Five to Thrive - Edition Ten
It's the 'phew we're almost through January' one!
Welcome to the tenth edition of Five to Thrive!
Here you’ll discover nuggets of inspiration, gather wisdom & resources, and read inspirational stories that’ll encourage and motivate you to prioritise your thriving in 2026.
I want this to be a place for us all; where diverse, relatable stories of thriving from around the world sit alongside advice, ideas and expertise shared by me and other midlife women.
So, let’s start getting our thrive on!
1. What nostalgia taught me
I recently did something I rarely do. Something that took me by surprise.
I jumped onto a social media trend……I know, so not me!
Normally, I like to do my own thing on the squares. I’ve always been resistant to following the crowd and have zero interest in going viral. I like to keep my reels real!
Yet I found myself strangely drawn to the 2016 nostalgia fest that exploded in January!
I enjoyed seeing women I follow on instagram sharing their own 2016 moments, and it triggered my own curiosity to look back, and see what I was up to then.
Exploring the forgotten recesses of my laptop, I found photo folders from a decade ago, and was soon completely immersed in a journey back in time.
And as I compiled a carousel of images and crafted a narrative for my own 2016 post, it dawned on me that this year was the start of the most challenging and transformative decade of my life - my midlife era!!
While 2016 was full of excitement and anticipation as we bought, and did up, our first house in France, and settled into life at a different pace, the years that followed seemed to bring a rollercoaster of experiences that sometimes stretched me to my limits.
Bringing these to life on my post, which you can see here, viscerally rekindled all the highs, lows and lessons from the last ten years, while it also revealed something I’d not expected.
That my own midlife journey these past ten years on hindsight had humbled and inspired me!
I felt appreciative of my resilience and compassion when times were tough (thanks Perimenopause), in awe of my intent to thrive when survival seemed the only way (thanks Covid), and surprised by my ability to adapt and grow through all these life quakes, and other upheavals.
But most important of all, I felt moved by the life-changing significance of seeing the life ebb away from my parents, and the way in which I’d come eventually to embrace the grief as a gift. This decade had changed me in ways I could never foresee or imagine.
And maybe it isn’t surprising then that Fifty Thrive came alive in this decade (I think it was 2017 that the idea first popped into my head), forming a foundation on which to build my own midlife, and help others too.
And it got me thinking also about how often we’re get so bogged down with the minutiae of life that we forget to take time out to look at the bigger picture, to witness how far we’ve come, and how much we’ve evolved. And never is there a more pertinent time to do this than midlife - when so much is shifting.
Sharing my own midlife journey was a reminder not only of its impact on me, but also how it resonated with other women too - showing that our stories have the power to connect, inspire and intrigue others more than we can ever imagine.
And what struck me most of all was that my 2016 post generated far more views, comments and likes than any others I’d posted for a very long time, which only goes to show that our stories and lived experiences have a magical power to connect and bond us together like nothing else.
So did you get on board with the 2016 trend, and if so, what did looking back reveal to you? I’d love to know, so please do share in the comments.
2. Conversations
This January I’ve been having some interesting conversations with midlife women and female founders to gauge how they’re feeling in the new year, and how they want to show up in 2026.
It’s through these conversations, and sharing our hopes and fears, that I get inspiration and ideas on how I can best support women through Fifty Thrive. After all one of my own thrive foundations is connection, and for many of us especially those who work from home, connection is vital for our personal and business wellbeing.
And connection is at the heart of Fifty Thrive. With my background in PR I help female founders and midlife women get visible by sharing their stories, their lived experiences and expertise so they can find opportunities and clients beyond their existing networks and social media.
And what’s emerging from these conversations is that in 2026 more and more women do want to show up but only in ways that feel wholly aligned to who they are, without the need for performance or unnecessary noise.
Women want to raise their visibility and profile in a more strategic, discerning and measured way - on their own terms, yet with impact.
That’s why I love working one-to-one with women, collaborating with them to tailor their visibility journey according to their values, purpose and desired outcomes, so that we can both thrive in the process.
Whether through a power hour or a deep dive, I love getting to know the women and their businesses, helping them find the stories, messages and ideas that’ll help them build genuine connection and trust with others.
