Starting Over at 35
What does it mean to begin again? Not because you failed, but because you chose yourself? At 35, I’m choosing to build a life rooted in meaning and peace, not survival.
When I turned 35, I wasn’t celebrating a milestone. I was quietly, courageously deciding to begin again.
There’s a myth that by our mid-thirties, life should be settled. Stable job. Solid relationship. Mortgage. Kids. Milestones checked off like a grocery list. But what happens when your path looks nothing like that? What happens when you finally realize you never really wanted any of that to begin with?
For me, starting over at 35 isn’t a failure. It’s a reclamation.
The First Act: Survival Mode
My life was always full of disruption. Divorce, trauma, struggle, caregiving, burnout. As I grew, I built my life around responsibility and resilience. And while I’m proud of that version of me, I’ve outgrown her. I’ve outgrown the hustle, the fear-based decisions, the need to prove my worth by how much I could endure. And what job I had or how much money I had, you name it. I just don’t want any of that anymore. It’s that simple. I am ready to move on to the next level.
Now, I’m choosing something different.
Letting Go to Begin Again
Starting again has felt like:
- Actually getting ready to move across the globe. I mean WHAT?
- Back to school. Never would have thought I would see the day honestly.
-Redefining success via softness and stability.
- Reimagining my career and lifestyle away from the rat race.
- Establishing a brand that reflects me as an individual and does good for people.
It’s frightening. And exciting. And fundamentally human.
At 35, I don’t want a life that looks good on paper. I want a life that feels good to wake up to.
What I’ve Learned So Far:
- You're never too old to start again.
- Never make age a deadline.
- Healing is a portal to creativity.
- Slow does not equal stagnant.
- Self-trust takes practice, not perfection.
This chapter of my life is about rebuilding. Not from nothing this time, but from experience.
If you're also somewhere in the middle, beginning again, or simply wakening up to your own needs for the first time in years: you're not alone.
Consider this your permission slip. Do what feels good for you.
