If you had told me ten years ago that I’d be running a membership helping women over 40 grow their businesses with Instagram marketing, Reels, content strategy, and email marketing, I would have laughed. Honestly. Because this business didn’t begin with a business plan. It began with a friendship.
The Instagram Friendship That Changed Everything
I met my friend Shelly on Instagram. Yes…Instagram. The funny part? We had both lived in the same town in California for years and somehow never met. We even had the same hairstylist for 14 years. Nothing.
Then we both ended up as California girls trying to survive cold Idaho winters.
God winks are the best.
Shelly is one of those women who makes you believe bigger things are possible. She’s built businesses. Sold a company. Stayed on as the spokesperson for the brand. Started a podcast. Wrote a book. Reinvented herself more than once. And somewhere in the middle of all that, she looked at me and saw something I couldn’t yet see in myself.
“What If You Just Did It?”
At the time, I was working remotely as the social media manager for an insurance office in California.
This was before working remotely was normal, Covid was 8 months away. I had three kids at homeâtwo in junior high and one in high schoolâand I was grateful for the flexibility. I was making what I jokingly call “Costco money.”
You know what I mean. Enough to cover our Costco bill every couple of weeks with a little left over.
About $1,200 a month. One day Shelly called me. “I just played tennis with this woman,” she said. “She totally needs you.” I remember sitting there in complete silence. She kept talking. “What if you just did it?” I honestly didn’t know what to say. Could encouraging women really become a business? Could teaching social media become a career? Could the thing I naturally loved doing actually support my family? I finally asked her the question that had been bouncing around in my head.
“Can I have a business if the one thing I’m good at is cheering other women on?” She smiled. “Yes.” That’s all she said. Just…”Yes.” Sometimes that’s all we need. One person willing to believe in us before we believe in ourselves.
The $800 Quote That Changed My Life
I sent the woman Shelly had met a proposal. I quoted her $800. To me, that number felt enormous. I was convinced she’d say no. I remember hitting Send and immediately questioning myself. Who did I think I was charging that much? Then something unexpected happened. She said yes. That $800 project changed everything. It wasn’t just income. It was evidence. Evidence that someone valued what I knew. Evidence that my experience mattered. Evidence that maybe Shelly had been right all along. That one “yes” became the beginning of this whole side quest that eventually became my business today.
The Questions That Kept Showing Up
As my business grew, something else started happening. Women kept sending me direct messages. “Can I pick your brain?” “How did you do that?” “What would you do if this were your Instagram account?” I loved every one of those conversations. They reminded me why I had started in the first place. Not because I loved social media. Because I loved helping women believe they could do something they didn’t think they could do. Eventually, I realized I was answering the same questions over and over again. That’s when I quietly started my membership. Social Media for Women Over 40 wasn’t originally a huge business idea. It was simply a place where women could learn Instagram marketing, ask questions, get real answers, and stop trying to figure everything out alone.
Then Life Happened
Then life got hard. Not dramatic.
Just…life.
Launching three kids into adulthood. Walking alongside my mom during the hardest season of her life. Trying to grow a business while taking care of everyone else. If you’ve ever been in that season, you know. Eventually I sat down with my husband and said something I never expected to say.
“I don’t love this anymore.” Not entrepreneurship. Not teaching. The social media management work. I was exhausted. I needed to take care of myself. So I did something terrifying. I gave every one of my management clients thirty days’ notice.
Instead of panic… I felt relief. Deep relief.
Because for the first time, I could pour all of my energy into the part of my business that had always brought me the most joy. Teaching. Coaching. Building community. Helping women over 40 grow their businesses through social media.
Why This Membership Is Different
People sometimes ask why my membership costs only $47 a month. The answer is simple.
Because I want you to stay. I don’t want you joining for one month, downloading everything, and disappearing. Growing a business doesn’t happen in thirty days. Building confidence doesn’t happen in thirty days. Learning Instagram marketing, creating Reels, writing emails, attracting leads, and becoming visible takes time. I want this to be the membership you keep showing up to.
The place you come when you finally post your first Reel. When you send your first email. When your first client says yes. When your launch flops. When your launch succeeds. When you need someone to remind you to keep going.
We Don’t Just Teach Instagram
Of course we talk about Instagram. We teach Instagram marketing. Instagram Reels. Content strategy. Email marketing. Lead generation. Growing your business online. But underneath all of those practical strategies is something even more important. Your nervous system. Because learning how to make a Reel isn’t actually the hard part. Posting it is. Sending the email is. Pitching yourself to be on a podcast is. Introducing yourself at a networking event is. Seeing a typo after you’ve already hit Publish is.
Growing a business isn’t just a marketing challenge. It’s an emotional one. Every time you become more visible, your nervous system has to learn that visibility is safe. That’s why we take small steps. Not because we’re moving slowly. Because we’re building capacity.
I’m Still Doing the Work Too
Here’s something I want you to know. I haven’t “arrived.” Every speaking engagement still stretches me. Every magazine feature feels vulnerable. Every new offer makes me wonder if anyone will care. I still hit Publish with butterflies in my stomach. I’m not teaching from the finish line. I’m teaching from the road. I’m simply a few steps ahead, turning around, and saying…
“Come on. I’ve got you.”
This Is What Tuesday Mornings Look Like
Every Tuesday morning, women from all different industries log into our membership. There’s the stylist over 50. The therapist. The photographer. The real estate agent. The coach. The mortgage lender. The woman with the business that’s thriving. The woman who’s still wondering if she should even start. Every single one of them makes our community stronger. We celebrate wins. We troubleshoot challenges. We practice showing up before we feel ready. Because confidence doesn’t come before action. Confidence comes from action.
If You’re Looking For Your People…
Maybe this is your sign. Maybe you’ve been waiting until you know more. Maybe you’ve been waiting until you’re more confident. Maybe you’ve been waiting until your website is perfect, your photos are updated, or your Instagram feed looks just right. You don’t have to wait. If you’re a woman over 40 who wants to grow your business using Instagram marketing, Reels, content strategy, and email marketing, I’d love to welcome you into Social Media for Women Over 40. You’ll learn the strategies.
You’ll build the confidence. But more importantly, you’ll find a room full of women who believe in each other before they believe in themselves. Just like Shelly did for me.
And sometimes… One person believing in you is where everything begins.
