About

The Invitation

For a long time, I thought caring for my body meant trying harder. It took me a while to realize (longer than I'd like to admit) that midlife was teaching me something different.

My Midlife Table is where I share the kind of nourishment that helped me come home to myself again.

When My Body Stopped Responding Like It Used To

There was a period of time when something in my body shifted, and for a while I couldn’t quite explain it, let alone figure it out.

For most of my life, I had a fairly simple relationship with food and movement. I paid attention to nutrition, stayed active, and if I indulged a little too much during a busy season, a holiday stretch, or a long New England winter, I could usually rebalance things with a few weeks of more intentional eating and exercise.

But sometime in my mid-to-late forties, the rules changed.

Weight began settling in places it never had before. My waistline looked different. The things that had always worked for me, eating a little cleaner and moving a little more, suddenly didn’t.

At first, I blamed my job.

I’m a food and beverage photographer and recipe developer, which means I spend a lot of time around beautiful plates of pasta, pastries, cocktails, and desserts. It felt easy to tell myself that maybe this was simply the price of working in such a delicious industry. At one point, I even briefly wondered if I should quit.

But instead, I tried harder.

More discipline.
More restriction.
More cardio.

That was exhausting, and still, my body didn’t respond the way it once had.

Then one day, while scrolling on Instagram, I saw a phrase I had never heard before: meno-belly.

I remember stopping mid-scroll.

Until that moment, I had no idea there was even a name for what I was experiencing. But suddenly something clicked. I knew immediately that this was what had been happening in my body.

And if I’m honest, that season felt deeply defeating.

Not just physically, but emotionally and even spiritually.

Not because I expected perfection (I’m not going for six-pack abs here!), but because I had always trusted my ability to care for my body well. Suddenly it felt like the rules had changed and no one had handed me the new guidebook.

But that realization became the beginning of something new.

I started to realize that trying harder wasn't the answer. I needed to be gentler with myself and nourish my body differently.

Learning a Different Kind of Nourishment

Instead of forcing (and hoping for) outcomes, I began trying something else.

I started intentionally adjusting the conditions I was creating for my body and my life.

More protein.
More fiber.
Intentionally less sugar.
Less wine and margs.
Walking more often.
Mineralized water.
Better sleep.
A calmer nervous system.
Cooking in ways that supported my body instead of fighting it.

I also started cooking for the body I have now while still making food my whole family enjoys. I wasn’t about to cook two completely different dinners every night.

Little by little, something shifted.

Not overnight, and not because of a rigid program. I was simply doing more of the things that made me feel better and less of the things that didn't.

The Moment My Midlife Table Became Clear

For years, starting a food blog had been on my heart.

Cooking has always been part of my life. My dad’s love language has always been cooking for the people he loves, and some of my favorite memories involve his marinara sauce paired with my mom’s meatballs and a table full of family.

Food has always meant more to me than just nutrition.

But every time I considered starting a food blog, I ran into the same problem: I couldn’t figure out the niche.

Food bloggers are often told to choose a very specific lane, but none of the typical niches felt like me.

Then one day I realized something simple and obvious.

I was already living my niche.

I was navigating midlife and learning how to nourish my body differently.

I was cooking meals that worked better for me now. Meals built around protein, fiber, whole ingredients, and balanced plates, while still feeding the people around my table.

And that's how My Midlife Table was born.

Knowing Exactly Who This Is For

Not long after that, I had a conversation that confirmed something important.

I was chatting with a hairstylist who was already in menopause, like me, and when I mentioned what I was building with My Midlife Table, she instantly understood the idea.

She lit up immediately.

And then, while we were still talking about all of this, she reached for her Coca-Cola and laughed a little.

“I still need my Coke,” she said.

And I loved that, because that's kind of the point. You don't have to do everything perfectly to start taking better care of yourself.

My Midlife Table is for the woman who already feels that something about the old way isn't working anymore.

The woman who is curious about nourishing her body differently and exploring what helps her body respond.

Does any of this feel familiar?

A Little About Me

Professionally, I’m a food and beverage photographer and recipe developer, and the creator of My Midlife Table, where I share recipes and conversations about nourishment for body, mind, and soul in midlife.

My background also includes a Master of Social Work, which shaped how I think about the nervous system, emotional well-being, and treating ourselves with compassion rather than pressure.

And guess what? Turns out those two parts of my life fit together pretty well here.

And, in case you're curious, I grew up in New Jersey and now live in Massachusetts. I’m married to a southern gentleman from Louisiana and am a proud boy mom, which means there is always food in the kitchen, stinky hockey gear in the house, and jokes around our table.

The Philosophy Behind My Midlife Table

My Midlife Table is built on a few simple beliefs.

Nourishment matters more than restriction.

Creating the right conditions allows the body and life to respond.

And women deserve the space to figure out what works best for their own bodies, without endless internet noise telling them what they should be doing.

This space is about nourishment for body, mind, and soul.

The My Midlife Table Promise

At My Midlife Table, you will never find pressure to follow a perfect plan.

You will find nourishing recipes that work for real life, honest conversations about midlife (I've entered my vulnerable share phase), and encouragement to figure out what works for you.

A Seat at the Table

At My Midlife Table, the focus is on nourishment for everyday life. If you'd ever like to connect, you can always reach me through the Contact page.

If you’re learning to care for yourself in new ways, including how you nourish yourself, you’re in the right place.

Please pull up a chair.

— Sue