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WORK TITLE: Journey to 50
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE: 1967
WEBSITE:
CITY: Boise
STATE: ID
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
http://journeyto50.org/about-laurie-russell/ *
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1967, in Atlanta, GA; married Mark; children: Anastasia and Noah.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Speaker, blogger, and author. International Mission Board, missionary; Elevate Publishing, Boise, ID, co-founder and co-owner, 2008—.
AVOCATIONS:Comedies, spending time with friends and family, reading, running, triathlons, swimming, biking.
MEMBER:The CoMission, the Navigators, A Rocha (stewardship coordinator).
RELIGION: ChristianWRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Prior to starting her writing career, Laurie Russell lived and worked with her husband as a Christian missionary. The two kept up this profession for several years before deciding to settle down in Boise, Idaho, with their young family. Together they founded Elevate Publishing, a company tailored to sharing the work of Christian writers. Russell also speaks professionally and continues to be active in stateside Christian mission work.
Journey to 50: Aging with Grace, Gratitude and the Effects of Gravity is one of Russell’s books, published by her company. Journey to 50 was inspired by events within Russell’s own life—specifically, the milestone of reaching her fiftieth birthday. Russell recounts her own despair over reaching this stage of life, her feelings aggravated by a newfound slump in her career, creativity, and hobbies, as well as a decline in her physical health. Russell eventually decide she would have to build herself back up and dig her way out of her slump. In the process, she realized that many other women came across the same troubling situation as they crawled ever closer to fifty years of age.
In Journey to 50, Russell draws on her own experiences to offer support and guidance to middle-aged women who are in similar positions to the one she was in Russell also pulls heavily from Biblical verses to support her assertions, peppering them throughout her work. The book features five distinct themes, each of them addressing a unique aspect of life that middle-aged women will have to adjust to. Russell’s overall goal is to provide women with the tools they need to ensure their later years are happy and fulfilling, all by giving them advice on how to mold the kinds of lives they want for themselves and their loved ones. In making her points and offering personal coaching to her audience, Russell emphasizes the stance that turning fifty isn’t the time to settle for what life throws; instead, it is a time to roll with the punches as they come and lead a brilliant life alongside them.
A Publishers Weekly reviewer called Journey to 50 a “delightful, fun-loving text on aging with gratitude and elegance.” In a review for the Evangelical Church Library Association website, Angie Knight stated: “Many books write of female empowerment and ability, but this one is different. It celebrates female strengths by showing where the strength really comes from.” Noting the book’s special value for women entering middle age, Alice Berger remarked at Bergers Book Reviews blog: “Journey to 50 provides an enjoyable guide to not only surviving these years, but even actually thriving.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, November 14, 2016, review of Journey to 50: How to Live with Gratitude, Grace and the Effects of Gravity, p. 50.
ONLINE
Bergers Book Reviews, https://bergersbookreviews.com/ (February 24, 2017), Alice Berger, review of Journey to 50.
Evangelical Church Library Association, https://eclalibraries.org/ (August 2, 2017), Angie Knight, review of Journey to 50.
Journey to 50 Website, http://journeyto50.org/ (September 5, 2017), author profile.
About Laurie RussellBUY BOOK
What’s this ABOUT?
Welcome, my friends!
At first glance you may be thinking:
What’s going on here? Is this site a spoof or is this gal for real?
And, if it is real, does her husband know about this?
And more importantly, have her teenage kids approved her posting these photos?!
To answer your questions, “Yes!”
January 2016, I turned 49 and began my Journey to 50. It’s been a struggle. Not because of my age but because of what and how I’m feeling.
Two years ago, I was in the best shape of my life. I completed a 70.3 Ironman and had endless energy. I was at a healthy weight and a picture of good health.
Today, my blood pressure is bordering high. I’ve gained weight in the past year. Sleep avoids me and stress consumes me.
Two years ago, I wrote my first book, started a speaking career, blogged regularly (well…what is considered “regularly” for someone with A.D.D.) and helped run our company.
Today, I find myself floundering. I halfway complete tasks and go to bed at night feeling guilty and overwhelmed because I’m just not getting anything done.
Sometimes I wonder if I have I lost my drive. Am I only going through the motions? Even though I haven’t been diagnosed officially, bouts of depression made themselves known.
While on family vacation this past summer, I sat on the balcony early one morning (once again, I couldn’t sleep…unlike the rest of my family) and prayed, “God, help me. I can’t keep living like this. Nothing excites me. Help me get out of this funk. I feel as if I’m failing in every area of my life. Why am I here? What am I supposed to do in this next phase of my life? I want to truly laugh again.”
