The day will revolve around networking and workshops geared to teach women about personal finance, technology, getting ready for interviews and more. Much of the magazine and the event focuses on entrepreneurship, Shapiro said. Women interested in participating in a dialogue about this life transition may not be making work-related changes, but they could be considering a shift in themselves or relationships and thinking about what's next for them, she said.
Shapiro, and her partner Ronna Benjamin are examples of the women the site and the event attract. "I decided I would bring women together to talk about what we talk about at the kitchen table, or when we're having a glass of wine together. That's the conversation," Shapiro said.
There will be two keynote speakers: Marci Alboher is the former “Shifting Careers” columnist for the New York Times, vice president at Encore.org, and author of The Encore Career Handbook: How to Make a Living and a Difference in the Second Half of Life. Barbara Hannah Grufferman is a nationally recognized expert on healthy and positive aging and the author of The Best of Everything After 50: The Experts’ Guide to Style, Sex, Health, Money and More.
"Reaching 50 is crossing a threshold, and every time you cross a threshold, like graduating college, it causes you to reflect and say, 'OK, what's happening next for me?'" Shapiro said. "We tend to do that at different stages of our life, and 50 happens to be one of them."
Shapiro's work aims to respond to women's issues at different stages of life - she started Westchester Family magazine for young parents in the area, and BA50 caters to women at the midlife transition point of age 50.
"We want to celebrate women in their next steps," she said. "And when you hear about what people are doing, their ventures or steps they took in life, their stories, and it inspires you. We want women to be inspired through the magazine and the event."
"She Did It" will take place April 16 at Manhattanville College in Purchase from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Click here to register.
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