Each month, I gather up the best conversations with women over 40 doing remarkable things, the ideas fueling our courage, and what I can’t get enough of right now.
Hey, Uplifters!
Last Wednesday night, I stood on stage in Red Bank, New Jersey, and gave a TEDx talk. The theme of the night was Intelligence, and my talk is called The Genius of Midlife.
For decades, the media has popularized a common belief that we peak intellectually around 20. But recently, a team of Australian researchers decided to settle the question once and for all by doing a meta-analysis of research into intelligence conducted over lifespans. When considering the full spectrum of intelligence, including judgment, emotional regulation, moral reasoning, financial literacy, and cognitive flexibility, people peak between 55 and 60.
I attribute this to three things that collide in midlife.
The first is clarity. Identity certainty peaks in midlife. We know ourselves well enough to stop performing for other people’s approval and putting energy into what doesn’t really matter. (Ahem, fewer fucks 40s.)
The second is depth. When researchers measure intelligence, they distinguish between fluid intelligence — processing speed, which does begin to decline as we age — and crystallized intelligence: knowledge, pattern recognition, and expertise accumulated over decades. Crystallized intelligence doesn’t decline until our 70s. We don’t just know more. We know how to use what we know.
The third is judgment. A Dutch study found that middle-aged adults scored higher on wisdom than both younger and older adults. Our capacity to hold complexity, see past bias, and make sound decisions when the stakes are high increases with age.
A long-term Yale study of adults over 65 found that almost half of them improved physically, mentally, or both over time. But here’s the catch. People with more positive beliefs about aging were significantly more likely to show those gains.
In other words, if you believe you’re capable of thriving in the second half of your life, you are probably right. If you believe you’re destined for decline, you’re probably right about that too. When my grandma passed away last year, countless people reached out to tell me that she helped them believe they were capable of doing big things in the second half of life. My deepest hope for this talk is that the research and the stories of my grandma and the other amazing women who have come before us will help lots more people believe in their capacity for midlife genius.
Getting to share the night with former Uplifters Podcast guests like Kerri Kennedy and Cristina Jiménez, Sadie Dingfelder , and comic host Lynn Harris, and seeing family and so many friends in the audience made it truly one of the most unforgettable and meaningful nights of my life…so far.
The video comes out in a few weeks, and I have a big goal for it. I want to get it in front of at least half a million people. When it drops, I am going to ask you to help me pass it along, because can you imagine what would shift if even a fraction of those people believed their capacity for growth and impact didn’t end in later life?
In community: Lift & Be Lifted
Once a month, Uplifters gather on Zoom for Lift & Be Lifted. Everyone shares one goal for the month and one thing that would make it easier, and then the room responds with offers, ideas and introductions. If any of these land for you, please reach out. One email can change everything.
Susannah Ludwig Susannah is shifting her work toward finding meaning in the muck, and she is starting to share her own story publicly. You can see her first video HERE. This month she would love emotional support, reflections, and questions about her story. Find her at her website, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack.
Melanie Cohen Melanie helps midlife women get back their time, energy and space by clearing physical, digital and mental clutter. She would love someone to look through her social media and tell her whether that message comes through loud and clear. Find her at her website, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Substack.
Tracy Siri Tracy is growing the ElevateMy.ai newsletter, which helps business owners figure out where AI fits and where it doesn’t. She would love more subscribers and business owners who would like to be featured for how they use AI. Find her at ElevateMy.ai, CWM, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Sara Axelbaum Sara is a hands-on operator who loves stepping into a messy problem and fixing it. She is looking for a chief of staff or operations role, or more fractional work, and would love introductions to leaders who need someone like her. Find her on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Rachel Josephson Rachel’s micro boutique, Fils et Poisson Cie, is ready to meet the right buyers, and she is building community in Manhattan. She would love Instagram follows, ideas on where to find her people (holiday markets looking for vendors are at the top of the list), and coffee or co-working with local Uplifters. Find her at her website, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Jessica Hansen Jessica is a voice coach building a social following big enough that a publisher will take on her voice coaching book. She would love follows across platforms, referrals to a social media manager, and fellow coaches to join her on ProPass. Find her at jessicahansen.net, Signature Sound, Instagram (voice coaching), Instagram (performer), Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Nia Bonson Nia is growing Mavenhood Society, a media platform and community for midlife child-free and childless women, so she can attract sponsors. She would love Instagram follows, newsletter subscribers, and word of mouth to the child-free and childless women in your life. Find her at Mavenhood Society, @mavenhoodsociety, @niabonson, and LinkedIn.
Gerilynn Berg Gerilynn is growing her fitness and coaching business for women 50 and over. She would love clients for her two-month coaching special ($300), and connections to magazines or online media for coverage. Find her on Instagram and LinkedIn.
Dawn Halkuff Dawn is getting her book, Becoming Unlikable, into readers’ hands, and getting herself speaking inside organizations. She would love introductions to women’s groups and ERGs, book buyers, and follows. LinkedIn and Instagram.
Jen Dary Jen is filling and funding Creative Days, her women’s creative retreat, April 4 to 7 at Bishop’s Ranch in Healdsburg. She would love sponsor ideas, or introductions that could cover travel for the artists who will teach. Plucky Website and Writing Website.
Hannah Hubert Hannah is securing funding for the Trudy Ederle Foundation, which supports pro athletes in their post-sports careers. She would love introductions to philanthropists, and help refreshing her homepage. LinkedIn and Ederle Foundation Website.
Other good things Uplifters are doing
Love is... supper. Our Uplifter Risa Crandall is bringing people together around the table again, with the next love is... supper on October 13 at 6:30 at LOR AINÉ 1986 in Larchmont. It is at capacity right now, but you can join the waitlist here.
Mavenhood goes live. Congratulations to Nia on Mavenhood Society’s first live event. It was so great to be among other passionate, creative midlife women, and I cannot wait to see where she takes this community.
What I’m reading. Hormonal Hangover is so funny and insightful, and it is the perfect gift for every woman in your life who is in the thick of it.
Welcome, new paid subscribers
We are so glad you are here. Meet the newest members of our community.
Lynn Harris is a legendary comic, an advocate for women in comedy, and the founder of GOLD Comedy.
Jen Dary is the author of an amazing new memoir, I Believe in Everything: A Memoir of Illness, Motherhood, and Magic, and the founder of Plucky, where she coaches tech leaders.
Nina Saporta is a website designer and the force behind Wild Bloom Websites. If you need a site that feels like you, she is the one to call.
Barbara Boldt is a communication coach, keynote speaker, and author who helps introverted leaders speak with clarity, confidence, and executive presence. She spent 16 years teaching communication at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and has worked with leaders from more than 35 countries.
Devon Vernetti is a midlife coach who supports women over 40 through perimenopause and menopause. Her Root to Rise Method™ blends Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Five Elements with modern coaching, and it starts with regulating the nervous system.
Join us
Paid subscriptions are just $8 a month, and every dollar goes back into the community, from events to scholarships to book purchases to donations to the nonprofits we feature. As a paid subscriber, you get the monthly Lift & Be Lifted Zoom (the next one is Tuesday, October 27, at 7 PM ET), Friday Co-Working Cocoons, and our WhatsApp community, where members get to know and support each other.
With so much gratitude, Aransas
It’s not every day I wake up to being called “legendary”! Thank you for the fist bump and thank you for all you do!
To 500k and beyond!!!! 🚀