There’s something especially lovely about a woman who speaks about her 50s with genuine satisfaction, not forced positivity, not “look on the bright side” energy, but the real, earned kind. The kind that comes when a woman has lived through enough to know that joy is not the absence of challenge, but the presence of perspective, resilience, and a much deeper relationship with herself.
That’s what I felt reading Susan Campbell’s answers. She turns 51 this year and describes this as the most rewarding and satisfying season of her life. What I loved most about her answers is how naturally they hold both strength and softness. There’s the practical side of midlife here: sleep, strength training, protein, yoga, stress resilience, taking care of a body that has different needs now. But there’s also something more expansive underneath it all: gratitude, confidence, curiosity. A sense that this decade, rather than narrowing life, has opened it up again.
And maybe that’s what stayed with me most. The quiet delight of a woman realising that she is not past her best. She is, in so many ways, living it now.
What stayed with me most was her answer about strength, not just physical strength, although that’s clearly part of it. The deeper kind, too. The kind that grows when you keep showing up for yourself over time, when you choose the habits that support you, when you protect your sleep, care for your body, and stop believing the old stories that told women over 50 they were somehow past their usefulness, their vitality, or their becoming.
I also loved the honesty around her health. That shift back to eating meat after over 30 years as a vegetarian, not because she wanted a dramatic lifestyle overhaul, but because her body needed something different. There’s something very midlife in that, too. The moment when listening to your body becomes more important than staying attached to who you used to be.
And then there’s the line that this decade feels like her 20s again, wide open and ripe with possibility. I loved that. Because how many women quietly assume their 50s will feel like a closing down, when in fact they may feel like a second opening, this time with far more wisdom in hand?
Who are you, and what season of life are you in?
Hello! My name is Susan Campbell, and I’m in the most rewarding and satisfying season of my life (I turn 51 this year).
What surprised you most about your 50s?
That I would have more strength and confidence now than I ever had when I was younger (and curvier).
One thing you’ve stopped doing (and you’re better for it):
I gave up drinking years ago, and it’s made a huge difference in how I feel, how I sleep, and my overall resilience to stress and anxiety.
One thing you’re choosing instead:
Strength training. I’ve found that even 5 minutes a day makes a huge difference over the course of 12 months.
One boundary you now honour, no apology:
Sleep; do not expect me to attend any event that would keep me up past my bedtime.
One micro-decision that changed everything:
I started eating meat again after being a vegetarian for over 30 years. This change was not by choice, as I was diagnosed with an IBD last summer (beans and vegetables are not on the list of things to eat during flare-ups), but I’m surprised at how my body has positively responded to the increase in protein. Plus, my A1C has gone down.
One practice that keeps you steady:
Yoga. I’ve been practising for over 25 years. It’s the one practice I always return to to stay strong, steady and grounded.
One belief about midlife you no longer subscribe to:
That I will be nothing more than a dried-up, shrivelled old woman who is no longer useful to society.
The best thing about being in your 50s:
The gratitude you find all around you when you open your eyes to it.
Complete this: At 50+, I am…
…better than I ever expected in every way possible. Despite challenges, I am the proud single parent of two stupendous teenagers. I run two successful businesses, and I’ve finally found the love of my life. Overall, I enjoy my days so much more now than when I was younger, and I’m curious to see where this decade will lead me. Much like my 20s, it feels wide open and ripe with possibilities.
This week, I want women turning 50 to remember:
I wouldn’t have believed this in my 40s, but the best is truly yet to come.
My Note to My Future Self
What I love about Susan’s answers is the sense of quiet abundance in them, not abundance as in endless ease, but abundance in the truest sense: enjoying your days, feeling stronger in yourself, noticing the gratitude that exists all around you, and allowing yourself to believe that the best may not be behind you after all.
There’s something deeply reassuring in hearing a woman say she has more confidence now than she ever did when she was younger. Because I think so many women are sold a version of youth that centres beauty, energy, and external desirability, but not self-possession. Not groundedness, not the kind of strength that comes from actually knowing yourself.
And maybe that’s one of the gifts of this season. You stop fearing the decade and start meeting it: body, truth, change, joy, all of it. And from there, life can open in ways you didn’t expect.
If you’re following along this week
My Stop: What old story about ageing, usefulness, or becoming am I ready to stop believing?
My Start: What small daily habit could make me feel stronger over the next 12 months?
My Boundary: Where do I need to protect my sleep and energy more seriously?
My Micro-decision: What does my body need from me now that I may have been resisting?
My Practice: What helps me feel steady, grounded, and more connected to myself?
Journal prompt: What if this decade is not a winding down, but a wide-open season of strength, gratitude, and possibility?
85 Weeks to Fifty is a series born from one woman walking herself towards fifty in the company of other women’s wisdom. If their stories are landing, if you’re finding yourself in their honesty, there is a space where this conversation continues, week by week, not just in interviews but in the deeper, more personal work of actually living this season differently.
The Midlife Circle is that space. Bi-weekly essays and The Midlife Edit, a private podcast, a Starter Library of tools, and a monthly personal video from me, from £19/month or £149/year.
And if you’re ready for the deepest layer, audio training, The Midlife Reset course, and four quarterly 1:1 calls with me, the Midlife Inner Circle is £297/year.
You don’t have to walk towards fifty alone. Come and do it properly.
Susan, you are doing what many of us want to do, age gracefully.
Ok, here's something... I found where I saved this article earlier today in the Substack app to read when I had time AND I remembered I wanted to read it.
Susan, you're like a warm cup of tea to the soul. I love your energy and you reminded me there was a time a bit ago (late 40s until early 50s) where I thought the best of my life was over. I lived through the twins and relegated myself to that role. But life has a funny way of surprising us and has shown me new things are aways possible. And, that's when you showed up.
Congrats on your feature here! What a difference you make in the world.