Late Bloomers: Why Your Best Work Might Be After 40

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🎙 Female Friday | Ep. 4 — The Real Threat? Silence.

Have you ever felt yourself disappearing—not physically, but socially?
 Like the moment you hit a certain age, the world started looking right past you?

Yeah. Same.

In this debut episode of Female Friday, we’re talking about the quiet erasure of women—and what happens when we decide we’re done playing small. I’m sharing a personal story that flipped the script for me, and spotlighting five surprising women who prove it’s never too late to take up space, speak louder, and own your power.

This one’s for every woman who's ever felt invisible.
 You’re not fading.
 You’re just getting started. 💥

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the very first Female Friday.
This is a space that we talkabout all things female,
especially what it means to beloud, proud and feminist as fuck
over 40.
I'm Christy Chanel and this isSassy Politics.

(00:21):
And this is Sassy Politics.
Today we're talking aboutsomething that women probably
feel but don't typically say outloud Feeling invisible, not in
a superhero way, more likesociety stops seeing us, stops

(00:46):
listening to us and stopsvaluing us Until we disrupt the
silence.
Have you ever walked into aroom and felt like you were
vanishing Because you're over 40?
Like the world doesn't see youunless you're shrinking,

(01:06):
apologizing or just taking careof somebody else?
We don't fade with age andtoday we're taking up space.
Let's start with the obviousAging as a woman in this culture
isn't just physical, it'ssocietal erasure.
In media, we disappear after 35.

(01:29):
In Hollywood we go fromfresh-faced to grandma, with
zero in between.
In the workplace we become lesspromotable but more responsible
.
In healthcare, they tell usthat our symptoms are just
stress hormones or justimaginary.
We're supposed to quietly fadeinto the background just when we

(01:52):
hit our prime.
But guess what?
A lot of us are hitting ourstride right now.
We're not doing it quietly.
I do want to tell you stickaround to the end, because I'm
going to share five women thatdidn't even start their most
iconic work till after 40.

(02:12):
One of them didn't getdiscovered till 78.
You'll want to hear who she is,and it's going to rewire how
you think about your owntimeline.
Okay, let's get into it.
So a little bit about my story.
I've always struggled to getpast the middle management area
and I'm still in it.
I'm still in it, and maybe ithas nothing to do with me being

(02:35):
a female and everything to dowith that.
I should be more creative.
I should be doing this.
I mean, it's kind of obvious tome, but you got to make money
somehow and I and I actuallylove my career because I work
with people and that's myfavorite part of my job and I'm
good at it.
I mean damn good at it.

(02:56):
I feel like I've been respectedin my position in my career.
Where I'm noticing thedisrespect is online.
It's actually doing this.
It's me speaking up and being alittle bit louder.
It's me pointing out my ownopinions.
It's me standing in my truth.
That is where I'm noticing thebiggest problem Online.

(03:21):
When I create online, some ofthe biggest comments are about
my looks, about my glasses,about my hair, about my looks.
It's always, always about mylooks.
It's not necessarily attackingmy opinion, it's attacking my
appearance.
The messaging is clear Stay inyour lane and don't get loud

(03:43):
unless you're likable.
But I also realized I wasn'tinvisible because I had nothing
to say.
I was invisible because I hadstopped showing up fully.
I was censoring myself beforethey could, and that ends now.
It actually ended about a weekand a half ago when I rebranded

(04:06):
my whole podcast.
I started showing up for myself,I started being loud, I started
being secure in who I am andmaybe it came because I got my
teeth fixed.
Probably, you know, if you getthe things that make you the
most insecure fixed, it's goingto impact how you show up for
the world and although I am over50, I feel like I'm just

(04:32):
getting started.
Being feminine used to meanbeing soft, nurturing and
palpable, and I believe if youlook at some of my first
episodes, you'll see that I ambeing vulnerable, but I'm also
being soft.
I'm not coming at you too hard.