I want to make 2026 my year of connection through conversations that go beyond the superficial - so if you do too, then let’s talk, and discover what’s beneath the surface.
And talking about conversations - have you listened yet to my first Five to Thrive Conversations which I published in late December?
This year I plan to create and share here (and on YouTube) a series of recorded in-depth conversations with midlife women by going beneath the surface on topics that I hope will interest and inspire you.
In the first one, I had such an interesting and enlightening conversation with Nicola McDonald, an author and writing coach, about the Power of Letter Writing and how it can help you process difficult emotions such as loss, grief, or even anger. Here’s a link so you can take a listen.
I’ll be bringing out the second conversation in February so watch this space! And if you’d like to be part of this series then message me - I want to share diverse insights and stories from women around the world!
3. Voices of wisdom
One of my January conversations was with Sara Maxwell - a wealth coach. I found her on someone else’s Instagram feed and was attracted by what she said about money, as well as her vibrant brand. I knew straight away that I wanted to share her wisdom with you here. Creating wealth is so important for all of us - helping us to thrive on our own terms and to realise our wildest dreams, and it’s something that I want to start taking far more seriously! So let’s see what she has to say.
What do you do to help midlife women thrive?
I support them to understand what they wish for from their lives, money and career. What does wealth mean to them? Do they have the balance they are looking for between joy in the moment, and growth for their future in their life and work? I also work with couples supporting them to communicate better when it comes to money and resolve any issues or tensions that might be impacting the relationship.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give a midlife woman wanting to find her thrive?
Take time to look closely at your life and finances, and ask yourself if they are really working for you? If not, what would you love to change? Find a great coach to support you to work through this. Once you know what you want, you can build a financial plan to support that.
How are you thriving right now?
I am working hard to focus on the balance that works for me as a single Mum to a fifteen year old. Talking care to focus on the areas of my life that lead to the future we desire, not the one sold to us by society and the media.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learnt in midlife?
That it’s not possible to do absolutely everything to a high standard, some things just get done and that’s good enough, not everything needs to be perfect! I get to decide whether perfection is ever worth the time and effort that it takes from other more important things. That taking care of my energy means I won’t be saying yes to everything and that I can take my own time to make decisions.
Who do you think is truly living in their thrive?
I have been absolutely loving seeing Kyla Cobblers rise up, she is one of the funniest women I’ve ever met. I saw her stand up act three times last year and each time laughed so hard. She is so real and brilliant on IG, she makes my day, every single day.
You can find out more about Sara and how she can work with you here or you can follow her on Instagram here
4. Thrive nuggets
I’ve been writing my Fifty Thrive substack for two and a half years now, and have learnt a lot in the process. I’ve seen it change and evolve in that time, from a place to simply share your writing to a social media platform where performance and noise helps gain attention - but for me it’s still all about the writing.
There’s some great writers on here - they’re not well known, they don’t have huge followings, they haven’t gone viral, but they do deliver insightful pieces.
So I thought I’d share a few posts I’ve enjoyed in January:
5. What are you listening to?
Look what I found recently when I was doing a clear out.
Who remembers the iPod shuffle? It still works perfectly and I’m currently loving listening to my early noughties playlist, which is bringing back memories of the carefree days of my mid to late 30s. The tunes reminding me of the sense of freedom and adventures that I had back then, and how much I want to bring that spirit back into my life again.
So what are you listening to right now that brings up happy memories or reminds you of what you want in life - I’d love to hear!
I hope you enjoyed this edition - I’d love you to leave comments, make suggestions and become a co-creator with me so feel free to share your thoughts below. Or please share with someone you know who’d enjoy this.
Thank you for reading and keep on thriving! Emma xxxx
To find out more about Fifty Thrive or buy my Fifty Thrive merch (t-shirts, tote bags or mugs): www.fiftythrive.life
Hi it’s so lovely to meet you. Thank you for subscribing to me, it means a lot. I just read this article and also subscribed to you. I love what you’re doing and it’s been wonderful connecting with women in this stage of life. I am really enjoying it because at this point things are real and honest, no nonsense. I look forward to reading more and am so grateful you are here 🤗💛