NPR science and health correspondent Allison Aubrey has released her new book, "Your Turn," offering a roadmap for women navigating midlife transitions and seeking reinvention. The book, inspired by Aubrey's personal experience of decades in "hustle mode" and a "biological age" test at Northwestern University, provides evidence-based tools for self-discovery and forward momentum.
Aubrey's reporting revealed that her intense work-life balance had taken a toll, even affecting her heart rhythms. This personal insight, combined with hearing from "millions of women" feeling similarly "running to stand still," prompted her to explore answers beyond celebrity narratives. She took a book leave to interview women who had successfully reinvented their lives, such as a lawyer opening a bookstore or a nurse leading a band at 60.
These women, Aubrey found, are embracing a new script: "learn, earn, return." This philosophy encourages reconnecting with one's inner creative spirit, which science suggests is linked to slower biological aging. Engaging in creative activities, fostering connection, and finding purpose are shown to reduce dementia risk and enhance feelings of joy and vitality, with measurable benefits down to gene expression in the immune system.
"Your Turn" serves as a playbook filled with real-life stories of reinvention, designed to help readers find their next chapter. With projections of 3.7 million centenarians by 2050, Aubrey suggests that age 50 is increasingly becoming "just the beginning" for new possibilities and adventures. Readers are invited to contribute their own stories by signing up for her newsletter.