✨The Empress Q✨👑 A new series from The Writers Lab (backed by Nicole Kidman & Meryl Streep) Brings a Succession-Meets-Bad-Sisters Saga!
Meet the Mining Heiress on a Mission to Save Her World
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Fellow Empresses, how’s the queendom holding up?
Welcome to what promises to be a wonderfully chaotic week—one in which many of you have likely already caught wind of Empress Editions’ first book getting banned (yes, banned!) in Gotham Girl.
But fear not, because this post is about triumph, resilience, and a dash of delicious rebellion.
Picture this: I stumble upon 59-year-old Lena Corbyn and filmmaker Katja Meier, and instantly I’m catapulted back to my own early days in the film world, working for these fierce midlife feminist producers who—despite major studio backing and Hollywood’s A-list co-signs—still crashed headfirst into endless “No, thank you” signs on their path to telling stories about midlife heroines. And now, decades later, guess what? The same mind-boggling nonsense persists.
Case in point: Katja, who was part of the 2023 cohort of the UK branch of The Writers Lab (made possible by Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and other luminaries dedicated to screenwriting), kept running into blank stares whenever she pitched her story about women over 50. One well-meaning (read: clueless) soul even said, “Yeah, we don’t really believe that women over 50 are a valid audience.” Cue Katja’s response: “Are you kidding me?” (Only with slightly saltier language.)
I adore that she took that moment and spun it into a glorious “Fine, we’ll just do it ourselves, thanks.” So Katja and her all-female crew—director Delia Mayer, cinematographer Isabelle Simmen, camerawoman Caroline Hepting, plus 25 intrepid souls—headed to the Swiss Alps in subzero March weather last year. They invested their own money, they relied on grants, and local campsites and hotels generously threw in free lodging.
Now Katja’s betting on her “invisible” target audience (i.e., the rest of us who happen to have lived more than half a century) to step up and prove the naysayers wrong. She’s asking viewers to pony up $8.95 (£7.24) to watch—of which the team nets $5 after taxes and fees—and to leave feedback that could shape the rest of the series. This collaborative approach is so very Empress: forging a community that disrupts the dusty old ways of making TV for women in midlife, by women in midlife, at a time when we’re all being politely shown the exit.
Lena Corbyn, whose work is featured in this week’s Empress Questionnaire, gifts us with a character and family drama that’s Succession-meets-Bad-Sisters in the best possible way. And we, dear readers, get to be part of this thrilling revolution in storytelling.
As Katja puts it: “Women are always told we should wait. Like Sleeping Beauty, we’re supposed to lie there and hope someone notices how talented and beautiful we are. Well, no. At my age, I don’t have time for that. I’d rather get out there and do it.”
Amen to that. And as a self-appointed Empress-of-Not-Waiting, I’ll just say: Me too.
About Lena…
I'm Lena Corbyn, a 59-year-old British-Swiss woman who's done watching people hoard wealth like it's a game. Trust me, I've lived among the ultra-rich long enough to know that 'more' is never enough—it's an addiction, not that different from alcoholism or any other compulsive behavior. Always needing that extra 20% to finally be 'happy'. Which is why I've decided to do something radical with my own inheritance: close our harmful coal mine in South Africa, turn our mining and commodity trade empire into an employee-owned company, and prove that business can be a force for good. And no, my family isn't thrilled about it.
About $hare…
$HARE is a documentary about my decision to upend the status quo and revolutionize my family's mining empire—at least that's how I see it. Katja Meier, our producer, insists it's a fictional TV series she created and that I don't really exist. Her pilot script for $HARE won an award from the Writers Lab, which is funded by Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman (as she never tires of mentioning).
Well, whatever. One thing's certain: $HARE is about me, Lena Corbyn, a 59-year-old woman who traded her family's luxury villa in St. Moritz for a caravan on a winter campsite in the Swiss Alps. While my sister Yvonne runs her prestigious art gallery and my niece Sophie manages our coal mines in South Africa, I'm plotting the unthinkable: turning our entire mining empire into an employee-owned company. People seem to think I've lost my mind. Maybe I have. But sometimes it takes a bit of madness to change the world.
1. What is your idea of perfect midlife happiness?
I’m an expert in the transcription of medieval manuscripts. A lot of these manuscripts were written by people who died before they reached my age. So I’m very aware that it’s a gift to be alive. I may have a shitty day, things are not going my way and seriously if you know my family—think Succession just with lots more women—you know I’m up against a lot of bullshit. But I’m still standing and I’m taking a stance, so I celebrate that every day.
