Society loves to tell women that life peaks in their twenties. The story is that beauty and desirability have an expiration date. But for many, midlife isn’t an ending, it’s a turning point.

This week on Well Enough, Emilie sits down with award-winning beauty journalist and brand founder, Ateh Jewel. After decades in an industry that often told her she didn’t fit the mold, Ateh is now reclaiming her narrative and sense of self with unapologetic joy. She challenges the cultural scripts that define women by their age or relationship status and explains why her 40s have been her most powerful decade yet.

Ateh opens up about the moment that led to her divorce after a 26-year relationship and how she navigated the "feral" reality of modern dating as a midlife woman. You’ll also hear Ateh describe her experience as a black woman in the beauty industry, battling outdated and oftentimes ignorant views from those with financial power.

Ateh also shares the shame she experienced surrounding Type 2 diabetes, her candid experience with Ozempic, and why reclaiming her health through weightlifting was an act of radical self-love.

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Timecodes

00:00 Life After 40: Why Your Best Years Are Ahead

02:49 Childfree or Not: Defining Your Worth as a Woman

05:00 Surviving the Beauty Industry as a Black Woman

07:44 Why Beauty is Political

12:14 Overcoming Racism in Venture Capital

15:48 Diversity in the Beauty Industry

17:53 The Truth About Divorce After 26 Years

20:39 Finding Your Support System Post-Breakup

22:58 Reframing Divorce: Why It’s Not a Failure

25:50 Weight Loss Journey: Ozempic & Lifting Weights

28:28 Using Dating Apps in your 40s

31:40 Fetishization & Safety in Dating

34:05 Parenting Gen Z Girls in the Social Media Age

38:18 ‘Burn It Down’: How to Start Your Life Over

40:05 Strategic Advice for Navigating Divorce

43:00 Healing Trauma Through Pets & Routine

51:30 The Shame of Type 2 Diabetes & Sugar Addiction

More from Ateh:

Find Ateh Jewel on Instagram here

Listen to Ateh’s podcast on divorce ‘The Big D’ here

Ateh’s beauty brand is here

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