It was on that balcony I felt the challenge. I would work proactively to get my life back and I would focus on the areas of my life that matter: my family, my faith, my wellness and of course…fun. Down deep, I knew I needed a list. No, not another “to do” list, but a different kind…a FUN list. One filled with dreams that would excite me and take me on an adventure.
A week later, three women separately shared with me similar struggles. I wasn’t alone. I knew then that my journey was supposed to be something that I share – the good, the bad and the funny. It’s a crazy world out there and we’re not meant to go it alone.
I plan to blog weekly in the various areas I mentioned. Maybe not in every area each week, but enough to take you on this journey with me. Some articles will be personal and others will be interviews, reviews on books, movies, or nonsense that is solely shared to make you laugh.
My desire is we’ll enter into conversations with each other. We’ll cheer each other on and cry on each other’s shoulder. And, of course, we’ll toast in our victories and laugh at our mistakes.
I’m excited to start.
I’m scared I’ll fall flat on my face. But that’s far better than shriveling up and dying, which is a guarantee should I not take this journey.
Grab my hand, my friend, and together let’s venture onto this road together.
Let the journey begin!
(If you want to learn more about the crazy lady writing this blog, below is an intro to the personal and professional me. Looking forward to getting to know you as well.)
PERSONAL ME (sort of 🙂 )
Laurie-dogs-Personal-About-page-blog-r
I know the proper thing would be for me to share my professional side first, but it’s more fun to get to know someone personally before learning about what they do.
I was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in a hospital, in case you were wondering. I was not dropped on my head at birth, even though people have accused me of this.
My first goal in life was to be a professional soccer player. Unfortunately, there were no professional teams for women back in the day, so I focused on my second dream in life: to be a dancer on the Solid Gold show. This made my parents very “proud.” However, I was a rebellious teenager and the last thing I wanted to do was please my parents, so I went a different route – college.
Maybe it’s because I wanted to be a well-rounded person or perhaps it has something to do with the fact that I have the initials A.D.D. after my name, it’s understandable that I changed my major three or four times. I really enjoyed college (some would argue that I loved it a little too much!) and wanted to stay! After a few years I received a polite letter from the University inviting me to take some time off until I was able to “apply myself.”
It was very kind of them.
Actually it was extremely embarrassing and I had a hard “coming to Jesus” moment.
Literally.
I got my act together and years later I headed to southern Russia on a mission trip. It was there I met a nice young stalker, I mean, nice young man, named Mark. He followed me around for four years. He must have worn me down because once the restraining order expired, I found him to be very handsome and decided to date him.
(For the record, Mark will argue these facts but this is how I remember them and since I’m the one writing this blog, I get to tell it like I remember it.)
So we got married.
We went to Chile as missionaries, had our son. We then headed to Germany, and had our daughter.
We soon saw the correlation between international travel and having babies so we decided it was time to take a break and return home so that Mark could work on his Ph.D. (and I could have a break from birthing babies.)
During this time the vision for Elevate Publishing (then known as Russell Media) sparked in Mark’s heart. We stayed in the states, migrated west to Boise, Idaho (not to be confused with Iowa) because we heard they have great potatoes, outdoor activities year round and the world’s friendliest people. Oh, yeah, and we had family living there also.
We have two wonderful teenagers, Noah and Anastasia, who love us most of the time. (Lord help us!)
We have two black labs, Louie and Gracie and a cat named Phoebe. (Please, Lord help us! And soon!)
Family time is my favorite time. I don’t care what we are doing, as long as we are together. (And that it’s legal and/or ethical.)
I enjoy running, biking and swimming and participating in an occasional triathlon.
A perfect night involves family, friends, great conversation, a bottle of wine and lots of laughter.
Reading and comedies are my comfort and how I relax in the evening.
My faith is extremely important to me. There have been many highs and lows in my life and my relationship with God has been the loving and peace-giving source in my life.
PROFESSIONAL ME:
Laurie-headshot---blog-rIn 2008,my husband and I co-founded Elevate Publishing, a new media house. Prior to this, I served as Stewardship Coordinator for the Boise Chapter of A Rocha, a Christian conservation organization.
In 2013, I wrote my first book, I Love Him, I Love Him Not, I Finally Love Him, a spiritual memoir documenting my crisis of faith and the journey of asking God honest and hard questions in a quest to rediscover my love for Him.
I’m a speaker, primarily on faith, culture and the collision of the two.
I’m presently working on my second book, Journey to 50: Aging With Grace, Gratitude and the Effects of Gravity, which will be released in January 2018.
Prior to Elevate, I worked in international missions.
