Happy First Anniversary Club Fifty

Special Edition!!

Club Fifty Golden Diva Interview with Brenda McCain

By Donna Terrell

Club Fifty is now one year old! What an accomplishment for Brenda McCain, the creative visionary behind this great blog! She is a wife, an author, a radio show host and producer, counselor, speaker, and theater critic as well as a dynamic woman of God who, along with her minister husband, shares the Word of God in her own way. Today Club Fifty celebrates THE Golden Diva herself!

Wife, Marriage Counselor, Author, Speaker, Radio Host, Theater Critic, and Blogger

Brenda will be married for 24 years (this August) to the love of her life Rev. Rick McCain. She attends New Faith Baptist Church International under the leadership of Pastors Trunnell and Alexis Felder. Brenda loves co-teaching alongside her husband in the Married Couples Ministry.

Her first romance novel titled “Walking Upright- Order My Steps” debuted April of 2011 and her fresh voice in Christian Fiction took readers by storm. Her motto is to give her readers a taste of “Christian Fiction sprinkled with the favor of God!” 

Brenda finds great joy speaking to women of all ages to build one another up instead of tearing each other down. She lives by this motto “The only time I will look down on my sister is when I am trying to pull her up!” 

She also wears the “Diva Hat” as a “Radio Personality” in which she co-hosts a weekly show with her husband called “Let’s Stay Together Talk!” Their motto is “To Know God’s Glory; We Must Share Our Backstory!” Brenda is also a Chicagoland theater critic and she is a contributing writer for Chicago Defender newspaper. Mrs. McCain has a personal blog called Club Fifty a sanctuary where women that are 50+ can connect with one another.

Brenda loves to spread the word of Jesus Christ greatness through everyday circumstances via relatable characters in her book, or peeling back the layers with their energetic guests on their radio show or connecting with women through her blog to form a bond of the sisterhood of the best of “Golden Living” on the other side of 50.

IN CONVERSATION WITH BRENDA  MCCAIN

 DT: You are a busy woman! What’s your day like?

BM: Whew! That’s a great question. I’m extremely busy, but I am grateful to say that I am. My day usually starts off with my “Me Time” with God to get me through the day by reading my daily devotional and then my scriptures. I’m going through “A One-Year Bible Reading Plan.” You know the Bible is the best book ever written!

From there my mind is clear to tackle my “Labor of Love” to-do list, which consists of the following: managing the household to keep things in order, counseling women, and running errands. Then my administrative duties begin by checking my calendar, voicemails, emails, and texts to make sure I’m not missing a beat in my daily grind.

Once I get an idea of what’s going on in my outside world, I can focus on letting my creative juices flow by finding information for my “Club Fifty” blog. If it’s a Tuesday, I’m primarily getting ready with some pertinent information to provide for our loyal listeners at “Let’s Stay Together Talk”, a radio show that I co-host for 2 hours with my husband Rev. Rick McCain and Tracy Howard. As a Theater Critic, my husband and I find hidden gems in Chicagoland by seeing 3-4 plays a week for “Let’s Play” so that we can enlighten people to see the stage production with our review.

DT: Your vision for Club Fifty was to share issues—or woes—of menopause, as well as life and living in our 50s. How has that evolved?

BM: I am so happy that when Club Fifty launched last year, it was received well. C50 has evolved wonderfully, and I honestly enjoy the feedback that I am receiving from women of all ages. It has been a blessing to share things that I have discovered about life on the other side of 50 with my Golden Divas and to receive some good advice on how to tackle life in general and some menopausal problems as they occur.

DT: What do you find most challenging about the blog?

BM: The most challenging thing for me was NOT the topics because there are plenty when it comes to menopause, but to try to post every Wednesday due to my hectic schedule. I think I missed my post-date only one time since I started my blog. However, I try my best to meet the deadline that I acquired for myself because it is so encouraging to know that women look forward to reading my blog on the designated day of Wednesday. 

