Substacks recommended by Catherine H Palmer | Amid Life with Catherine Palmer

Recommended by Catherine H Palmer

A grounded spiritual newsletter for women 40+ who are done with toxic positivity and ready for real healing, ethical woo, and bold second acts. Weekly essays, rituals, and real talk—with humor, heart, and zero guru nonsense.

Cynthia echoes my ethos about reinvention and discovering what makes you happy. "You just have to come back to yourself," she says.

- Catherine H Palmer

The Middle Book Club

By Gretchen

A community dedicated to reading books about women in the prime of life, the heroines juggling careers, families, and all the joys and challenges of these juicy middle years. ⁠Because main character energy doesn't have an expiration date.

7/18/25 Imagine! Books where midlife women are the main characters. Gretchen's got all the recommendations.

- Catherine H Palmer

Tiny Tremors

By Deborah Heimann

Tiny Tremors is about choices, about paying attention, about catching the moment that changes your life.

Tiny Tremors reminds me of Ross Gay's Book of Delights. A reminder to pay attention to the small (but somehow huge) moments in life.

- Catherine H Palmer

Midstack

By Jessica Smock

A membership community for midlife women who want to write, connect, and grow on Substack, from the editors of Midstory Magazine.

Center of the universe for midlife women building community and writing on Substack. A support group like no other!

- Catherine H Palmer

What Comes Next?

By Abigail Thomas

Something odd will cross my mind, or a memory will catch me off guard, or my monkey mind will swing from the ceiling fan, or a tiny ant will crawl up the bookcase next to my chair. Then I get curious and curiosity is the first step in an unknown direction

Starting Over in Stumptown

By Barbara Kasten

A burned out breadwinner leaves it all behind to begin again in the land of Craftsmans, coffee and conifers. How hard can it be?

Every reinvention starts somewhere and a cup of good coffee helps. Barbara is on a journey of self-discovery you might want to follow.

- Catherine H Palmer

Paulla Rich Estes

Truth teller, encourager, listener. Memoir writer. Certified book coach in Memoir and Fiction. EX-Evangelical Christian. Former crisis pregnancy center worker. Championing other truth tellers with heartfelt empathy.

Paulla writes with sincere vulnerability and grace. Her reinvention story is a must read. She is a skilled book coach too!

- Catherine H Palmer

The Next Write Thing

By Nan Tepper

Essays about my dysfunctional family and my often fabulous gay father, coming out as a writer, depression, working a 12-Step program for recovery from disordered thinking and eating. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's sad. It's all me.

Nan serves up hard truths with warmth, empathy, and startling insight with deeply personal essays that explore universal truths. She personifies resilience (with a dash of rebellion ;-)

- Catherine H Palmer

Midstory Magazine

By Jessica Smock

A home for writing by women about life, love, and loss at midlife, from the editors of the HerStories Project.

For midlife women by midlife women, Midstory is a compass for women navigating the maze of midlife.

- Catherine H Palmer

Leanne by the Sea

By Leanne Phillips

Writer, book coach, editor. Debut novel California Is an Earthquake coming fall 2027 from Sibylline Press.

Helping busy women write the books they've always dreamed of while sharing observations of California life.

- Catherine H Palmer

We're All Getting Older

By Lou Blaser

Thinky, funny, and just deep enough. For people figuring out what matters now, by someone who definitely doesn’t have it all figured out.

If you love reading about midlifers who continue to grow and get better.

- Catherine H Palmer

The Collection

By Hannah

Harvesting what really matters in great books. Self-development, psychology, morals and success stories

Spark notes for self-help and personal development

- Catherine H Palmer

Too Old For This Sh*t

By JULIA HUBBEL

You're Way Too Old to Say You're Too Old for your last third. This is your time, the best time, and let's discover why. Above all, let's share the best ideas for how to enjoy and thrive. The best adventure is to age well. Let's play!

Julia says it like it is, with grace, humor, and real-world experience we can all learn from. You're never too old (or too young) to subscribe!

- Catherine H Palmer

Sticking the Landing with Jan M. Flynn

Debut novelist exploring culture, health & wellness, and all the things that make life wondrous, heartbreaking, and befuddling — especially in the third act.

Jan may be one of the nicest women ever who has absolutely run out of f**ks to give. Truth-talking for our third chapters. Her headlines and images alone are worth the clicks.

- Catherine H Palmer

Your better, bolder, brighter life, with Alana Kirk

Today, women's lives are bursting with possibilities. and brimming with pressure. This newsletter is about helping you understand the context of being a woman today, to live a better, bolder, brighter life.

Helping midlife women recapture their agency and build a bolder, brighter life.

- Catherine H Palmer

Audacious Women, Creative Lives

By Anne Boyd / Audacious Women

Inspiration from audacious, creative women in the past , plus opportunities to connect--because we're all in this together.

Inspiring stories of women writers and artists who made bold choices, bucked convention, or simply lived and wrote outside the lines.

- Catherine H Palmer

Changing The Channel with Kirsten Powers

New York Times bestselling author Kirsten Powers offers fresh thinking about how we can make big changes in our lives, communities and country.

Kristen offers smart and vulnerable perspectives on which comes first: challenge or change?

- Catherine H Palmer

Continuing Wonderment

By Karen Rand Anderson

Art and writing are the tools that have shaped my life..."Continuing Wonderment" is my corner where I share creative musings, insights, questions and concerns. I hope you'll share some of yours, too. And-- don't forget to continue to wonder 🤔

Inspiration for creatives who need more wonderment in their lives (and don't we all!).

- Catherine H Palmer

The Midst

Join The Midst community to connect with forward-thinking women 35+. We're big on real joy, aging well, and playing by our own rules together.

Remember the variety of content in magazines? The Midst is health, beauty, celebrities and enriching, researched and personal stories for midlife women.

- Catherine H Palmer

Be Your Own Hero

By Louise

Being brave in small moments

The Vajenda

By Dr. Jen Gunter

Imagine a Venn diagram with overlapping circles labeled: Medical Facts, Feminism, and Fire. You've arrived at their intersection.

Zero bullshit about health at every stage of a women's life. Science, empathy, and a point of view. ♀️

- Catherine H Palmer

Men Yell at Me

By lyz

Written from a journalist in a red state, this newsletter is personal, political, sometimes funny and always raises hell.