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The Becoming (Part 3 of 3)

  • Writer: Ashley
    Ashley
  • Sep 26
  • 3 min read

If Part 1 was about the rage and Part 2 was about the mess, then this final part is about what happens after. The surprising, gritty, beautiful gift that comes out of all of it.

The becoming.


Losing My Estrogen (and My Fucks)



Here’s the thing about perimenopause, as estrogen leaves, so do a whole lot of fucks.


The things I used to bend myself into knots over? I just don’t care anymore.

The people I used to please at the expense of my own sanity? Not happening.

The roles I used to force myself into to fit the picture-perfect mold? I’m done with that too. (well mostly)


At first, I thought this was just more hormonal rage. Another symptom of my monthly unraveling.


But the more I sit with it, the more I realize… this is actually me.


This is the woman I’m becoming in midlife. And I kinda love her.


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The Difference Between Rage and Power


Don’t get me wrong—the hormonal rage week is real.

It’s ugly, it’s messy, and it knocks me flat on my ass every time.


But what’s different now is that once the storm passes, I’m left with a clearer sense of myself than I’ve ever had before.


This isn’t about losing control.

This is about claiming control.

This isn’t about snapping over crumbs on the counter.

This is about refusing crumbs in every part of my life.

This isn’t about being “too much.”

This is about finally being enough, exactly as I am.

Perimenopause didn’t just strip away my patience—it stripped away my pretending.


And what’s left? Me. The real me.


Loving This Version of Me


For years, I lived as the version of myself who played nice.

Who smiled when she didn’t feel like it.

Who said yes when she wanted to scream no.

Who shoved down her needs because everyone else’s came first.

That version of me served her purpose. But she’s not the one walking me into my 40s.


This version of me, the becoming, is different.

She’s fierce. She’s softer in some ways and harder in others.

She’s unapologetic. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to say it out loud.


And I don’t just accept her—I celebrate her.


Midlife Magic


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Here’s the reframe I want you to hear......


perimenopause isn’t just an ending. It’s also a beginning.


Yes, it’s messy.

Yes, it’s rage-y.

Yes, it can make you hate yourself once a month and cry in the bathroom.

BUT it’s also the doorway into something powerful.


It’s the season where we stop living for everyone else and start remembering ourselves.

It’s the season where we burn down what no longer fits and step into what’s next.

It’s the season where we get to dream again.


This Is Why I am Creating Dream Again


Because I don’t want us to just survive perimenopause—I want us to thrive in it.


That’s why I am creating my 12-week program, Dream Again: A Journey Through Menopause and into Midlife Magic.


It’s a space for women who are tired of holding it all together, who are ready to rediscover themselves, who want to turn this messy, rage-filled, transformative season into something that actually feels magical.


Not perfect.

Not polished.

Not Instagram-worthy.


Real. Raw. Brave. Beautiful.


If you’re in the middle of your own rage, your own mess, your own becoming—I’d love for you to join me.


Because midlife isn’t the end.

It’s just the beginning of the woman you were always meant to be.


👉 Ready to dream again? Let’s do this together.


Comment below if you would like more information and to get on the waitlist for when the full program is released. I'm so damn excited to share it all with you.


 
 
 

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© 2025 by Ashley Stehlik

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