Dr. Tracey Gendron serves as Chair for the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology and as Director for the Virginia Center on Aging. Tracey has a Master’s degree in Gerontology, a Master’s degree in Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology. With over 25 years of experience as a grant-funded researcher and as a nationally recognized speaker, Tracey is dedicated to raising awareness and ending ageism through education.
Tag Archives: Reinvention
NOW IS THE TIME FOR LATE BLOOMING
Let’s pretend for a moment you and I are taking a road trip. The luggage is secured, snacks are within reach, the GPS is plugged in and the gas tank is filled. You lean over to me and ask, “Are you ready?” I respond, “No” and proceed to get out of the car, select the screwdriver from my Swiss army knife and remove the side mirrors. I reenter the cabin and you yell, “Are you crazy?” to which I unaffectedly respond with, “Oops, forgot this one” and remove the inside rearview mirror as well. You have now deemed me certifiably crazy as well as a significant safety hazard. I account for my actions with, “We’re not here to look back and see where we’ve been but rather to experience where we’re going” and I toss the GPS out the window.
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF UNTIL YOU TRY!
Oriah, author of The Invitation: “Once you recognize within yourself a hunger for something beyond just continuing, once you taste even the possibility of touching the meaning enfolded in your life, you can never be completely content with just going through the motions.”
Do meaningful work. Live with purpose. Explore life beyond your comfort zone. Never fear failure. Look for the learning. Be brave.
Just received: “Thank you for completing your registration and audition for America’s Got Talent Season 16! If chosen to move on to our on-camera round, you will be notified by Spring 2021.”
YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF UNTIL YOU TRY!
Continue reading YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF UNTIL YOU TRY!
You Have to Thrive, Not Simply Survive, During COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has created uncertainty in every facet of our personal and professional lives. It’s quite easy right now to live in survival mode. And, while it is necessary to take care of ourselves and our significant others, when it comes to managing your career you have to not just survive but thrive. It is precisely in the face of challenge that we can find the greatest opportunity. You just need to look for it. Continue reading You Have to Thrive, Not Simply Survive, During COVID-19
Five LinkedIn Profile Tips From A Successful Career Chameleon

Certified Career Coach and Certified Business Coach
My personal LinkedIn profile is in the top 25 MA, PhD profiles in the United States, the top 1% LinkedIn industry social selling index (SSI) has the highest rating (All-Star), and I’m in the 4% of LinkedIn members statistically deemed Super Connectors. It didn’t get that way by accident or complacency. The biggest surprise to me, however, when I recently took stock of my profile, is just how much of its strength reflects the chameleon-like diversity of my colorful career path. Here’s how you can enhance your own profile. Continue reading Five LinkedIn Profile Tips From A Successful Career Chameleon
10 Lessons From The Music Industry On How To Rise Up In The Gig Economy

Certified Career Coach and Certified Business Coach
Midway through my decade as a producer, songwriter, engineer, performer, and artist and repertoire executive for London Records during the height of the British wave, I was an analog guy struggling to escape the undertow of receding vinyl LPs, 24-track tape machines, cassettes and 8-tracks as CDs and digital recording were quickly revolutionizing the recording business. But, as I reflect back on the 70s a half-century later, and the fact that according to Intuit, 43% of Americans are projected to be working in the gig economy by next year, the success lessons I learned from music while “gigging” are timelessly relevant to the emerging future of independent gig work. Continue reading 10 Lessons From The Music Industry On How To Rise Up In The Gig Economy
Defining Success And Failure Precedes Career Reinvention

Certified Career Coach and Certified Business Coach
When Woody Allen and Marshall Brickman, co-writers of the Oscar-winning screenplay Annie Hall, were interviewed in 1977 by journalist Susan Braudy for the New York Times, Woody would be credited with telling the world that, “80% of life is just showing up.” Woody’s often quoted comment actually reflected the post-World War II stage in the evolution of the American worker when paternalistic employers were still offering their workers job security and retirement in exchange for loyalty. But, today, “just showing up” no longer generates job security nor is it the path to finding the elusive meaning in work that so many yearn for. Continue reading Defining Success And Failure Precedes Career Reinvention