Eden Kendall is literally running through life. Kendall jokes that she basically has two speeds: sloth or tornado. As a serious runner, she plans to run all seven world major marathons. “Last year we travelled to Australia and I ran the Sydney. I have run the Chicago, Boston and New York marathons, all over the last three years, so that leaves Tokyo, Berlin and London. That, and just being happy and healthy are my main goals,” she says.
“I’m obviously very active, so that’s important to me, as is spending time with my husband,” she shares. Kendall and her husband Steve Thomas enjoy life together as empty nesters. “He golfs and runs, maybe more recreationally than I do, but he still attends all the 5Ks and the Gate River Run. We have a good time. Neither of us are planning to retire anytime soon.”
A mainstay of Jacksonville media for over thirty years, she recently returned to WJXT’s River City Live, a weekday morning program where she previously worked for ten years and now co-hosts with Rance Adams.
Kendall made her mark as co-host on a number of radio stations, most notably WAPE, the Big Ape Morning Zoo, and WGNE-FM Gator Country.
“Back then, I would leave my house at four thirty in the morning, get to the radio station, stay there for a few hours, get to the TV station and stay all day. It was an eleven-and-a-half-hour day, Monday through Friday. I did that until two and a half yearsago, when I just couldn’t anymore. I decided to just do radio and keep my days free. When the opportunity arose to come back to TV, I thought, this could be a great opportunity for a reset. And it has been. I’m having so much fun,” Kendall shares.
Even a go-getter like her admits to struggling with imposter syndrome.“If I get a compliment, I’m shaking my head, like, I’m glad I’m giving that impression, but really I’m like that duck that’s kicking furiously underwater. I’m stressed about my hair being frizzy, my lines showing. I’m not ashamed of my age, but at the same time, I don’t want to look old. You know, when someone compliments you, then there’s a ‘for your age’, even if it’s just implied, it’s difficult to hear. I know other women feel this way, which is kind of how my podcast got started,” Kendall admits.
She and her long-time friend and professional organizer, Christine Stone co-host the “Uncluttered and Unfiltered” podcast. “We cover all the things women over 50 are thinking about, you know, sex, relationships, fashion, all of it, every part of it… being an empty nester, downsizing, menopause…Nearly three years later, it’s been amazing and kind of eye opening. I’m not trying to act younger than I am, but I also don’t want to act my age. Like right now, I’m taking roller skating lessons, because the middle school and high school kid in me would have gotten such a huge kick to know that at almost fifty-nine years old I’m roller skating around in my kitchen.”
She said they have a couple thousand ladies following the podcast on Facebook and hopes to see their audience continue to grow. As for pearls of wisdom, Kendall offers “the next time you find yourself saying I’m too old for that, stop right there. And ask yourself, according to who? Because if it’s not your doctor, then just do it!”
Watch River City Live weekdays from 9:30 am to 10:00 am on WJXT-TV. The podcast Uncluttered and Unfiltered can be found on wherever you find your podcasts or at Uclutteredandunfiltered.com.
