A Certain Age

Ever feel like you're living someone else's timeline? At midlife, many of us realize we've been following imaginary rules that keep us stuck in "fine." Author, poet, and "beauty hunter" Jennifer Pastiloff blew up her "fine" life at 50, leaving her marriage and discovering she'd expanded, not destroyed, her life. Now, Jen opens the pages of her latest bestseller "Proof of Life" to explore how to let go of perfectionism and shame, why curiosity is a lifeline, and how embracing the "school of whatever works" can power you forward. We also investigate biggies like: How do you silence your "inner asshole"? What does it mean to stop abandoning yourself for approval? Why are you already proof of your own worthiness? Honest, open, and full of warmth, Jen will inspire you to stop waiting for permission and start living before you “run out of light.” Listen in for a conversation that feels like a late-night chat with a beloved, old friend. FOLLOW A CERTAIN AGE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GET INBOX INSPO: Sign up for our newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AGE BOLDLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We share new episodes, giveaways, links we love, and midlife resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every parent dreams of an easy, predictable path, but life rarely cooperates with our expectations. Meet Eileen Flood O'Connor, debut author and mother of four, who chronicles a 20+ year journey with her daughter Erin's autism in a gorgeous, joy-drenched essay collection "Eating Pizza Backwards." The book toggles between diagnosis day grief and celebrating grocery store dance parties, revealing waves of gratitude for the many helpers and moments of wonder uncovered day by day, year by year. We explore big questions—How do you parent a child who experiences the world differently? Can unexpected challenges strengthen rather than break relationships? What if slowing down actually speeds up your happiness? Listen in for a frank, honest conversation on navigating life's unexpected turns and learning how to hold grief in one hand and joy in the other. FOLLOW A CERTAIN AGE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GET INBOX INSPO: Sign up for our newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AGE BOLDLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We share new episodes, giveaways, links we love, and midlife resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Midlife often brings a reckoning with ambition—are we crushing goals or just burning out? If you feel squeezed between chasing your dreams and protecting your wellbeing, you're not alone. For executive coach Amina AlTai, author of The Ambition Trap, relentless overwork led to a devastating health crisis. Now, Amina guides high achievers toward a revolutionary approach to success. We explore the difference between"painful" and "purposeful" ambition and how to recognize when you're operating below your "resentment line." Amina's framework helps you identify the five core wounds driving unhealthy ambition and offers practical tools for honoring your needs while still achieving your goals—without sacrificing your health or relationships. We also explore her concept of "zones of genius," why the healthiest people welcome emotional diversity, and ambition as a force for collective flourishing. Get ready to rewire your relationship to success! FOLLOW A CERTAIN AGE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GET INBOX INSPO: Sign up for our newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AGE BOLDLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We share new episodes, giveaways, links we love, and midlife resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stop letting society tell you your best years are behind you. Author, activist, podcaster, and polymath Reshma Saujani (founder of Girls Who Code and Moms First) is turning up the volume as she approaches 50. Reshma calls BS on what she calls the "midlife penalty"—the price we pay in status, health, and earning power as we age. We get into the biggies like: How do you rebel against a culture that wants you invisible? What does the "midlife penalty" cost women over 50? How can we evolve to become "broken open" versus burning out? In a world that calls on women to shrink (and then disappear at a certain age), this convo is a call to keep expanding, beauties! SPONSORED BY KION:  Save 20% at getkion.com/age   FOLLOW A CERTAIN AGE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GET INBOX INSPO: Sign up for our newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AGE BOLDLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We share new episodes, giveaways, links we love, and midlife resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many millennial women are sleepwalking toward menopause—unprepared for what's coming during this critical life stage. At 39, reproductive mental health expert Lauren Tetenbaum had a shocking realization—she knew nothing about menopause despite her expertise in women’s health. Now at 40, after interviewing hundreds of menopause experts and everyday women, she sounds a “get ready” clarion call and offers a science-backed playbook for thriving in peri/menopause and beyond with her new book "Millennial Menopause.” Lauren uncovers treatment options for symptoms you thought were "just life now," how to advocate for yourself when healthcare providers dismiss you, and why men need to be part of this conversation. This show is for anyone—no matter your generation—who has wandered the thickets of menopause “dazed and confused.” FOLLOW A CERTAIN AGE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GET INBOX INSPO: Sign up for our newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AGE BOLDLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We share new episodes, giveaways, links we love, and midlife resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We get roughly 4,000 Mondays in a lifetime—are you making the most of your days? Jodi Wellman, author of "You Only Die Once," discovered the power of no-regret living after finding her late mother's apartment filled with unrealized dreams. The former corporate executive turned