About me
A 3x entrepreneur, Janine Vanderburg is a nationally recognized expert on ageism and age inclusion. She is the CEO of Encore Roadmap, which helps professionals turn their experience, insights, and connections into consulting practices and helps companies leverage the benefits of older workers and intergenerational teams. She is the host of Build Your Own Boat, a podcast series featuring the stories and advice of women who have started new entrepreneurial ventures in midlife and beyond.
Janine’s work has earned numerous awards, including the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce’s Top 25 Powerful Women in Business and the American Society on Aging’s 2024 Award for Success in Diminishing Ageism.
What do you do and why do you do it?
I believe that every person should have the opportunity to fully use their strengths and talents, and live up to their potential, free of societal restrictions. And I believe we ALL have a part in creating the society and systems that allow that to happen (individuals should not have to struggle with this on their own). It’s what has driven my forever interest in women’s rights and economic security, my passion for early childhood education, and now my advocacy for age inclusion. And recognizing that we are NOT there, I believe in women “building their own boats” so they are not facing financial insecurity as we get older.
What changed for you after age 50?
For me, there was nothing magic about 50. I was leading my consulting firm, which had grown to a multimillion-dollar venture, and we were engaged with change-makers across the U.S. and beyond. I do remember in my early 50s leading a project for two private foundations, conducting research about what this next phase of life would look like for people of my generation, and that triggered my increased interest in the encore stage of life as I heard people’s dreams and aspirations (very few ever said “retire and play golf.”)
What would you tell the 20 or 30-year-old YOU?
My favorite quote, that I’ve lived by all my life: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
What do you think you’ll tell yourself in retrospect at the end of your life?
No idea…or maybe “I enjoyed the lobster rolls.”
What impact do you think increased visibility can have on your business?
All of my businesses have been social impact businesses, so to me visibility for my business gains visibility for the causes I’m embracing.
Who or what inspires you and why?
My mother, who grew up in an immigrant family who sent the boys, and not the girls to college. When she was nearing 60, she turned to my Dad and said “I’m going to college.” She graduated 4 years later, magna cum laude, and fluent not only in her native French and English, but also in Spanish and Portuguese.
Something else I’d like to share
Another favorite quote of mine is from Raymond Williams: “To be truly radical is to make hope possible instead of despair convincing.” I try to live by this in all of my advocacy efforts, which are embedded into my business ventures.
