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 […]
The Lady on the Horse: What a Magazine Cover Revealed About My Mother—and Me
The Painting That Watched Over My Childhood Mess Is Now on a Magazine Cover The irony isn’t lost on me. When Traditional Home landed in my mailbox earlier this month, I stared at the cover and felt my breath catch. There she was—chin perched in hand, velvet skirt draped too long, sitting atop a disproportionately […]
Touched by Time: I Went to See Cave Art. I Left With a New Understanding of Myself
In the depths of a French cave, 17,000-year-old drawings cracked open something I didn’t know I was missing. Spiritual is not a word people commonly associate with me. My sister in New York is the one who channels and manifests. I’ve long said the wrong sister moved to California. No personal God or goddesses for […]
Smart Women are Going Fractional After 50—and Taking Control
Fractional leadership isn’t a consolation prize. It’s how women over 50 are finally making work work for them. There’s a new F-word in the workplace: Fractional. And for a rising number of women in their 50s and 60s, that means freedom, not failure. Sick and tired of being passed over, aged out, or overworked for […]
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 […]
Stop Hiding—the Camera Is Your New Resume
If You’re Serious About Reinvention, Buy the Tripod and Hit Record You’ve worked hard, maybe you’ve raised a family, got divorced, or survived something you don’t like to talk about. If you’ve made it to midlife, chances are, you’ve got some battle scars … and stories. But if you’re planning a second act, whether it’s […]
Still Pulling G’s: Patty Wagstaff on Flying, Aging, and Staying the Course
Patty Wagstaff doesn’t care if you think she’s too old to fly upside down. At 73, the aerobatic legend is still defying gravity—and everyone’s expectations. As the first woman to win the U.S. National Aerobatic Championship, she broke into a male-dominated world and never looked back—flying on her own terms. Patty Wagstaff: The Sky Is […]
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 […]
