Carrie Hendrickson

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING YOUR AGE?
The freedom to be myself and no longer be concerned about what others think of me. I am who I am. I also have control of my time and do things when I want to do them. 

DO YOU LIKE BEING 40+?
Most definitely! I genuinely believe aging only gets better. Yes, the body creaks a bit more, and the knee doesn’t like stairs, but my life is busy, and I love everything I’m doing.

WHEN IN YOUR LIFE, SO FAR, HAVE YOU FELT MOST CONFIDENT, AND WHY?
The last 5 years of my work life. I had a successful professional life. My experience allowed me to solve problems and provide guidance to others, especially those just starting out.

WHAT BRINGS YOU THE MOST JOY AT THIS AGE?
Time in the kitchen creating food for friends and family. It’s rewarding and fun! I’ve always loved feeding people. In 2023, I discovered the WSU NICHE Culinary Arts program and told my husband, “I’m going back to school!”. It has been such a wonderful experience. I come home exhausted from class but filled with experiences and techniques that I never thought I could do! This led me to start my own catering business. Not something that I ever planned. It just took on a life of its own, and soon I was creating a name and a logo, and voilà! Now I’m a small business owner, providing food for friends and family’s special events. My motto is “Let me worry about the food! You enjoy the fellowship!”. Being in the kitchen, whether as a student or a chef, brings me happiness! When people eat my food and smile, that brings me the most joy!

WHAT IS YOUR SUPERPOWER?
I don’t know a stranger. I can walk into a room and I’m comfortable moving around it, meeting people I’ve never met before. I feel I can make people feel welcomed and included.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
Having a very successful career in the Financial Services industry without having a college degree. I dropped out of college, and there was concern I’d never “make it”.  It was not easy, and I was overlooked for promotions due to my lack of a degree, so I had to work harder and prove myself more.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?
I don’t really have one. I love to travel and want to stay at nice hotels or Inns, rather than the cheapest, so our trips can be a bit more costly. Oh, and I recently took my first Viking Cruise. We’ll be doing that again! It was worth every penny!!

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?
My reputation. My parents always reminded their girls that our morals and ethics were in our control. I’ve worked hard to protect that.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING YOU HAVE CHECKED OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST?
Oh, I still have so many things on my list!  I’ve been fortunate to have had wonderful experiences in my life.  However, attending the Indy 500 and enjoying the greatest spectacle in racing was definitely a bucket list item. Here’s to checking off many more!

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF PERFECT HAPPINESS?
A cold, snowy day at Arrowhead Stadium watching the Chiefs win! That is perfection to me!!

WHAT IS A TRAIT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?
My confidentiality and loyalty. If you come to me with a secret and need someone to support you, I’m your gal. Your secret is safe with me. Not my story to tell. We’ll talk, but that conversation will stay private. As part of that conversation, I will do something my sister Mandi taught me. I ask, “Are you asking for advice or do you just need to vent?”. It’s important to understand your role during those times.

WHAT HARDSHIPS HAVE YOU ENDURED THAT YOU FEEL HAVE MADE YOU STRONGER?
The hardest of all. I watched my oldest sister, Mandi, die of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 2 months before my wedding day. Having to bury the woman who picked the music for my wedding and was supposed to be my maid of honor was excruciating. The hardest was watching my parents and my other sister, Sherry, struggle through the loss. However, going through the loss made me stronger, teaching me that life does move forward and that if I can handle this, I can handle anything.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
Keep the people with all their drama and low self-esteem out of your life.  It’s just not worth getting mixed up with those people. If they aren’t there to help boost you up, they aren’t worth your time. You control the toxicity in your life!

DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM FOR YOUNGER WOMEN?
The same advice as I would give my younger self. LOL. But also experience things! Get out of your comfort zone. Be scared, but do it, whatever that IT is. Don’t let anyone tell you you aren’t worthy. I worked in a very male-dominated world and learned to navigate it by believing in myself first.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO OR FAVORITE QUOTE?
Lead me not into temptation… Oh, who am I kidding? Follow me, I know a shortcut.

WHAT DO YOU MOST VALUE IN YOUR FRIENDS?
Their support and interest in others around them. That they don’t take themselves or their lives so seriously that they won’t have fun or try new things with me. That they give back to their community using their time, treasures, and talents.

HOW DID YOU CHANGE OVER THE YEARS?
I used to be focused 100% on my job. Working long hours, going in on the weekends, and thinking that I had to give my company 120%. Dedication to your career is important, but as I’ve learned over the years, if I took care of myself and my family first, the job will take care of itself as well.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I guess, like most, I wish I were thinner and taller. But I’m not willing to be unhappy and miserable to reach that thinner goal, and there’s nothing I can do about the taller one!

WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS?
That others don’t control a person’s choices, and we don’t have to continually discuss what constitutes a real marriage, what a person can or can’t do with their bodies, and whether love is only love if it fits someone else’s definition.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?
I would tell anyone who takes the time to read this to ENJOY LIFE!  We don’t know how long we will be on this earth, and we need to celebrate all the opportunities we have, as well as the time we have with our parents and family members.