“[I was at] my gynecologist’s office,” says Kristin van Ogtrop, author (“Did I say that out loud? Midlife Indignities and How to Survive Them” (https://amzn.to/3effm1a), literary agent, and former Editor-in-Chief of Real Simple magazine. “My enthusiasm for daily life had diminished. I was having an annual exam and I said,’ I’m depressed or going through perimenopause or need a new job’. She said, ‘Maybe all three.’” Up until that point, van Ogtrop had been a high-flying editor in the magazine publishing world who had worked her way through some of the toniest jobs in the industry--beginning at Premiere, then to Vogue, Travel & Leisure, and then to running Real Simple for 13 years. “The reason I loved [Real Simple] was because it was the first time I’d worked for a magazine where I was the reader,” she says. “The demos were basically me: busy working mother[s]...who had great full lives and needed ways to run [them] smoother.” Since Van Ogtrop grew up with a mother who was a home economics major, she knew how to make a casserole and hem a skirt--valuable skills she imparted to her harried readers. What was not so fun: when Real Simple got caught up in corporate spin-offs and industry-driven down-sizings. “Time Inc. was a public company [and there] was great pressure,” Van Ogtrop says. “[‘For] creative people [like me] in the company…[it] felt like every day you died a little inside.” After she left, Van Ogtrop became a business Goldilocks, trying on various new careers, but struggling to find her path. “One benefit of reinventing in middle age,” she says, “is not to be embarrassed to be the dumbest person in the room. I know I’ve accomplished something...in my last life and in my mid-fifties I don’t care if I look like an idiot.” Tune in to see where she ended up and how she did it.
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#243 What if COVID Inspired You to Go Into Business with Your Mother?
#242 Menopause in the Workplace: How To Beat the Stigma (Dr. Alicia Grandey)
#241 From Burned-Out Marketer to Fashion Maven (Ellie Steinbrink)
#240 Reinventing Your Skincare Routine to Feel Empowered After 40 (Nick Gavrelis)
#239 How to Reinvent Your Love Life After 50 (Evan Marc Katz)
#238 How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life (Jann Freed)
#237 A Sexual Assault Survivor Relaunches Herself as a Podcast Superstar (Kelli Moore)
#236 Her Leukemia Diagnosis Led to a Season of Bold Asks (Christina Langdon)
#235 Reinventing After Losing the Love of Your Life to Covid (Maureen Lippe)
#234 A Life-Changing Conversation Caused Her to Reinvent as a Coach (Sarah Fruehling)
#233 Reinventing Yourself After Childhood Trauma (Antonia ”Tuni” Deignan)
#232 How to Reinvent Your Career to Combine Your Passion and Skills (Pattie Siegel)
#231 From Financing to Fashion CEO to Skincare Entrepreneur (Allie Egan)
#230 Reinventing Your Sexual Self After Age 40 (Dr. Candice Nicole)
#229 How to Move Forward When You Feel Like You’ve Lost Your Identity (Anissa Buckley)
#228 Lessons in Reinvention from a One-Woman Powerhouse (Rochelle Udell)
#227 How to Rethink Your Attitude Towards a Side Hustle When You’re Over 40 (Aliza Freud)
#226 How to Hire a Virtual Assistant and Reimagine Time For You (Kristy Yoder)
#225 Her Reinvention Took Her from NASA to Podcasting (Izolda Trakhtenberg)
#224 When Healing from Your Childhood Trauma Leads to Radical Self-Awareness (Poonam Bhuchar)
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