Good morning,

Last weekend I played tourist in my own city—a little NYC staycation with my husband, Halloween with the new grandsons, and time with my grown kids. The kind of weekend that fills you completely.

New York was buzzing. Marathon weekend brought an energy I hadn’t felt in a while. As I wandered and window-shopped, I stopped in front of Radio City Music Hall. The marquee was lit for the Rockettes’ 100th anniversary—1925 to 2025—and the line stretched around the block.

I flashed back to the ’60s, holding my grandmother’s hand, watching the Rockettes long before Jennifer Jones was allowed on that stage. And I thought about Misty Copeland, who just retired from American Ballet Theatre after 25 years, the first Black woman to dance her way into history there.

Women learn early that the work is their stage, whether they agree to perform or not. The audience is invisible but ever present, shaping how we move, speak, act. Most performances don’t happen in the spotlight; they unfold in the quiet choreography called life.

Thank you for being here.

LIVING OUT LOUD

Crone Alone: Why Solitude Is My Healthy New Addiction

BY NINA MALKIN

Forget loneliness—what if solitude is the healthiest relationship you’ll ever have? For women 50+, being alone isn’t a red flag—it’s self-care. Men get called mavericks for it; we get labeled cat ladies. Maybe all that “stay social” advice is what’s really exhausting. Take the road trip alone. Draw the bath. Let the phone die. Because saying no to others might be the most radical yes to all of it.

DEAR READER

Welcome to Dear Reader—These stories come straight from our readers: smart, funny, fearless, and unfiltered.

Biohacking Isn’t Just for Bros: Engineering My 50s Before I Get There

BY ANNMARIE BHOLA

Forget anti-aging—this is longevity engineering. Think of it as designing your own personal health framework. From tracking glucose spikes to decoding hormone data, one of our readers proves that biohacking isn’t just for the bros. Men may have written the old playbook, but women like us are rewriting the code to live smarter, longer, healthier lives. Because the future of medicine won’t see us—unless we make it.

CULTURE

Jennifer Jones Kicked Down the Door: The First Black Rockette on Dance, Resilience, and Making History

BY NICOLE PAJER

From the shyest kid in school to the brightest light on Broadway, Jennifer Jones rewrote history. In 1987, she became the first Black woman to high-kick her way past six decades of exclusion—facing quiet hostility, public dismissal, and later, a cancer diagnosis that nearly ended it all. Now, as the Rockettes celebrate 100 years, Jones reclaims her legacy in her memoir. In this intimate PROVOKED interview, she reminds us what happens when talent, grit, and sheer resolve take center stage.

TAKE NOTE

🩰 Ballet got a little quieter last month when Misty Copeland retired her pointe shoes after 25 years with American Ballet Theatre. The first Black woman to become ABT’s principal dancer, she brought strength and fire to a world that once demanded fragility. As part of her audience, you couldn’t look away—every movement felt honest and alive. When she took her final bow, Oprah and Debbie Allen embraced her. Thank you, Misty, for reminding us what grace and power look like.

🧬Why do female mammals—including humans—outlive males? It’s not just genes—it’s who spends more energy competing for mates. When the boys spend resources showing off, fighting, or chasing partners, longevity pays the price. The female longevity advantage isn’t a fluke; it’s deeply evolutionary. That means public health, drug dosing, and “normal ranges” should stop pretending one baseline fits all. Curious and nerdy? Dive into the research study of 1,000+ species that just upended our thinking.

💰Money moves with no apologies. We’re longtime fans of Tori Dunlap, founder of Her First $100K, a feminist money platform helping women build net worth and self-worth. In her free training, Dunlap asks what we rarely say out loud: What's your enough number?—the amount that lets you pay the bills, handle emergencies, and have the freedom to make choices. She breaks it down so it's easy to understand. Watch Dunlap’s video and start finding your financial safety number.

HUMOR

***Good Enough Housekeeping*: Finally, a Magazine That Gets It**

BY ABBY HEUGEL

Forget spotless homes and curated chaos. Finally, a homemaking magazine for the rest of us. Good Enough Housekeeping doesn’t promise curated pantries or artisanal garnish. It celebrates women who clean what guests will see, treat takeout as meal prep, and declare “done” as a lifestyle. The real domestic heroes? The ones who spray Febreze directly at their problems and call it aromatherapy. Does this sound like you?

🏨🎨 Enter to Win the Perfect Myrtle Beach Escape!

Four days, three nights in a luxe one-bedroom Ocean View Suite at the Ellie Beach Resort
$150 food and beverage credit
Four tickets to the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!

MONEY

50 Years of Plastic Power: How Women Won the Right to Swipe

BY MELANIE LOCKERT

Fifty years ago, women couldn’t get a credit card without a man’s signature. That changed in 1974, when the Equal Credit Opportunity Act finally gave women the right to their own financial independence. What began as a fight for access became a battle for equality that’s still unfolding. The institutions that once denied us now profit from our loyalty, yet women over 50 remain one of the most ignored and underestimated financial forces in America. Was it ever really about money—or was it always about power?

READER SPOTLIGHT

✒️ Here's what one reader had to say this week:

“This is so well done. It should be required reading for all couples who are thinking of starting a family. A mentor of mine used to say 'You can have it all, just not all at once.' That makes sense, but so many have no choice." —Peg on What I Want My Daughter to Know About ‘Having It All’

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