Reese Witherspoon inspires women everywhere. She first taught us the iconic “bend and snap” as Elle Woods in the comedy classic Legally Blonde. Now, the powerhouse actress and producer is celebrating her 50th birthday.
She recently opened up about the realities of midlife, empty nesting, and finding immense joy in your “second act.”
“I like getting older,” Witherspoon shared. “I think it’s great to be wiser and understand your place in a business.”
Whether you are navigating a massive career change or adjusting to kids leaving home, her unparalleled wisdom is a breath of fresh air. Here are her absolute best takeaways on embracing life at 50 and beyond.
1. On Pivoting Your Career: Give Yourself Space
Despite having a wildly successful Hollywood career and an Oscar for Walk the Line, Reese reached a point in her life where she wanted more control. Feeling sidelined as she aged, she took matters into her own hands. She leaned into her passion for books and launched her own female-focused media company, Hello Sunshine.
Her advice for anyone wanting to shake things up? Stop racing around. “You can’t find your next steps forward when you are racing around and making yourself busy,” she advises. “Ask yourself the question: who am I, what do I want the next chapter of my life to look like?” She notes that while she spent her 20s trying to emulate others, she now knows her own unique perspective matters.
2. On Friendships: Seek Out the “Radiators”
Witherspoon boasts a famously tight-knit circle of friends, including Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Aniston. Her secret to cultivating healthy adult friendships comes from a principle her grandmother taught her: People are either radiators or drains.
- Radiators give off warmth, goodness, light, and positivity.
- Drains constantly pull you down and deplete your energy.
She views friendships like a bank account—a system of deposits and withdrawals. To maintain strong bonds, you must make sure you put deposits into your relationships and that others do the exact same for you.
3. On Empty Nesting: From Grief to Friendship
Reese does not sugarcoat the pain of her older children, Ava and Deacon, moving out. She admitted to grieving, worrying constantly, and even crying in their empty bedrooms.
However, she discovered a beautiful silver lining on the other side of empty nest syndrome. “Then they became these incredible friends,” she says. She now loves navigating the world with her kids as adults, noting how fun it is when her son recommends cool restaurants in New York to her.
4. On Hobbies: Unplug and Get Creative
To prepare for the changing gears of midlife, Reese highly recommends putting your phone down and picking up a new hobby. For her, that means watercolor painting every Tuesday with her mom and a group of women in their 70s and 80s.
“For three hours nobody looks at their phones and we literally just eat cookies, have coffee and do watercolours. It’s amazing,” she shared.
5. On Positivity: Keep Moving Forward
Known for her infectious optimism, Reese’s life motto focuses entirely on forward momentum. “I don’t linger on things, I don’t hold grudges, I don’t dwell in the old. Everything is a new day to do something meaningful.”
As she heads off to Europe to celebrate her milestone birthday, she looks toward the future with a healthy dose of humor: “Am I going to be an 85-year-old lady still doing the bend and snap?” We certainly hope so!
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