‘Overqualified’ Is Just Polite Code for ‘Too Damn Old’
For women over 50, “overqualified” isn’t a compliment. It’s a slick way to keep talent on the sidelines. Experience and maturity aren’t liabilities—and what employers overlook, women can reclaim. Sexism hits women of every age, and ageism hits all genders. But older women get the double whammy. Just when we’re hitting our stride—peak experience, peak […]
My Coping Superpower: Finding Humor in the Darkness
There’s Nothing Funny About Illness, Grief, or Loss. Except the Parts That Are. I’m in Philly FaceTiming with my sister Sue in Florida. She’s at Memory Care packing up our mother’s belongings and looking for an outfit to bury her in. This is no small task, given the devolution of her wardrobe from cute Chico’s […]
Middle-aged Women: Myths, Truth, and the Eye Roll You Deserve
Ten Myths Busted and No Patience Left Welcome to middle age! You’ve magically morphed into an invisible creature ready to spontaneously combust from hot flashes and the internal rage you feel when trying to figure out your new iPhone. You hate sex, fashion, and anything fun and you’re more than a little bitter about it. […]
Meet Your New Money Coach: AI. She Doesn’t Judge.
Smart, speedy, occasionally wrong: How to use AI for money questions without blowing up your plan. Step one: Inherit a fortune. Step two: Ask a chatbot what to do with it. Step three: Almost disinherit your children. Welcome to the brave new world of AI financial advice: smart-ish, fast, and occasionally tone-deaf. Cary Carbonaro, a […]
Good Lingerie Is a Love Letter to You and Your Body
Lingerie isn’t about seduction anymore—it’s about owning beauty and pleasure on your own terms. Whether you know it or not, your underwear speaks volumes about your self-image. Hear me out: Your drawer probably holds a bunch of everyday items—the workhorse cotton briefs or the bra that keeps it all in place, but looks like a […]
What Do You Call a Memoir in 18 Words? A Minimoir.
Eighteen words to capture a life. Our new Minimoir™ Challenge proves small stories can reveal the biggest truths. As we age, and in this age of short attention spans, I wondered if I could write my memoir in 18 words. I called it a minimoir. Why 18? The number 18 is the numerical value of the […]
Rewatching The Wizard of Oz as a Grown-Ass Woman
I had the power all along. But also? I’m tired. Some women find spiritual awakening in yoga. I find emotional clarity watching a teenage girl commit involuntary manslaughter via house and then politely apologize for the inconvenience. I’m talking, of course, about The Wizard of Oz. I’ve watched it so many times I could serve […]
What I Want My Daughter to Know About ‘Having It All’
A boomer who tried; a millennial who calls out the lie. “’Having it all’ is a lie,” my daughter told me, eight months pregnant and still working at her desk. She’s a banker. I’m a boomer. We had the conversation my generation was too polite to have. The women in her orbit—banking, tech, consulting—recite the […]
The 10-3-2-1 Sleep Method: A Middle-Aged Woman’s Countdown to Sanity
No gadgets, no apps, no supplements—just a back-to-basics formula that might finally help you sleep through the night. 2:47 a.m. Wide awake again. My husband snores peacefully next to me (after taking a full three minutes to fall asleep, I might add) and I lie awake mentally reviewing next week’s menu and rehearsing what I […]
Hold the Next Act—I’m Taking an Intermission
Forget the reinvention memoirs and mountaintop goat yoga for now. Sometimes midlife isn’t about a comeback, it’s about catching your breath. I’ve recently been informed—mostly by targeted ads, glossy articles featuring women doing goat yoga on a mountaintop, and lifestyle “gurus”—that I’m supposed to be entering my “Second Act.” You know what I’m talking about. […]
The Grandchild Drought: Why So Many Women Feel Left Out of the Grandma Club
With birthrates falling, more women over 50 are discovering they may never be grandmothers. The loss is real—and society’s judgment makes it worse. Gazing out at her tidy suburban backyard, Tanya Leslie* sighed. “This lawn ought to be filled with toys, a swing set, a kiddie pool—but no,” she said. The 66-year-old retired media exec […]
My Own Bedroom Was Just the Start: Selfhood and Autonomy Inside Marriage
At 2:00 a.m. on a Tuesday, I realized the real problem wasn’t my husband’s snoring—it was me disappearing. I reached over, poked him in the arm, and asked him to turn over. Yet again. Thirty seconds later, I grabbed my pillows, walked upstairs to the guest room, and—for the first time in 26 years—chose myself. […]
