Meet Amy, a self-proclaimed service addict
Amy Yontel McGrath is a middle-aged badass who was once a public interest attorney and is a self-proclaimed service addict.
When she was turning 50, she launched an innovative platform called “Follow me to 50.” The initiative started because Amy felt stuck in her life. She wanted to try something new and the project took her out of her comfort zone and helped her discover a new passion.
These days Amy encourages others to do the very same thing; to find purpose and passion at every stage in life and to expand the traditional notions of community to inspire action interaction.
The highlight of Amy’s work is teaching others to invest in their communities, and most especially, themselves. In this episode, we learn how her journey really started and how she overcame many of the obstacles.
The public service itch that needed scratching
Amy always had public service in her blood, so to speak.
For most of Amy’s life, her goals didn’t reach beyond getting her law degree, getting married, and having kids – – despite being an ambitious woman.
But as she began to approach her 50th birthday, things started to change. Adaptation caused forced changes. Her kids had gotten older and she’d also recently lost her father. Closing in on 50 and feeling stuck for the first time in her.
Finally, after three decades of putting others first, and watching others around her find passion in their work, Amy decided it was time to put herself first and make time to nourish herself.
However, she didn’t know where to start. It had been such a long time since she put herself first if she ever hard.
Despite all her fear and uncertainty, she forged ahead. Thus, “follow me to 50” was born.
Amy decided to do three, major, challenging things that mattered to her.
- Dedicate herself to public service by doing 50, solo, public service projects.
- Start her own blog
- Do a 50-mile walk
It was important to Amy that each of these tasks be done alone. This was an experience with herself and for herself. She feared that if she brought family or friends along for the ride, they would end up talking about their personal lives and she wouldn’t enjoy the experience as thoroughly.
Although she was beyond scared, Amy told herself she was ready. It was time to take the plunge. Finally, she threw herself, fully, into the activities and she naturally found enthusiasm.
Choosing Yourself
Although she had never written a blog before and had no idea what she was doing, she pushed herself and journaled all of her experiences. The blog was a wonderful resource for holding herself accountable and to document and share her experience.
Amy has realized the blessing of solitude and how it can help people find themselves even as they withdraw from the crowd. She now uses her blog to inspire others on their journey to finding purpose and passion.
