Legendary Mermaid, Rita King, On Going Back To What You Love In Midlife

Rita King is a Legendary Siren - a mermaid at Florida's Weeki Wachee Springs - who returned to the water after a whole working life away. She first performed in the famous mermaid shows as a teenager in the late 1960s, then raised a family, taking the sensible route to pay the bills. But the pull to the water never faded.When she retired from the US Postal Service at 60, Rita retrained and waited four years for a place among the Legendary Sirens to open up. This Season 4 opener is about intrinsic motivation and reclaiming the part of yourself you set aside. Have you drifted from something you once loved?If You Enjoyed This EpisodeYou might also love our episode on how to make an action board: Pin It To Win It: The Neuroscience of Action Boards with Rebecca Newman (Season 3, Episode 2). If Rita's story is about honouring a wish or a dream you've held inside you and finally going for it; the Rebecca's is about the science of holding that wish in front of you and acting on it.It's an opportunity to be playful, to cut and stick and to start.LinksWeeki Wachee Springs, Florida — home of the Legendary Sirens:https://weekiwachee.com/Find out more about The Wobbly Middle: The Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wobbly-middle/id1767850643https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep31-rita-kingSubscribe to the newsletter: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep31-rita-kingHelp Us GrowIf this episode resonated with you, here are two ways you can make a real difference:Leave a review here: it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.Share this episode with a friend: if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, please send this to them. Knowing that they are on this road with others can help build momentum.Thank you for listening and for supporting independent podcasts.Timestamps- 02:00 — Welcome to Season 4 and meeting Rita King- 02:30 — Becoming a mermaid in the late '60s and the magnetic pull to the water- 03:30 — Mermaid myths: custodians of the springs, manatees, and Columbus- 04:30 — Inside Weeki Wachee: the aquifer, the current, the underwater caverns- 06:00 — What it's really like to swim in a mermaid tail- 07:00 — "It spoiled me for any other job" and the rural swamp mail route- 07:50 — Going back: the four-year wait and the training to become a Legendary Siren- 09:00 — The performance schedule and underwater safety for the young swimmers- 09:40 — Conservation: algae blooms, chemicals, and 17 springs that dried up- 10:00 — Adult mermaid camps: who comes, and how the women transform- 13:50 — The bond between the mermaids, across every age- 15:00 — Inspiring women of every age and size from the theatre- 17:40 — "How do I find the water baby in me again?"- 18:30 — Soul-searching, determination, and how badly you want it- 22:30 — What the little girl driven to Weeki Wachee would think now- 23:50 — Advice to her younger self: "Be more patient"- 24:00 — Season 4 preview: the women who bring us the sunshineShare Your StoryMade a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at [email protected] — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.About The HostJoin recovering lawyer Patsy Day as she navigates her own midlife career crossroads in real time. A penny dropped for her when she realised that the restless feeling she'd been feeling was returning ambition. The Wobbly Middle is that in-between space where we know we want change but don't know how to move forward.Each season, Patsy sits down with women who share their career pivot stories — leaving corporate life and building businesses, breaking back in after career breaks, going back to study, and taking their long-neglected dreams seriously.In Season 4, she's speaking to the women who changed direction in midlife to build the things that make our summers: the holidays we book, the books we read, the swimwear we brave, and the financial confidence to enjoy it.*The Wobbly Middle is a podcast for women rethinking their careers in midlife. New episodes every other Tuesday.*This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.