In 1994 I spent two years in southern Russia with The Navigators and The CoMission. I returned home and received a Bachelor’s from Moody Bible Institute in International Studies.
After Mark and I married, we served in Santiago, Chile for two years and then in Munich, Germany for three years, both with the International Mission Board.
Journey to 50: How to Live with Gratitude,
Grace and the Effects of Gravity
Publishers Weekly.
263.46 (Nov. 14, 2016): p50.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Journey to 50: How to Live with Gratitude, Grace and the Effects of Gravity
Laurie Russell. Elevate Faith, $16.99 trade paper (265p) ISBN 978-1-943425-31-0
On the eve of turning 50, Russell (7 Love Him, I Love Him Not, I Finally Love Him) decides it's a good
time to take stock of what truly matters in life--and what needs to change. Doling out her wry observations
with snarky panache, Russell is a hilarious guide to coming to terms with mortality and transformation.
Whether quipping about her aging body, which has declared mutiny against her healthy lifestyle habits, or
explaining how she--along with her entire generation--seems to be sandwiched between raising children and
caring for elderly parents, Russell is consistently gut-busting funny. Divided into four parts, the text covers
the internal angst of aging, physical deterioration, society's negatively frenetic influence on individuals, and
facing the future by finding humor in any predicament. Russell offers readers poignant quotes from famous
personages as jumping-off points for her thoughts on faith, but never delves too deeply into scripture.
Readers will find their happy place page after page in this delightful, fun-loving text on aging with gratitude
and elegance. (Jan.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Journey to 50: How to Live with Gratitude, Grace and the Effects of Gravity." Publishers Weekly, 14 Nov.
2016, p. 50. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA473459042&it=r&asid=96974b70d7ac7212fd3683ce16633da0.
Accessed 12 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A473459042
(Book review) Journey to 50: How to Live with Gratitude, Grace, and the Effects of Gravity
AUGUST 2, 2017 BY EVANGELICAL CHURCH LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 0 COMMENTS
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Reviewed by: Angie Knight, wife and mom in Upland, Indiana, and an active freelance writer
Introduction
Title: Journey to 50: How to Live with Gratitude, Grace, and the Effects of Gravity
Author: Laurie Russell
Publisher: Elevate Faith
Publication Date: 2016
Format: Hardbound, Paperback, and Ebook
Length: 259 pages
OVERVIEW
The 14 chapters of this book are divided into five sections: Overwhelmed No More; Open Relationships; Optimal Health; Organic Faith; and Outrageous Fun. The book is targeted at women in their forties and fifties, acknowledging that this age group faces unique issues. Russell tells of her personal challenges and experiences as they relate to parenting, assisting aging parents, dealing with personal physical struggles, coming to term with serious doubts, and navigating future plans. Russell competed in Iron Man events for several years, so some of her information relates to the importance of exercising for strength, not just for cardio development. She also provides information from other experts in the areas of health, exercise, psychology, and theology.
The fifth section offers sincere words of encouragement, as well as pragmatic tips and ideas on how to brainstorm about ways to make a brighter future and how to create a roadmap for reaching worthy goals. Russell nudges readers to create a bucket list and to pursue it. Spiritually, the book offers biblical guidance throughout. She tells women in section four, “The number 1 weapon used against us is not believing in ourselves, but a woman walking in God’s strength can do anything.”
ASSESSMENT
Rating (1 to 5)
4 stars
Suggested Audience
Females, ages 40 – 60
Christian Impact
Many books write of female empowerment and ability, but this one is different. It celebrates female strengths by showing where the strength really comes from.
Journey to 50: How to Live with Gratitude, Grace and the Effects of Gravity
Journey to 50
Author: Laurie Russell
Publisher: Elevate Faith
Genre: Women / Health / Christian
ISBN: 978-1943425310
Pages: 272
Price: $16.99
Author’s website
Buy it at Amazon
Turning 50 is not something most women would willingly choose, but the alternative just isn’t all that terrific. So the best thing she can do is accept it gracefully with a sense of humor. Journey to 50 is a lighthearted look at the “joys” of aging and how to cope with them.
Beginning with her thoughts on redefining aging, Russell guides the reader through family and health issues she can expect during these middle-aged years. Focusing on faith and having fun round out the five sections. Each chapter provides a series of mini-meditations of Russell’s own experiences and words of wisdom. Poking fun at herself and the aging process, she leads us on a journey filled with laughter.
Growing older will never be fun, but with friends and family as support systems, good self-care, and a positive attitude, women can conquer their fears in facing this challenging time in their lives. Journey to 50 provides an enjoyable guide to not only surviving these years, but even actually thriving.
Reviewer: Alice Berger