There comes a point in midlife where you realise it is not always about needing another coffee, more sleep, or simply trying harder. Sometimes the feeling is deeper than that. The flatness that arrives around tea time. The brain fog that rolls in unexpectedly and then disappears again like clouds scudding across the sky. One day you feel clear headed, capable and energised and the next you are searching for words mid sentence and wondering why your body suddenly feels like it is running on low battery mode.
For years women have been told this is simply part of getting older. Well that’s not going to be good enough for moi…. I can’t believe that this is what we are meant to accept and that it’s just another symptom or part of menopause. This might be the most common party line but do we have to live with it and should we just accept it’s another part of midlife without even looking for a natural fix?
Not on your Nelly because I think modern women are beginning to question whether constantly feeling depleted should really be accepted as normal. We’re still building businesses, supporting families, travelling, creating, evolving and wanting purpose and momentum in our lives. Midlife women are not slowing down mentally.
If anything many of us are only just beginning to step into our next chapter with more clarity, wisdom and confidence than ever before. The difficulty is that our energy levels do not always get the memo.
That curiosity around energy, vitality and longevity led me towards the growing conversation around NAD and NMN. Now I know terms like longevity and biohacking can sound intimidating and slightly ridiculous, as though they belong to wellness extremists sitting in ice baths discussing cellular optimisation over green juice. But perhaps there is another side to the conversation that women deserve to hear. Perhaps this is not about becoming obsessive or trying to reverse ageing. Perhaps it is simply about supporting the body more intelligently during midlife.
What is NMN?
NAD levels naturally decline
NAD is a coenzyme (what’s are coenzymes, you ask; think of them as tiny backstage helpers powering the show behind the scenes) and they’re found in every cell of the body and it plays a vital role in energy production, cellular repair and healthy ageing. The challenge is that NAD levels naturally decline as we get older and that decline is thought to contribute towards lower energy, cognitive changes, slower recovery and visible ageing too. NMN is a precursor to NAD which means it helps support the body’s natural production of it. The simplest way I can explain it is that NMN acts like a powder battery pack for your cells. It helps support the systems responsible for creating cellular energy so instead of feeling permanently drained, your body has more support to function efficiently.
As somebody who works in beauty, wellness and mindset and spends a great deal of time talking to midlife women, I have become increasingly interested in the connection between energy and confidence.
Real confidence does not only come from how we look. It comes from how we feel. The ability to think clearly. The ability to show up fully. The ability to sustain energy throughout the day without feeling as though you are constantly dragging yourself towards the finish line.
I have tried several NMN supplements over the last year because I take recommendations seriously. I am not interested in wellness hype or products that make huge promises without substance behind them. I am interested in thoughtful support that fits into real life and genuinely helps women feel stronger, steadier and more themselves again.
Youth & Earth NMN
The NMN I have continued taking consistently is from Youth & Earth and for me the difference has been noticeable without feeling overstimulating. The powder has a slightly sherbet like taste and dissolves quickly under the tongue which I personally prefer over swallowing capsules. More importantly the energy feels gentle and purposeful rather than dramatic or jittery. A steadier current running underneath your day:
Initial Benefits ( after 7 days )
Better focus.
Less of that afternoon slump.
More mental clarity.
More resilience.
The real sign for me came recently when I went out two nights in a row and woke up the following morning not feeling as though I had completed a marathon, carrying emotional baggage and uncomfortable shoes. Mid lifers I’m just gonna take it for granted that you totally understand exactly what I mean by that and this:
Recovery matters now.
Sustained energy matters now.
Feeling mentally switched on matters now.
What I also appreciate about the conversation around NAD and cellular health is that it moves beyond surface level beauty and towards long term wellbeing. There is growing interest around the role NAD plays in supporting DNA repair and maintaining cellular integrity as we age which is why researchers in the longevity space continue paying attention to it. That matters to me because my interest in wellness has never been about chasing youth. It is about supporting quality of life. Energy for purpose. Vitality for the life I still want to live life to the fullest ( my personal potential fulfilled)
This thinking also aligns closely with my Mirror Time Method™ and the Makeup Your Face, Makeup Your Mind™ philosophy. I believe modern midlife women need support that fits into the moments they already have rather than endless new routines and pressure. Beauty, mindset, nervous system calm and wellbeing are all connected. The goal is not perfection. The goal is feeling more like yourself again.
I am often asked how I maintain my energy whilst balancing a busy family life, three children, three dogs, speaking, writing and the everyday moving parts that modern women quietly carry without applause. The truth is I am not trying to become a marathon runner, a wellness extremist or somebody obsessively chasing optimisation. I think many women are exhausted enough by the pressure to constantly improve themselves.
What interests me more is feeling supported enough to stay at the helm of my own journey. To feel steady in my own proverbial running lane. To have the energy to enjoy life, think clearly, contribute meaningfully and continue evolving through midlife with purpose rather than depletion.
I also believe there is a huge difference between supportive wellbeing and endlessly piling on methods, routines and pressure disguised as self care.
Midlife women do not necessarily need more to do
Most are already doing extraordinary amounts whilst holding families, homes, careers and emotional labour together behind the scenes. Sometimes what women really need is recognition for what they are already carrying and gentle support within that reality.
That is why I have become interested in tools and products that fit into real life rather than demanding an entirely new one. Things that quietly enhance wellbeing without making women feel they are failing if they are not meditating at sunrise, running marathons or drinking mushroom powder whilst standing in an ice bath.
For me, the goal has never been perfection. It has been sustainability, vitality and feeling more like myself again.
If NMN is something you are curious about exploring for your own midlife wellbeing journey, I do have a discount code with Youth & Earth. Use code MALA for money off. As always, I share what I genuinely use, what I have researched and what I feel confident recommending through lived experience rather than hype.
Because perhaps ageing well is not really about slowing down at all.
Perhaps it is about learning how to power ourselves differently.
