Jenny Mollen Reveals Why Refusing to Quit Is Her Version of a Fairy Tale Ending—and the Best Lesson for Her Kids
The author and mom opens up about overcoming rejection, motherhood and grit
Key Takeaways
- Jenny Mollen says repeated setbacks taught her that perseverance matters more than perfection.
- The author hopes her children learn grit by watching her keep going after rejection.
- Her candid reflections offer inspiration for women chasing long-held dreams in midlife.
For Jenny Mollen, the fairy tale ending isn’t a perfectly wrapped bow on a polished story. It’s something messier, more honest and ultimately more inspiring: the simple act of refusing to quit. And it’s a message every woman who’s ever been told “no” should hear.
The author and mom has been on a long journey to bring her latest book into the world, and she’s not shy about admitting it hasn’t been smooth. Editors passed. Plans fell apart. She rewrote, regrouped and kept going. Through it all, she’s been carrying her dream up the hill, one determined step at a time—with her kids watching every move.
“I think the fairy tale ending is to be holding the book in my hands, right?” Mollen shared. “I want my kids to see this paid off, you know?”
It’s a sentiment so many women over 40 can relate to. By this stage of life, most of us have learned that success rarely looks like the movies. It’s not a single triumphant moment with swelling music. It’s the quiet decision, made over and over again, to keep showing up—even when the door slams shut, even when the rejection stings, even when starting over feels exhausting.
Watch Episode 15 right here! ‘What Matters with Jenny Mollen: Connection, Humor & Grit’
When the plan falls apart
Mollen’s honesty about her setbacks is refreshing in a world where social media often shows only the highlight reel. She didn’t gloss over the disappointment of editors passing on her work. She didn’t pretend the rewrite was easy. Instead, she leaned into the truth of the struggle.
“Editors passed. It didn’t work. I rewrote it and now like we’re still standing here like we—you know—you carry it, you carry it up the hill,” she said. “No matter what, it’s like you have to keep moving forward.”
There’s something powerful about hearing a woman talk this way. So often, we’re conditioned to hide our failures, to only share the wins, to perform success rather than acknowledge the messy middle. Mollen is doing the opposite—and giving other women permission to do the same.
If you’ve ever poured your heart into a project that didn’t pan out, if you’ve ever had to dust yourself off after a professional disappointment, if you’ve ever wondered whether you should just give up, Mollen’s words are for you.
The lesson she’s teaching her kids
What makes Mollen’s perspective even more meaningful is the “why” behind her persistence. This isn’t just about a book deal or a career goal. It’s about modeling something essential for her children (Sid, 12, and Lazlo, 8)—a lesson that no classroom, no lecture, no parenting book can teach quite like lived example.
“I want my kids to see like, oh, you can’t keep this b—h down,” she said with characteristic candor. “Like, she’s just going to keep going. And I want them to always keep going. And that’s sort of—that’s really for me, that’s it. I want them to have the grit. I’m desperate for them to have the grit.”
Grit. That’s the word she keeps coming back to. Not perfection. Not talent. Not luck. Grit—the willingness to stay in the game when the game gets hard.
When kids watch a parent fall down and get back up, they internalize a powerful message. When they see their mom face rejection and keep creating anyway, they learn that setbacks don’t have to be the end of the story. When they witness real, lived perseverance—not just words about it—they begin to build that same muscle in themselves.
Why this message matters for women over 40
For women in midlife, Mollen’s words land with particular weight. This is the stage when many of us are reinventing ourselves—pivoting careers, launching businesses, writing the books we’ve always meant to write, chasing dreams we set aside for decades while raising families or building someone else’s vision.
We’re doing it while navigating perimenopause, caring for aging parents, parenting teenagers and trying to remember where we put our reading glasses. The stakes feel higher. The energy feels finite. The voice in our head that whispers “maybe it’s too late” gets louder.
Mollen’s message is a beautiful reminder that it’s never too late to keep going. A “no” today doesn’t mean a “no” forever. The women who eventually hold their dreams in their hands are often the ones who simply refused to stop walking up the hill.
The kind of magic worth passing down
The fairy tale ending isn’t a destination. It’s a decision—made daily, sometimes hourly—to keep moving forward. And as Mollen so perfectly puts it, that’s a kind of magic worth passing down.
So whatever hill you’re carrying your dream up today, keep walking. Your kids are watching. And so is the woman you’re becoming.
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