This post started as I was reflecting on the end of 2025 and thinking about New Year's resolutions for 2026... then it hit me - Oh, I'm turning 45 this year! Forty-five means checking a different box on surveys. No more 40 - 44. Now it's 45 - 50. You know that small stab when you jump a category? There it is. The big 5-0 looms next, absurd and inevitable. But here’s the arithmetic that actually matters. Start working at 25, retire at 65. 45 is the exact midpoint. Twenty year

One of the underrated perks of being an older woman is this: you carry priceless experience in your pocket. Whether it’s career decisions, marriage, raising children, or even starting (and restarting) an exercise routine, over and over and over again, you begin to see patterns. You begin to learn what truly works and what only looks good on the surface. I have done the “First Run” on Nike Run Club more times than I can count. I always thought I knew it. Press play. Push hard.