By Womaness Editors 4-Minute Read
Writers, editors, and longtime storytellers Dina Aronson and Dina Alvarez know the power of speaking up—especially after age 40, when women are too often made to feel invisible. So they co-edited the book Midlife Private Parts, a soulful, smart, and surprisingly funny anthology of essays (including one by our co-founder Michelle Jacobs!) that explore everything from menopause and midlife reinvention to sex, friendships, and changing style. Get to know the two Dinas behind this deeply relatable read in our latest profile.
First thing I do each morning
Dina Aronson: “It’s always been Coffee First (full stop), but I’m trying to get into the habit of doing a quick meditation before I get out of bed—I pop in my Airpods and launch Insight Timer (I love David Ji), and it always puts me in a good headspace. Then, straight to the kitchen table for coffee with my husband, where we start the day together. Lucky for me, he makes it, so it’s waiting for me when I emerge from my room/cave.”
Dina Alvarez: “I have a mantra that automatically goes through my head when I wake up. It’s been so many years of repetition that it’s part of my feet hitting the ground. It’s relatively short—something I created on my own—just a few sentences that focus on the physical, mental, and emotional parts of me and starts with gratitude for another day. Then it’s coffee!”
Three things I always keep on my nightstand
Dina Aronson: “Water, my progesterone and magnesium that I take before bed, and readers/reading material (books and my iPad so I can read in the dark!).”
Dina Alvarez: “Always a book, paper and pen, and a glass of water.”
My go-to beauty hack or wellness ritual
Dina Aronson: “My beauty hack could not be more simple: I don’t leave home without a quick press of my eyelash curler, which makes me look instantly awake.”
Dina Alvarez: “I have two non-negotiables on wellness. The first is that I am big on sleep. Without it, every part of my being is affected. Since I get up so early, I’m sleeping by 9pm on most nights. I make sure to be in bed early and keep a sleep schedule. That’s not to say I don’t have a a few sleepless hours each night, but I do follow my body's normal sleep cycle of 'early to bed, early to rise.'
The second is that I take a superfood supplement. It’s a powder with spirulina and chlorella that I mix in water. It gives me a boost of energy and mental clarity as I get ready for the day. I started my 84-year-old mother on it, and honestly, she won’t stop talking about how good she feels energy-wise. She’s cooking and cleaning again!”
“We shouldn’t pause writing our stories at midlife—we should eagerly want to share them in service to others.” - Dina Alvarez
My inner age (the age I really feel) and why
Dina Aronson: “I’m 56, and I own it and feel it in the best way! Yes, there are some messy and difficult aspects to getting older, but I honestly feel like I finally hit my stride when I turned 50. It’s been a liberating time, and I feel more present and more myself than ever before.”
Dina Alvarez: “I feel 35. It’s the age I felt most vibrant and healthy and it was the beginning of being comfortable in my skin. I never moved on from that age.”
Advice I would give to my younger self
Dina Aronson: “Stop worrying so much about everything!”
Dina Alvarez: “I would tell her to take more chances and not let fear, the judgement of others, or the possibility of making a mistake hold her back.”
We don’t believe in “The Pause.” Tell us, what are you not pausing on?
Dina Aronson: “No pausing here! Not on growth, and not on pursuing impactful projects that are important and meaningful to me, like my (and my co-editor Dina Alvarez’s) new book Midlife Private Parts, an anthology full of stories featuring women who are not pausing!”
Dina Alvarez: “I’m not pausing on the story I am finally willing to tell. In the midlife anthology I co-edited, I wrote an essay titled ‘The Not-So-Invisible Woman’ where I share that, in my 50s, I am more visible than ever—that after years of introversion and fading into the background, I finally found my voice, and along with it, a presence I never imagined. Turning 50 felt as if someone flipped a switch and I found myself building a community—one that took hold after I shared a few personal stories online. I realized, more than ever, that our stories resonate and strike a chord like nothing else.
We shouldn’t pause writing our stories at midlife—we should eagerly want to share them in service to others. There is still so much to uncover and learn, including that you can be quiet, and an introvert and 50-something and still find the visibility you deserve through the spaces you create, with the community you build and with the people who matter.”
Fountain of Glow
What's your favorite Womaness product?
Dina Aronson: “Do I have to choose just one? I start my morning with Fountain of Glow, which does exactly what it says, and I’m sneaking in Let’s Neck, because I just love it too.”
Dina Alvarez: “I love the way Let’s Neck feels when I put it on and I do see a difference in the texture of my skin. A win-win.”
Word that best describes your Womaness
Dina Aronson: “Empoweredness!”
Dina Alvarez: “At this point in life, I would say 'readiness' because the word lends itself to the desire and ability to lean into experiences that bring personal growth and opportunity.”
Photo credit: Zibby Media
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