Ahh, midlife… when the epic realization hits that the relentless chase for "perfect" is digging you into yet another pit of comparison.

You want out! Perfectionism be gone!

And yet it creeps back in...

When you're deep in a Pinterest rabbit hole searching for the "right" potluck recipe — one that'll impress everyone without costing you a hundred bucks and an afternoon spent finely chopping onions.

When you're wearily closing the 29 open tabs from your search for THE airport outfit that won't make you too hot, too cold, or too rumpled.

Okay, maybe trying out for "perfect" once kept you sharp — brought you praise, a gold star, a seat at the table. But that same sharpness has a way of slicing into your Saturday afternoon, your ease at the dinner table, the ten minutes you could've spent doing nothing at all instead of rewriting the pitch again.

If this hits home, I see you.

Chasing the perfect sex life, the perfect thing to say to your grieving friend, the perfect upper arms — it feels reasonable enough. But underneath it is usually just one fearful, tired voice: what if I'm not enough as I am?

So... how do we unhook from it once and for all?

Not alone, and not by trying harder. What is made in community gets unmade in community. As Marion Woodman put it: "Our culture pulses to the pressure of perfection."

Which means the antidote isn't more effort — it's other women, witnessing you in the messy middle.

On Saturday, Aug 29, we're dismantling perfectionism — together.

The Imagining Well is a workshop designed around the opposite of perfect: yoga nidra to help you exhale, art supplies to make messy insights with, and zero pressure to produce anything good. You get to be a C- student and be loved on, exactly as you are.

Just you, your journal, and permission to imagine instead of perform.

Saturday, August 29 · 12–2pm ET · Live on Zoom · $24

Come as you are. Leave perfection at the door.

xx,

Brooke

DEPARTMENT OF BEAUTY & MAGIC

I'm Brooke Hofsess.

I'm a Midlife Midwife for women who want to start their next chapter from soul, not fear or ego, so they can finally do the work they're meant to do — and actually enjoy it.

You'll find me in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, where I live with my husband Dustin, our daughter Thea, two clever border collies, and an ever-growing collection of handmade mugs for Egyptian Licorice Mint tea.

You can read about my journey here.​