Flipping the Script: Does internalized ageism get in the way?

By on May 9, 2025

older man in the woods with a backpack and purple fleece

by Janine Vanderburg, Keynote Speaker, Writer, Trainer, and Consultant committed to Slaying the #Ageism Dragon. ™️

Yesterday, I was in the middle of a conversation with Ande Lyons on her Don’t Get Caged By Your Age Podcast.

I was describing Flip The Script, our grassroots month-long social and earned media campaign to change the narrative about age and work. We have three main themes:

  • Experience is an asset that businesses should seize to remain competitive.
  • Intergenerational workplaces result in increased creativity, productivity, engagement, and profitability.
  • Entrepreneurship has no age limit.

And then Ande asked a provocative question:

Suppose the script we need to flip is the one in our own mind?

Mic drop.

On Tuesday, I wrote about what employers miss when they overlook older talent. Today, I want to flip the lens: What if the real work starts with us?

Too often, I talk with people who hesitate when presented with an opportunity. They are qualified—but an inner voice whispers:

Am I too old to start, learn or do that?

That voice? It’s internalized ageism—something many of us carry, often without realizing it.

We’ve all absorbed cultural messages about aging: That innovation is for the young. That risk-taking has an expiration date. That career reinvention is only for early chapters. But those messages are wrong—and they hold us back.

If we want to #FlipTheScript on ageism in society, we also need to flip the one running in our own minds.

How to flip that script in your head

Here are five small but powerful ways to start:

  1. Notice the voice. When you hear yourself thinking “I’m too old for this,” pause. Ask: Is this true—or just a tired story I’ve been told? Consider downloading Changing the Narrative’s Internalized Ageism Speak Up chart to help you.
  2. Recall times when you’ve done hard things. Learned the new software, tackled a new project, sought out an opportunity. And succeeded. Write them down.
  3. Seek intergenerational connection. Mentor someone. Ask a younger colleague to teach you something new. Shared curiosity builds mutual respect—and quiets age-based assumptions.
  4. Say yes to something new. Launch that side hustle. Take the class. Raise your hand. Confidence comes not before action, but from it.
  5. Join the Flip the Script campaign. There’s still time to join the month-long grassroots campaign. You’ll gain access to articles, research, ideas and memes that will challenge your thinking and remind you that:

It’s not too late. Dreams don’t have an expiration date.

There’s no age limit on relevance, creativity, or contribution. But believing that starts with us.

What script are you ready to flip?

© Janine Vanderburg, 2025.

There’s still time to join the May-long, grassroots #FlipTheScript campaign.

JCA Blog