Persona: Deb

The soon-to-retire weathered career woman

Meet Deborah, or Deb, as her friends call her. She is “62 years young”; she’s white and lives in Coral Gables, FL. Her persona is based on a woman I worked for during an internship in college.

Born at the midpoint of the 20^th century, Deborah’s life has constantly been filled with change. As a child she watched as the world grew to accept a new normal after the 2^nd world war, then came of age through the empowering 1960’s. She was politically opinionated and participated in a handful of marches and demonstrations in support of women’s rights and against the Vietnam War. Unlike some of her female high school classmates, she focused on her education and career more than relationships and didn’t marry until well after college. Her beliefs from her adolescence spurred her on to a busy career. She had three children in her first marriage, but it ended after 15 years in a messy, affair-ridden divorce. She blamed their overly busy work schedules for driving them apart. As time wore on, her children moved away and she eventually found time to date and remarry. Tom is a great guy, she says, but their relationship is rooted more in an aversion to loneliness than a deep seeded companionship. Her career is still going well, though she seems to have leveled off at a senior director level.

At this point in her life, Deborah is very well financially established. Her high paid career and that of her husband’s mean ample disposable income. As she and her husband get older, their focus has shifted to family and friends. She plans on retiring, or at least slowing down in the next several years, but much of her identity is defined by her career and she has deep seeded fears about letting it go completely.

Her work life is busy and often stressful, but she sees it as a sense of pride that she commands so much responsibility. Her identity as a working woman CPA is very important to her. She was of the generation that fought for women’s acceptance in the workplace and she feels that it’s her duty to push herself hard. She is well liked, but her colleagues steer clear of her on bad days. She can be bossy and demand very high performance from her coworkers, but she is very results oriented and hence very respected by top management.

In the back of her mind, Deb knows she’s getting older. She has two grandchildren, but doesn’t identify with the wrinkled, white haired grandmother of her childhood. This aging process is addressed with a robust beauty regimen including hair coloring, trendy anti-aging creams, facials, spa treatments, and whatever else with which she wants to treat herself. She has worked hard and deserves what she has.

The most important things to Deb are her family, her career, and feeling good about herself. Her constant drive to push herself in her career has cost her ground on the other two fronts and she feels guilty for the imbalance. She is constantly battling weight issues and the quality of her relationships with her children and current husband varies from time to time. She still feels the psychological effects of her divorce and considers connection to be one of her highest needs.

Her environment is very upper class. She is a member of the local country club. In fact, her strong golf game is another effect of her drive to succeed as a woman in the workplace. Her home is modern and well-designed, and her clothes are department store or better. She invests in new technology, though doesn’t necessarily use her smartphone and computer to their fullest potential. They’re more status symbols than anything. She also wears expensive, but not overly feminine jewelry, drives new cars, and buys high-end golf clubs more often than necessary.

On weekends, she loves to eat out with friends, usually at trendy restaurants in younger parts of town. She drinks wine regularly and has developed a fairly sophisticated taste. Not all of her friends are as successful as she is, but she doesn’t mind because it makes her feel validated. She and Tom travel fairly frequently and usually stay in high end hotels.

Ultimately, her career focus through her early and middle years has dictated her current behavioral drivers. Given the sacrifices she made to get ahead, she now uses her high earnings to live a fast-paced life to make up for lost time. She values herself through her accomplishments and status, but her relationships are what make her truly happy.