The great crime writer Agatha Christie had it right when she wrote: “I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming…suddenly you find—at the age of 50, say—that a whole new life has opened before you.”
Carol April, creator and founder of not done yet® or ndy, couldn’t agree more. What, you may be asking, is this ndy, besides one heckuva’ great slogan? It’s an attitude, a concept, a movement, says April.
It’s also a website where you can buy truly age-appropriate clothing and gifts made right here in the USA. The attention to quality will literally reach out and grab you by the throat—in a good way. It starts with the fabric and fit of the t-shirts, tanks and thermals. It’s not the usual stuff that comes from a big country across the Pacific Ocean—I can promise that.
Plus, the reasonably-priced merchandise really does give back, with a portion of every sale supporting cancer—her own mother died of breast cancer when April was only four years old. She also donates proceeds to Alzheimer’s and heart health research, plus grief support services. You can pick up ndy hats, water bottles, stationery and mugs.
Carol believes:
- It’s possible to be ageless at any age.
- We’re all in this together, we’re not done yet and we’re ever-evolving.
Not done yet with achieving
The idea was born of a death of April’s good friend, who grew weary of people feeling sorry for her as she battled terminal cancer. The gal-pal would quip, “I’m not dead yet,” and April couldn’t get that out of her mind. After her friend’s passing, April latched on to her own version of the sentence, and christened a message for women age 50+ who are “not done yet.”
“At the time, I felt marginalized by 20- and 30-somethings,” April says. “We weren’t being acknowledged for the amount of experience and talent our generation had. I decided to adopt that message and brand it onto t-shirts.”
She test-drove her idea at a major women’s conference California in 2008—then did two encore appearances. At all the meetings, her shirts “flew out the door,” she recalls.
April wants people of all ages to embrace her message and feel good about it. “They don’t need permission to do that. They don’t have to reinvent themselves—they’re great as they are.”
This innovator tries very hard to “be authentic,” she says. “Much of what I stand for is inclusiveness and empowerment, not giving up and staying as healthy and happy as we call can be.”
If those values resonate with you, you’re “not done yet” either. Go forward and thrive.