Gretchen Asher created BeFab Revolution after 20+ years as a successful management consultant to Fortune 500 companies. Her goal is to create a revolution where women 50+ are celebrated, admired, and inspired.
What is BeFab Revolution?
BeFab revolution is an online community of women better than (age) 50 from over 40 countries all around the world. Our online platforms include a Membership website, Facebook groups, and a first-ever Business Directory – all dedicated to inspiring women to celebrate life beyond 50.
In one of our social platforms, we are 13,000 women and growing. We are one of the few truly engaged Sisterhoods online with an astounding 83% participation rate of all members and with nearly 200,000 comments and posts each and every month.
What inspired you to create this community for women 50 and better?
Sometimes inspiration comes when you least expect it. That’s what happened to me. I had one unexpected conversation that changed my life and business direction.
It happened during a week-long, all-women’s business conference. I was discussing my anti-aging skincare line, BeFab Skincare, then in development, with a branding expert. He informed me that the moniker “Fab” or “Fabulous” was not appropriate for women in my age demographic (50+). He did get away with his life, but barely.
I had to run to catch my flight back to the west coast. Our conversation stuck in my head. All the way to the airport and while boarding, I contemplated his words. It begged the question for me, “Are Women Over 50 Irrelevant or Fabulous?” I certainly felt fabulous; at the top of my corporate career, but also feeling an internal gnawing that it was time for personal reinvention.
Once aboard the plane, I busted open my laptop, with wine at hand, I wrote an emotional blog titled the same as my contemplation, “Are Women Over 50 Irrelevant or Fabulous?” The response on social media was powerful. That’s when I started connecting with women in my age demo to find out if we all felt the same things; a need for reinvention, owning our power, coming to terms with our choices and the lives that we’ve lived and mostly the questions, “Who are we now?” and “What do we want?”
I spent more than a year researching my own, most fascinating demographic. The biggest need I saw was the need for connection, community and sisterhood. We all felt the same things, strived for the same new things, struggled with many of the same things, but we were all doing it in isolation. I knew then, we needed to come together in a (peaceful) revolution for and of women better than 50. The only thing I could think of to do was to reach out and call forth my sisters.
In the summer of 2017, I launched a closed Facebook group and tossed out a few dollars in advertising its existence. In 7-ish months it has grown to 13,000 and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. It’s the community that we all need.
According to your research, what are common misconceptions about women 50+?
There are so many common misconceptions about women 50+, but I think the biggest one is that all we want to do is move near the grandbabies and spend the rest of our days babysitting. While we do love our grandbabies, we are far from done.
I’m inspired daily by my sisters in Fab Women Over 50. We are (no kidding) getting published, getting a movie (about our lives), going to teach English in Hungary (a life-long dream), traveling the world, starting and running successful businesses, shedding and taking on new powerful relationships and reinventing ourselves. More than anything we are thriving, growing, learning and living into our vibrancy.
What are the hottest topics in your community?
We are talking about everything; dating/sex, divorce after 30+years of marriage, things that make us laugh, things that break our hearts, our triumphs, our disappointments. Via live Facebook video, we’re dancing, doing makeovers, and helping each other with tough decisions. We’re sharing health & fitness advice and… menopause.
But a prevalent topic is how we are reinventing ourselves and discovering who we are now and how to best express our authentic selves and continue to give to our ourselves, our families, our communities and leave an indelible mark on the world. We are a powerful Sisterhood, where magic happens and we help each other soar.
What are the challenges of creating an online community?
This online sisterhood grew faster than I ever expected. It has exceeded my dreams for a place for women better than 50 to come, share and find and give support.
I was very clear what kind of culture I wanted to create and called upon my corporate culture shaping skills as it grew. We aren’t a business networking community but we do have a few times per month when members can share their products/services with others to enhance our lives. That’s pretty rare in the online world, but we have a strong self-monitoring culture and not many violate the FabEtiquette (sisterhood norms).
It’s rare that we have snarkiness and mean spiritedness. Those actions are grounds for removal. I do have additional Admin help from volunteers in the community. Mostly we answer questions from our sisters so they don’t violate the FabEtiquette. For me, a challenge is enjoying the sisterhood so much that I don’t get other things done!
Who inspires you?
I am so inspired and excited at the recent movement of women into local and national politics. The movements that we are seeing now is long overdue, but it seems to now be the time for the divine feminine to rise again and claim our unique gifts and contribution to society and the planet. I’m loving what’s happening with Emily’s List of over 30,000 women who are now moved to be a voice and share step up in leadership positions at all levels of local and national politics. Even though Emily’s List focuses on the democratic movement in particular, it seems that the movement reaches beyond just one party and speaks to women on all sides of the political spectrum, giving us permission to step out and be leaders, as women.
Specifically, a few shout outs include teen activist Marley Dias (age 13), author and the youngest member of Forbes, 30 Under 30. She’s going to be a powerhouse of change all her life. Watch her. Lyn Slater, the 64-year-old fashion icon is another. She’s just so brash, bold and authentic. Of course, Oprah and Ellen (no last names needed) are both women living into their authentic selves, well post age 50 and who have faced such trials and tribulations.
And of course many of my sisters whom I have met in Fab Women Over 50. Some who come to the community having lost everything; their marriages, their jobs, their families but they never cease to amaze me with their courage, positive outlook and Fabulousness to redefine who they are all continue to give to the world and be of service.
How do you define success?
How I define success is doing something that makes me happy. Of course, we all have to make a living, but I’m done making a living while doing something that doesn’t just make my hair stand on end, blow my socks off and make me jump out of bed every morning.
I do wish I had learned this lesson earlier in life. But no fear, it’s never too late to learn and embrace something new and ROCK ON!
Visit or join Gretchen’s growing community at BeFabRevolution.com