Hello!
I’m Catherine, and I’m happy you’re here.
I’m writing this newsletter to share lessons from my midlife reinvention, but I’ve always been searching for something. Who should I be? What do I want to do?
When I was in high school, my mom told me to learn to type so I’d always have a job. I began as a receptionist, then secretary, and so on, climbing midway up the corporate ladder. For a while, I managed marketing teams at big technology companies.
On my 50th birthday, I bought an old farmhouse in rural Vermont—a childhood dream made real. A few years later, I was simultaneously reaching peak perimenopause and the rock bottom of career burnout. Something had to change.
I quit my job, made lists and plans, and tried on new vocations like a royal wedding guest trying on hats. I was on a frantic search to find my so-called purpose. Fortunately, that search took place in this bucolic paradise — a quiet place where I could center, listen, and learn.
This newsletter is meant to be that same kind of place for you—and more.
All subscribers receive weekly posts, including:
Personal essays and journal prompts
Guest columns (poetry, collages, opinions, humor, and tips). *Watch this space for information on how to contribute.
Excerpts my memoir in progress, which chronicles how I moved to Vermont, hired a life wizard, and left a 30-year career without a plan.
A bit of hodgepodge, recommended reading, affirmations, adorable photos of my grandson Seb, Kitty the cat, and Rangeley, our sweet but anxious yellow Lab
Paid subscribers receive additional benefits.
Exclusive surprise email inspirations to help you write your next chapter
Occasional downloadable extras (a worksheet, for example).
Access to chats and the ability to comment on closed-group posts.
I write from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, in a crooked room under the eaves of that sweet 1800s farmhouse in the photo. I live with a one-eyed cat, an anxious yellow Lab, and my life partner, who says I can write anything I’d like about him as long as I call him Felix.
What I like about writing on Substack is the freedom to create on a no-comparison, no-judgement platform. Here are some excerpts from a few of my favorite posts:
Thirty One Blank Spaces I made the leap from my career six years ago this month. Why, how, and what happened next.
I’d seen the reinvention stories. Midlife women leaving their corporate law and finance corner offices to raise goats, make cheese, or start an organic winery. That wasn’t me. I had no C-Suite golden parachute or wealthy husband’s income to soften my landing.
Are you there, God? Margaret’s in Menopause
Are you there God? I feel like I’m letting everyone down—most especially myself. I don’t spend enough time with my parents or my kids. The work keeps piling up. I can’t sleep, and I think I might be drinking too much.
Curing my vulnerability hangover, written after I’d published an op-ed in a major newspaper.
Like most opinion essays, I used my memory of an experience to frame a larger trend and call to action—de-stigmatize menopause in the workplace. I’d exposed myself to what other people would think, talked about a taboo subject, and revealed my weakest moments.
Thanks for joining me here—amid life.
Catherine
Work hard. Be brave. Believe.
And now, the official bio
Catherine H Palmer is a writer and former marketing executive. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of New Hampshire, an MA in marketing communications from Emerson College, and an MFA in creative writing from Stonecoast (University of Southern Maine). The latter degree, part of her midlife career reinvention, was proudly earned at age 59.
Catherine has published in The Boston Globe, American Literary Review, and other literary journals. She is a contributing writer to AARP’s The Ethel Magazine and is writing a memoir about midlife reinvention.
