At an age when many people imagine retirement as a chance to finally relax, Marianne Crooch chose something different.
She built a new mission around helping other women discover that peace isn’t something to postpone. Rather, it is something they can begin creating today, one intentional moment at a time.
“I need to be inspired, and I need to inspire,” Marianne said. “That’s my mission. Unless I’m inspired or inspiring someone, it’s not on my calendar.”
That philosophy now guides every class she teaches and conversations she has with women who she encourages to step off the treadmill of constant busyness. It is a purpose born from experience, one she didn’t fully embrace until after turning 50.
Today, Marianne is known as The Calm Coach. She teaches women practical ways to reduce stress through mindfulness, meditation, gentle yoga and simple daily habits. Her approach is not about escaping life, but learning how to live it differently.
“You don’t need a retreat,” she said. “You simply need a reset.”
A life built around achievement
For much of her career, calm was the one thing Marianne rarely experienced.
She spent decades working in information technology. It is an environment filled with deadlines, pressure and constant demands. At home, she was raising five children while volunteering whenever someone asked. Like many women, she became an expert at caring for everyone except herself.
“I was an overachiever,” Marianne said. “Anybody asked me to volunteer for anything, I had my hand up.”
She believed saying yes made her dependable. Instead, it slowly drained her energy.
The pattern became familiar. She would push herself until exhaustion forced her to stop. After resting enough to recover, she would return to the same overloaded schedule, but convinced she could somehow handle it better the next time.
“We tend to overdo trying to please everybody and, yet, we never find any time to spend on ourselves,” Marianne said.
Eventually, her body staged a protest. She battled frequent illnesses, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, a condition that causes widespread pain throughout the body. Even while smiling through daily responsibilities, she often hurt in ways others could not see.
“I was always sick,” she explained. “I picked up everything from a stomach bug, to colds and the flu. I was always feeling run down and tired.”
Marianne finally realized stress wasn’t simply affecting her emotions, it was affecting her physical health as well.
Small moments, big changes
The turning point did not begin with a dramatic life overhaul.
Instead, it started with a simple suggestion from someone who encouraged Marianne to create moments of calm every day instead of waiting for vacations to recover from burnout.
At first, she dismissed the advice. But, later she bought a yoga instructional video and began practicing at home for a few minutes each day. Living with fibromyalgia meant flexibility did not come easily, but she stayed consistent rather than trying to be perfect.
After several months, something changed. She noticed her body relaxing. Her mind felt quieter. The constant tension she had accepted as normal slowly began easing.
Eventually, she gathered the courage to attend a yoga class in person.
“The instructor always preached no competition, judgment or destination,” Marianne recalled. “Do what you can.”
Those words stayed with her and the experience transformed far more than her flexibility. It changed how she viewed herself and what she believed was possible.
Marianne later became a certified yoga instructor, then added meditation and mindfulness training. Each step expanded her understanding of what true wellness looked like.
She discovered that calm was not something reserved for vacations or retirement. It could be practiced in ordinary moments.
Five minutes can change everything
One of Marianne’s biggest misconceptions before becoming The Calm Coach was believing relaxation required large blocks of free time. It is something many people still believe today.
“We’ve been taught that if we need to relax, we must take all day, go on a vacation or enjoy a very long weekend,” she said.
Instead, Marianne teaches women to reclaim five minutes.
Sometimes that means quietly enjoying a cup of coffee before rushing into the day. Other times it means reading a few pages of a favorite book, practicing deep breathing or simply sitting in silence.
The activity matters less than the intention.
“Take five minutes somewhere in your day,” she explained. “Find something that you really are passionate about and that you miss doing because you’re so busy.”
She believes those small daily investments create lasting change because they become habits rather than occasional escapes.
“You don’t need an hour,” Marianne said. “Five minutes will do it, if you do it consistently.”
Choosing a different future
While Marianne’s personal practices improved her health, another experience reshaped her future.
One of her closest friends died unexpectedly at age 63.
The loss forced Marianne to confront a difficult question. Was she willing to spend the rest of her life trapped in a stressful environment while waiting for someday to arrive?
“Life is short,” she said. “We need to live it to the fullest.”
Around the same time, the workplace that once challenged her became increasingly toxic. She found herself realizing that no amount of meditation could completely offset an unhealthy environment.
Eventually, she decided enough was enough. Marianne retired from her IT career at age 60 and devoted herself fully to helping others avoid the mistakes she had lived herself.
The decision was not about escaping work, but instead choosing work that aligned with who she had become.
Helping women rewrite their story
Marianne’s clients often arrive believing they simply need better time management. Yet, they often discover something deeper.
Many have spent decades measuring their worth by productivity. They have become accustomed to carrying impossible expectations while believing everyone else’s needs should come first.
Marianne understands because she once lived the same way. Yet, rather than adding more obligations, she encourages women to begin subtracting.
For example, during workshops before the holidays she asks participants to identify traditions that bring the most stress instead of the most joy.
Then she asks an important question. “What if, just for this year, you don’t do it?”
For many women, even imagining that possibility feels uncomfortable. Yet, Marianne believes learning to say no creates room for saying yes to what truly matters.
Transformation beyond the yoga mat
While yoga introduced Marianne to a calmer life, she now sees it as only one piece of a much larger picture.
Her classes are intentionally gentle in order to welcome people of every age and ability. She especially enjoys teaching chair yoga to older adults who may never have imagined themselves practicing yoga at all.
Watching those students regain balance, confidence and mobility has become one of the most rewarding aspects of her work.
“They were able to get in and out of the car all of a sudden because they’ve been doing chair yoga,” she said. “That just touched my heart.”
She has also seen similar transformations through meditation and mindfulness.
To make meditation feel less intimidating, Marianne created free guided audio sessions lasting only three minutes.
Many people hesitate because they assume meditation requires sitting perfectly still for long periods or mastering complicated techniques.
Marianne simply invites them to pause, breathe and begin.
A richer second half
Like many guests featured on Forward From 50, Marianne rejects the idea that retirement is life’s finish line. She believes purpose remains essential long after careers end.
“It’s good to have a purpose when you’re retired,” she said. “Something that you feel you’re contributing to society.”
That belief has become the foundation of her own life.
She continues developing new programs, coaching women online and preparing her first wellness retreat. More importantly, Marianne wakes each morning knowing her experiences now serve someone else.
Years ago, she measured success by how much she could accomplish in a day. Today, she measures it by something entirely different.
Marianne smiles when students leave class looking noticeably lighter than when they arrived. She celebrates women who finally give themselves permission to rest without guilt. Most importantly, she finds fulfillment in helping others to discover that peace is not selfish, but necessary.
Looking back, Marianne wishes she had embraced these lessons decades earlier.
“I spent way too much time in my life stressing about things and doing things that I had no business doing,” she said.
Today, she uses those hard-earned lessons to help others change course sooner.
After turning 50, Marianne discovered that the greatest contribution she could make wasn’t accomplishing more. It was helping people realize they don’t have to spend their lives running faster.
For more information
People can connect with Marianne on these platforms:
- Website = www.mariannecrooch.com
- Facebook = www.facebook.com/marianne.crooch
- Instagram = www.instagram.com/mariannecrooch
- YouTube = www.youtube.com/@mariannecrooch
You can visit her website and subscribe to receive free three-minute audio meditations emailed to you from time to time.