(04:53):
I'm actually wearing white.
My best friend saw me on myfirst episode and goes why are
you wearing white?
You're the brightest coloredperson.
I know you love bold, vibrantcolors, you're dramatic, and yet
I chose white for my firstepisode and I know today I'm in
light colors.
But I think you guys know who Iam already right.

(05:14):
You know who I am already right.
You know who I.
You got me down.
I can wear all colors.
But I think her point wasyou're not even showing up as
your authentic self on yourepisode one.
Yeah, I think I was coming outand not being as a gay woman,

(05:37):
but I was coming out as beingChristy, christy Chanel.
That was me learning andwalking through the whole
process of learning who I am,and you'll see the evolution
through the episodes.
And here we are.
I think I'm more myself thanI've ever been and that is why I
had to have an episode everyFriday for Female Friday.

(06:00):
It just makes sense Because Iwant to talk about other things
that are not just politics.
We have a lot of things that wehave to deal with Metapause.
There's other things that weneed to talk about.
There's other things that wenever talk about.
That's what this episode'sabout.
I plan on having people on myshow to talk about.
There's other things that wenever talk about.
That's what this episode'sabout.
I plan on having people on myshow to talk about all these

(06:20):
topics, and I'm kind of excitedabout it.
I think the first guest that'scoming on will be talking about
menopause.
She specializes in it and Icannot wait to get into the
nitty gritty and hear all thethings that they never taught us
before, all the things thatwere like something wrong with
me.
What's going on?
That's coming Now.

(06:41):
Let's talk about what it's likewhen a woman stops being
invisible when they demand to beseen.
These five women we're going totalk about did not find their
power at 25.
Just like me, they didn't peakin their teens.
They bloomed after 40.
And they bloomed loud.

(07:03):
The first absolutely amazingfemale that we are going to talk
about right now Julia Child.
I know you've heard of her.
She became a chef at 51.
That's how old I am right now.
She didn't publish her firstbook till 49.
Hock, that's amazing.

(07:26):
Number two Vera Wang.
I wore Vera Wang for my weddingto my ex.
Love Vera Wang.
Okay, I've always loved VeraWang.
I wore Vera Wang for my weddingto my ex.
Love Vera Wang.
Okay, I've always loved VeraWang.
She launched her fashion empireat 40.
After leaving her job at Vogue,she came into her own.
We all know who Vera Wang isMary Kay Ash.
She started her Mary Kaycosmetics line at 45.

(07:49):
After she was passed over for apromotion, she said fuck this
shit, I'm gonna do it myself.
Love women like that.
They fuel me.
They absolutely fuel me.
Susan Boyle Susan Boyleremember her.
She was discovered at 47 onBritain's Got Talent and sold 25

(08:12):
plus million albums.
45 became like this, singingsensation and number five,
grandma Moses.
She didn't pick up a paintbrushtill 78 and then became famous
in her 80s 80s.
What is your excuse?
What is your excuse?

(08:32):
What is your excuse?
You know what all these womenhave in common they didn't ask
for permission, they didn't needa deadline, they made space for
themselves and the world had nochoice but to listen.
So if you're listening to thisthinking, is it too late for me?
Let me be clear.

(08:52):
No, it's just the beginning.
You're not invisible, you'rejust warming up.
Thank you for sitting with me onthis very first Female Friday.
I look forward to where we'regoing to go, all the different
topics that we're going to talkabout, and if you have a topic
you'd like me to cover, pleaselet me know.

(09:15):
Send me a text it's in the shownotes or leave me a comment or
send me a DM.
That's also in the show notes.
So I want to hear your stories.
What is the moment where yourealized you were done shrinking
?
Don't forget.
Every Monday we do the SassyPolitics update on what's
happening in the world and howwe're all feeling about it.

(09:35):
So please tune in for my Mondayepisode.
And now every Friday we bringit back home to womanhood Female
Friday and finding your fire.
Until next time, take up space,protect your peace and never

(09:57):
apologize for being too muchLove.
You miss you, bye, bye.