Second Acts: Midlife and Reinvention
Midlife isn’t an ending; it’s a chance to evolve. These books explore change, purpose, and the many ways we can reinvent ourselves as we keep moving forward.
We have added 30 healthy years to life expectancy in the last century alone. Whether you’re approaching retirement, navigating a career change, or simply wondering how to live a meaningful life in your later years, it’s not just about planning—it’s about creating a life that defies expectations and maximizes the incredible potential of your most experienced years.
The Age Rebellion offers an inspiring, action-oriented approach to breaking free from outdated tropes about growing older. This book empowers readers to reclaim control and revise the rules of what’s possible, with alternatives to traditional retirement that allow them to redesign their future, their way. A life of continued growth, productivity, and impact is possible—no matter your age.
From America’s Gerontologist, a practical guide that offers a radical and optimistic approach to longevity.
Dr. Kerry Burnight—known to her many followers as “Dr. Kerry”—is sparking a revolution to make older better. Fed up with the fear driven, anti-aging hysteria, hundreds of thousands of people turn to Dr. Kerry for her practical, effective and uplifting approach to navigating longevity—our parents’ and our own.
In Joyspan, Dr. Kerry shares her popular philosophy and tools in a comprehensive resource that moves readers from fear to peaceful confidence. Dr. Kerry’s insights, along with those of her inspiring 95 year-old mother Betty, are based upon a profound truth: the key to good longevity isn’t the length of your life, it’s the quality of your life. Books that advance lifespan and “healthspan” don’t address the whole picture. Dr. Kerry introduces readers to the critical concept of “joyspan” based on the science of well-being, contentment, connection, meaning, growth, choice, and purpose.
Part manifesto, part how-to guide, Joyspan proves that internal strength is as critical as external fitness.Filled with both perspective-shifting strategies and troubleshooting for the specific challenges of aging—including caregiving, dementia, unexpected diagnoses, isolation, uncoupling via death or divorce, financial concerns, and more— this book is an essential resource for a generation looking for a better way to grow older—and to help our aging parents do the same.
EXPERT-DRIVEN, GIRLFRIEND-APPROVED • The perimenopause and menopause manual that cuts through the chaos so you can take back control of your body, your confidence, and your life—from Emmy award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker, and social media powerhouse Tamsen Fadal.
If you’re ready to feel like yourself again, this book is “the talk” you never had.
Packed with actionable steps and evidence-based tools from a team of 42 experts including neuroscientists, menopause-certified physicians, sex and relationship therapists, sleep doctors, and a variety of lifestyle mentors, and synthesizing research, stories, and strategies in a way that only a journalist can, Tamsen Fadal helps you
- be your best advocate in a medical system not designed to treat women in midlife;
- understand the options that tame your symptoms, whether it’s hormone therapy, supplements, or lifestyle changes;
- implement science-backed strategies to get the best sleep of your life;
- be able to talk to your partner about sex, low libido, painful intercourse, or how your hormones might be impacting your relationship;
- embrace your style (hair, makeup, clothes) to match your changing body;
- learn simple workouts, skincare tips, and delicious recipes to deal with belly fat, dry skin, and hair loss (and don’t worry, it’s not all kale salads);
- navigate menopause in the workplace—and much, much more.
“How to Menopause is more than just advice—it provides a lifeline. Through her honesty, humor, research, and relentless commitment to women’s health, Tamsen Fadal has created a guide that is both practical and deeply personal. Whether you’re just beginning to experience perimenopause or well into this transition, these words will leave you feeling more confident, more informed, and most importantly—never alone.” —Lisa Mosconi, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of The Menopause Brain
“For all of those millions of women out there, struggling with learning how to deal with menopause, Tamsen Fadal has written the menopause Bible! Ladies you will see yourself reflected in page after page. You will no longer feel alone by being 100% seen. It’s also full of ways to begin managing this new glorious phase of life!” – Halle Berry
A luminous illustrated meditation on learning to live with life’s cycles—for anyone in the middle of breaking open and rebuilding.
Artist and author Alessandra Olanow knows that life never unfolds as you think it will. She found herself awake at 3 a.m. with questions that wouldn’t settle: Is this all there is? What do I do when everything comes undone? How do I stay open when I want to close down?
Begin Again, and Again, and Again started as notes to herself—a practice of thinking through images and words to map the territory of uncertainty. What emerged is a book about the fundamental rhythm of being human: the constant cycle of questioning, doubt, finding ground, opening, and renewal.
Through watercolor illustrations woven with personal narrative and philosophical reflection, Alessandra offers companionship rather than answers. The book moves through five movements—Question, Doubt, Ground, Open, Renewal—each holding its own texture.
Here’s permission to stop waiting for the final version of yourself—to trust that transformation isn’t about arriving but about learning to live with constant change.
It’s never too late to begin again.
When writer and blogger Ayana Lage became pregnant, she prepared as any parent would: voraciously researching, Redditing, preparing for anything. And having experienced a previous miscarriage, she braced herself for the worst. But days after giving birth, Ayana’s sense of control began to break when God started speaking to her. After growing up Pentecostal and longing to hear from God, she heard him audibly for the first time—and often. God told her that she had been chosen. He told her that her daughter was the second coming of Jesus Christ. She carried around notebooks to ensure she didn’t miss any divine words. Eventually, she was diagnosed with post-partum psychosis and sent to a psychiatric ward, unable to see loved ones or her baby and sometimes unsure whether she’d actually had a baby at all.
Her once-rational thought process was consumed with delusions, and overnight, the self-professing people-pleaser turned into a fearless charismatic, obeying what she believed to be God’s orders—including pulling the fire alarm to force an evacuation in the hospital—and shouting at anyone who disagreed with her. Slowly, the medication and treatment began to work, and when she was well enough to be released, the hard road to recovery began.
Ayana struggled to adjust to normal life after the breaks she endured—both the psychosis itself and the experience of feeling betrayed by her mind. Once a fierce mental health advocate, she still remained hesitant to share about psychosis, because of the stigma associated with this mental health disorder.
Drawing from Ayana’s notebooks and medical records, Missing Me is a gorgeously-written exploration of the revelations Ayana received during her psychotic episode, the surprising lessons about her life and faith revealed in the aftermath, and the long road to trusting her mind once again.
Named A WSJ Best Book on Aging and Retirement in 2024
The midlife crisis is the butt of so many jokes, but this long-derided life stage has an upside. What if we could reframe our thinking about the natural transition of midlife not as a crisis, but as a chrysalis—a time when something profound awakens in us, as we shed our skin, spread our wings, and pollinate our wisdom to the world?
In Learning to Love Midlife, Chip Conley offers an alternative narrative to the way we commonly think of our 40s, 50s and 60s. Drawing on the latest social science research, inspiring stories, and timeless wisdom, he reveals 12 reasons why life gets better with age. They include:
- The relief of “my body doesn’t define me:” We finally grow comfortable in our own skin
- Stepping off the treadmill: We redefine what a successful life looks like
- The “Great Midlife Edit:” We let go of our emotional baggage, mindsets, and obligations that no longer serve us
- Growing whole: We begin to feel a part of something bigger than ourselves
No matter where you are in your midlife journey, this perspective‑shifting guide will inspire you to find joy, purpose and success in the years that lie ahead—and how those years can be your best ones yet.