Dispatches from a woman in midlife who tries it all.
Written by Sabeena Ladha
A note from Plainspeak:
We’re not interested in telling women there’s one right way to do midlife. So we bring in different voices, experiences, and opinions. Some you’ll agree with. Some you won’t. Good. That’s what makes it a conversation.
Meet Sabeena...
Allow me to introduce myself (and if you didn’t sing that in a Jay-Z anthem, are you even a Millennial??!).
Hi, hi! I’m Sabeena — former wellness founder, current brand advisor, and writer of the Substack Off Hours, where I overshare on bodies, ambition, motherhood, fashion, and other ~light~ topics. It’s FUN over there, I swear!!!!
Part of my job (and just general obsessive personality) is exploring wellness. Like… all of it. The woo-woo, the scientific, the probably-unnecessary. It’s like my body, face, & soul are an experiment, and it’ so so fun for me.
My credentials are that I’ve been in “wellness” for over 10 years. In food, personal care, supplements, the list goes on. My most recent claim to fame was DEUX, a brand of lower sugar, snacks & treats sold nationwide.
Enough about me, more about my OPINIONS. Look, I live in LA. My husband works at Erewhon. I’ve seen the $18 smoothies, the peptides, the powders, the protocols, the things that work and the things with very good marketing.
So this is not a clickbait TikTok “5 wellness trends you need” list. This is a PAY ATTENTION IF YOU ARE A HOT AGING WOMAN list.
Here’s what I actually think is worth it:
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PEPTIDES – Don’t cancel me for this, I wrote an entire (free) Substack about my experience. I’ve microdosed Tirz & Reta. I’ve tried GHK and BPC. My next target is likely Tesa or Ipa + CJC. If this is foreign to you, welcomeeee to the party. I am here to help :)
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CORTISOL + NERVOUS SYSTEM REGULATION – As former burnt out founder, managing my stress (with some medication AND just the good old fashioned way) and getting 8-9 hours of sleep has completely changed my life. This is real.
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RED LIGHT THERAPY – THIS is the best LED mask in the game - I am telling you I’ve done the research… watched every TikTok… asked every friend… chatted w/ Claude into the wee hours of the night. This is the one. Wrinkles, acne, like… everything. Literally changed my skin and use it 2-3x per week. I think my code still works SABEENACB <3
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PANEL TESTING – I used Superpower because after my research, it felt the most comprehensive for women, but there are a couple others. This is VERY worth it to get a baseline and understand overall health risks, but TBH I would analyze results yourself / with Claude in addition. Their AI part was “just fine.”
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CREATINE + PROTEIN – Not just saying this because I love Plainspeak, but these are ESSENTIAL as we age and not just hype. There is so much good data around both. Just make sure you add fiber to balance it all out…
My general wellness philosophy is pretty simple: do the things that actually make you feel better, and ignore most of the noise. My goal is to feel better… not turn my body into a full-time job (even though I’m clearly trying ).
xx Sabeena
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Sabeena Ladha
LA-based writer, brand advisor, mom. I’ve built brands, tried most wellness trends, bought too many clothes, and have a lot of opinions about ambition, taste, and things that usually don’t make it online.
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