Mofoluwaso Ilevbare Encourages Women to Embrace Their ‘Flourishing Forties’ in New Book Release

Mofoluwaso Ilevbare writes her book Flourishing Forties as an introspective reflection on her personal journey and how often these experiences are shared with women around the world. Bringing together women in their female experience, she hopes to reach a global audience and encourage empowerment through unity and individual expression.

Reclaiming the natural process of aging, Mofoluwaso likens womanhood to the growth of a blooming tree, passing through each seasonal phase. Her chapters are separated by Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, highlighting resources and tools to utilize along the way.

The book reminds the reader that in life, they are “exactly where they need to be.” Instead of focusing on the external pressures set out by societal expectations of womanhood, Mofoluwaso remasters that concept by bringing attention back to women’s everchanging needs and personal desires. For centuries, women have been pushed to follow a set trajectory, outlining timelines for marriage, parenthood, and retirement, often neglecting themselves to reach them. Yet, it is these very timelines that can hinder them later in life, as they reach an age that society no longer deems as desirable.

Flourishing Forties is a reaction to this reality, sharing guidance on how to surpass the ever-fluctuating stages of rooting, blooming, shedding, and renewing. The book describes the rooting phase as a time for women to lay down the foundations of what they aim to achieve, shattering the set structure they are expected to exist around, and embedding the values they wish to live by. Equipped for the blooming stage that follows, women have established their roots and can welcome the summer season of growth and renewal.

The following chapters reveal the realities of the autumnal shedding phase, a time for learning and development. Women are encouraged to embrace change and move gracefully through the inevitable challenges that accompany progress.

Mofoluwaso writes: “At this stage, you’re maturing but still growing. This is not a limiting time but a sign of life experience.”

As women read through Mofoluwaso’s work, they are encouraged to find the chapter that best correlates with their current experience and read it in the way that suits them. This in itself, rejects tradition and embodies the author’s goals to grant autonomy to women who may otherwise feel restricted by their expected way of living.

The author’s core message runs through the book, reminding the reader that despite age and circumstance, it’s never too late to experience a fruitful future.

Mofoluwaso aims to build a community around the Flourishing Forties and invites readers to share their own stories via her personal blog, set to be released this year.