I established a date pattern that works for my readers and me. Another factor that I find challenging is to get women to subscribe to my blog and make a comment on the website. I usually get more feedback on what they read on my blog on Facebook in a comment, inbox, email, or phone call. I would truly like for my readers to respond back to the blog with their comments. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am appreciative of any and all feedback it’s just that we can communicate better if we are all on the same page. No pun attended.  

 DT: What are you most proud of?

BM: I’m most proud of the sisterhood and the bond that I have formed with women that I have known for many years and women whom I have just met recently who opened up and shared their story of how they are living a productive fun-filled life on the other side of 50. The transparency is overloaded with endless information on how we can handle certain situations. I love all of the discussions about menopause and the great advice from my elder sisters have been phenomenal. 

DT: Who is your dream Golden Diva interview?

BM: My dream Golden Diva interview would be to sit down with “Lady O.” I have always admired Oprah Winfrey’s humble beginnings, her honesty on so many topics as a woman, and how she walks in her truth. I feel that she will be as candid about the living on the other side of fifty, the aging process, and going through menopause as she is with every aspect of her life. If given the opportunity to sit down and interview her it will be explosive with information that will encourage and inspire us all, plus it will be a very fun interview! 

DT: You’re year two into Club Fifty. What did you achieve?

BM: Time sure does fly fast! Over the year since I have started my blog, I have achieved that if you put your mind to doing something to help others God will continue to support you and manifest all of your dreams so that they can come true.

My biggest dream for Club Fifty was much like my dream for our radio show, our motto: “To Know God’s Glory; We Must Share Our Backstory!”

 I wanted to create a blog to reach like-minded women to open up and share their backstories on what they have experienced going through the “Change of Life” or what they are going through now so that we will know that we are not alone in this stage in our lives.

The “Sisterhood Circle” has been formed, and hopefully, it will not be broken because when we share, it shows how much we care and how God is moving in our lives to help one another. 

DT: Do you have a role model?

 BM: My role model is my mother Everlean Eckols-Seals. She is the epitome of a woman of faith and perseverance. I admire this God-fearing woman so much because she has been through a lot in her life, but she always held her head up high and tackled whatever problem that was hurled at her, believing that this too will pass. This virtuous woman knows that God is above all of her circumstances, and due to her prayers and faith it made me a better woman.

DT: What’s your process as theater critics? 

BM: As I mentioned earlier Rick and I see about 3-4 plays a week. We’re the only African-American married duo that review plays around Chicagoland for the Chicago Defender, ChicagoNow, and TheatreinChicago. It is a blessing to be able to have the respect of Chris Jones from Chicago Tribune and Hedy Weiss, a former critic from Chicago Sun-Times.

Our process entails me starting off the review because I’m the fact finder. I usually add my thoughts first of what I thought about the play, and Rick brings it home by putting his input and spin on it! Most people think we agree on everything about a play that we have seen, but we are two different people with two different opinions. However, it is fun working side-by-side with my husband doing play reviews, and it’s always a good (working) date to go to so many diverse plays and after-parties to meet the actors. LOL.

DT: Your book, Walking Upright, came out in 2011. What’s next for author Brenda McCain?

BM: To complete my second novel. I’ve been sitting on another book that is halfway written for many years now. I truly believe that it will touch a lot of women when it is completed. I’m going through the pruning stages, and as I clear my schedule and long as God is ordering my steps it will be finished. 

DT: If you can go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you tell her?

 BM: BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!! Despite what others might tell you to discourage you, keep the faith because God will always work things out in your favor as you continue to put Him first!  

 BONUS QUESTION

DT: How do you wind down?

BM: Lawd Jesus! When we get that chance (so far in between) I wind down by cuddling up to Rick watching a good movie or catching up on some television shows that we like to watch together. I’m also an avid reader so any chance I get to read an article from my peers or a good book I’m enthralled with, or talk verbally to my girlfriends. Lastly, with all of the writing I do for my blog, the radio show, and play reviews I still wind down by penning my thoughts in my journal.  

DT: There you have it the script has been flipped and the founder Brenda McCain of this fabulous blog Club Fifty is the Golden Diva have been interviewed for this special edition!

BM: Thank you, Donna Terrell, for honoring me for my first Club Fifty Anniversary!!