Hi, I’m Clare. 👋

At 51, I found myself unexpectedly out of a job I loved, just months after hitting major milestones and feeling more energized about my career as an editorial strategist than ever. The message was clear: my experience, once valued, was now seen as expendable.

Suddenly, the idea of re-entering the agency world felt impossible. It’s no secret that the industry can be brutal when it comes to age, and I felt invisible…like I’d aged out of relevance overnight.

I went searching for stories that mirrored what I needed to hear: that life after 50 could be bigger, brighter, and more fulfilling—but not necessarily in the ways we’re conditioned to believe. I wasn’t looking for advice on how to climb higher or hustle harder. I wanted real examples of reinvention, whatever that looked like.

Whether it’s launching a business, starting a new relationship, or selling everything and hitting the road in a trailer, reinvention isn’t about success by someone else’s definition. It’s about tuning in to what you want next.

That’s why I created Chapter51 Collective.

Looking back, it tracks. I've always been a late bloomer: college at 27, marriage at 39, first home at 43. I’ve never let timelines define me. So why start now?