Overview:
In this inspiring feature, Stacey J. Cabell explores how midlife can become a launchpad for reinvention. Through personal reflection and interviews with award-winning author Susan Jean Ricci and other women navigating their own second acts, Cabell highlights the courage, creativity, and clarity that come from embracing change. From career pivots to pursuing lifelong passions, this article offers a roadmap for anyone ready to take the leap into a meaningful new chapter.
When I sold the business I’d poured 14 years of my life into, I stood at a quiet crossroad: 50 years old, equal parts terrified and excited. For the first time in decades, my days weren’t defined by client calls, team huddles, or the title that had become my identity. Friends asked if I felt lost. The truth? I felt spacious, like life had handed me a blank page and a good pen.
I’ve come to believe the phrase “midlife crisis” is wildly outdated. For many of us, midlife feels more like a midlife awakening—a long, deep breath where we ask harder, better questions: Who am I without the roles I’ve played? What do I want the next chapter to say? And what if the dream I left on the shelf is still mine to claim?
To explore how others are navigating this same inflection point, I spoke with two women whose second acts look very different—and equally inspiring.
Find Out Who You Are—and Do It on Purpose
Business strategist Melanie Roach, owner of Cara Business Solutions, has had more than one second act. The most recent arrived three years ago when her youngest child stepped into her own life.
“When the role of ‘wife’ is gone and the role of ‘mom’ isn’t as front and center as it was when the children were young, you begin to wonder who you really are,” Melanie told me. “So I set out to find out exactly who I was as a person and as a woman. I figured out who I am, what I like, what I’m passionate about, and how I want to spend the next half of my life.”
What struck me most was Melanie’s urgency around joy:
“For anyone who feels like it’s too late to start over, I remind them that it’s too late not to. Every day you spend being unhappy in your current situation is a day too many. Change the career, leave the relationship, pick up a new hobby.”
She quoted Dolly Parton, the perfect compass for reinvention:
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
Today, Melanie helps female entrepreneurs build businesses aligned with their purpose and communities that carry them through the messy middle. Her story is a reminder that reinvention isn’t just about new work—it’s about telling yourself the truth and choosing a life that fits.
When the Door Closes and a Window Opens
Award-winning author Susan Jean Ricci didn’t plan her second act; it arrived abruptly.
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“Being forced into early retirement by my ex-husband, who was the business owner where I was employed, should have devastated me, but it didn’t. Instead, I felt delighted and relieved because I now had the opportunity to indulge in my creative side and satisfy my lifelong aspiration of becoming a full-time writer.”
She spent two years on her first novel, which went on to win awards for humorous romance and second chances. Today, Susan is a USA Today multi-award-winning author with an international fan base. She is best known for her Cindy’s Crusades Series, featuring the hilarious duo Cindy and Jay DeMatteo, first introduced in the multi-award-winning Dinosaurs and Cherry Stems and continuing through The Sugar Ticket and Don’t Bruise the Bananas. Her next installment, Kissing Off the Maelstrom, is set for release in 2026.
Susan’s work spans multiple series, including Love’s Salvation, Wicked Moments 2024, Single or Mingle 2025, and her festive Love for the Holidays Series. Her books have earned numerous accolades, including Reader’s Favorite Gold and Bronze Medals, Global eBook Awards, and multiple honors from the Independent Authors Network (IAN).
Her biggest surprise wasn’t success—it was how consuming the work became:
“I realized I’d been sacrificing too much time away from my family. Learning how to achieve your heart’s desire without forfeiting the love of your family is so much more satisfying and enriching. I am truly blessed.”
Reinvention, in other words, isn’t a single decision. It’s an ongoing conversation with yourself and the people you love.
What My Second Act Is Teaching Me (So Far)
As someone who loved the business I built and still chose to let it go, here’s what I’m learning in real time:
- Titles are temporary; purpose travels. I’m no longer “agency owner,” but the skills, storytelling, problem-solving, and hospitality of the heart are coming with me into writing and speaking.
- Clarity grows in motion. I didn’t wait to have the whole plan. I took one step, then another: write the pitch, record the talk, send the email. Direction found me while I was moving.
- Community carries courage. Melanie builds it intentionally. Susan balances it carefully. I’m leaning on it daily. Reinvention is personal, but rarely solitary.
How to Begin Again (Even If You’re Scared)
If you’re standing at your own crossroad, consider this your gentle nudge:
- Name the whisper. What keeps tugging at you—writing, design, teaching, opening a café, going back to school? Write it down without editing.
- Run a 30-day experiment. Give your idea focused attention for one month. Take a class, ship a small project, or book your first client. Data beats daydreams.
- Borrow belief. Find mentors, peers, or a community that reflects your future self back to you. Courage compounds when shared.
- Redefine success in this season. Maybe it’s flexibility, impact, creative joy, or simply peace. Let your new definition guide your choices.
- Expect to recalibrate. As Susan learned, passion can take over. As Melanie models, purpose asks for boundaries. Reinvention will ask you to adjust—lovingly.
Why It’s Not “Too Late”
The women I spoke with didn’t chase a new chapter because everything was perfect. They moved because staying the same cost too much. Melanie refused to ignore a life that no longer fit. Susan turned an unexpected ending into an award-winning career—and then adjusted again to protect what matters most.
And me? I’m learning that letting go of a chapter you loved can be the most generous thing you do for yourself—and for the people you’ll serve next. Midlife isn’t the end of possibility; it’s the beginning of an honest one.
If you’re waiting for permission, consider this it. Your second act might look like a brand-new business, a long-delayed creative dream, a return to learning, or a simpler life that finally feels like yours. Whatever it is, as Dolly says: find out who you are, and do it on purpose.
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