This post has been on my heart for quite a while now… and I’m finally ready to share it!
If you’ve followed me for a while, you might know me as The Body Positive Fairy Godmother – the plus-size glitter slinging, confetti throwing, hype gal, loud, unapologetic voice reminding you to wear the damn swimsuit, take up space, and to tell diet culture to shove it.
And while I still believe in the magic of those messages, I’ve changed.
Turning 50 (February 2025), while navigating some health challenges, cracked me in a good way. It caused me to do some deep reflection, soulful inner work, and challenge the beliefs I had been holding onto for several years about weight loss, body acceptance, etc. All of this accumulated into a shift of how I view things, my body, and even this second act of life.
So, I want to share something with you today:
I’m leaving behind Plus Size Confidence (PSC) and retiring the Body Positive Fairy Godmother. (Because you’re reading this on the new site, I’m guessing you probably figured out I was leaving behind PSC even without me saying it ;-))
I’m not leaving The Body Positive Fairy Godmother behind because I’m embarrassed to be a middle-aged woman playing dress up (I’ll still be dressing up, slinging glitter and throwin’ confetti – somewhere, somway! LOL). I’m not leaving her behind because I’m ashamed of her. Hell no – she was bold, powerful, & exactly what I needed (and others needed)… for a season.
I’m choosing to let her go because I have evolved. I have changed. I was trying to force myself to continue being her when it didn’t fit any longer. And I don’t want to keep forcing myself to do things or be things that no longer fit who I am.
Having said that, here’s what is still true:
✨ I still believe all bodies are worthy, valuable, and beautiful. (That belief will never change!)
✨ I still reject diet culture and the toxic messaging that tells women our bodies are broken (if we’re not thin) and need fixed.
✨ I still believe we can take up space exactly as we are regardless of our body size.
But here’s what’s also true:
✨ I believe health is a very nuanced matter. I have a complicated relationship with health, some of my beliefs, medical professionals, etc. But the most important thing when it comes to health is that we each know our bodies best and we get to choose what is best regardless of what anyone says!
✨ Piggy backing off the above, I believe in choice, including the choice to seek weight loss for medical, mental, or personal reasons without guilt or shame. It comes down to body autonomy!
✨ I believe midlife is not a crisis. I believe midlife is a time for us middle-aged women to shine our light, live life on OUR terms instead of other’s expectations. It’s time for us to step into the spotlight for Act II instead of buying into the bullshit narratives of society and that aging can’t be done gracefully or that our best years are behind us.
I believe we need new conversations around what midlife looks like for women! And I definitely believe it’s time to trash those stupid unspoken rules about midlife (you’re probably familiar with some of them – you can’t wear long hair after 50, you should wear neutral colors like beige and black… blah blah blah).
I mean who the hell came up with some of this crap?
I may be 50 but I won’t spend the rest of my years wearing neutral colors (& hey if that’s your thing – no judgment here!). Give me bright pink, coral, yellow & all the colors! Oooh & yeah I can’t forget the body glitter, sparkly nails, etc.! And I certainly won’t sit on the sidelines the remainder of my time.
I guess I’ll just be a middle-aged rebel and do whatever the f*** I want 😉
So what now?
Well… now, I’m showing up as me – Tish Lee. I mean I was always showing up as me on the old site too but I mean figuratively in this case – because of switching to tishlee.com 🤪 But I also mean I’ll be showing up as me in the sense of I’m gonna be a hype girl again but this time I’m “reinventing” myself as the Midlife Confidence & Empowerment Instigator!
This next chapter? Midlife. The second act. Act II. Whatever you want to call this season of life, is about me fully owning & (re)claiming being Untamed. Unfiltered. Unapologetic!
And I’d love to have more midlife “rebel” women along for the ride! I want middle-aged women to be done shrinking (physically, emotionally, or energetically) to make other people comfortable.
I want all of us, in Act II, to say “Screw the script. I’m burning (figuratively lol) it all down & writing a new one.”
So…
If you’re also a middle-aged woman (who is maybe spinning a little, questioning things, waking up to yourself in new ways) I sure hope you’ll stick around! I’m not here to “coach” you. I’m here to walk beside you, share my truth, and create space for you to (re)claim your voice, power, wants, passions – anything you’ve lost or left behind over the years!
Alright, here’s to the goodbye AND the beginning…
Goodbye to the Fairy Godmother who served her purpose for a time.
Hello to the woman I am now — untamed, unfiltered, radiant, “rebellious”, and unapologetic! (by the way Untamed by Glennon Doyle is a GREAT read (affiliate link)).
And welcome to the rest of my Act II and what’s to come!
