Unfucking Midlife | Ashley Kelsch | Substack

Bras, Brain Rot, and the Internet Outrage Machine

In 48 hours: Liz Gilbert hot takes, death videos, and Jimmy Kimmel canceled. The internet rewards outrage; all I get is cognitive dissonance and brain…

Sep 25 • Ashley Kelsch

The Secrets Women Keep and Why We Should Tell On Ourselves

I won’t pretend to know what it feels like to pull at the thread of a decades-long marriage. I do know the fear of revealing what I’m really thinking…

Sep 20 • Ashley Kelsch

Midlife and the ‘I Can’t Believe This Is My Life’ Moment

From shame and “shoulds” to momentum and meaning: making midlife count.

Aug 24 • Ashley Kelsch

27:14

Stress Training for Midlife: When Starting Over Isn't an Option

Midlife stress is layered: aging parents, teens, partners, money, health and no option to burn it all down & start over. The “fuck it, I’m out” approach…

Aug 17 • Ashley Kelsch

When Your Soul Won't Stop Knocking: How My 40's Taught Me to Live an Erotic Life

What happens when you finally stop asking "Is this it?" and start asking "How can I live a life that feels full and turned on?"

Jul 22 • Ashley Kelsch

Recent posts

Body Before Business: Getting on Your Own Nerves in a Touched-Out World

The obvious advice is to spend less time online. But let's be honest: going offline isn't realistic for everyone. And even IRL relationships can trigger…

Nov 17, 2024 • Ashley Kelsch

17:41

The Self-Help Slut: How I Stopped Trying to Fix Everything and Finally Changed

Listen now | The Sophisticated Ways We Avoid Our Problems & The Simple Solution That's Been There All Along

Apr 24 • Ashley Kelsch

We're Aging In, Not Out

Because here's the truth: we're not aging out of anything that matters—we're aging into who we were always meant to be.

May 19 • Ashley Kelsch

Let a Little Shit Run You Out? On Gardens, Goop, and Glennon

This is not a threat to me or anyone else; this is the opening and broadcasting of a message that can reach the masses.

May 2 • Ashley Kelsch

When my therapist suggested more sleep, I paused. My mind immediately pushed back: Isn't that lazy? Aren’t I supposed to be hustling? Wasn’t there a…

Sep 10, 2024 • Ashley Kelsch

Signal Over Noise, But Make it Pleasure

How a simple business principle became my guide to finding calm in the crazy

Sep 11 • Ashley Kelsch

Is What You’re Getting Worth Grieving What You’re Not?

When “doing the work” in a relationship starts to feel like you’re the one getting worked.

Aug 8 • Ashley Kelsch

55:56

The Midlife Sex Revolution: Why Women Are Finally Getting What They Want With Dr. Holly Richmond

Watch now | The cultural moment that's redefining sexuality after 40

Jul 15 • Ashley Kelsch

Unsolicited

Bras, Brain Rot, and the Internet Outrage Machine

In 48 hours: Liz Gilbert hot takes, death videos, and Jimmy Kimmel canceled. The internet rewards outrage; all I get is cognitive dissonance and brain…

Sep 25 • Ashley Kelsch

Stress Training for Midlife: When Starting Over Isn't an Option

Midlife stress is layered: aging parents, teens, partners, money, health and no option to burn it all down & start over. The “fuck it, I’m out” approach…

Aug 17 • Ashley Kelsch

Is What You’re Getting Worth Grieving What You’re Not?

When “doing the work” in a relationship starts to feel like you’re the one getting worked.

Aug 8 • Ashley Kelsch

The Midlife Move: No Sudden Movements

And How Anne Lamott’s Advice to “Never Give Up” Is More Important Than Ever

Jun 30 • Ashley Kelsch

We're Aging In, Not Out

Because here's the truth: we're not aging out of anything that matters—we're aging into who we were always meant to be.

May 19 • Ashley Kelsch

That's So Mid

That's So Mid #9: Better Late Than Never (Beginner Lessons from the Tennis Court)

Plus Intermezzo and Martyr book reviews, the Emma Grede Aspire episode that got me thinking, and a summer recipe

May 26 • Ashley Kelsch

That's So Mid #8: When You Can’t Afford a Crisis But Can’t Afford Not to Change

Exploring why midlife isn’t about crisis but about honesty, shedding armor that no longer serves you, and embracing who you truly are—even when the…

Apr 1 • Ashley Kelsch

That's So Mid #7: Feels like January 49th

Fran Lebowitz, Substack Writers Who Got Intimate, and a Few Good Distractions for the Months that Feel Never-Ending

Jan 31 • Ashley Kelsch

That's So Mid #6: Seasons, Repeat Behaviors and Choosing Privacy Over Performance + a Life Changing Pie Crust Recipe

All of these should have been clues, signaling that it is the end of the year and that we have, yet again, gone through another season of seasons and…

Dec 18, 2024 • Ashley Kelsch

That’s So Mid #5: I Heard Everything You Said

'I heard everything you said,' I said as I walked alongside my friend.

Oct 31, 2024 • Ashley Kelsch

Unf*cking Midlife

The Secrets Women Keep and Why We Should Tell On Ourselves

I won’t pretend to know what it feels like to pull at the thread of a decades-long marriage. I do know the fear of revealing what I’m really thinking…

Sep 20 • Ashley Kelsch

When Your Soul Won't Stop Knocking: How My 40's Taught Me to Live an Erotic Life

What happens when you finally stop asking "Is this it?" and start asking "How can I live a life that feels full and turned on?"

Jul 22 • Ashley Kelsch

I Had It All, Remember?

A candid reflection on success at 20 vs wisdom at 40+, and why the 'too late' narrative about midlife dreams needs to be unfucked

Jun 10 • Ashley Kelsch

Let a Little Shit Run You Out? On Gardens, Goop, and Glennon

This is not a threat to me or anyone else; this is the opening and broadcasting of a message that can reach the masses.

May 2 • Ashley Kelsch

Unfucking Midlife: My Unconventional Relationship with ChatDaddy

Is flirting with AI wrong if it gives you the perfect workout plan in five seconds?

Mar 24 • Ashley Kelsch

Uncensored

Unpacking Babygirl: Exploring Sexuality, Womens Roles, and Midlife Awakenings

Her inability to articulate what she wanted and the clumsy way she navigated her desires felt uncomfortably familiar. I reminded of a former version of…

Jan 10 • Ashley Kelsch

Built to Last: When Sex Tests the Limits of Home Furniture

How many f*cks can a frame take before it breaks? Are furniture makers and manufacturers taking this into consideration?

Aug 29, 2023 • Ashley Kelsch

Dumb and Dumber

"A Cycle of Deception: Falling for False Promises and Lies"

Jul 17, 2023 • Ashley Kelsch

Mind-Blowing Female Pleasure: Why Women Are Getting Soaked Without Traditional Sex

'I may have a small dick, but I've got 10 fingers that can do what a dick will never do' — and that's exactly how I discovered the pleasure most women…

Jul 3, 2023 • Ashley Kelsch

I was out to dinner with friends when I felt my crown come loose and fall out. As if that wasn't awkward enough, a man I'd harbored a crush on for years…

May 26, 2023 • Ashley Kelsch