44 Years Strong. 70 Newsletters In. Just Getting Started.

It’s a big week.

This is the 70th edition of my newsletter.
And it’s also my 44th birthday.

I’ve been reflecting on what that really means, for my body, my voice, and my mission.

I’m not following anyone else’s rules about aging, beauty, or worth.
I’ve heard all the stories about what women should do, shouldn’t want, and how we’re supposed to shrink as we get older, quietly, obediently, invisibly.

And I’ve chosen to write a different story.

This body has built, lifted, climbed, carried, broken down, and rebuilt again.
Every year, I gain strength, not despite my age, but because of it.

I used to feel self-conscious about being strong.
I tried to minimize myself, to play small, to avoid being “too much.”

There’s still a lot of fear around women taking up space, physically, emotionally, professionally.
We’re warned not to lift heavy, not to be loud, not to be “bossy” or “intense.”

And yet… here I am.
I’ve learned to see through the lies we’re sold:
That fitness is about fixing ourselves.
That aging is a problem to solve.
That wanting more than domesticity makes us difficult.

I won’t play that game anymore.

Earlier this week, I stumbled down a rabbit hole reading about Karen Carpenter.
I saw images of her strong, radiant, and alive, playing softball, laughing with friends.
Then I saw how the world tried to shape her, and how it ultimately broke her.

That story haunts me.

Because women are still being manipulated, sold shame, and ridiculed for their power. We are marketed “solutions” to problems we didn’t invent.
And now menopause is the latest goldmine, yet another thing to fix, treat, or hide.

I’m not here to sell you a cure.
I’m here to remind you of what works:

🏋️‍♀️ Move your body in ways that feel powerful.
🥗 Fuel yourself like someone who deserves energy, strength, and joy.
💥 Do it not because you have to, but because you get to.

You don’t need a gym full of equipment, a pile of supplements, or a trendy prescription.
(But if something helps you thrive, cool. You’re the expert on you.)

Whether you’re 24 or 74, this truth holds:

You are allowed to be strong.
You are allowed to take up space.
You are allowed to want more.

You are not too old.
You are not too much.
You are not alone.

And you don’t need to fit into any mold to be worthy of wellness.

So here’s to 44.
To getting better, not smaller.
To leading with integrity, lifting with joy, and living fully in the body I’m lucky to call home.

Thank you for being here, for 70 newsletters, and hopefully many more.

In strength,
Coach Christine