Biography
Heidi Herman spent more than thirty years in the telecommunications industry, becoming one of the most skilled cost management consultants in the country. Her career included specialties in sales, systems installation, training, and contract negotiation, giving her a broad understanding of business which she later applied to entrepreneurship, first in a successful multi-location restaurant and later in a boutique publishing company. She had authored seven books in five genres, the most recent a motivational book, "On With the Butter! Spread More Living onto Everyday Life." Today, she continues to write between time spent on motivational speaking, travel, and a variety of hobbies.
Passion
I have a passion to share the message of seeking vitality in life at any age and especially building a purpose in life beyond work. It starts when we're midlifers and lays the groundwork for a happy and fulfilling retirement. My Mom was my inspiration and taught me how to truly embrace life through her example - embracing opportunity, being a successful entrepreneur, and exhibiting a zest for life by white water rafting, ziplining, and paragliding even at the age of 93! I love sharing the philosophy and mindset to help others live life so fully for so long.
After posthumously finishing Mom's final book - a photojournal chronicling 93 new life experiences when she was 93 years old, I was compelled to go further and write beyond Mom's story. I wanted to create a motivational guidebook that anyone could follow to create that level of passion and activity in their own life. The result was my book, "On With the Butter! Spread More Living onto Everyday Life." The title comes from the Icelandic expression Áfram með Smjörið, which means 'Carry on, keep doing what you're doing, forge ahead, and keep moving.' It's a mantra we can all benefit from! I am happy to be donating the net proceeds of paperback sales from that book to Generations United, a non-profit focused on multigenerational projects and programs.
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I sometimes get paid for speaking
Topics
Origin Story
That path provided much more than a new hobby or just a sense of accomplishment. My mother (then over 90 years old) and I traveled, and many people were inspired by mom’s vitality and zest for life. I realized that I had naturally emulated my mom’s outlook and created a lifestyle based on those philosophies. I wanted to create something that would help people achieve more vitality in their own lives. That thought led to a motivational book entitled “On With the Butter” that Kirkus review called “A sunny self-help guide that aims to reveal the secret to an active and exuberant lifestyle."
The book came from Mom’s final book that I completed after her passing in 2019. Mom’s last work was a photojournal of a year she dubbed “93 and new to me.” The idea was to find and experience 93 things she hadn’t done before - all between her 93rd and 94th birthdays - to prove you’re never too old for something new. She inspired everyone around her, including me, and I now continue that legacy by sharing the philosophy with those around me.
Example talks
Living Well at Every Age
A great session for libraries, book clubs, and writer's conferences, this hour-long motivational session looks at how a life philosophy became an inspirational book. An Icelandic immigrant, Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman, lived a full and active life into her nineties, fueled by a Scandinavian philosophy that it's never too late to try new things. In this 60 minute program, Íeda's daughter, author Heidi Herman, will talk about her mom's year of 93 new things and Ieda’s photo journal book, "Never Too Late," which chronicles those experiences.
Heidi will also discuss her own b ook, "On With the Butter!," a motivational book inspired by her mother’s example. It’s a book about active aging that's been hailed by US Review of Books as a 'fresh perspective on living well at any age' and called 'an upbeat and sincere primer on living one's best life' by Kirkus Review.
Legendary Iceland: Land of Fire & Ice
Take a journey through Iceland, a land where legends come alive, led by an Icelandic-American author. This presentation is a virtual vacation of Iceland, blending the breathtaking landscapes and fascinating history with the unique mythology of this Nordic culture.
This photograph and video tour takes attendees along the famous ring road across the entire country, where they learn about the landscape, the country’s history and folklore and the culture of today. A fascinating and entertaining presentation on one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations.
Vitality of a Viking
A keynote presentation of living life is based on Scandinavian ideals and the books On With the Butter! by Heidi Herman and Never Too Late by Íeda Jónasdóttir Herman and Heidi Herman.
Using philosophies from all five Scandinavian countries, this program enlightens and motivates attendees to achieve balance between work and personal life. Understanding what you do for a living is only a part of your entire existence allows you to find a more purposeful life beyond work and an outlook that increases vitality, extending beyond career and into retirement. The concepts of Friluftsliv (Norway), Hygge (Denmark), Lagom (Sweden), Þetta reddast (Iceland) and Sisu (Finland) can’t be translated to indiviaul words in English. They represent ideas and philosophies fundamental to the Scandinavian culture but can be understood and applied to American lifestyles to increase vitality and purposefulness in life, balancing working and living.
Passionate Aging - A Midlife Mind Reset
Personal and professional success improves through putting vitality and purpose in life beyond work. Mental exhaustion, burnout, and loss of passion occur when what we do becomes the sum of who we are, when our personal identities are closely linked to our careers. Finding purpose and passion in casual or playful pursuits separate from career is vital to healthy lifestyle balance and long-term happiness!
This entertaining and informative session pulls from my motivational book, On With the Butter! Spread More Living onto Everyday Life. Leaning on my own thirty years in corporate telecommunications and understanding the motivation, I help professionals understand and embrace progression planning, mentoring emerging leaders, and working towards fulfilling retirements. I offer practical guidance to balance work and play and find hobbies, interests, and activities that bring vitality and purpose to life outside of work.
"On With the Butter is a wonderful and inspiring book! Through Heidi Herman's vibrant and engaging, and often humorous stories, intertwined with unique ideas and helpful information, she encourages curiosity, connection, and a call to action.” - Laura Haw, Adjunct Instructor in Aging Studies, University of Indianapolis
“Heidi was a pleasure to work with, was knowledgeable about the subject matter, and was able to work through any technical hurdle during the recording. She is an experienced public speaker, who exhibited passion for the subject of which she spoke.” - Julie DeStefano, Belmont Gallery of Art