TN10: Michela Di Carlo, Late Bloomer Advocate

Age: 51.

Basic bio: Michela is a professional journalist and late bloomers' advocate, founder of the digital illustrated magazine Crunchy Tales, dedicated to bright women over 40 and counting. She’s on a mission to reset the meaning of middle age, focusing her work on inspirational content to empower women feeling stuck in the second acts of their lives.She believes playful women don't get old!

Beyond the bio: Getting older has made me stronger and more confident (that includes having learned to effortlessly run in heels on the cobbled streets of Rome). Being more mature has also helped me learn how to filter whose opinion is worth something and whose you can safely ignore. Getting some wrinkles doesn't bother me as it did during my youth: I had to deal with something worse - acne.

What makes you a grown-ass lady? I believe midlife is a time of renaissance, rather than a time of winding down so I encourage everyone to age playfully rather than gracefully. There's much more to us than menopause, cardigans, and baking! It's important to be open to challenge and change: I left Italy at the age of 45, ready to start over in England and I'd do it again. 

Here’s her TueNight 10:

1. On the nightstand: Dory Fantasmagory, a book by Abby Halon (it's the 100th that I've read it to my daughter), a hand cream by Santa Maria Novella Firenze, a glass of water.

2. Can't stop/won't stop: I believe pasta and prosecco are the Italian answer to Botox. So I won't stop drinking and eating the good stuff. I can't stop expressing my opinions even though I might sound a bit controversial at times.

3. Jam of the minute: "Bad Guy" by  Billie Eilish.

4. Thing I miss: Those ‘80s underground parties, picking cherries from my grandpa's big tree in Italy, and university life.

5. '80s crush: George Michael.

6. Current crush: William Zabka (Johnny Lawrence in Cobra Kai).

7. Latest fav find: This eye brooch by Céleste Mogador and a vintage typewriter.

8. Last thing you lost: My home keys and some supermarket saving stamps.

9. Best thing that happened recently: Welcoming a kitty to our family.

10. Looking forward to: Summer holidays, our next "CrunchyTalks" (bi-monthly panel discussions which explores midlife issues, aging, and repurpose in life with a group of professionals from different backgrounds), the next great illustration our art director, Veronica Niccolai, will draw for CrunchyTales.