A reminder that timelines are bullsh*t

‍You’re too old to do the things you wanted to do. That ship has sailed.

The world is no longer looking at you.

You have to be exactly as you were ten or twenty years ago to remain interesting.

These are some of the lies I told myself as I got older. Not because deep down I believed them to be true, but because we live in an ageist society where women’s options are limited and bodies shamed for millennia. When you get to a certain age, the world says, it’s time to wind down. 

Today, I want to remind you that society’s timelines are bullsh*t.

Just look at Viola Davis, who won her first Oscar at 51. Or Julia Child, who didn’t publish her first cookbook until 49. Leslie Jones joined SNL at 47 after decades in stand-up. Tabitha Brown went viral at 41 and built an entire lifestyle brand. Carla Hall pivoted from accounting to celebrity chef in her 40s. Regina Flemming didn’t start running until 51 and became an award-winning marathoner. Molly Sims (listen to my conversation with her here) raised $15 million in funding for a skincare brand she started at 49.

How did they find fearlessness at a stage in life when so many of us are terrified of “aging out” and becoming invisible? What guidance can their stories offer about our own potential to pivot?

When I highlighted some of these women on my Instagram, I heard from thousands of women in this community who wrote in to tell their stories, too. “I started medical school at 50,” one woman wrote. “Never too late to become who you might have been❤️”. Another one commented, “I went to Yale medical school at 39 as a mama of 4, first NYT bestseller at 54!”. And an author wrote in to share that she published her first book at 50 and is currently writing her 16th.

These are all women who deviated from the well-worn path and wrote a new story for themselves, one that they believed in. They embraced curiosity and had faith in themselves. Of course, they had their tough moments, but that didn’t deter them.

There’s a quote from Regina Flemming that I think about often. “I tell everyone, imagine that there are many seeds in us. One day, the seed bloomed and I became a runner. Who knows what other seeds that are in me and what else I can do that I don’t even know! That goes for everyone, we are more than we think we are and we can do more than we think that we can do.”

I love that. You are more than you think you are and you can do more than you think you can do. Because there is no timeline, and there is no time limit. It’s never too late to change your life.

This topic has been on my mind ever since talking with Molly Sims a few weeks back. Molly has done it all: she’s a supermodel, actress, author, entrepreneur, and podcast host. I wanted her to come on the podcast because I knew she was the perfect person to reveal why midlife can be your most powerful chapter yet.

In this episode, Molly Sims and I talk about:

• The mindset behind successful career pivots
• What it takes to be an “it girl”
• Overcoming rejection and imposter syndrome
• Heartbreak in your 30s and dating after 35
• Hormonal acne, melasma, and skincare for women over 40
• Perimenopause skin changes and confidence
• Starting and scaling a business in midlife
• Trusting your gut in business and leadership

If you’ve ever felt pressured or confined to timelines, then this episode is for you. By the end of it, you’ll be empowered to live out the life you’ve always wanted.

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