Brave-ish in PRINT: Take 5 Magazine

Thank you TAKE 5 Magazine from Australia for writing about me and my memoir in this print story: “Fearless by 50!”

A two-page PRINT article on page 4-5 Issue 11, March 14, 2024.

Fearless by 50–My divorce was the catalyst for 50 life changing adventures

Slipping the letter into my husband���s passport. I left it at the hotel reception desk. “I need space don���t call me.” it said. Then I caught the next flight out of Thailand. After another argument, I was hysterical. I thought traveling together might help fix us, but it wasn���t working and during my flight home, I wrote down everything I didn���t about our marriage.

Aged 47, I moved back in with my parents, into my childhood bedroom. Some days, I wasn���t sure how I get from breakfast to lunchtime. I felt like a failure and so lonely, my skin was crawling. I called my friend Richard for advice. “I���m filming a webseries for Orbitz l in Puerto Rico,” he offered. “How would you feel about co-hosting it?” A travel blogger myself, I accepted immediately. Maybe this was just what I needed…

Enkereri school children in Maasai Mara. Photo by Matt Payne

During the packed shooting schedule, I got the opportunity to go scuba, diving and zip lining. It was strange doing activities without my husband, but I realized it made me feel strong. “I can���t go back to married life,” I told my mom and dad. “I want to keep traveling.” I filed for divorce and sold my engagement and wedding rings as well as the condo where we���d lived that I owned.

To fund my trip, I decided to write features on all the places I visited to sell along the way. Then, seeing some thing online, I had another flash of inspiration. My 50th birthday was coming up–I could try 50 new things before 50. It would make turning the milestone a huge celebration.

At lunch, I told my friend Ronit about it. “Start now,” she said. “Start what now?” I asked. “Let me help you order sushi,” she replied. This was a big deal for me. I had food allergies and was a picky eater. But I relented, and when I put the salmon sashimi she’d chosen into my mouth, I decided it wasn’t the worst thing I’d eaten.

My 50 new things had officially begun! I told a few people about my idea, and two weeks later my friend Zoey, who I���d worked with on a ship as a children���s entertainer, suggested a sail with her as a guest on another cruise.��

Lisa Niver working for Princess Cruises

On board, I discovered a scarily high ropes course with a view of the ocean. This would be good for my list, I thought.

Terrified, I took deep breaths as I made my way across, almost giving up halfway. Then I screamed with excitement at the end. For my 49th birthday, I combined a series of trips to create an epic adventure. A month in the Caribbean, starting in Aruba, followed by Bonaire, Mexico, and Cuba. Finally, I was feeling brave-ish. 

While diving, we encountered a school of beautiful Caribbean reef squid. I also swam with bull sharks, went cave swimming and underground rafting ���all firsts!!

The more friends and colleagues heard about my adventures, the more my list grew. 

I went salsa, dancing, made ceramics and skied with an Olympic champion. I even went mountain biking. After falling off a bike as a kid, I���d been terrified of riding again.

But I overcame my fear and as I sped downhill, it was like I was flying. I was so proud of myself.

Lisa Niver and Marcie Bradley Mountain Biking at Northstar Specialized Bikes. (Marcie has the purple shirt and Lisa has the green one!)

And when I received an invitation for a trip to Shanghai, I jumped at the chance after arriving I felt like I belonged. On my own, I was confident, assured. 

Later, a trip in California saw me performance driving, whizzing faster with every lap like someone from The Fast and the Furious! Something I never would���ve done before. As I neared the end of my list, there was one thing I just had to include��� an African Safari.

In Tanzania, my 100th Country, I got close enough to the elephants to take selfies. In Kenya, I took my hula hoop to a village. The children loved having a turn and even the warriors joined in! One laughed so hard he fell down! 

Then came my final challenge and my 50th birthday. I wanted to do something spectacular!

My entire life, I said I���d never jump out of a perfectly good airplane, but my limits had shifted. It was time to skydive.  On the way up, I started to tremble. ���How can you be scared of this when you scuba with sharks?��� he joked. 

As he pushed off the edge, we free fell away from the plane. Soaring through the air like a bird, the wind pulled my face back and the earth rushed up at me. Then, parachute deployed, we peacefully floated like clouds.

When I first left my husband, I was told I was brave. Now, I knew I was.

If I could jump out of a plane, I could overcome whatever came next. I turned my journey into a book, which was so cathartic. I want people to know it���s never too late to explore the world and create the life you dream of, whatever our age. Of course, there have been hard times. But there���s also been laughter and hope, and I know this journey I���m on is worth it.��

LEARN MORE in Lisa’s memoir, BRAVE-ish: One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty.

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