Womaness Woman: Katie Fogarty

Interviews & Essays - October 13, 2024

By Womaness Editors 2-Minute Read

Katie Fogarty is turning up the volume on what it means to age with audacity. This former journalist and PR executive has reinvented herself as a podcaster, hosting the popular pod A Certain Age, which celebrates women 40, 50, 60+ who are aging out loud. And if that isn't enough, she also hosts the literary podcast The Midlife Book Club (focusing on the stories and voices of midlife), runs a career coaching company, curates the Instagram community AGE OUT LOUD, sits on the boards of Let’s Talk Menopause and Flow Space, and tries to talk her husband and three adult-ish kids into sweating it out at hot yoga with her. In our latest profile, get to know the pro-aging advocate whose motto proclaims, "We will not be aging quietly."

First thing I do each morning

“Pray that my husband has made coffee and fed the dog.”

Three things I always keep on my nightstand

“A leaning tower of books. My TBR stack is comically high. A pair of reading glasses. A framed picture of me and my husband from our New York Times wedding announcement (which typically needs to be dusted), but always makes me happy when I see it. Such babies!”

My go-to beauty hack or wellness ritual

“Morning and bedtime Gua Sha with a favorite face oil and as much Bikram yoga as I can squeeze in to work out the physical (and mental) kinks.”

“I feel 100% present and content with who I am today.”

My inner age (the age I really feel) and why

“54, my actual age! I feel 100% present and content with who I am today.

Here's why: I've spent the last four years interviewing 200+ incredible, inspiring midlife women. Yes, we cover the midlife WTF—menopause, low libido, female hair loss, osteopenia, and more but we also explore why midlife is a totally fantastic, yet underrated club. We are comfortable in our own skin, confident in our choices, and excited about what’s next.

Four years ago when I first hit record, I could never have imagined that A Certain Age would have listeners in 129 countries across 9k+ cities. I cannot wait to see what the future brings.”

Advice I would give to my younger self

“Wear more sunscreen. Stop sweating the small stuff. Pay more attention to the magic of compound interest. And here's a biggie—the secret to life is being scared and doing it anyway. When you are young with endless collagen and fab bone health, you will think that some people have *it* all figured out, that they are wired with confidence and fearlessness. Nope and no. As you get older, you will learn that most people are winging it too and that confidence is a muscle—the more it gets used the stronger you become.

I would also tell my younger self to stop looking left and right to see what other people are doing. People will try to make you think life is a race, that you need to be fast, to stay in one lane. Not true. Run your own race—you are going to be right on time.”

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We don’t believe in “The Pause.” Tell us, what are you not pausing on?

“I am not pausing on my creativity or launching new endeavors. I have a zillion things I want to get after—books to write, podcasts to launch, places to live, adventures to try. I am also not pausing on prioritizing time with my parents and children because getting to midlife means the people we love are aging, too. I am banking time and memories.”