Madeleine Griffin: I can either be a victim in this for the rest of my life or I can take control
What A Woman PodcastShow Notes
Our guest today is Madeleine Griffin who has led an incredibly full life so far and shows us that it is never too late to reinvent yourself, even in retirement. Madeleine was born in Dublin, the 2nd youngest of five children and she experienced a difficult childhood after the death of her mother when she was very young and her life changed completely after her father remarried when she was twelve but Madeleine recalls clearly deciding that, although she could not change her situation, she could take control of the way she responded to it. Madeleine's experiences growing up and the limitations on women at the time gave her a desire to imagine more for herself and the courage to speak out and advocate for change and equality for women. This led her to do great things as a social worker, initially, and later as a Head Teacher of one one of the UK's largest schools. The thread throughout this conversation is using our imaginations to create the life that we want for ourselves and if we don't like something, change it!
We talk about:
- Losing her mother as a young child
- Suffering abuse from her step-mother but deciding to take control
- Learning to stand up for herself and say no
- Imagining more for herself and the world
- Valuing our individuality
- How you can arrive at a positive mindset - it's a journey!
- Favourite Quote - Madeleine has a quote by Charlotte Bronte beside her bed: "Better to have tried all things and found them empty rather than to have tried nothing and find life empty."
- Book recommendations by Madeleine: Far From The Tree by Andrew Solomen and House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
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