Peggy Rowe Became a New York Times Bestselling Author at Age 80

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Peggy Rowe has accomplished a lot in her 87 years.

She started her career as a schoolteacher in Baltimore, where she and her husband John – also a teacher – raised three sons. It was a pretty normal life by all accounts. But life got extraordinary somewhere along the way.

One common thread in the Rowe household was humor, and Peggy had a finely tuned ability to recognize funny and write about it. See, writing has always been her creative outlet. She wrote all the time. She wrote fun poems for her students, which she would later hear them recite on the playground; she wrote short stories that were published in newspapers and magazines; she wrote stories about things that happened in everyday life; and she wrote about her family.

Her son Mike (yes, THAT Mike Rowe) loved her stories, but every time she called to share one, he’d tell her, “Mom, don’t TELL me about it; sit down and WRITE about it.” This happened a lot.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Peggy had a wonderful career as an educator, but it wasn’t until long after that came to an end that her real career took off. When she was 80, Peggy’s first book of humor was published. “About My Mother: True Stories of a Horse-Crazy Daughter and Her Baseball-Obsessed Mother: A Memoir” became a New York Times bestseller.

Then came more bestsellers.

“About Your Father and Other Celebrities I Have Known: Ruminations and Revelations from a Desperate Mother to Her Dirty Son” was Peggy’s next bestselling book, when she was 82.

“Vacuuming in the Nude: And Other Ways to Get Attention,” book number three and bestseller number three, was published when Peggy was 84. Judging by the title, it seems Dirty Jobs run in the family.

Her fourth book, “Oh No, Not “The Home”: Observations and Confessions of a Grandmother in Transition,” came two years later.

At age 87, Peggy is working on her fifth book and she shows no signs of slowing down. Thankfully.

In this inspiring episode, Peggy shares her incredible journey from the classroom to the bestseller list, complete with a few fun stories woven in.

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Second Act Stories theme music: “Between 1 and 3 am” by Echoes

School’s Out, Laughs Are In: Retired Teacher Patty Forehand Becomes a Standup Comic

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The moment Patty Forehand opens her mouth, you know she’s from the deep south. And with that comes a certain set of preconceived notions. If she opens her mouth in front of a microphone on a comedy club stage, those notions are immediately blown away, and the results are hilarious. It’s funny once the F-bombs start flying and you realize she’s not the stereotypical, retirement-age, “proper southern lady” society expects when they see her, but it’s even funnier when you hear that her material is funny. Really funny.

It gets even more interesting when you realize that she’s relatively new to comedy. This standup comic, who’s been crushing rooms all over the South, has only been doing it for the past few years. She decided to experiment with comedy after she retired from a 31-year career teaching in an elementary school. And the results speak for themselves; Patty found her calling.

But she also says that teaching was a calling, and she worked an entire career in a Georgia elementary school. So why, when most other people are making plans to coast into retirement, did she decide it was time to try her hand at something that’s not only intimidating, but also incredibly difficult?

In this episode, Patty discusses her southern roots and upbringing, her career as “the funny teacher” in an elementary school classroom, her decision to do standup comedy, and why working dirty is only a result of finding her authentic self.

For more about Patty, and to learn about her live dates, you can follow her on Instagram at @forehandpatricia.

If you like this episode, please check out our other episodes featuring comedians with inspiring second act stories:

The Wolf of Late Night: Paul Mecurio’s Journey from Wall Street to Comedy

Adam Carolla: The Carpenter Who Built a Legendary Comedy Career

Brian “Q” Quinn’s Impractical Career Shift: Fireman to Funny Man

 

Second Act Stories theme music: “Between 1 and 3 am” by Echoes

Elementary School Custodian Tylan Bailey Finds a Perfect Second Act as a Teacher

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Tylan Bailey had a tough home life growing up. He had more than his fair share of adversity, which brought him to no fewer than 14 schools by the time he was ready to graduate from high school. In spite of such a profound lack of stability, Tylan created his own stable environment by focusing on his education.

Tylan’s lifelong dream of becoming a teacher was sidetracked when he found himself in a predicament that prevented him from attending college, and instead found him applying for jobs that would pay well and provide benefits. Although he found himself working in an elementary school, as a custodian, the idea of becoming a teacher seemed like a pipe dream at this point.

23 years later, Tylan was making pretty good money as the head custodian and he had seniority, but it was time to scratch that teaching itch. With the support of his wife, he took himself back to college and earned his teaching degree. Today, Tylan still works in an elementary school, but now he’s a PE teacher and he couldn’t be happier.

Tylan’s story was featured in national headlines, and he was even invited to a Hollywood movie premiere where he befriended Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The dream became a reality, and Tylan Bailey is living proof that it’s never too late to find your happiness. The key, as he puts it, is to meet your blessings halfway.