By Mary Ann Butler, APRN, ANP-C | The Wellness Firm, PLLC
There’s a moment many of us experience—quiet, unexpected, and deeply sobering—when we realize just how far we’ve strayed from ourselves.
For me, it came at 54. I was in the middle of a demanding life—working full-time, going to school, keeping up a home—and I had that moment. I realized I couldn’t do a single push-up. One push-up. As a woman who often travels alone, that realization didn’t just speak to physical weakness—it spoke to vulnerability. I had spent so many years doing everything for everyone else that I had forgotten the most important person: me.
That moment changed everything.
I didn’t start by setting out to run marathons or lift heavy weights. My only goal was to be able to do one push-up. Just one. That was my mountain to climb. That one push-up represented strength, control, safety, and self-respect. It represented me showing up for me.
Now, I’m about to turn 63—and I am stronger than I’ve ever been. Not just physically, but emotionally, spiritually, and mentally.
And I’m here to tell you: it is absolutely achievable.
One Goal at a Time
If you’re a woman in your 40s, 50s, or even 60s and you feel like your health, your vitality, or your body have slipped away, please hear me when I say: you can come back to yourself. One step at a time. One goal at a time. One push-up at a time.
We live in a culture that often treats aging as something to fight or fear. But what if we saw it instead as an opportunity to rise? To reclaim what was always ours—our energy, our confidence, our health, our strength?
You don’t need to become someone else. You need to return to who you are meant to be.
Your Body Has Needs. I Know What They Are.
Every phase of a woman’s life comes with different physical and hormonal demands. Most of us are never taught what our bodies need as we age—how to adjust nutrition, how to balance hormones, how to preserve muscle, how to manage stress and sleep and inflammation.
That’s where I come in.
I’m not just a provider. I’m a woman who’s walked this path. I know the overwhelm, the fatigue, the frustration. I also know what it’s like to emerge from the other side of it stronger, more vibrant, and more alive than you ever imagined possible.
I’m here for you. With knowledge, support, compassion, and a step-by-step plan tailored to your body and your journey.
Let This Be the Moment You Begin
Maybe it starts with a push-up. Maybe it starts with better sleep. Maybe it starts with your first lab panel and a conversation. The point is—it starts.
You are not too old. It is not too late. You don’t need to do it alone.
Let’s do this together.
– Mary Ann
