Francesca, Age 53 I didn’t come out, I came in. Into myself and the truth that called me. Into a new beginning that felt familiar. Into midlife as a queer woman. I was born in a small town on the south coast of England, miles away from any sense of…

Melissa, Age 49 I started this year preparing for the next. Next year would be my 50th birthday, and I was already thinking about how I would spend it. Did I need to go to a part of the world I hadn’t been to before? Did I need a fruity…

Raquel, Age 39 I’m almost 40 and still here. What’s so big about that, right? Well, at age 20, I didn’t think I’d still be here, for one. And now that I’m one year away from the big 4–0, I can tell you; it’s not scary to think about. …

Selena, Age 54 I have always had a burning desire to fit in. This influenced my taste in music as I never ventured further than what played on the radio. I’d tap my foot and roll my eyes, happy to be up to date with current trends but never connected…

Chidinma, 53 At 50 I realised my mid-life crisis had, in fact, been a whole-life crisis. My parents migrated from Lagos, Nigeria to Europe in the 80s. I turned twenty-two and saw my first snowflake which sparked a curiosity that never ceased: who will I be in this new land…

Rachel, 49 My name is Rachel. I’m a 49-year-old native New Yorker and an American Ex-Pat based in Spain. I am going through the deepest and most profound transition of my life. Because of this moment, I have had time to reflect and acknowledge how extraordinary I am. Over the…

Clare, 47 In 2014, I returned to work after several weeks of maternity leave. I sat by the window, nursing my second son. I was frustrated, not because he wouldn’t latch, but because I hadn’t finished the PowerPoint presentation due the next day. It almost feels like a betrayal to…

Ceri-Ann, Age 40 I have two daughters: a 23-year-old and a 2-week-old. No, this is not an episode of Maury. This is my life at 40. My approach to life and motherhood is just as separate as their age. …

Anis, 50 So there’s something about turning fifty that’s decidedly…time-ticky. When I turned forty, I performed some mental gymnastics to convince myself I was not yet near the midway point of my adult life (which I decided started at 20, just for the sake of keeping the math simple). Not…