January 08, 2026

Awards season is just getting underway, with the Golden Globes kicking things off this weekend. And while Hollywood prepares to honor the year’s most celebrated stories, a new report from the Geena Davis Institute reminds us of the stories still not being told—especially when it comes to women in midlife.

In an analysis of 16 years of top-grossing films, only 6% of movies featuring women over 40 mentioned menopause. Only one gave it a real storyline. And when menopause does appear, it’s more likely to be played for laughs than portrayed with nuance. Even broader narratives about aging—love, work, caregiving, self-worth—are shaped differently depending on gender, reinforcing the idea that a woman’s relevance fades just as she’s coming into her full complexity.

But there’s a shift worth paying attention to. Audiences want more. Across ages and genders, viewers say they’re ready for stories that reflect the full arc of a woman’s life—menopause included.

So as red carpets roll out and trophies are handed over, we’re thinking about the scenes still missing—and the opportunity this moment holds to start writing women back in. Because the middle of our lives is not the end of the story—it’s where the plot deepens and the story finally hits its stride.

Let’s make 2026 the year midlife women take center stage.

Meet the Entrepreneur Helping Women Reclaim Their Midlife Confidence

Chip Conley has made a career out of helping people rethink what’s possible—first in hospitality, then in business and, now in midlife. As co-founder of the Modern Elder Academy (MEA), he’s created a first-of-its-kind “wisdom school” that helps people navigate life’s second half with clarity, connection and purpose.

Flow Space caught up with the bestselling author and longtime advocate for generational change to talk about why midlife women are leading the conversation, what makes this life stage so ripe for reinvention and how flow shows up when we lean into growth.

The majority of Modern Elder Academy (MEA) attendees are women. Why is that?

Women traditionally go to personal growth retreat centers much more than men. I was on the board of the Esalen Institute in Big Sur for 10 years, and we were shocked by how few men came to Esalen. Women are really interested in exploring their growth with other people, and often, that's because they like the opportunity to connect and to create a deeper relationship. And men are just not as good at that.

I mean, we weren't socialized. It doesn't mean we're not as good. It just means we're not as used to it. What’s been interesting is [we see lots of] couples… We get husbands and wives. Wow. What an opportunity for us to actually have a new way of communicating and a new language.

What are one or two themes that you hear most consistently from the women who come to MEA?

I think the number one theme is the realization that there's a lot more options available to them—career wise, relationally—than they thought. And they were so fixated on maybe how physically they were sad about how they're looking as they get older, and they didn't realize what it meant for their confidence.

Women in their 50s tend to be more confident, and they're growing in confidence in their career; whereas men are plateauing or falling off at that point. So for a lot of the women, since our average age of the people who come is 54, a lot of the women are right there at that age, where [they're] like: OK, do I still have it in me? And they're like: Yeah, I do, and I have some wisdom.

How do you reconcile the fact that women feel more confident than ever, yet still live in a society that continues to diminish them? How are we meant to navigate that?

We're supposed to navigate it by having more women in leadership. And that requires men to really be advocates and supporters. Often, when we think about the workplace and someone who's an advocate or a champion, you think it’s like a woman for a woman. But we need to have men advocating and championing women. And I have done that my whole life. The president of my boutique hotel company was a woman, and I just loved the fact that she and I looked at things differently. It was really helpful.

How do you find flow—that moment, or ability, to be fully immersed and present in the moment—in your life?

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is the one who popularized the word “flow,” and I got to know him. He actually invited me to Montana to their summer cabin, and I got to spend three days walking along rivers, talking about flow. Flow is timeless awareness. It's when skill and challenge are perfectly balanced, where you're doing something that you love and you lose track of time, but there's also a certain amount of challenge to it. It allows you to get better at it over time.

So flow is not just purely loving what you're doing. It's also pushing yourself a little bit too, and it's a great feeling.

Looking Back, Leaping Forward: The Health Headlines We’re Carrying Into 2026

Before we sprint too far into 2026, we're taking one last moment to celebrate what a landmark year 2025 was for women’s health.

From major menopause discoveries to groundbreaking breast cancer treatments and overdue wins in sexual health, last year moved the conversation forward in ways that were both long-awaited and long overdue.

Whether it was the FDA approving new libido treatments and at-home STI tests, a new class of estrogen being explored for hormone therapy or a breast cancer vaccine trial advancing to Phase II, the momentum was real—and deeply personal. These aren’t just medical milestones; they’re cultural ones too.

As we look ahead to all the progress we hope 2026 brings, it’s worth pausing to reflect on how far we’ve already come—and just how much of that progress we’re taking with us.

How We're Finding Flow

READING Humble Pie: Sober Menopause, Sugar Addiction, and the Sweetness of Recovery , released today and already generating buzz for its unflinching look at how hormonal shifts, substance use and emotional eating intersect in midlife—and what recovery can look like on the other side.

LISTENING to "Hit Play Not Pause," the weekly podcast designed for active, performance-minded women navigating the hormonal changes of midlife. Hosted by former pro triathlete Selene Yeager, each episode dives into science-backed insights, expert interviews and real talk to help you train smarter, feel stronger and thrive through the transition.

GETTING HUNGRY just reading SheKnows’ roundup of 2026 food trends. From brain-boosting ingredients to nostalgic comfort foods with a healthy twist, there’s plenty to savor in the year ahead.

BINGEING The Girlfriend—starring Robin Wright as a mother navigating love, power and identity in midlife—on Amazon Prime. With two 2026 Golden Globe nominations (for Best Television Limited Series and for Robin Wright in Best Female Actor in a Limited Series), this 2025 psychological miniseries blends smart storytelling with a strong female lead navigating life on her own terms.