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BEING 40

Stacey Lindsay

The Decade of Letting Go - and Embracing Who We Are

A groundbreaking and honest exploration of midlife today - and a field guide to do it your way.
Entering your 40s can feel like navigating a relentless wave of societal pressure, self-doubt, and expectations. Questions like "Am I where I 'should' be?", "Should I marry?", "Should I have kids?", "Should I switch careers?", "Should I worry about my finances?", and "Should I ask my doctor about perimenopause?" often dominate our thoughts. For generations, women have been fed a narrow narrative about midlife - one of stability and monotony. Yet, today's societal and economic pressures have reshaped this decade into something far more dynamic and unexpected.

But here's the exciting part: your 40s can also be a time of thrilling self-discovery. You finally know yourself and are ready to break free from all the "shoulds." This is the decade to embrace the magic and renewal that turning 40 can offer.

In BEING 40, globally-recognized journalist Stacey Lindsay crafts a new narrative that captures the diverse experiences of women entering midlife today. Through expert insights, candid interviews with real women, and her own personal journey, Lindsay provides inspiring guidance on navigating key aspects of this age - marriage and relationships, having children vs. not, beauty standards, career transitions, health shifts, and more. Each chapter includes thought-provoking prompts to help you uncover what you truly desire in this phase of life.

BEING 40 is a fresh and empowering roadmap for anyone ready to listen to their intuition, embrace their true selves, and feel prepared for this wild, weird, and wonderful decade.

Stacey Lindsay is a journalist, writer, and former news anchor. She's interviewed hundreds of public figures, civilians, artists, veterans, founders, and more about spirituality, health, and identity. A longtime senior editor at Maria Shriver's Sunday Paper, she was previously an editor at goop and an evening TV news anchor and field reporter. She earned her B.A. in media studies from Emerson College and an M.A. in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Originally from the South Shore of Massachusetts, she lives outside Seattle with her husband, Christian, and their rescue pup, Andi MacHowl.
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Published 2026-05-05 by The Open Field

Comments

With warmth, honesty, curiosity, and a discerning eye, journalist Stacey Lindsay offers us a look at a time in a woman's life that deserves recognition and celebration. This book will help you cut through the noise of a sexist world and connect to the authentic you that Society has taught you to ignore.

quote Kara Loewentheil, New York Times bestselling author of Take Back Your Brain

Many of us get to our 40's only to realize that our ladder is leaning against the wrong wallStacey Lindsay is the wise guide we need to reorient us to the moment and remind us that It doesn't matter. What matters is that you're right where you are. With grace, aplomb, and care, Lindsay points us to a new map, one that we get to make for ourselves.

quote Elise Loehnen, author of the New York Times bestseller On Our Best Behavior, and host of Pulling the Thread

We always need a reminder to be kinder to ourselves and know we are beautiful, worthy, and whole, no matter what. This book is that reminderit shows the 40s as a time of wisdom, connection, strength, and possibility. I'm excited for this part of my growth and new journey as a woman. Thank you Stacey for leading the way.

quote Brittany Snow, actor, producer, director, and bestselling author

Being 40 is a reflective, incisive exploration of womanhood today. It unravels the limiting stories we've been taught to hold and reveals how quietly they shape our lives. Yet at its core, it is a hopeful invitation to imagine possibilities that honor our truth and allow us to live more fully.

quote Anna Malaika Tubbs, social scientist, and New York Times bestselling author of Erased and The Three Mothers

This book gives voice to what women so often carry quietly the questions about work, worth, love, and who we're allowed to be. Being 40 turns those questions into liberation.

quote Maria Shriver

Being 40 gives women in our 40s permission to do all the things. Stacey Lindsay's exceptionally candid book draws upon her own story and advice from a broad range of experts to paint an inspirational picture of a decade that we should look upon as a new beginning.

quote Eliza Reid, former First Lady of Iceland, gender equality advocate, bestselling author, and cofounder of the Iceland Writers Retreat

Stacey Lindsay has written the guidebook I wish I'd had when I turned fortya fierce, compassionate rallying cry that says: 'You are not behind. You are not too much. You are exactly where you need to be.' Whether you're questioning your career, your relationships, your body, or your choices about motherhood, Lindsay meets you with unflinching honesty and zero judgment to remind us that our forties aren't about checking boxesthey're about reclaiming our voices and our lives. This is the conversation every woman deserves to have, and the permission slip we've been waiting for. Read it, share it with your friends, and watch what happens when we stop performing and start living.

quote Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action and New York Times bestselling author of Fired Up and Fight Like a Mother