What do you do when you’ve lost the woman that you once were? When your career is no longer fulfilling? When you struggle with presenting yourself to the world? If you’re anything like Thea Wood, you reinvent yourself. For many women, midlife is a time of discovery. Thea discovered that she is absolutely phenomenal!
You wanna know what midlife looks like?
Thea Wood
You never ask a lady her age . . . am I right? Well, when it comes to that number, some women like to hold their cards close to their chest. They would no sooner divulge their age (their real age, not the ‘Our Time’, ‘Match’ or ‘eHarmony’ one) than they would go naked body surfing in an active volcano. Not the inimitable Thea Wood.
I’m 49 and damn proud of it!
She says it and she means it. That’s the kind of spunk and energy you can expect from Thea. She’s a woman on the move and has no time for the notion of moving slowly.
As a busy businesswoman, Thea is pulling double duty. She’s the co-publisher (along with Audrey Stefanik) of SheSpark.com, a successful digital magazine that promotes positive self-image and lifestyles for women over 40.
SheSpark – borne out of Thea and Audrey’s mutual interests and concerns on style, beauty and wellness – features timely and relevant articles on beauty, style, mind and body wellness…topics that are relevant to our age group.
As if she weren’t busy enough running a magazine, Thea is also a certified image consultant whose client base includes women who work in male-dominated industries. As a signature stylist and image consultant, she helps women to create a visual message that speaks to who they are and where they’re going. In many ways, Thea’s dual career paths run parallel to one another.
Thea strives to maintain a good work-life balance, and she realizes the “work to live or live to work” issue can be tough at times.
Some days, my work really defines who I am and would fall into the “live to work” philosophy. There’s nothing wrong with that. Fortunately, I’m in a position where my family won’t go hungry without my income, so “work to live” isn’t imperative like it was in my single days. Admittedly, this brings on a guilt factor when you consider how many women have to bust their asses just to survive or feed their kids. My mother was one of these women, and I respect them profoundly.
Her career keeps her busy, but it’s not ‘all work and no play’ for Thea. There is life after work.
I’m a rocker at heart. My husband and I see at least one live music show a week. This summer, we’re touring Europe with Pearl Jam (hitting Prague, Kraków, and Berlin) and then driving from Austin to Telluride for the “Ride Fest” while my son is at camp. I’ve unwittingly become a bonafide “Soccer Mom,” which cracks up my friends as I’m now the butt of my own jokes. And yes, I’m embarrassingly rowdy on the sidelines. But always positive.
Like image, perspective, too, is everything. Depending on how you look at it, Thea’s nest is either half-empty or half-full. Being mom to a middle schooler keeps her on her toes, but she’s also mom to a college junior as well.
My stepdaughter attends the University of Michigan — Go Blue! So, we’ve experienced the first bird flying the coop. It was an adjustment for her mom/dad/me who all collaborated through these changes. (I cannot express how truly thankful I am to my stepdaughter’s mom for trusting me to be a part of her child’s upbringing.)
Technology keeps us all connected much more so than our generation did when leaving home in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Thank God we didn’t have Snapchat and Instagram when I went to college. I’d still be grounded.
Parenting can be rewarding, but it can also be daunting, especially in midlife — a time which comes with its own unique set of challenges, and Thea wasn’t immune to this.
My son was born 10 days before my 38th birthday, which means I was trying to work and handle the ‘Terrible Twos’ as a 40-something. Your body doesn’t bounce back like a 20-something, and my hormones wreaked havoc on my emotions. Not to mention my “rocker” lifestyle left over from my career in the music industry didn’t fit the rigors early-morning childcare demanded.
Over time, Thea began to lose herself.
I went into a full-blown identity crisis. Hiding from the camera, wearing maternity pants for 6 months after giving birth, struggling with a successful sales career that no longer felt fulfilling…
And then it happened. Thea had a pivotal ‘ah-ha’ moment of discernment — it was the catalyst that put her on a new path and led to Thea reinventing herself into the woman she is today.
When I discovered image consulting, the training and positive approach to self-image saved me. Since 2010, I’ve been working with women who deal with major life transitions — or want to make them happen. My blogging and tweets connected me with beauty reviewer extraordinaire Audrey Stefanik, and the rest is an example of how the Universe offers opportunity when you’re on the right path. Even when you least expect it.
Now, Thea has come into her own. Life is a journey, and hers has brought her to this point in life. And how does she feel about the woman that she is today?
What day is it?!? Seriously, not every day is perfect. And that’s okay. Who isn’t in a different place than they imagined when they were 25? Overall, I am happy but not content. Does that make sense? There is always a part of me that strives to accomplish more, experience more, and become a better human being. I’m not “Ellen” wealthy or impactful and may never be, but I have a husband who is my best friend in all ways for 15 years and running.
Life is good for Thea, but the wheels don’t stop turning for the sake of complacency. She continues to move forward by embracing life and being grateful for her bounty.
SheSpark and image consulting continue to introduce me to intelligent and compassionate women who exemplify the leadership qualities society needs at this time. I’ve scratched many things off my bucket list, the most recent one being giving a TEDx talk. My parents are alive and kicking ass. My children are healthy and live by “treat others the way you want to be treated.” All of these things make me very happy.
To women who may be struggling with midlife, Thea has these words of wisdom.
1. Trade in sexy for cool. Cool is attractive and ageless.
2. Stop focusing on how skinny you look; create a style profile that says who you are and where you’re going to attract the right opportunities.
3. Own your personal space. Strong stance, direct eye contact, and a smile influences the direction of any interaction.
Businesswoman. Stylist. Rocker. Author. Speaker. Mother. Wife.
She projects a positive and stylish image, inside and out. She’s a champion for women and she wants to help give women the confidence to become an equal force in this world. She wants to see women glow and put forth their best image. Just as she does.
When it comes to Thea Wood, this is what midlife looks like.
WHERE TO FIND THEA ON THE WEB:
You can find Thea all over social media, starting with her digital magazine, SheSpark. Head over to theawood.com to learn more about her image consulting business. She can also be found on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Lastly, you can see Thea in action with her TedX talk.
If you or someone you know should be featured in “This is What Midlife Looks Like,” contact me and let me know.
