Artensie Flowers’ mother passed away at 45. When she reached that age, it felt young. “I felt that sense of urgency,” she said.
On her 46th birthday Flowers did something about it, knocking on all her neighbors’ doors, none of whom she knew, and inviting them to her home for an “empowerment party.” “Surprisingly, they came,” she said. “And they’ve been coming for 11 years now.”
Her joy in that ritual led her to AACC’s engagement coach training.
One of her favorite things about coaching is the space it provides. “It allows us to ask powerful questions and allows clients to use their own inner wisdom to answer the questions that they already know,” she said. “They may not realize that they know.”
Flowers loves to work with women in mid-life and beyond. For her, it’s personal. “Life is too short to be unsure, unfulfilled,” she said. “Live your next phase of life doing exactly what you want to do.”
Though she has a doctorate in pharmacology, Flowers says she loves her life, engagement coaching and entrepreneurship certificates more. The program has set her up on a new career track as she heads toward retirement.
She said the program and the faculty have been extremely professional, kind and accommodating.
“They understand the adult students,” she said. “I’m in classes with 18-year-olds to 50-plus year-olds, like myself. I just love the welcoming environment and how it just really makes me feel comfortable. … The highlight of my week is to be able to attend classes after a long day at work.”