Getting Down in the Deep Muddy 👑
On the art & arc of midlife reinvention with Executive HR Coach, Jennifer Thornton 🦋
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Fellow Empresses, How’s everyone doing out there?
Three years post-menopause, and guess what? My bloody night sweats are back!
I didn’t think it was possible, but apparently, my body loves a good prank! My entire being is practically wallpapered in HRT patches, and I’m craving calcium like a cheese vampire. I swear, I can feel my bones siphoning it straight from my soul. Gouda? My kingdom for Gouda. But the mere sight of even a Laughing Cow wedge has me doubled over in agony—apparently, dairy nostalgia comes at a steep price.
Just two of these little babies were enough to send me spiraling the other night, but damn, they tasted like freedom. Like a Gen X childhood on a Goonies banana seat bike, gloriously unsupervised and giddy with possibility.
And let’s not even get started on the bureaucratic quagmire of getting Quickies—our fabulous first Empress Editions book—unstuck from the labyrinth of censorship and red tape. Between that, the daily anxiety of the world, and the ceaseless hum of midlife chaos, it feels like we’re wading through a dark age.
But if laughter is better than crying—and mockery trumps tyranny—then I say let’s dig into the absurd and imagine the impossible.
Here’s mine: I’m officially training to become Keke Palmer in the spirit realm, should the divine feminine ever call on me for duty. (Btw, loads of other people have the same plan.) And it makes sense! I mean, have you seen this wonder of a woman?
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Because every midlife woman deserves to be sung to like this!
And this is the exact energy I’m bringing into every room—marching into the grocery store, shouting, “You know it’s your girl!” Gliding into the dentist’s office like, “How do you like me now? Zero cavities, ladies!”
My mom had that kind of energy. She’d load us into the station wagon with her leg propped up on the dash (probably to keep from flooring it) and take us to San Francisco to soak up art, indie films, and bookstores. She’d eat an overripe peach, juice streaming down her chin, talking about life like it was her own private sermon: “If you want to do anything really worthwhile in life, you’re going to have to get down in the deep muddy.” The deep muddy. It’s always stuck with me.
Midlife feels like that. It’s deep, it’s muddy, and it’s messy as hell. It’s the heroine’s journey—adventure, reinvention, transformation—all while patriarchal bullfrogs bellow at us from the sidelines, trying to tell us what we can and can’t read as grown-ass women. Let them croak. I’ll take the mud. I’ll love every minute of fighting for our voices and our stories.
But let’s talk about this live!
If you’re in the process of shedding your old self—or standing at the edge, paralyzed by the thought of jumping—come join me and
for a Substack Live session with Executive HR Coach Jennifer Thornton on March 26 at 7:30 PM CDT.We’ll be talking about maintaining a growth mindset in midlife—how to keep evolving even when the world wants you to sit down and be quiet.
And if you’re in Chicago on April 8th, join Midlife Upgrade and me for a special screening of The M-Factor with Tamsen Fadal.
This event promises connection, voice-finding, and reclaiming your agency. Plus, there’s a live panel with menopause leaders, Dr. Sharon Malone, Dr. Somi Javaid, Dr. Suzanne Gilberg, Dr. Sameena Rahman, & Dr. Jila Senemar, along with a VIP experience complete with appetizers and book signings. Don’t miss it—grab your ticket here:
Let’s get down in the deep muddy, ladies. We’re reinventing, we’re transforming, and we’re claiming every inch of it. Because it’s a lot like what
said this week:“40% of Gen X kids came home to empty houses after school.
House keys on strings around their necks. Microwave dinners. Unsupervised afternoons.
This "latchkey" upbringing bred a generation of fiercely independent women. They learned early to solve problems alone, manage their time, and trust their judgment.
Now, in midlife, that self-reliance fuels their second act.”
Yours in Grandeur & Deep… Mud,
p.s. If you are so inclined, follow us on IG for flash content & upcoming giveaways. We’re at @the.empress.age and we’d love to see you there!
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Sharing this event with my posse of midlife women friends (BTW I sing to them all the time ;) Hope you're finding time to stand in front of the freezer now and then (it works in a pinch). I don't know a single midlife woman who isn't "down in the deep muddy" in some way or another. I'm also speaking with women who have come out the other side, and will share in an upcoming Womancake post.
You are in it to win it. Love your energy and focus even with a midnight flash (in the pan, hopefully).
My flashes are warm embers. They die out slowly. Like a stubborn campfire.
😘