08/21/2026
When I was a kid, the minute someone turned 40, people threw them an over-the-hill party. Black balloons. Gray streamers. Tombstones. Very uplifting stuff.
Of course, I thought 40 or 50 meant you were officially an old person. Possibly someone’s grandma. Definitely done doing anything interesting.
Gen X seems to have rejected that entire concept.
I sometimes think about my life in decades. Every chapter has been different.
I traveled all over the world. I had a lot of fun in New York City. I built a career and spent years learning how to become better at business. I tried things, changed direction, raised children, built relationships and ran a wildly successful burlesque troupe along the way.
I have lived a big life.
The past couple of years have also been incredibly hard. The hurricane stripped away far more than a building. It forced me to look at my value, my contribution and what I actually want from the next part of my life.
I had time to feel things I had been too busy to feel and ask questions I had been too busy to ask.
I still have a lot left in me.
Women over 50 are building businesses, leading teams, changing careers, making art and contributing in powerful ways. We are not winding down. In many ways, we are just getting to the good part. I hate to see women my age feel like they need to quietly quit life. I'm literally grabbing it by the balls, just going to bed earlier.
We have the experience, the mistakes, the stories and all the lessons learned behind the scenes. We know ourselves better. We care less about proving things that never mattered.
“54 and ready for more” was coined by my friend Kristen, and she nailed it.
More life. More creativity. More contribution. More fun.
Definitely fewer over-the-hill decorations.
