Allison Aubrey with Katie Campbell

In her new book, Your Turn: How to Create a Midlife You Love, journalist Allison Aubrey presents a captivating collection of women, ages 45 to 105, who cultivated creativity, connection, and joy, showing how it’s possible to find meaning and momentum in midlife.

The inciting incident that spurred this road to discovery arrived at the breakfast table. Allison Aubrey was having breakfast with her youngest child, who suddenly turned to her and said: “Stop looking at me.” In that moment, as her daughter signaled a need for independence, Aubrey felt a sting, like she’d been fired. She reminded herself: teenager, individuation. It’s her job to separate. But . . . ouch! That moment was a microcosm of what felt like a crisis of both identity and purpose. Beyond being a mother, beyond work, who am I? After years of striving, how do we broaden our horizons past parenting and a paycheck? Aubrey had watched colleagues retire, leaving behind the frenetic pace and excitement of work life, only to flail from a lack of purpose and connection. If the smartest people she knew were struggling, who was thriving? Who was getting it right? To find the answers, she took a sabbatical and set out on a curiosity tour.

Weaving together powerful insights and resources, Aubrey cuts through the clutter of health and self-improvement advice and offers readers indispensable, evidence-backed strategies to thrive. She takes what she’s learned, from scores of fascinating women she met both on this journey and in her decades of reporting as a journalist, to give readers a playbook for what could be next.