Jan Howard has overcome poverty, tragedy and more to become a legend of the Grand Ole Opry. Today, she is one of only three women considered “grand ladies” of the Opry.

Her voice is on just about every album Johnny Cash recorded in the 1960s and ’70s. She reached the charts herself with her 1966 hit, “Evil On Your Mind” and penned several successful songs for other artists.

Now 87, Jan tells Growing Bolder age is just a number to her. She says she’s known old 30-year-old and young 90-year-olds and for her, it’s all about attitude. She explains how she’s learned to love and embrace her age.

She’s also had to overcome some hardships, including the deaths of her two sons, surviving abuse and living in extreme poverty. Jan tells us how she found the strength to keep moving forward, especially in the dark days after her son Jimmy died in Vietnam.