5 Questions With: Natalie Tucker Miller

Posted January 12, 2009, 11:38 am in Aging


If you're going to call yourself a sage -- ageless or not -- you'd better be able to back it up! So when we met Natalie Tucker Miller on Twitter (follow us here and Natalie here) we wanted to know what she's all about. It turns out -- she walks the walk. As founder of Ageless-Sages, Miller has found a way to use a personal passion to make a difference.

"Our mission at Ageless-Sages Publishing: Helping people to remember the glorious human beings that they are. Ageless-Sages is more than a publishing company, a coaching business or staff development training organization. It's a movement, a call to action, an awakening to positive change."

Sounds like Growing Bolder to us! Read our 5 Questions With segment with Miller and let us know what you think! To read archived articles from our 5 Questions With series, click here.


How did you get where you are today? Can you identify some key moments in your past that you now know put you in position for success?

When I look over my life to the times that had an impact on others and the times when I was happiest, it was when I listened to my inner guidance, followed my innate preferences. Interestingly, it was when my focus was simply on what mattered to me, and not because I was thinking, "Hmm, how can this bring me success?" It's good to remind myself of that from time to time when I feel myself becoming too driven. In fact, it's at those times of being too driven that some big roadblocks appear! A sign that I am ignoring my inner wisdom.

The moments in my life that put me in a position for success, in addition to listening to that guidance, are the moments that I allow myself to receive from others. Since I was raised to give, which I will always do, getting back wasn't as easy for me. Once I learned how to ask for what I needed and be a gracious receiver, my world opened to much greater possibilities and collaborations! This might take some work if you're someone, like I was, who thinks you have to do it all.

Who are your heroes? What people (real or not) would you like to meet?

Abraham Lincoln is one of my heroes. His ability to turn adversaries into allies is such an important skill in life, business, politics and personal relationships! Now, it may seem silly, but my interest in him has always resided in me because we share a birthday. From a very young age (back in the day when Lincoln's Birthday was a holiday and schools closed!) I was grateful to the man who provided me a day off from school! As I matured my interest in him became broader as I saw was an incredible leader he was.

The people who I would most like to meet are people who see things from the point of view of hopefulness. I love to hear of people who take a typically negative situation and see the possibility. Someone who can look at any situation and know that it is neither good nor bad, it simply is a state of being. Author and speaker Byron Katie is a wonderful model for this, so I guess I'd like to meet her. To have her on speed dial, actually!

One of the reasons working with elders and their families is so wonderfully challenging is because many people see the elder developmental stage of life as decline. I see it as an unbelievably rich state of grace. So, other people that I like to meet, and do as often as I can, are elders.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? In 10 years?

Oh my, there are so many possibilities! Personally, it's possible that I'll be a grandparent by then! And  in ten years perhaps I'll be helping my mother celebrate her 100th birthday. 

Professionally, I envision nursing homes throughout the world using Ageless-Sages.com Picture Books for Elders in programs geared to enhancing relationships and connections with elders. 



The human services industry currently approaches enhancement from a cognitive or physical improvement point of view. That seems like an arduous way to get there. I will be continuing to promote larger scale understanding that the way to achieve some of those goals is through strengthening relationships. Simplistic as it sounds, when someone feels loved, accepted, valued, etc., so much of the issues we see and deal with simply do not exist. As a coach, I've seen it happen with people of all ages. Science now supports the power of thought and its correlation to health, wellness and well being, so let's get going with spreading that message!

What advice do you have for people who would like to influence and inspire others?

Rest assured, you have something to offer. A way of thinking, a skill, a philosophy. Learn to honor yourself for your personal greatness and discover what it is that evokes passion in you! Ask yourself, What do I believe needs to happen that could make the world a better place? Within that answer you might find the seed of what you can do to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

What character traits do you see in successful people? Can they be learned?

Seriously, what has to be learned is how to be who you are! You already have everything you need to be successful, if you'll take the steps to peel back the layers to YOU. Throughout our lives we are told what to do, how to do as much as what not to do and how not to do it. We do not stand much of a chance of inspiring others if we are borrowing someone else's message, or believing someone else's view of the world! Go within, surround yourself with people who support who you are, don't tolerate being told you are not good enough or wrong or anything that indicates you are flawed! What might be flawed is your thinking, but YOU are not flawed. The sooner you embrace your magnificence, the sooner you will see how you naturally succeed!

Want to read more articles in our 5 Questions With series? Click here!
To learn more about Miller's work, and Ageless-Sages.com, click here and follow her on Twitter here.

Natalie Tucker Miller is an internationally recognized certified coach, instructor and coach certifier. She is the founder of Ageless-Sages.com, a publishing company specializing in Picture Books For Elders. Additionally, she heads UnParenting.com, a company that works with parents who are looking for alternative ways to relate, educate and/or communicate with their families, their business associates and the world. Through Women in Leadership Coaching, Natalie powerfully, yet discreetly, offers her wisdom and support to parents who are embracing the joys and challenges of balancing career, family and spiritual pursuits.

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