My Story

Hi, I’m Annie — and I’ve been exactly where you are.

Welcome to Elevated Midlife, a midlife lifestyle blog for women over 40 who are ready to feel like themselves again. I’m 46, single, born and raised in the Seattle area, and a proud cat mom to two boys who are my entire world: Wendell (aka Bear Bear) and Winston (aka Little Guy). They’re my whole heart — and at the start of my 40s, I found myself asking a question I never expected: is this really it?

Somewhere in my early 40s, I stopped feeling like myself. After relationships that broke me and left me unsure of who I even was — paired with hormone fluctuations I now know were perimenopause, though I had no idea at the time — I felt lost, anxious, and disconnected from the life I knew was possible for me. I kept thinking: there has to be more to this.

Then last May, my Bear Bear was diagnosed with large cell lymphoma. We spent six months driving an hour and a half each way for weekly chemo, while I dove into research and supported him holistically every way I could. It was one of the hardest years of my life — and somewhere in the middle of caring so fiercely for him, I started learning how to care for myself again, too.

So I started digging. At the medical aesthetics office where I work, we began offering BHRT — and it genuinely changed my life. I leaned into supplements and holistic health (an interest that grew out of my own research after losing my mom to colon cancer), into the skincare I’d come to know through my work, and into moving my body every single day to quiet the anxiety and lift the heaviness. My home became a cozy sanctuary — a place I actually wanted to come home to.

And slowly, beautifully — I started feeling like me again.

Through every hard chapter, I’ve come to believe this is my purpose: to take everything I’ve lived through and learned, and use it to help other women feel less alone and more like themselves again.

That’s why I created Elevated Midlife. This is your warm, judgment-free corner of the internet, where we figure this out together. I’m not a doctor or a stylist — just a woman in her 40s who’s figured a few things out through real life experience, and who wants to save you some of the trial and error. Because you deserve to feel at home in your own life, beautiful in your own skin, and excited about what’s ahead.

What You’ll Find on Elevated Midlife

This is a space for real women in their 40s navigating the beautiful unraveling of midlife. Here you’ll find curated Amazon finds for style and home, gentle wellness tips for hormones and energy, cozy self-care rituals for tired women, and simple ways to add a little extra income to your life.

Whether you’re here for chic outfit inspiration, a cozier home, or the permission to finally put yourself first — you’re in the right place.

Right now, I’m focused on building a better future for myself: more freedom, more flexibility, and a quality of life I actually love — and I’m genuinely enjoying the journey. If you’re chasing the same, come along.

Pull up a chair, grab your cold brew (mine’s always with coconut whip — hello, I’m in Seattle), and stay a while. I’ll see you at night with my mint tea. 🤍