When surrender teaches you more than effort ever does, Reader
It always happens on the one morning you’re not mentally prepared for life.
There I was in the shower, not a quick rinse, not a functional wash, but a full hair-saturated, shampoo-foaming, face-mask-dripping moment of peace I’d somehow managed to steal for myself.
You know that rare kind of peace… The kind you almost don’t trust. The kind you try not to breathe too deeply into, just in case life notices and snatches it back.
And then—
The unmistakable sound. That mechanical rumble that every woman in her 50s recognises immediately.
The bin lorry.
My heart dropped. My eyes snapped open. And for a few seconds, I stood frozen; naked, soaked, lathered like a bubble bath advert gone wrong, and to top it all the shower duck music was playing on the radio, thinking:
“Oh crap.”
Every British woman knows this moment. It is practically a national rite of passage.
And in that split-second, my brain went into full crisis-management mode, the same muscle women in their 50s use for everything from emotional labour to remembering everyone’s birthdays.
Could I make it? Towel? No towel? Do I go for the Olympic-level dash across the landing? Would the neighbours see? Would they be traumatised?
There was a full internal risk assessment happening in three seconds flat.
Then something shifted.
I just stopped.
I felt the hot water on my back. The weight of my drenched hair. The ridiculousness of the whole scene.
And I thought:
“No. They’ll get them next week. The rubbish will survive. And so will I.”
I stayed right where I was, lathered, bare, unbothered.
And I laughed.
Because in that moment, something inside me unclenched in a way I didn’t even know I needed.
It wasn’t really about the bins…
It was about the way us women in our 50s carry responsibility like it’s oxygen. Automatic. Constant. Unquestioned.
We don’t even stop to think, we just react. We manage. We fix. We anticipate. We prevent.
And somewhere in the middle of all that… We quietly disappear into everyone else’s needs.
But in that shower, ridiculous as it sounds, I remembered something important:
Not everything is urgent. Not everything requires you. And nothing falls apart when you let some things wait.
Sometimes the bins stay full. Sometimes the message goes unanswered. Sometimes dinner isn’t sorted. Sometimes you chooseyou instead of the expectation.
And life keeps moving, beautifully intact.
The deeper truth?
Women in their 50s often think the solution to feeling stuck, flat or invisible is to push harder.
Be more organised. Try new routines. Be more disciplined. Care just a bit more.
But the issue isn’t effort. It’s strategy.
You’re not failing. You’re using strategies that belonged to a previous version of you, the woman who powered through decades of responsibility, caretaking, and survival-mode living.
But the woman you are now? She needs a different kind of support. Different tools. Different energy.
And that’s exactly why I created something for this season of your life, not the one you’ve outgrown.
✨ The Personal Strategy Toolkit for Women in Their 50s ✨
This isn’t a planner. It’s not another “fix yourself” guide.
It’s a gentle, grounded way back to yourself.
With simple, personality-aligned strategies, based on four archetypes, you’ll finally have tools that match your energy, your mindset, your lifestyle, and your reality.
No pressure. No overwhelm. No starting from scratch.
Just small, honest steps that feel like relief, not work.
Here’s to the bins we let wait. The pressure we stop carrying. And the woman we’re finally becoming, one simple, aligned choice at a time.
With love Jo
The “Shampoo-Soaked Strategist” Pagett
P.S. If your brain keeps whispering, “You should have figured this out by now,” remind it: You’ve spent decades running a whole life. You’re allowed to need new strategies for a new season. That’s strength, not failure.
I’m here to help you elevate your health, wellness and personal growth with proven, high-impact resources. These aren’t just ideas they’re the exact tools I use daily for success.
Claim yours today and start building the life you truly deserve! 🚀
