40 Isn’t a Crisis Anymore, It’s a Reset

News: The old idea of hitting 40 meant clinging to youth with a flashy car or a dramatic haircut. For millennials, it’s looking a lot different.

Instead of spiraling, many are treating 40 as a reset button: career pivots, side hustles, wellness routines that feel sustainable, and boundaries that actually protect peace. It’s not about holding onto youth, it’s about creating a life that feels aligned with where you are right now.

After living through two recessions, a pandemic, and the wild ride of housing costs, millennials are entering this next chapter with a different perspective: clarity over chaos, purpose over panic.

Wellness: You might remember her as Lee From America, the avocado-toast-loving, pastel smoothie bowl influencer who defined early Instagram wellness. But after hitting peak fame, Lee Tilghman walked away. The pressure, the criticism, and the personal toll (including a relapse into an eating disorder) nearly broke her.

Now, at 35, she’s back—but on her own terms. Her new memoir, If You Don’t Like This, I Will Die, doesn’t shy away from the messy parts of influencer culture. She’s calling out the “one-note branding” of wellness spaces, unpacking how personal pain was often packaged as aspirational content, and owning the vulnerability that comes with starting over.

For millennial women, her story feels familiar: chasing an ideal, realizing it doesn’t fit, and then rewriting the script with more honesty and less performance. Tilghman’s return isn’t about rebranding—it’s about reclaiming.

Recipe: If you’re craving a dinner that feels breezy, flavorful, and entirely “I’ve got this,” meet the Summer Chicken Parmesan: golden, parmesan-breaded chicken cutlets paired with a bright, no-fuss salad of baby arugula, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil lightly dressed in olive oil and vinegar. It’s the kind of meal that tastes fresh but requires minimal effort—ready in just 30 minutes, easy to prep ahead (yes, it works served cold!), and crowd-pleasing enough to please everyone at the table.

Podcast Rec: Leadership doesn’t need to feel out of reach—and Future Women Leadership Series, hosted by Helen McCabe (founder of Future Women), speaks to exactly that. In each episode, she sits down with influential women leaders who’ve navigated tough terrain, from standing their ground amidst criticism to steering teams through change, and distills their stories into tangible advice, perspective, and resilience. Whether it’s shifting career strategies or earning genuine loyalty from your team, this series offers smart, real-world insights with the kind of grounded honesty we all want more of in our inboxes and earbuds.

Finance: This week’s headlines remind us, markets are a dance between excitement and caution. From AI-fueled tech booms to whispers of economic slowdown and potential interest rate shifts, it can feel jittery out there. Analysts recommend building resilience and staying the course with diversified portfolios that blend growth opportunities with defensive anchors.

If you're comfortable adding a dash of ambition, a high-quality tech leader like Microsoft (MSFT)—just over $520—offers stability with upbeat momentum, especially as tech and AI continue to trend upward.