What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me:
The Boldest Move You’ll Ever Make in Midlife (And It’s Not What You Think)

You know what I wish someone would have told me about midlife?

That it’s not the beginning of the end.
It’s the beginning of you.

I wish someone would have sat me down, looked me in the eye, and said:

“You’re going to feel a shift. It might be quiet at first—a whisper under the noise of routines and expectations—but it’s going to get louder. And when it does, don’t ignore it. That’s you, calling yourself back home.”

Because here’s what I know now:

Midlife doesn’t strip you down to nothing.

It strips you down to the truth. 

You Don’t Have to Blow Up Your Life to Reclaim It

When we hear “bold move,” we think of quitting jobs, starting businesses, selling it all and moving to Europe.
And sure, sometimes it looks like that.
But most of the time?

The boldest move you can make in midlife is way quieter than that.
It’s the moment you decide:

✨ I’m not going to abandon myself anymore.

That’s it.
Not dramatic. But everything changes from there.

What I Wish I’d Known About “Playing Small”

For years, I played small in ways I didn’t even recognize.

• I downplayed my needs so I wouldn’t inconvenience anyone.
  
  

• I held my tongue because I didn’t want to be “too much.”
  
  

• I convinced myself that certain dreams were “silly” because no one around me was doing them.
  
  

• I told myself to be grateful for what I had—even if what I had felt hollow.
  
  

And looking back now, I wish someone had told me:

“You’re allowed to want more. Wanting more doesn’t make you selfish. It makes you honest.”

Three Questions That Changed Everything

I didn’t wake up one day and overhaul my whole life.
I just got quiet enough to start asking myself better questions.

So let me share the three that unlocked something big for me:

🌿 Where have I been playing small just to stay comfortable?
🌿 What do I want more of—and what am I no longer willing to tolerate?
🌿 If I trusted myself deeply… what would I do next?

Sit with those.
Write them down.
Take them on a walk.

Because your answers? They’re already inside you. You’ve just been too busy—or too exhausted—to hear them.

What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me About This Season

I wish someone would have said:

“You’re not too late.
You’re not behind.
You didn’t miss your chance.
You’re just now becoming who you really are.”

Midlife isn’t a crisis. It’s a reckoning.
It’s the moment you stop living on autopilot and start asking,
“Does this actually feel like me?”

And if the answer is no?
You get to change it.

No explanation needed. No permission required.

My Own Honest Check-In

Right now? I’m slowing down.
Not because I’m lazy. But because I’m realigning.

I’m letting go of what no longer feels true.
I’m not chasing “bigger” anymore. I’m chasing braver.
And sometimes brave looks like staying.
Other times it looks like starting over.

But it always looks like choosing myself.
That’s the boldest move I’ve ever made—and it didn’t make headlines.
It made peace.

What I Want You to Know

If you’re feeling the nudge to shift, pivot, change direction, or just breathe deeper…
This is your permission slip.

Not to prove anything.
Not to perform.
But to simply be honest with yourself about what you want now.

Because the woman you’re becoming?
She’s powerful.
She’s wise.
She’s done abandoning herself.

And she’s just getting started. 💛

XO, Emily