HOT HOT HOT birthday news from the 100 Years Club

Today (2.10.25) is my birthday.

I’m 69.

What have I been up to for the past 6 (almost 7) decades?

Please bear with me as I (quickly) share my backstory:

• 1955: I was conceived
• 1965: A dorky, chubby, shy 9-year-old, I embraced my storytelling talents (and got a rejection slip from the New Yorker Magazine when my father submitted a poem I wrote).
• 1975: Living in a hippie dorm and co-op at the U of Michigan in Ann Arbor, I learned to balance my work life and my play life (and had a 3.9 GPA despite my partying).
• 1985: I was married and building a career. I switched from publishing to financial services because I chose not to be poor (but sacrificed much of my personality and creativity).
• 1995: Two kids…living in the burbs…3-hour roundtrip commute…stressed to the max! But I ultimately made it to the C-suite. I told myself that was what “success” looked like.
• 2005: I started my own business (theONswitch) and mastered digital media. Grew rapidly to almost $1M.
• 2015: Tough times. My dad’s death and my younger brother’s terminal cancer diagnosis (along with the unraveling of my marriage) hit me hard. Plus, during the recession, I lost everything I built in my business. It was not a great decade, but over the ten years between then and 2025, I:
  • Rebooted my company.
  • Wrote a book about AI.
  • Moved to Manhattan. Then Minnesota (don’t ask). Then Arizona (because my mom was sick).
• 2025: WOW! What a difference a decade makes.
  • Single
  • Orphaned
  • Kids are grown and thriving; three grandkids
  • Living in sunshine and traveling as often as I can
  • Making a living writing but still doing some brand consulting

AND TODAY…

I split myself in half.

Why?

My business clients don’t need to hear about my personal life. My “lifestyle” fans could usually care less about retail and real estate trends or business tech.

Of course, if you’re a colleague or other work connection of mine, you’re welcome to follow me in both places.  I am, after all, one human with many facets.

But my new B-to-C brand means I can comfortably let my freak flag fly (as we used to say).

Unfiltered. Snarky. And, hopefully, entertaining.

So, please check out NANCYAF.com, subscribe, and maybe even download my new book.

Engage me to speak at your next conference or event.

No matter where you are in the decades of life, I can assure you that 69 is not a bad place to be. In fact, it’s F*cking Fantastic!