Why It’s Never Too Late to Try Something New (I’ve Got the Receipts)?

Why It’s Never Too Late to Try Something New (I’ve Got the Receipts)

Ever feel like you’re behind in life?

Like you missed the deadline for figuring it all out… whatever “it” is?

In this week’s episode, we’re flipping that tired old narrative and throwing out the imaginary rulebook. Because spoiler alert: the timeline? It’s not real.

We’re diving into that feeling of being “too late”—whether it’s for a career pivot, a creative dream, or just starting over in some way—and challenging where that belief even comes from. (Hint: it’s probably not your voice.)

I’m sharing a whole lineup of real people—Tina Fey, Oprah, J.K. Rowling, Alan Rickman (hello, Snape!), Morgan Freeman, and more—who didn’t “make it” until later in life. And I’ve got examples from nature, too—cicadas, bamboo, the butterfly, the lotus flower—proving that transformation happens on its own timeline.

This episode is your reminder that it’s not too late.

You’re not behind.

You’re just becoming.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Overcoming the Feeling of Being Behind

00:58 – Challenging Societal Timelines

01:44 – Inspiring Late Bloomers (with receipts!)

04:59 – Nature’s Timing and Personal Growth

06:06 – Embracing Life’s Challenges (mud and all)

08:15 – Your Unique Timeline

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Transcript

Episode 9: Why It’s Never Too Late to Try Something New (I’ve Got the Receipts)

[00:00:00]

Let’s talk about something that weighs on so many of us—that nagging feeling of being behind.

Behind in our careers.

Behind in figuring it all out.

Behind in pursuing that dream we’ve held close for years.

If you’ve ever felt that way, this episode is for you.

Because I’m here to tell you: You are not behind. You’re just getting started.

We live in a world obsessed with timelines.

Graduate by 22. (I was actually 21—I started school when I was four, but that’s a whole other episode!)

Dream job by 25.

Married by 30.

Millionaire by 35.

And if we don’t hit these milestones right on cue?

Cue the shame spiral. The quiet wondering if we missed our shot.

But what if that’s not true?

What if all this pressure is based on someone else’s path—not yours?

What if, instead of being late… you’re right on time?

I want to introduce you to a few people you’ve definitely heard of who didn’t follow the so-called timeline.

Now, this list isn’t mine originally—I saw it on social media a couple of times, and sadly, I couldn’t find the original poster. But it was too good not to share:

• Tina Fey, the brilliant comedian and writer, was working at a YMCA at 23.

• Oprah Winfrey, media mogul, was fired from her first reporting job at 23.

• Stephen King, master storyteller, was a janitor living in a trailer at 24.

• Vincent van Gogh, the legendary painter, failed as a missionary and didn’t attend art school until 27.

• J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, was a single parent on welfare battling depression at 28.

• Vera Wang didn’t design her first dress until she was 40.

• Alan Rickman, who played Snape in Harry Potter, left a career in graphic design to pursue acting at 42.

• Samuel L. Jackson didn’t land his first major movie role until he was 40.

• Morgan Freeman didn’t get his breakout role until he was 52.

And then there’s Louise Bourgeois, an artist whose work now hangs in the world’s top museums. But she didn’t have her first major solo exhibition until she was 78.

Seventy-eight.

Her story gives me chills. She spent decades creating—quietly, persistently—in the background of the art world. She poured her life experience, her trauma, her motherhood, her longing into her work. And the world caught up when it was ready.

She didn’t bloom late.

She bloomed right on time.

One of her most famous sculptures is a massive spider.

It’s huge. And—dare I say—beautiful. I mean, I’m terrified of spiders, but it’s such a powerful, emotional piece.

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Explore more at WholeBeingJourney.com—for your mind, body, and spirit.

Back to nature…

Nature gets this too.

• Cicadas spend 17 years underground before emerging for just a few short weeks of flight and song.

• Bamboo can spend years growing deep roots before suddenly shooting up feet overnight.

• Oak trees take decades to mature—and live for hundreds of years.

• Fine wine and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese both get better with age—slow, intentional development makes them richer and more complex.

• And the butterfly? That iconic symbol of transformation? It literally dissolves in its chrysalis before it’s reborn.

It doesn’t rush its way out. It transforms on its own time.

That’s why I chose a butterfly for the A Beautiful Fix logo—because becoming something beautiful and amazing takes time. It takes breakdowns and breakthroughs. It takes trust.

And then there’s the lotus flower.

I just learned this while on a panel discussion—so fascinating. The lotus only blooms in murky, muddy water. In fact, it needs the mud. The grime. The mess. It purifies it.

The mud is the fuel.

Let me say that again: The mud is the fuel.

How’s that for a metaphor for life’s challenges?

So I want to ask you:

What if the “mud” in your life—the things you think disqualify you—are actually the very things that will grow you?

When I walked away from my corporate career, I was terrified.

I questioned whether I was starting over too late.

Whether I was foolish to begin again in midlife.

But I wasn’t starting from scratch.

I was starting from wisdom. From lived experience. From years of quiet root-building—just like that bamboo.

So maybe you’re not behind.

Maybe you’re becoming.

Or even better—maybe you’re unbecoming all the things that were never really you in the first place. (I’m gonna do a full episode on that soon—it’s such a juicy concept.)

Maybe everything up until now has been preparing you for what’s next.

And just maybe?

This is your blooming season.

Your Invitation This Week:

→ Whose timeline am I really following?

→ And what if mine looks different on purpose?

Ask yourself:

What “mud” in your life has shaped who you are?

What if that’s not something to hide—but something to grow from?

And what if the dream you’ve been shelving for someday… is actually waiting for today?

You are not too late.

You are right on time.