Hi. I’m Malika. Welcome To The Thriving Lady!
I am so glad you’re here!
The Thriving Lady is a community for women aged 40+ who desire to live their best lives.
We are on the fringes of young and middle age.
We are still going strong in our careers, seeking a career change, or thinking about retirement.
We are happily married, never married or newly single.
We exchange busyness for simplicity, focusing on what matters most.
We were made to thrive, regardless of our age…let’s thrive together!
About Me
I was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and I still call it home.
I love it here but I am open to wherever God wants to take me…except someplace really cold. I do not like cold weather!
I am single with no children, footloose and fancy-free as they say. I endeavor to live life to the fullest, spending quality time with family and friends, trying new things, and being fearless.
I’ve also enjoyed a 10 + year career as a clinical social worker. I am so grateful that I get to work in a field that is all about empowering people to live their best lives.
Most importantly, I am a fully devoted believer in Jesus Christ! My relationship with God is my foundation and I cannot imagine where I’d be without it!
The Why Behind ‘The Thriving Lady’
In March of 2018, I decided to test out my creative juices and start a blog.
The Thriving Lady began as a faith-based lifestyle blog, where I wrote about various topics like relationships, money, health, and wellness, intertwining my Christian beliefs into each blog post.
After about a year, I decided that this wasn’t working; I needed to separate my lifestyle content from my faith content. So, I launched an exclusively Christian-based blog.
At the time, I also began pursuing a minimalist lifestyle, and decided that The Thriving Lady would continue, with a focus on personal finance and minimalism.
#FAIL
That didn’t work. It took so much effort for me to write from an authentic place. Sure, I had a desire to rid my space of things I didn’t love, and was still passionate about personal finance. But, I felt like I was writing from a place of canned advice than from real authenticity. Also, I questioned why I chose to separate my Christian faith from my day-to-day life. My Christianity is part of who I am.
During that time, I was also going through a bit of a transition. At the end of 2018, I left my then job due to severe burnout.
I was 39 years old, and my career was at a crossroads. I had placed so much of my identity in my role as a social worker that I really didn’t know who I was apart from it. My perceived failure in my career led to a distorted belief that I was failing at life!
I began feeling like time was running out. Like I had to hurry up and make things happen before it was too late. Quite melodramatic, but this is truly how I was feeling.
Then, in 2019, I turned 40. I was barely blogging, but still had a burning desire to write from my heart.
At the time, I had also started searching for lifestyle blogs for women in their 40s. This searching was not so much for blogging research, but to find answers to my own personal questions related to wellness, finance, and simple living.
What I found was that many of these women over 40 and midlife blogs were primarily focused on fashion and beauty. Sure, they were great blogs, but I was looking for something more. And I knew I couldn’t be the only one. So, I decided to create the community that I was searching for.
The Thriving Lady is a lifestyle blog for women 40+ seeking advice, tips, and realness as they navigate this thing called life.
The Thriving Lady is for you if you’re a 40+ woman who:
- Struggles with budgeting, consumer debt, and over-consumption
- Is at a crossroads in your career, unsure if you want to keep going or make a change
- Wants to better manage your time and be more productive, letting go of your busyness badge of honor
- Desires healthy, meaningful, and fulfilling platonic and romantic relationships
- Wants to simplify your life, letting go of possessions that no longer serve you
- Is on a path towards wellness of body, mind, and spirit
I plan to share authentically, with a combination of tips, advice, and personal reflections about how I’m thriving into my 40s and beyond as a (currently!) single Christian woman.
I welcome you here and I hope you’ll find what you need to live your best 40+ life.
A Few Reads To Get Started
4 Hidden Costs of Financial Anxiety + How To Overcome Them
Emergency Funds, Sinking Funds & Why You Need Both
Crush Your Goals With The 12 Week Year
Why I’m Starting A Minimalist Lifestyle
Dating Discernment: 5 Subtle Red Flags You May Be Overlooking
Get In Touch!
Feel Free To Reach Out!
Subscribe!
Get password access to the Resource Library for printables, worksheets, and spreadsheets that will elevate your life! You’ll also receive the Weekly Newsletter, full of encouragement, advice, and subscriber-only content.
Congratulations on your self awareness that seems to be taking you in bold new directions! I’m kind of a haphazard minimalist- if there can be such a thing! I just don’t like a bunch of junk in my house. But out in the shed… well that’s a different story😂😂😂 Love debt free living, and retired early cuz I don’t want to sell the days of my life to someone else. I’m so impressed and proud of all the young people these days who are carving out their own lifestyles and really living outside the box. I’ll keep checking out your blog to see how it’s going for you. Best of luck to you in your writing career. 👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻👋🏻
Hello Brenda!
I totally understand what you mean by ‘haphazard minimalist’…I love that term because it totally makes sense. The great thing is that there isn’t one definition of minimalism. It’s whatever it means for you. How amazing that you retired early!! What an accomplishment! Thank you so much for reading my blog and for the well wishes!