Michelle Vann

WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING YOUR AGE?
I love being unapologetically me.

WHAT HARDSHIPS HAVE YOU ENDURED THAT YOU FEEL HAVE MADE YOU STRONGER?
My mom was a single parent, and that made me realize this is not what I want for my life. She did great with what she had, which helped me understand the power of the village.

We have a very large family, but I am the only person my age, so everybody’s either three years older or three years younger than me for the most part. So you get to see the power of this village of people who kind of raise you even though they may not have been your parent; they parented you. The power of the village is just powerful to me.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?
Being married for 33 years. We know people who got married when we did, and they’re in their second, third, or fourth marriage. We’ve been married for 33 years; our kids are not in trouble; they didn’t have any kids out of wedlock. The family thing has been really good, it’s important.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST EXTRAVAGANCE?
Traveling is probably my greatest extravagance.

I don’t know if it was my favorite place, but we went on an 11-day vacation: three days in Puerto Rico, seven days on a cruise, and then we got stuck in DC for one day. My kids were adults already, and it was probably our most memorable trip.

Other than that, I don’t necessarily do many extravagant things.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION?

My family and my dog are my most treasured possessions.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING YOU HAVE CHECKED OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST?
Getting my doctorate was a bucket list thing, as was writing books.

The next big thing on my bucket list, which I still need to do, is getting on big stages. Being on a stage with 10,000 people is probably my next big one.

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF PERFECT HAPPINESS?
Sitting on the beach with no agenda and about 80° no humidity.
There is no way I’m angry.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE YOUR YOUNGER SELF?
Take more risks, and don’t take no for an answer. Adventure is your friend. Don’t shut up, no matter how often people tell you: oh, be quiet or do this or that, use that, channel that, nurture that, and make it work to your advantage.

DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF WISDOM FOR YOUNGER WOMEN?
Have your own money, understand your value, and don’t be afraid to push into the unknown.

WHAT IS A TRAIT YOU ARE MOST PROUD OF?
I think just being an educator. I was a history teacher, and I regularly have conversations with young people about how if we don’t understand history, we’re doomed to repeat it. A lot of people don’t understand history, so education is important.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO OR FAVORITE QUOTE?
“Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I am permitted to hold for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.” – George Bernard Shaw.

WHAT DO YOU MOST VALUE IN YOUR FRIENDS?
I value people who like to have fun but also are honest people who have it going on for themselves. They don’t necessarily need me but find me an added value. When I look at my friend group circle, we all are pretty driven, but we all know how to take it down and take a nap. I like a person who can take a nap.

My kids were in school at the same time I was teaching. I taught 1st and 2nd grade, and my son was in kindergarten. We all took a nap every day when we got home from school.

HOW DID YOU CHANGE OVER THE YEARS?
Being a pastor’s wife, everybody has an expectation of what they believe you’re supposed to do. And so I have lost myself and refound myself over the years. I’ve lost myself because I became what people said they wanted me to be, even though when I became that, the bar changed. At some point, probably mid-40s, I was like, screw this; I’m just going to be who I’m going to be. You’re going to like me, or you’re not going to like me, and that’s where I’m now. I think the 50s kind of changes that a little bit, too because you’re like, I don’t care.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOURSELF, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
I would be taller and skinnier; of course, who wouldn’t? Unless you’re tall and skinny already. Of course, you want everything that you can’t have. You want everything that you’re not.

WHAT DO YOU HOPE FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS?
I hope there’s a change because, Lord, the world that they’re inheriting is scary. I wish for future generations, for these young people, to really begin to identify with who they are, to understand the power they have, the genius they have, and to take over the world in a way that makes it a better place to live.

WHAT BRINGS YOU THE MOST JOY AT THIS AGE?
Vacation and just not having to do anything that I don’t want.
The best vacation I’ve had has been on Aruba. When you get off the plane, it’s so calm. I’ve never felt that on any other island; I liked it.

WHAT IS YOUR SUPERPOWER?
My superpower is organizing and bringing people together. People generally come to me for resources because I know who to connect them with.

DO YOU LIKE BEING 40+?
I like not being dead; at the end of the day, that’s the only alternative to getting older. At 50, you start having a different perspective with people you thought were old.

WHEN IN YOUR LIFE, SO FAR, HAVE YOU FELT MOST CONFIDENT, AND WHY?
Probably now because I know more. If I had the knowledge and the experience I have now when I was 20-something, I would be a beast.

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADD?
I’m pretty laid back; I don’t necessarily love to talk about myself. I’m the person who gets it done, pushes people out there, and lets them shine. I thought this 40 over 40 Project was cool, so I wanted to do this.