This Wasn’t a Pivot. It Was a Decision.

Laura LeBleu on risk, grit, and starting something that mattered!

I first met Laura LeBleu in 2015, when we were working together and both firmly inside our careers… capable, busy (!!), and doing what we were good at. We weren’t talking about reinvention. We were talking about work, deadlines, projects, and execution. Life was full.

What I didn’t know then was that years later, Laura would go on to create Geezer—a print magazine, delivered to your mailbox, which feels almost legendary in itself—that refuses to soften, sanitize, or shrink aging into something polite and palatable. Not to inspire. Not to reassure. Just to tell the truth about what it actually feels like to be here.

Geezer didn’t come from a tidy plan or a moment of clarity. It came from paying attention… to what felt off, what felt missing, and what no longer worked. It came from that quiet midlife knowing that most of the time doesn’t announce itself, but that sits with us and doesn’t go away either.

Our conversation is about what it looks like to listen to that pull… and follow it… without waiting to feel fully ready.

Here’s what Laura had to say:

1. What was missing from how we talk about aging that made you feel compelled to start Geezer—not someday, but when you did it?

I’ll never forget getting my first AARP flyer right around the time I turned 50 and feeling a visceral, indignant anger. Who did they think they were, showing up in my mailbox with their free branded cooler and early bird discounts?! My own reaction made me curious, and it soon became clear that there was a massive hole in the Gen X aging dialogue. I simply didn’t see anyone stepping in to have the kind of raw, real conversations I was looking for—so I did it myself!

Geezer magazine approaches midlife with a fun, subversive tone—think your favorite zine moving out of the basement and getting a production budget—but we are also serious about exploring how our generation is aging differently. So you won’t find any top 10 lists on where to retire (like Gen X is ever retiring. Ha!) or long-term care program comparisons. But you will find people our age revealing themselves and sharing the truth of their midlife experiences.

2. Starting a magazine in midlife isn’t exactly the safe move. What fears showed up early, and how did you keep going without waiting for certainty or permission?

Ha! Yeah…and starting a PRINT-ONLY magazine is even riskier!

Funny, though, I didn’t really have any fears going into the creation of Geezer. That’s the thing about having a creative vision—I believed in the potential, maybe even the inevitability, of its success immediately. Once I committed to it, things started falling into place.

The only thing I’m afraid of is that I won’t be good enough at promotion and social media to get the word out! Still, I’m putting everything I’ve got into Geezer because I thoroughly believe it is what people want and need—a well-crafted, print magazine that speaks to who we are today because we share a common past.

3. You didn’t come from a traditional publishing background. What skills or instincts from your past ended up mattering more than you expected once Geezer became real?

This might surprise you, but the skills I learned doing theatre—producing and directing theatre, specifically—have been invaluable.

Putting together a magazine takes a strong central vision and the ability to get people to buy into that vision, which is exactly what a director does. Then, you have to coordinate a million different things, from photo shoots to getting the printer paid, which is exactly the kind of thing I did when I was producing theatre in NYC. So, while I am a professional writer and creative director, it’s the skills I’ve learned over a lifetime in the theatre that have really helped me transition into magazine publishing.

4. Reinvention is often sold as empowering, but the process itself can be grinding. What tested your grit the most... and what stopped you from walking away?

I’ve jumped through a few rings of fire since I turned 50, for sure. First in deciding to leave a long-term marriage, and then eventually splitting with a man I was dating who is also part of Geezer. (Ours was a long-distance relationship, which became hard to sustain over time.) We’re still working together and we make a great editorial team—but I’d be lying if I said it was easy to navigate the professional landscape in the wake of our personal history.

But I love Geezer too much to let my emotions get in the way of its success. And that’s the beauty of maturity, right? If I were younger and less experienced, I would have allowed my hurt to call the shots. But the years have taught me that pain isn’t permanent and persistence is rewarded, so I can put aside my feelings and focus on making something that brings me—and, hopefully, a lot of other people!—joy.

5. Now that Geezer exists in the world, how has this experience reshaped the way you think about risk, ambition, and what’s still possible at this stage?

Risk has never daunted me—I’m an inveterate optimist, wired for leaps of faith. If anything, the overwhelmingly positive reception Geezer has received makes me want to push even harder!

I think what has changed is that I am much more likely to ask for help and trust people to show up for me if and when I need them. My ego is a lot less a part of my decision-making process these days, which allows me to listen more openly and be less defensive (something I’m still working on, btw).

I’m not going to say that anything is possible, but Geezer has taught me that if you broadcast on your own, authentic frequency, people will tune in.

6. Bonus Question: What’s one rule about aging or success you stopped following once you started Geezer—and you’re not going back to?

Well, I don’t know if I ever followed this rule in the first place, but the rule that success comes from having a fully fleshed out plan (business or otherwise) in place before you act is not one I am inclined to follow. I’ve seen too much paralysis in the corporate world, and it drives me absolutely bonkers.

I’d rather learn by taking action than meticulously plot out my every move. And once I put the first payment on paper for 5,000 copies of issue #1, the only way to go was forward! Let’s hope that enough people pick up what we’re putting down so that Geezer becomes as successful as I believe it will be.

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You Don’t Have To Blow It Up To Move Forward

Sometimes the step isn’t a launch or a bold declaration. Sometimes it’s saying yes to something you almost talked yourself out of. Booking the trip. Letting go of the thing that’s quietly draining you. Writing a book (wink). Taking drum lessons (double wink; more on that later). Or saying out loud—to yourself or someone you trust—“I think I want to try something different.”

Sometimes it’s even smaller than that. Just admitting the truth to yourself. Or letting a thought exist without judging it or shutting it down.

None of that requires confidence. It just requires honesty. And at this age, that’s enough.

Got a “small step” right now… even if it’s just a thought you haven’t said out loud yet? We’re here for all of it.

And that’s exactly the space Geezer holds. Subscribe at Geezermagazine.com and follow them on IG @geezermagazine!

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#RealGirlsGuidetoMidlife #GeezerMagazine #MidlifeQ&A #Grit

We’ve earned every wrinkle. Might as well make more laugh lines together.
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P.S. I’m giving away 50 Kindle copies of my #1 best seller Real Girls Guide to Midlife on Goodreads. Honest, real, and made for us right now. Giveaway runs Jan 12–22.

And if you’ve read the book and loved it, a quick review on either Goodreads or Amazon helps keep it moving.