Why midlife is not a crisis, but a powerful invitation to live audaciously, intentionally—and unapologetically for yourself If I’d been born a hundred years ago, I might be writing this from an institution. That’s not an exaggeration. In 1838, Marc Colombat de l’Isère, in his Treatise on the Diseases of Women, warned that women at midlife should avoid dancing, novels, and social excitement, lest they fall victim to “nervous storms,” “hysteria,” or even “mental alienation.” In short: no fun, no pleasure, no dreams—just dignified decline into silence. But here I am—very much undignified by his standards—and wildly alive. Midlife has … Continue reading The Madness of Midlife: From Restlessness to Reinvention