Who is Jen?

Jen is who we all aim to be. Even Jen herself.

She's your neighbor. She's friendly to everyone because everyone is worthy of love. She listens because she truly wants to understand you and live right in the moment with you. She validates how you feel because how you feel is real. She doesn't judge because she doesn't have a right to. She helps you to help yourself. And she wants to bake you a pie. Or lend you a cup of sugar.

Jen is everyone. She's a city and a country girl. She can equally get a good night's sleep in the dirt on a camping trip or in a luxurious bed at the Four Seasons. While she may not be impressed by an LV bag, she loves style, aesthetics and creativity. She reminisces about the 70s and 80s, and she wants to keep a pulse on the culture of the younger generations. She loves diversity because she believes in a higher power that created us all so differently — all the way down to the number of hairs on our heads.

Jen definitely likes to have fun. She loves to belly laugh, and she looks on the bright side — even during times of intense struggles. Gratitude gets her through each day. Adventure — whether in an exotic location or right in her own backyard — keeps her motivated and curious. She strives to speak her truth in the most digestible way possible.

She's here for you. And hopes to provide some insight into the life of 50-something-year-olds thoughts, wants, and needs in hopes they'll help guide you through your next chapter — whatever that may be.

50-Something Jen.

Hi, I'm Jennifer Mayerle, creator of Friendly Neighborhood Jen. For the past 25 years, I've been a content strategy consultant for technology companies. That means I help them with topics, words and vehicles that resonate with their audiences. And I love what I do.

I'm also a writer. While I've had a reading comprehension disability for as long as I can remember, I have a knack for writing. I know, it makes zero sense. But I find great satisfaction in finding just the right words, cadence and intonation to get a thought or story across.

In 2016, I started a newsletter called Becoming (BTW, Michelle O. stole the name from me). It was really taking off. Then, in 2018/19, life happened, and I let it die on the vine. It also didn't help that the Becoming Instagram account that amassed a healthy following got hacked and I didn't have the energy to fight to get it back.

Friendly Neighborhood Jen picks up where Becoming left off. I missed writing about life as a 50-something woman who's navigating her next chapter and curating goods and resources for "women of a certain age." So here I am again. Hopefully, with more insight and awareness that I've acquired through some tough times over the past few years, It'll be better than Becoming. Some things are a blessing In disguise.