Howdy friends,

I’m turning 40 this week (!!) and I’m having some big feelings about it—but I’m happy to report that they’re quite the opposite of the stereotypical dread. Lately, I’ve been feeling extra motivated to follow through on personal projects (hello newsletter!) and so I looked up some stats because I’m lowkey data-obsessed:

Did you know the average age of peak creativity is 42 and that the most successful entrepreneurs founded their best companies at 45? No wonder I’m on a creative tear. 40 club—you hear that? We are just getting started!

For me, this creative “burst” has come in the form of applying to speak at a TEDx event (will report back), working with a coach to develop a proposal for a book I’ve been threatening to write for 10+ years (while also bingeing this podcast and also this one because y’all the path to traditional publishing is WILD), and giving in to the sudden urge to add new decor to the house I’ve lived in for 8 years. (I put up a hat wall, and my Wyoming metamorphosis is now complete.)

Overall, I’m ushering in this new decade with newfound energy for my career, lots of questionable purchases (said purchases include a day of heli-skiing, VIP tickets to Stagecoach, and a murder mystery dinner party at Roosevelt’s—YOTFO is my new motto, and I’m fully abusing it), and a regular strength-training routine paired with an ungodly amount of protein (20-year-old me would be scraping her jaw off the floor).

Anyway, I guess the message I hope you’ll take away from this first of many hand-rolled, personal publications, is that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself. And even when things are really workin’ for ya, there's always something new to look forward to.

Thanks for reading. In addition to acting as a sort of self-therapy, I’m also committing to this ongoing newsletter to build awareness around and trial content for the book project I’m working on. (Entrepreneurial habits die hard.) If something here resonated with you—or you want to make a celebratory gesture for my 40th birthday—please consider sharing this email with a friend or subscribing if you haven’t already. I would be so grateful.

Off to celebrate!
xx Tana

p.s. A love note for the 20 and 30-somethings reading this: if you keep your brain sharp, your body strong, and prioritize your relationships, life really does keep getting sweeter. 20-year-old me would be absolutely floored to see what 40-year-old me has concocted for myself.

p.p.s. I love em-dashes. In fact, I have overused them for decades. AI tried to take that away from me—but I will not surrender. Expect to see them everywhere.