2. Which empress, queen, goddess, or mythical figure do you most identify with?
Hildegard von Bingen, hands down. A 12th-century nun who composed music, founded monasteries, and challenged the male hierarchy of her time? Complete badass. When I doubt whether I can revolutionize the male-dominated world of mining and commodity trading, I think: if Hildegard could do all that with medieval men breathing down her neck, what's my excuse?
3. Which living midlife woman do you most admire? (And why?)
Among the wealthy, MacKenzie Scott—not just because she's giving away billions, but because she does it without demanding buildings named after her. And Dame Stephanie Shirley, who built a tech company employing primarily women in the 1960s, when they could barely open bank accounts without their husbands' permission and who insisted on her employees getting shares of the company (a fact that later turned 70 of them into millionaires).
But I'm even more inspired by women without billions who keep fighting for change nevertheless - like Toi Smith, whose Instagram posts about the limitations of capitalism are a daily inspiration. Or Sister Helen Alford, an economist who rethinks the responsible distribution of wealth.
4. What aspect of midlife or the peri/menopausal journey do you most deplore?
Waking up hot and bothered in the middle of the night. Never thought about it, but now that you ask—perhaps that’s why I moved my entire life to a winter campsite? People always wonder whether I’m not cold in my caravan? Cold? You must be kidding. I don’t even need to turn on the heating.
5. What do you most treasure or value about this phase of life?
I have agency. I'm no longer waiting. I spent most of my life being the youngest in my family, the one who'd sit quietly and listen to everyone else. Don't get me wrong—listening is an undervalued quality. I'm still happy to listen to people who know what they're talking about. But nodding along to the countless ones (often men) who just think they know better? No thanks. I'm done waiting. Case in point: this interview! It was supposed to be with the producer of $HARE who got a lot of spotlight recently on The Guardian and Forbes. Enough. I grabbed the mic and told her to move over.
6. If you could share one key midlife lesson, hack, or nugget of wisdom, what would it be?
Margaret Mead said it best: 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.' This resonates especially now, when women my age are being erased from screens and public life and told we're no longer relevant. When we unite, we're unstoppable.
7. What gives you the greatest sense of agency in midlife? (i.e. “Knowing that I can…”)
Knowing that I can change things. With all those self-centered billionaires, we're up against huge forces and it may look like we don't stand a chance. But hey—two things are certain: they never saw us coming (we're invisible after all ;-) and this revolution won't get boring!
8. Give us the headline for your Empress Age. (one that captures the bold narrative you are rewriting for the latter half of your life)
59, Female, and Done Being Nice: Watch Me Take On Mining, Wealth, and Power (Plus something about disrupting film and television, but that’s just the $HARE Team getting excited behind the camera).
Lena’s Empress Edit
It’s a pragmatic mix!
A warm coat. Mine is orange and doubles as a sleeping bag when temperatures drop to the single digits.
If you divide your life between campsite and boardroom, you need a shirt that works in both worlds. I love the sustainably produced ones from female-powered Seek Collective.
My bible: the book you see me hide in the caravan before my sister arrives: Decolonizing Wealth by Edgar Villanueva.
The book I’m reading right now: Unrig the Game: What Women of Color Can Teach Everyone About Winning the Game by Vanessa Priya Daniel.
The Denizen Podcast: Inspiring guests and thought-provoking conversations that provide hope and a tool kit for change.
Headlamp. A must on a winter campsite. Our camerawoman swears on Black Diamond. You can see me wearing hers at the end of the pilot. Not giving it back!
$HARE’s title song: Captain, by Danitsa. Never fails to raise my spirits when the going gets tough.
Where readers can find you:
Watch me take on the old guard in episode one of $HARE, streaming now on Olyn.
Yes, it costs $8.95 (apparently my fictional fortune can't fund real TV shows yet), but here's the thing: if enough people watch the pilot, we can produce the rest of $HARE independently.
Tell your friends, sisters, mothers, anyone tired of being told to wait their turn. And pay it forward if you can and donate! High time we make some noise!
Instagram $HARE TV Series: https://instagram.com/sharetvseries
Zenka Film Website - https://www.zenkafilms.com/
Instagram Zenka Films - https://www.instagram.com/zenkafilms
We hope you enjoyed this week’s questionnaire.
Yours in Grandeur & Deep Sh*t,
PS - I am a human typo. Amnesty appreciated.
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How amazing you found each other ! I read about Lena here a few months ago and subscribed. I’m also Swiss, as well as British and Italian, and invisible at 63. I hope this brings huge visibility to this wonderful film company. ✨🤗
Downloaded and ready to watch Lena take on the world! Love a good fictional character interview.