Inclined Elders Book Blog Tour and #Giveaway #LoneStarLit

INTERVIEW WITH RAMONA OLIVER

What was the precursor to pursuing the topic of your book?

A few years ago, in my mid-60s, I became increasingly aware that while I and my circle of friends were continuing to live meaningful and purposeful lives, so many other older adults had bought into society’s negative connotation about aging – that it’s all about decline and over-the-hill. I began to research science surrounding positive aging – including Positive Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology. Eventually I became so engrossed in the topic I decided to write a book to add my voice and perspective to the conversation.

Once you decided to take the deep dive into this topic, what did you learn?

I interviewed over 50 men and women ranging in age from 40 to 100 – more than 80% are Texans. They shared their tips and techniques for continuing to enjoy life as they aged. Rather than accepting society’s negative mindset of decline and over-the-hill, they were leading a life of Incline and continuing to climb the hill. Scientific evidence supporting their strategies is woven throughout their stories.

Why do you think people do not have the courage to go after their dreams after a certain age?

I believe three of the primary conditions that promote a negative concept about aging are what I call the “Calamitous Cs”:

Complacency

Conventionality

Compliance

How does someone begin to pivot and shift their mindset if they are stuck in their old ways of thinking?

To not be sucked in by the negative talk on aging, I recommend replacing them with three positive “Constructive Cs” – especially if you’re serious about living a life of continuous Incline. They are:

Change

Curiosity

Courage

Embracing change and looking at life with a keener sense of curiosity will lead to living with increased courage. A courage to live life to its fullest.

How do we engage not just this current population of 50+ but younger generations?

One of the premises of my book is that if young adults have positive older role models in their lives, Incliners who are continuing to climb the hill, they will be more receptive to aging. To test my theory, I interviewed several younger adults in their 20s and 30s to determine their attitude towards aging. Invariably, those interviewed with older adults in their lives did not feel that aging was all doom and gloom.

What does incline mean to you? Why did you choose the name?

As we age making the conscious choice to embrace an attitude of Incline, continue to climb hills, and not succumb to society’s prevailing mindset of “decline.”

Frankly, I was so incensed by the constant banter about aging being all about decline, I decided to look at the opposite which is “incline,” thus INCLINED ELDERS.

EXCERPTED from Jean Latham’s A New Golden Age Podcast. Listen to full interview at

https://bit.ly/2ZXcazt

Ramona Oliver has long been a passionate educator with former roles as a human resource manager/director, career coach, and director of outreach for St. Edward’s University. As a human resource director for many years, she championed the professional development of employees. While serving as president of the Austin Human Resource Management Association, she led a team that designed, developed, and implemented an award-wining leadership program. In addition, she launched a workforce readiness committee that partnered with community organizations to implement workforce readiness initiatives. At St. Edward’s University, she promoted lifelong learning and the adult undergraduate and graduate programs to older adults in the Austin community.

Ramona currently serves as an advocate of positive aging. Rather than accepting a mindset of decline, she is passionate about living life with an attitude of Incline. Ramona has been published on the Changing Aging website, offering posts with titles such as “Can We Please Stop Calling It Aging,” “What Are We Missing When We Settle for Life Stages?” and “Leave a Legacy and Live It Now!”

Ramona is a recipient of a Book Excellence Award for her current book, INCLINED ELDERS: How to rebrand aging for self and society. It has been recognized for high-quality writing style, book design, and overall marketing appeal.

She earned her Master of Business Administration from St. Edward’s University. Ramona lives in Austin, Texas where she enjoys practicing yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, and Nia and participating in various community groups.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Twitter | Amazon Author | Goodreads Author

_______________________________________________________________

GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

FOUR WINNERS:
2 winners: autographed copies of Inclined Elders.
2 winners: Kindle copies of Inclined Elders.
Giveaway ends midnight, CDT, 7/17/21; US only.