by Jen Rigley
I’m Jen Rigley, Founder of Flourishing Over Fifty. When I hit 50, life felt like a whirlwind. Challenges that many of us face in midlife seemed to pile on all at once: work stress, health scares, family shifts. Alongside these came the “usual” changes—kids leaving for college, navigating a new phase with my husband as empty-nesters, and those not-so-fun physical changes. Beneath all these changes was a deeper, hidden layer—a childhood trauma I had never fully addressed. My father passed away from cancer when I was 10, leaving my mother to raise six children between the ages of 6 and 16. His loss created a quiet but powerful undercurrent in my life that I carried into adulthood.
I reached a point where I was just surviving, struggling to make it through the day. Usually an optimist, I was now lying awake at night, wondering, “Is this really it?” Years of hard work, raising a family, and striving to do all the things and be the best person I could be, all came down to just a lot of difficulties? I experienced a period of deep depression, where I could barely wake in the morning to get my daughters to school. I was no longer able to focus on the joy in my life.
I realized I was stuck in a deep pattern of unhappiness that was being reinforced by a negative attitude and knew I had to make changes in my life. I also knew that I wasn’t the only one facing challenges—we all do, and especially in midlife.
I called myself out for participating in a pity party for one and became determined to change my narrative. A pity party is fine, but you have to have the party and then move on; you don’t want to be stuck at the party for one. This isn’t easy, especially when you are in a cycle of negativity and continuing to face challenges every day.
The difficulties continued as I was caught up in my own personal vortex—a swirling mass of challenges and change. I was downsized out of my executive position, my mother fell ill, and I faced a breast cancer diagnosis. But as I navigated these hardships, I realized something powerful: even after significant trauma, we can choose to flourish.
As I began the shift towards a more positive mindset, I started noticing how many women in my age group were struggling too. I saw it in online communities, in conversations with friends, and even in the mirror. I realized I wanted to help women rewrite the story of midlife.
That’s when the idea of Flourishing Over Fifty was forged—a vision for inspiration and resources, where women in midlife can come together, lift each other up, hold space, and share our stories. When I was facing my hardest moments, I longed for a community like this, a place that felt like home even online.
Flourishing Over Fifty is more than an idea; it’s a reminder that in midlife, we’re just beginning to tap into our true strength. We’re here to support, inspire, and help each other through. Here’s to our resilience, our joy, and to flourishing over fifty.
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