What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Quotable

A 93-year-old powerhouse and her equally remarkable daughter share wisdom gleaned from lives spanning Depression-era hardship, wartime childhood, personal loss, and professional reinvention in this captivating Mother's Day conversation.

Meet Gwen Borden and Amy Goober, co-authors of "My Mother Always Says: 25 Lessons for Finding the Silver Lining"—women whose combined 150+ years of experience offer profound insights on resilience. Gwen's extraordinary journey began when she was born during the Depression, lived through her sister's polio diagnosis,  was just 10 during Pearl Harbor's bombing and spent nights, alone during wartime blackouts, while her dad worked the war and her mom was an air raid warden, and later witnessed the Twin Towers fall during 9/11. Rather than being defined by tragedy, she channeled her experiences into becoming a pioneering social worker who opened the first bereavement center of its kind and counseled many directly affected by the 9/11 tragedy.

Their central philosophy—"there are no bad experiences in life, just ones we don't learn from"—has guided them through profound challenges. When Gwen's husband received a terminal diagnosis at 49, she transformed grief into purpose by focusing on giving him "a good death" at home. This approach of relabeling negative experiences and finding opportunity in adversity forms the foundation of their shared wisdom.

Amy embodies this resilience in her own journey, having lost her father as a teen before launching multiple successful careers—from a bakery business at 26 to coaching hundreds of women through midlife transitions. Her mantra of "get comfortable being uncomfortable" encourages women to take action rather than remain stuck in comfortable routines. Now through her Wandering Women travel experiences, she helps others build confidence through community adventures.

What makes their perspective so valuable is their commitment to continual reinvention. At 93, Gwen published her first book and remains vibrant and engaged with life. Their intergenerational wisdom reminds us that our later years can be among our most meaningful chapters—and that asking "how will I handle this?" instead of "why me?" transforms our darkest moments into opportunities for growth.

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