manages teams that supervise offenders in the community.
4. Lucinda is born in Waga Waga.
5. She lived in Melbourne for around five or six years
6. Lucinda met her ex-husband who was a Wagga man while she was living in Melbourne. And he convinced her to move back.
7. Lucinda has a brother who lives in Ballarat now.
8. Lucinda lives her personal life by – “We rise by lifting others”.
9. The biggest challenge at this age – “Choices. The children are finding their own way in the world, all of a sudden, the world has opened up choices for me. So my biggest challenge right now is deciding what path do I want to take? Who am I? I'm rediscovering myself. So yes, the choice is a challenge”
10. Positive change with age – “I think there's a new calmness about me I'm in a really good place.”
Watch Lucinda’s VIDEO interview HERE
INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT
(auto-generated)
Hi, you're listening to My Body My Story podcast.
My biggest advice to a younger woman I went once would have been let that go. Dare to be different, be brave, have the courage, try it if it fails and move on, kicks them off. And just enjoy that journey.
This is the 45 or 45 chapter where we celebrate rule breakers and role models, the women who inspire us to live life our way and to show that sensuality, beauty, soul and true essence. Here we talk about what it's like to be 45 Plus, adjusting to the changes that come with time, and will listen to the stories of our participants. If you have an interesting story to share, we would love you to participate, you can email us on info@aleksandrawalker.com or visit our website, www. aleksandrawalker.com
Hi, everyone, and welcome to my body My Story project. And today with us in the studio, Lucinda, Lucinda. Hello. And while she's sitting in the makeup chair and Nicole is doing makeup for her. I'll be asking her a few questions. Welcome to the project. Welcome to the studio, Lucinda and tell us a bit about yourself.
Thank you. What would you like to know?
Everything! 10 facts about you.
I'm a little quirky. bit flirty. believe very much in the sisterhood and lifting each other. I have been I'm 52 years of age, I've been a single mom, I have two amazing teenage daughters raised and you know one of the greatest achievements, I think, my children, I have an interesting career. I work in Corrective Services New South Wales, so I actually work in the community, with offenders in the community. And that's a job I'm very passionate about. I believe very much in what we do, helping people to make healthier choices in their life, to change their lives, to improve the family's position to make the community a safer place. So I'm very passionate about my career.
So you already jumped into my second question. But let's talk about that. It's very interesting. So do you want to tell us a bit more about this job you're doing?
Yes. So in Corrective Services, I work within a community context. So I don't work within the custodial system, I work with people who have been released from custody or prior, you know, early intervention. So we supervise I manage teams that manage or supervise offenders in the community. And I have this amazing job where I work remotely. So I work with people that may be working throughout New South Wales, in the communities working with offenders. So I see my role is very much a leadership role. I support those people because it's very at times stressful can be very stressful and demanding job, and it's also can be very sad. So my role is very much about supporting my team, my people and being a leader amongst them, you know, role modelling, you know, the culture, the values that we have integrity and accountability and service. So, yeah, that's fundamentally what I do.
So, how, how did you come up with this?
04:20
Isn't it interesting career, a lot of my life is just I stumbled upon this. I don't think it's ever a career. I've never heard of anyone saying I want to be a parole officer. When I grow up one day and want to be a parole officer, in fact, when I applied for the job, my friend said, listen to you won't be able to wear sparkles. You know, it's just ridiculous. You This is not your kind of career. But in fact, I love it. It matches. I've worked in education. I've worked in regional development. I've had a variety of life. I've worked in executive recruitment. This job is the one I love the most because I'm actually making a difference. It's in people's lives. And yes, as I said, I'm helping people to make healthier choices that will benefit their family, the next generation. And yeah, keep our communities safe. So it's very rewarding. And it's very humbling, I think I've had quite a privileged life and my social network are quite privileged people too. So when I work with offenders, it's kept me humble. It's made me appreciate that we are very lucky. And some people aren't as lucky as what we do you work with men and women, men and women, but predominantly men. But yes, we work with both men and women. It's particularly difficult working sometimes with women, because there's a lot of guilt around how they may have failed their families a lot more, I think. Yeah. So you know, everyone has a different life journey, and they have an opportunity to make change. And that's fundamentally what we do. We challenge mindset. We work on we apply techniques, cognitive behavioural therapy, to challenge our reframe our thinking, and I love that environment. I love working in that space. Yeah, so it's quite a craft that is developed over many years. And I train and, and support others to develop that craft.
It's interesting, because I was going to ask that if it takes a lot of therapy, or like techniques, as you said, the cognitive psychology techniques.
it's a new way of thinking, because I think the justice system historically has we have we believe in compliance, we come from a culture of compliance. You come from a culture of reparation, whereas this new way of thinking is about intervention, it's about changing, helping someone to change in a positive supporting them walking alongside people, rather than mandating them. Because the most empowering thing is, as you know, is when that change comes from within. And, and that's what we work with. We work with behaviour.
So where were you born? born in Australia?
Yes. Born in Wagga Wagga, in the Riverina. Yes, I lived there and I then moved - went overseas, then moved to a country setting in Victoria. And then I was promoted in the recruitment sector in to Melbourne. So I lived in Melbourne for around five or six years. And funnily enough, I met my ex husband who was a Wagga man while I was living in, in Melbourne. And he convinced me to move back so I had never intended on going back to Wagga. But it has been a good lifestyle for my children. So we've shared the care of the children. So that's what kept me in Wagga. But I'm anxious to explore a little more now that the children are growing up so it was much it's been very good for me. It's a good country lifestyle.
And all your family is also there?
Yes, my mum and dad there. My brother is in Ballarat, so he was also in Melbourne. And he's settled down in Ballarat, so yeah, predominantly, mom and dad
so it's just you and your brother. Interesting.
So let's talk about age and our changes that come with age and what do you think is the biggest positive change you're experiencing at this age?
It's such a good question. Alexandra, I think there's a new calmness about me I'm in a really good place. And I think that comes with age only because there's two fundamental differences. I think as you age as a woman, one is wisdom. And that comes with life experience that would be expected you know you have your ups and downs. and life teaches us some lessons along the way. But importantly, what comes with that is acceptance. There's this calmness in you that there are some things that we have the power to change, and some things that are outside of our immediate control. And it's that acceptance. That's that inner growth, that allows you to take a new perspective on life. That's, you know, and understand what's important and what you can let go, you know, you can let go of so much anxiety that you suffered as a young woman, you know, the pressure you put on yourself to be the perfect mom or the perfect partner, the ambitious young woman, where am I going, where's my life direction, you can just let yourself find some inner peace. And I think that's where I'm at, you know, at this point in my life is the acceptance is there. I have that calmness and inner peace around some of that stuff. You can let it go. It's so sad that we reach this piece. Some of this 25 years. If we understood that 25 years ago,
yeah. So yeah, I'll jump to this question. While we started already mentioning that. So I'll jump to this question. My favourite one. So if you could meet your 30 year old self, what advice would you give her?
When you asked me that question, I think about my young, of my girls to about where they are in life. I think what I would say is - have the courage, back yourself. Because our greatest inhibitor of growth is actually ourselves. We limit our own potential. Because of that self doubt, that inner voice. So my my biggest advice to the younger woman, I was once would have been would have been, let that go. Dare to be different. Be brave, have the courage. Try it. If it fails, move on, kick them off. And just enjoy that journey. Because I think we do limit ourselves as young women said, Yeah, that would be my advice to yourself to myself, and also to other women. Yeah, believe in yourself back yourself. And you are capable, you will, you will be capable of greater things with that inner belief in yourself. We are so sometimes frightened of failure or letting people down.