Old Dogs. New Tricks. Young Dogs. Great Teachers.

Why wisdom has nothing to do with age…and everything to do with openness.

We often associate wisdom with years lived, mistakes made and lessons hard-won. We like to think that growing older means growing wiser. That experience equals insight. That if someone has seen enough, they must understand more.

But let’s be honest. That’s not always true, is it?

Sometimes age just… happens.
Sometimes what we call “experience” is just repetition.
Sometimes what we mistake for wisdom is just stubbornness wearing a smarter jacket.

And I say that as a man who spent many of his early years trying very hard to prove all the clichés of youth right; arrogant, insecure, blustery…basically full of sh*t! The works.

And now? In my mid 50s, I find myself encountering the opposite assumption: that my years alone should grant me gravitas. That just because I’ve made it this far, I must have something worthy to pass on.

Here’s what I’ve learned.

• Age does not guarantee wisdom.
• Insecurity doesn’t always age out.
• And some of the most courageous, insightful, grounded perspectives I’ve heard lately have come from people more than half my age.

Just this month, I met two extraordinary 21-year-olds. Their clarity, openness and depth of insight stopped me in my tracks. They weren’t pretending to know everything. They were simply present. Curious. Honest. Brave enough to question everything, including themselves.

And I found myself wondering:

What if we started talking about the wisdom of youth?

What if we acknowledged that those with fewer years can often see more clearly, precisely because they haven’t been conditioned out of their truth yet?

And, here’s the kicker; what if those of us who are older could stop defending our expertise long enough to really, genuinely listen?

Because in this work, whether I’m coaching women 1:1 or guiding them through my programme Turning the Tables, one of the biggest barriers to transformation is the belief that we already know. That the way it’s been is the way it has to be. That insight only comes from above or from those with more.

It doesn’t.

Real transformation? It comes from humility. From the willingness to be surprised. From seeing with fresh eyes and letting go of what no longer fits.

And that includes our own assumptions about age, power and worth.

So here’s the gentle challenge I’d offer you (and myself):

Let’s stop waiting to become the “wise woman” or the “wise man” at some future milestone.
And instead, let’s become the learner again. The question-asker. The one willing to say: I don’t know but I’d love to hear what you think.

Because the truth is, some of the best teachers you’ll ever meet might be younger than you, older than you or sitting quietly in the mirror, waiting for permission to speak.

Wisdom isn’t about age.

It’s about presence.
It’s about openness.
And it’s about remembering that the only people who ever change the world are the ones who keep learning.