Build Your Own Boat

What happens to your business when an aging parent moves in and needs your care? Wendy Green, founder of Hey Boomer and host of the Boomer Banter Podcast, faced exactly this — and instead of powering through, she made a deliberate choice to scale back her podcast and refocus her energy on the work that gives her the most fulfillment for the least burnout. In this episode of Build Your Own Boat, Wendy shares how she built a "fleet" of ventures — coaching, a podcast, a Substack newsletter, group coaching, travel experiences, and in-person classes at continuing care communities — and how she used a simple return-on-investment framework (time, energy, fulfillment, not just money) to decide what to keep, pause, or let go when caregiving for her 96-year-old mother became her new full-time responsibility. This conversation is a candid, practical roadmap for the millions of women who are simultaneously entrepreneurs and family caregivers — a reality the entrepreneurship world rarely discusses honestly.

In this episode of Build Your Own Boat, host Janine Vanderburg talks with Wendy Green, a certified professional coach and founder of Hey Boomer, about the entrepreneurial journey most business podcasts skip: what happens when you have to recalibrate your growing venture because a parent needs your care. Wendy walks through her path from a computer science career and corporate training roles into coaching, podcasting, and teaching — and then candidly describes putting her podcast on hiatus to prioritize caregiving for her 96-year-old mother, while still finding ways to stay financially and personally engaged through in-person classes and writing. The conversation covers building multiple income streams ("a fleet of boats"), avoiding the trap of over-preparing before launching a venture, using a peer support network to combat entrepreneurial loneliness, and a practical, three-part framework for deciding what stays and what goes when life happens.

Wendy Green is a certified professional coach, speaker, and founder of Hey Boomer, a platform dedicated to helping adults navigate the second half of life with purpose and confidence. She hosts the Boomer Banter Podcast, a long-running show (270+ episodes) that has become a go-to resource for people exploring aging, transition, and reinvention after 50. Wendy holds change leadership credentials from Georgetown University and a professional coaching certification, which she draws on in her one-on-one coaching practice, her monthly Banter Circle group coaching community, and in-person classes she now teaches at continuing care communities near her home in Greenville, South Carolina. She also writes Thriving Through Time, a Substack newsletter exploring caregiving, personal growth, and life balance, and co-founded the Age-Wise Collective, a peer network of women podcasters over 50. Wendy is currently caregiving for her 96-year-old mother while continuing to coach, teach, and write — a real-time example of the recalibration she now speaks openly about.

Wendy Green recommends evaluating every business activity by what it gives you versus what it costs you in time and energy, then scaling back or pausing the highest-effort, lowest-fulfillment activities — such as heavy social media promotion — while keeping the work that sustains you financially and emotionally, like teaching or writing.

Caregiving is rarely discussed as a business risk, but according to AARP data, most family caregivers are women, many of whom are also building or running businesses. Sudden caregiving responsibilities can interrupt income, client work, and growth plans, making it a real and common risk rather than a rare exception.

The Age-Wise Collective is a peer support network of women podcasters over 50, co-founded by Wendy Green, who cross-promote each other's shows, share resources like SEO help, and collaborate instead of competing.

No. Wendy Green says her coaching certification and Georgetown change leadership credentials gave her confidence, not permission, to start. She encourages people not to delay launching a venture while chasing "one more" credential.

Build Your Own Boat is a podcast series hosted by Janine Vanderburg — award-winning three-time entrepreneur and anti-ageism advocate — featuring women who have launched new entrepreneurial ventures in midlife and beyond. The series is part of a larger storytelling project that includes a Substack publication and a forthcoming book, all built around one goal: changing the narrative about who entrepreneurs are and making women in midlife and beyond visible as builders of wealth, freedom, and possibility.