There’s something especially magnetic about a woman who speaks about midlife with energy, certainty, and the kind of embodied confidence that can only come from actually living what she teaches.
That’s what stayed with me reading Terry Tateossian’s answers. She describes this season as one of expansion, refinement, and clarity, and honestly, you can feel all three. There’s no scrambling in her words, no trying to convince anyone, just the voice of a woman who has stopped outsourcing her authority and started building her life from a much truer place. The kind of life that is not just successful on paper, but aligned in the body, grounded in self-trust, and strong enough to hold real joy.
What I loved most about this interview is that it completely refuses the tired story that midlife is a decline. Terry talks about feeling more powerful, more physically strong, more stable, and more herself in her 50s than ever before. And there is something so refreshing in that, because women deserve more examples of what it looks like to get older without shrinking, to get older and become clearer, stronger, more honest, more available for what is real and less available for what isn’t.
And maybe that’s the deeper invitation here, not just to admire that kind of confidence from afar, but to remember that it is available to us too.
What stayed with me most was her answer about strength training, not because it was trendy, not because it sounded impressive, but because of the way she described it: everything was waiting on the other side of that decision she had avoided for 20 years. That landed.
Because so often, there is one thing in midlife we know would change us if we finally committed to it: the thing we keep circling, the thing we say we’ll get to later, the thing that quietly holds more power than we realise. And then one day, if we let ourselves, we cross the threshold and realise it was never just about the thing itself. It was about who we became by saying yes to it.
I also loved her bluntness about no longer caring what other people think. There’s something so clean about that energy, not cruel, not closed off, just free. Free from the endless need for outside validation, free to choose alignment, meaningful connection, and what actually feels true.
And that line about learning not to overextend herself matters too. Because midlife clarity is not only about knowing what you want, it’s also about knowing what you’re no longer willing to promise, tolerate, or force.
Who are you, and what season of life are you in?
I am Terry Tateossian, a wellness coach, entrepreneur & founder of THOR - The House of Rose. I’m in a season of expansion, refinement, and clarity. I don’t need to prove myself to anyone, and I’m focused on building a life and a business that reflects who I am and how I want to live.
What surprised you most about your 50s?
How much more powerful and clear I feel. I think we’re taught to expect a decline, but what I've experienced is a deeper sense of alignment, confidence and self-trust. And in fact, more physical strength. I am doing numbers in the gym I’ve never seen before :)
One thing you’ve stopped doing (and you’re better for it):
Seeking other people’s opinions or validations. How can I say this nicely? I just don’t care anymore. lol! Letting go of this has been one of the most freeing shifts of my life.
One thing you’re choosing instead:
Alignment, meaningful conversations, connection beyond the surface, what feels true to me.
One boundary you now honour, no apology:
I have learned not to overextend myself. No promises. No obligations, I don’t feel I’ll be able to meet.
One micro-decision that changed everything:
It wasn’t a micro decision, but this is what changed everything: strength training! It has revolutionised my life. Everything was waiting on the other side of that decision I had avoided for 20 years.
One practice that keeps you steady:
Movement. Any time - yoga, pilates, walking, running, jumping rope, weights. It is my anchor both physically and mentally.
One belief about midlife you no longer subscribe to:
That it’s too late to change. Midlife is my favourite decade! I’ve never felt better, more stable in every possible way. I pivoted careers in midlife, changed my lifestyle in midlife and look forward to more adventures in my 50’s.
The best thing about being in your 50s:
Clarity. You know who you are, what you want, and what you’re no longer available for.
At 50+, I am…
… finally just getting started. :))
This week, I want women turning 50 to remember:
Everything up to this point was preparing you to be here, right now. You have all the tools, all the knowledge, and all the experience to be a superpower!
My Note to My Future Self
What I love about Terry’s answers is the certainty in them, not rigid certainty, not ego, but the deeper kind. The kind that comes when a woman has done enough inner and outer work to know herself, trust herself, and stop negotiating with the truth of what she wants.
There is something deeply reassuring about hearing a woman say that her 50s are her favourite decade. That she has changed careers, changed her lifestyle, and still feels like she is just getting started. Because I think so many women are unconsciously bracing for midlife to take something from them, when in reality it may be the decade that finally gives them back to themselves.
And maybe that is the real power of this season, not perfection, not performance, just clarity: in the body, in the mind, in the life. A woman finally strong enough, honest enough, and self-trusting enough to build what actually fits.
If you’re following along this week
My Stop: Where am I still seeking opinions or validation that I no longer need?
My Start: What would it look like to choose more alignment and less performance this week?
My Boundary: Where am I overextending myself out of habit, guilt, or old expectations?
My Micro-decision: What is one thing I know could change my life if I finally committed to it?
My Practice: What kind of movement helps me feel most anchored in myself?
Journal prompt: What if this decade is not asking me to decline, but to become more powerful, clear, and fully myself than ever before?
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.