By Marjie Killeen, Contributor- Midlife Wisdom
In the fifth month of my midlife crisis, I went on a retreat to a health spa – alone – to get motivated to take better care of my middle-aged self. It was a wonderful luxury to focus on what I needed for a change, as opposed to worrying about everyone else in my family. In addition to working out and eating healthy spa cuisine, I learned a simple secret to feeling great that anyone can do – any time, any place. The benefits include reducing stress, preventing disease, relaxation, increased focus, better sleep – [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I have just celebrated my last birthday in my, ahem, later 40′s and I have come to realize that I am definitely looking my age. Which I have no problem with – really – as long as I “age gracefully”, I am happy with the way I look. I can truly embrace my wrinkles but, at the same time, I still do want my skin to look as healthy and toned as possible without resorting to “procedures”.
When I attended MORE magazine’s Reinvention Convention last month, Dr. Will Kirby, a Board Certified Dermatologist, spoke about Ageless [...]

By Marjie Killeen, Contributor- Midlife Wisdom
As part of my midlife crisis, I’ve been considering the theme of empowerment. Because even though I’m on fire in many areas of my life, I sometimes feel insecure about my choices, or worry what other people think, or downplay my accomplishments.  You know who doesn’t waste time undermining themselves this way? Men!
Men are comfortable talking about themselves positively; they openly share their successes and achievements. It’s not bragging – it’s confidence. And guys know how to accept praise, with none of the shirking or deflecting that women often do. I say we women have [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
As we come to the end of the May long weekend we know school will soon be over (or for college students school may have already ended) and summer will be here before we know it. This is the time when we plan family getaways, day trips or just hanging out with friends and family. It is also the time of year when I stock up on bandages. Having five and seven year old daughters, I buy them in bulk. But first aid is more than just iCarly bandages. It is about being prepared for [...]

I love that term. But I can take no credit for it. Me-Covery is actually marketing-speak. It’s a term coined by well-known marketing firm, Saatchi & Saatchi, to describe how consumers are now looking for ways to take care of themselves (a recovery of self), especially following the financial and emotional hardships caused by our Great Recession.
Indeed, as overworked, overburdened, overstressed women, doesn’t a little ME-covery sound perfect just about… now?
What does Saatchi & Saatchi mean by Me-Covery behavior? Here’s the full scoop, but essentially it is meant to show a trend where many women today [...]

By Marjie Killeen, Contributor- Midlife Wisdom
I’m having a midlife crisis, and one frustration is that I know I want something different, something more – but I’m not entirely sure what that “something” is. So, during the third month of my crisis, I got quiet and tried to tune into my desires and intuition. One of the tools I used was a vision board. The simple process of choosing images and arranging them on a board can be fun, powerful, enlightening and – as I discovered – kind of magical.
Check out my short video about my experience with vision boards, then [...]

By Marjie Killeen, Contributor- Midlife Wisdom
Now that I’m in my late 40s, I’m creating my own midlife crisis in hopes that I can experience meaningful growth without having a nervous breakdown. After coming to terms with my changing body in month one, I spent the second month getting organized. My goal: to get rid of all the stuff that was weighing me down and holding me back, while making room for new things to enter my life!
It wasn’t always easy – I had to confront my fears and bad decisions. But aided by some amazing experts, I made a lot [...]

By Marjie Killeen, Contributor – Midlife Wisdom
(See the intro to Marjie’s series here)
This year I’m being proactive and confronting the issues that come with middle age by having a creative midlife crisis.  I’m hoping for all the excitement and transformation without having to experience the destructive drama.
So, for my first month of my crisis, I dealt with all the issues of my changing body. Nothing like hot flashes, high cholesterol and squinty vision to rub your nose in the fact that your youth is behind you.  Cue panic attack and a dirty martini, right?
Not so fast, because after a [...]

The Succulent Wife is thrilled to have Marjie Killeen join her team of fabulous contributors. Through her monthly posts, Marjie will update us on the progress of her intentional midlife crisis.
Marjie is a writer, wife and mom who thinks her forties have been her coolest decade so far. She has written about this surprisingly fulfilling time of life on her blog, fortyfabulous.blogspot.com. 

But now age 50 is approaching, and Marjie is feeling anxious. Her body is changing, her kids are getting older, and it no longer seems like she has all the time in the world to accomplish her dreams.

Instead [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Author Jean Haner married into a Chinese family and her mother-in-law taught her everything she knew about the ancient art of face reading. After Jean realized that her mother-in-law was not just judging people but was, in fact, correct in her opinion of them, she continued her studies with notable teachers in the ancient Chinese principles of face reading.