Refriending a Midlife Friendship: Can You Go Back?
When a deep connection derails, do you walk—or try again? One woman shares the raw truth of finding her way back. I fell for Martine not at first sight, but at first sound. Her accent? Parisian. Her laugh? Rumbly. Waiting for a seminar to start, I eavesdropped shamelessly as the woman behind me told her […]
It’s Not Them. It’s You. Why You’re Failing at Online Dating.
Here’s what dating coach Andrea McGinty tells women over 50 who complain about online dating: The problem isn’t the apps, the sites, or the men. It’s you. “People aren’t taking responsibility,” the author of 2nd Acts: The World’s Leading Online Dating Expert Shares 166 Practical No-Nonsense, Step-by-Step Approaches to Romance, said bluntly. “You don’t know […]
Reddit Gave Me Community, Chaos, and 47 Ways to Reuse a Ziploc
I was searching for a lasagna recipe. Two hours later, I was invested in a stranger’s wedding shrimp trauma. I’m a middle-aged woman with a Target Circle membership and a 9 p.m. bedtime. How did I end up emotionally invested in a fight about mushrooms? It started innocently enough. I was Googling “easy vegan dinners […]
Still Searching at 50, 60, 70? Try a Teen Guide to Reinvention.
What comes next in life? Advice from a book for teens. You don’t expect to feel lost at age 71. Yet here many of us are, staring down the future like a teenager without a plan. It boils down to feeling at a loss when we ask ourselves, “What now?” We’re not kids. We’ve raised […]
65 Truths About Turning 65
I wasn’t going to write about turning 65. Everyone expects the ‘hello Medicare, goodbye relevance’ piece, and honestly? We’ve seen enough of those. But as I woke up on my birthday, I realized I didn’t want to let this milestone slip by with a polite nod or an AARP joke. I wanted to capture what […]
SCHOOLED: What Happens When Your Midlife Purpose Project Goes Sideways
At 50+, I thought teaching creative writing to teens would be my reinvention moment. Instead, I found blank stares, slammed phones, and a harsh lesson in what really matters. Here it comes, another verbal assault from a skinny, snarly 14 year old. “I’m not f*cking doing this sh*t!” he declared, tearing up his paper, scattering […]
She Didn’t Just Move to Paradise. She Bottled It.
Beauty, Scent, and the Courage to Start Over When Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone lost her husband, she didn’t flee Bermuda—she stayed, turned grief into craft, and built a perfumery that captures the scent of a life fully lived. Standing in Isabelle Ramsay-Brackstone’s tropical walled garden, surrounded by oleander, passion flower, jasmine, and more, it was easy to […]
You Call It Smut, I Call It Self-Care: The Real Power of a Sexy Beach Read
Because turning pages that turn you on is more than indulgent—it’s liberating. I was celebrating the start of summer poolside in Key West when I hit the good part of my beach book. You know the part I mean—the hot scene that gets the heroine going and then works its magic on you as well. […]
Call Me Anything But Grandma: Choosing a Grandma Name That Actually Fits
Becoming a Grandma Isn’t What It Used to Be—And Neither Are the Names Not “girl.” Not “sweetie.” And maybe not “Nana,” either. When I became a grandmother, I realized this might be the first time in my life I got to choose the grandma name everyone would call me—without anyone’s input but my own. Not […]
Retirement Guilt Is Real: Why It Hurts So Much—and What to Do About It
I always thought retirement would feel like a celebration. A party at Avra, a Cartier watch I bought for myself, and a dirty martini before noon—served icy cold and unapologetic, just how I like it. I spent 15 years in the trenches building my last business. Just me, a laptop, and way too many late […]
This Mother’s Day I’m Choosing Me: A Midlife Mom Manifesto
Tina Fey said, “Being a mom has made me so tired. And so happy.” Agreed, Tina. Happy and tired are the conjoined synonyms of parenting, and the constant sacrifice for your kids’ well-being and happiness is never clearer than on Mother’s Day. In 2014, when my kids were nine and three, they took me to […]
Stop Being So Damn Available: The Revolutionary Act of Going Quiet
When was the last time you went completely off the grid? Not the “let me check one more email” kind of quiet. I mean the real deal—phone off, door closed, world on mute. If you’re squirming just thinking about it, we need to talk about solitude. Society has programmed women to be perpetually available. The […]
