Therapist to Offer Session on Youthful Beauty

By Amanda Daniels
UNION-TRIBUNE COMMUNITY NEWS WRITER

September 13, 2006

DAN TREVAN / Union-Tribune Workshop leader Wendy Hill wore a contest sash as she posed for a photo outside her home. Hill competed in the Ms. Senior California pageant last weekend.

Last year, she decided to have some fun with her own inner child and entered the San Diego preliminary contest for the Ms. Senior California of America Pageant, an event for women 60 and older.

She placed as a runner-up, went on to compete in other pageants and, last weekend, was one of 16 finalists for Ms. Senior California.

Hill has a master's degree in psychology and a bachelor's degree in speech with a minor in history and sociology. She wrote a book on her field and developed an interactive DVD personal-growth workshop.

She said competing in the pageant, which includes an interview, short speech, talent portion and runway walk in a gown, was pure fun.

Hill learned to sing later in life and worked long hours to develop her voice.

She has been a therapist for 32 years and often used music in her workshops to help people identify with their feelings.

“I would play the songs in the workshop and people absolutely loved it,” Hill said. “When you get into that environment where there is so much love and music, the natural thing is to want to sing.”

She took her first voice lesson about 20 years ago and said she was so horrible that her teacher told her give it up.

But she stuck with it.

Now Hill performs in public and has written a number of songs. She won first place last year in the annual Senior Talent Contest in Balboa Park sponsored by the San Diego Park and Recreation Department's Senior Citizen Services.

Hill said people have asked her how she can be smart, responsible and serious in her career and yet participate in a pageant, which many consider superficial.

“It gives me an opportunity to sing,” she said, “and it keeps me mindful of my position as a role model.

“It's OK to have that kind of fun,” she added.

She said her mother reminded her that as a little girl, Hill always wanted to be the Rose Queen in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, where she grew up.

“There's a little girl in all of us who still wants to be the fairy princess,” Hill said, chuckling.

People have also asked her how she stays youthful, which led her to develop a workshop, “10 Secrets for a Lifetime of Youthful Beauty,” that she will lead from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in her office in Encinitas.

The first “secret” is to maintain self-confidence. A couple of others are also esoteric, such as to pursue personal spirituality and a life purpose.

Some advice relates to more tangible concepts, such as eating healthfully, smiling, exercising and caring for personal hygiene.

For more information on the workshop visit www.wendyhill.com.