motivational speaker now helps people stop squandering their precious Mondays. We explore: How to get to the end of your life with next to no regrets, crunch the numbers on "Monday Math"—a guesstimate on how many Mondays you have left, and investigate useful prompts from Jodi's book. What would make your "in/out circle" if you redesigned your life today? How can you identify your "pre-grets" before they become real regrets? Stop letting Mondays, weeks, and years slip by unnoticed. Listen in for ideas on living what Jodi calls an "astonishingly alive" life. FOLLOW A CERTAIN AGE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GET INBOX INSPO: Sign up for our newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AGE BOLDLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We share new episodes, giveaways, links we love, and midlife resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Midlifers are saying the quiet parts out loud—and we have stories that will make you laugh, cry, and feel like you've found your tribe. This week, writers, reinventors, and editors Dina Alvarez and Dina Aronson join host Katie Fogarty to explore their new essay collection "Midlife Private Parts"—a series of revealing essays that will change the way you think about age. Dina and Dina spent two years gathering 27 contributors (including many ACA podcast favorites like Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Sarah Milken, and Laura Belgray) to capture snapshots of midlife in all its magnificent, messy, comical glory. From hormone chaos to happiness breakthroughs, to sex and dating, recalibrating midlife friendships and marriages, to dabbling in cosmetic procedures, to the mixed bag of empty nesting, this collection serves up the midlife realness we all crave. We also explore what it took to bring this project to life, and why midlife is exactly the right time to become wildly visible, creative, and collaborative. Ready for a book that'll make you text your girlfriends immediately? Get "Midlife Private Parts" wherever books are sold. FOLLOW A CERTAIN AGE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GET INBOX INSPO: Sign up for our newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AGE BOLDLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We share new episodes, giveaways, links we love, and midlife resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tired of living on autopilot while your dreams sit on the back burner? Shannon Watts knows that restlessness. Before founding Moms Demand Action and earning accolades including Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential, Shannon was an overwhelmed mom who broke down in a doctor's office, covered in stress-induced eczema from living a life that no longer worked. In her new book "Fired Up," Shannon shares her transformation from breakdown to fired-up founder of a grassroots movement against gun violence and champion of "summoning the audacity of women." You'll discover how to identify what's truly calling you, push through the fear of being "too late," and give yourself permission to live audaciously at any age. Your midlife restlessness isn't something to fix—it's a fire waiting to ignite. Ready to light that spark, beauties? SPONSORED BY KION:  Save 20% at getkion.com/age   FOLLOW A CERTAIN AGE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GET INBOX INSPO: Sign up for our newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AGE BOLDLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We share new episodes, giveaways, links we love, and midlife resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's be honest—walking down the skincare aisle in midlife is overwhelming. So many products, so much BS. If you're tired of "anti-aging" products that promise miracles, this show will help you cut through marketing hype, make you a shrewder shopper, and give your skincare smarts a science-backed glow up. Today's show is a crash course in the science of skin aging with Dr. Alessandra Zonari, who holds a PhD in skin regeneration and tissue engineering and is the co-founder of cult-favorite OneSkin, a line of skin, suncare and scalp products. Alessandra and her team spent five years screening 900+ peptides to discover the first molecule that targets "zombie cells"—damaged cells that accelerate skin aging after 30. We cover what makes skin age, why some people’s skin ages faster than others, why lifestyle beats genetics in aging—and which choices matter most. Plus, a primer on spotting science-backed products versus lotions and potions hyped only by clever marketing. Understanding the real science behind skin aging isn't about skin-deep vanity—it's about making informed choices that protect your health and confidence as you age. Learn to love (and protect) the skin you're in, beauties! SPECIAL OFFER: Get 15% off your first order with code ACA at www.oneskin.co. FOLLOW A CERTAIN AGE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GET INBOX INSPO: Sign up for our newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AGE BOLDLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We share new episodes, giveaways, links we love, and midlife resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author Karen Dukess returns to the show to pour out a piping hot cup of mystery, murder, and Anglophile fun as we explore the pages of her genre-bending new book "Welcome to Murder Week"—a delightful mystery romp through the English countryside. Plus, we spill the tea on creative setbacks, midlife resilience, and the power of leaning into fun to unlock our best work. Karen was the first author to ever appear on A Certain Age. She returns to share a BTS of book publishing, “second novel syndrome,” and how writing a novel that didn’t sell taught her she truly is a writer. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, family dramas, and lovers of a good comeback. FOLLOW A CERTAIN AGE: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GET INBOX INSPO: Sign up for our newsletter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠AGE BOLDLY⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ We share new episodes, giveaways, links we love, and midlife resources Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices