Meet the Founder

I built the life I was supposed to build.

Thirty years of marriage, children, a career, and a worldview that felt complete. Then, in my early fifties, everything changed.

Divorce, redundancy, and having to sell my home left me asking a question I never expected to face:

What now?

So I packed a bag and travelled to Nepal on my own.

I wasn't looking for adventure. I was looking for answers.

What followed was a decade of genuine searching.

Buddhism found me in the mountains. Back home, I trained as a mindfulness teacher, working with people living with terminal illness and bereavement—people facing things far harder than anything I had experienced, and doing so with a presence and courage that changed how I think about being alive.

I wrote my first book, How Did I Get Here?

I kept searching.

Then, unexpectedly, I found myself sitting in a vicar's living room on Thursday evenings, passing a bowl of sweets around with a group of strangers who slowly became friends. It reminded me that some of life's biggest changes don't come through dramatic moments, but through ordinary conversations with people who are willing to listen.

Those evenings stayed with me long after they ended. They eventually became the inspiration for the memoir I'm now writing—a story about searching for meaning, unexpected friendship, and discovering that it's never too late to begin again.

Over time, all of that searching became something much bigger than my own story.

It became Freedom in Later Life.

I created this community because I believe the second half of life isn't simply something to get through. It's an opportunity to ask better questions, build deeper relationships, rediscover who we are, and create a life that feels more meaningful, authentic and free.

Too often, growing older is presented as a time of decline or simply preparing for retirement. I don't believe that's the whole story. I believe it can also be a time of reinvention, curiosity, contribution and genuine personal growth.

Freedom in Later Life is for people over 50 who are exploring what comes next.

It's a place to read thoughtful articles, discover books and practical resources, share ideas, ask questions, and—over time—connect with other people who are asking many of the same questions. My hope is that it becomes a community where none of us has to do that searching alone.

Alongside my own journey, I've spent many years working in education and trained in mindfulness, compassion-based approaches and coaching. Those experiences continue to shape the way I think and write, but it's life itself that has been my greatest teacher.

Every Thursday I write one honest reflection on meaning, identity, purpose and how to live well as we grow older. If that sounds like the conversation you've been looking for, I'd love you to join us.

I'm glad you're here.

— Anna Zannides