Former Condé Nast Executive Gina Sanders on Finding Your Spark After 50

What happens when you achieve everything you thought you wanted… and still feel called toward something bigger?

That’s the question at the heart of my latest Living Ageless and Bold conversation with Gina Sanders, former Condé Nast executive, publisher of iconic magazine brands including Teen Vogue and Lucky, and now founder and CEO of Gina’s Collective.

For nearly 30 years, Gina operated at the highest levels of media and publishing. She helped launch some of the most recognizable magazines of our generation, led powerhouse divisions inside one of the most influential media companies in the world, and built a career many people only dream about.

And then she walked away.

Not because she failed.
Not because she burned out.
But because she felt something else calling her.

She calls it “the spark.”

And after talking with Gina, I think many women over 50 are finally beginning to recognize their own.

The Spark That Changes Everything

One of the most powerful parts of our conversation was hearing Gina explain that sparks aren’t random.

They are moments that shift us.
Moments we cannot unsee.
Moments that quietly redirect the entire course of our lives.

For Gina, one of those moments happened when she was just 12 years old watching Olympic marathon runner Frank Shorter on television.

She immediately decided she wanted to become a runner.

By age 15, she was running 100 miles a week.

At first glance, running may seem completely unrelated to launching magazines or leading global nonprofit innovation. But Gina believes that moment taught her something foundational about discipline, perseverance, and following energy.

That same drive later pushed her into advertising, media, publishing, leadership, and eventually into the work she does today helping founders solve global problems.

It reminded me how often women dismiss their own sparks because they don’t seem practical enough or logical enough in the moment.

But sparks rarely arrive fully formed.

Sometimes they arrive as curiosity.
Sometimes as restlessness.
Sometimes as a quiet whisper that says, “There’s something more for you.”

Why Women Over 50 Are Finally Listening to Themselves

This conversation resonated deeply with me because I see a pattern emerging among so many women over 50.

We are no longer willing to ignore ourselves.

For decades, many of us spent our lives taking care of everyone else:
Children.
Spouses.
Employers.
Communities.
Parents.

We became experts at showing up for everyone but ourselves.

Then suddenly, something shifts.

The kids grow up.
The career changes.
The house gets quieter.
The priorities evolve.

And many women begin asking:
“What do I actually want now?”

That question can feel terrifying at first.
But it can also become the beginning of something extraordinary.

Gina’s story proves that reinvention after 50 isn’t about becoming someone new.

It’s about becoming more fully yourself.

From Condé Nast to Purpose-Driven Innovation

Gina spent nearly three decades at Condé Nast, one of the most iconic publishing companies in the world.

She helped launch Teen Vogue and led Fairchild Fashion Media during a pivotal era in media and retail.

What fascinated me during our conversation was hearing how competitive and demanding that world truly was, especially for women rising through leadership during that time.

Yet Gina never approached leadership by trying to become someone else.

She said something during the interview that I absolutely loved:
“You can only win if you’re 100% yourself.”

That philosophy became part of her leadership style and ultimately helped her stand out in an industry known for intense pressure and competition.

After Condé Nast sold the division she was leading, Gina found herself facing something many successful women encounter later in life:
Now what?

And unlike earlier chapters of her life where she had clear goals and timelines, this next step wasn’t obvious.

That uncertainty can feel deeply uncomfortable, especially for high achievers.

But Gina leaned into curiosity instead of fear.

And that curiosity eventually led her to Silicon Valley.

Discovering a New Mission

While researching innovation accelerators and think tanks, Gina found herself immersed in the world of founders and nonprofit startups.

One of the places she studied was Y Combinator, the legendary startup accelerator that helped launch companies like Airbnb and Reddit.

What began as research soon became something much more personal.

She met founders using technology to solve enormous global challenges.
People creating solutions for housing, healthcare, education, and marginalized communities.

And she felt the spark again.

That realization eventually became Gina’s Collective, where she now works with purpose-driven founders and nonprofits to help them scale their impact through storytelling, branding, fundraising, and strategic growth.

One story she shared that stayed with me involved an organization called New Story, which initially crowdfunded homes in Haiti and later pioneered 3D-printed housing communities.

It’s easy to assume world-changing innovation only belongs to Silicon Valley tech giants.

But Gina’s work shows that innovation can also look like compassion.
Service.
Creativity.
And believing impossible things can become possible.

Your Experience Is Not Wasted

One of the biggest myths women over 50 battle is the idea that our best years are behind us.

Gina’s story completely destroys that narrative.

Everything she learned during her years in publishing became preparation for what she does now.

Her expertise in storytelling.
Her understanding of branding.
Her ability to connect people.
Her experience raising revenue and building partnerships.

None of it was wasted.

And I think that’s such an important message for women navigating reinvention later in life.

Your previous chapter was not a detour.

It was preparation.

So many women underestimate the value of the skills, wisdom, resilience, and emotional intelligence they’ve developed over decades.

But often those exact experiences become the foundation for their most meaningful work later in life.

Preparation Equals Respect

One of my favorite moments from our conversation came when we discussed one of Gina’s “Gina-isms” from her book The Spark.

The phrase was simple:
“Preparation equals respect.”

And honestly, I think that idea applies to almost every area of life.

Gina explained that preparation shows respect:
For your audience.
For your mission.
For your work.
And ultimately for yourself.

She shared how, early in her career, she practiced presentations over and over until she knew them so deeply that she could deliver them naturally and confidently.

That preparation created freedom.

I loved that perspective because so often confidence is misunderstood.

People think confidence means effortless.

But true confidence usually comes from preparation.

From caring enough to do the work.

And that applies whether you’re building a business, launching a podcast, changing careers, speaking publicly, or simply stepping into a new chapter of life.

Why This Conversation Matters Right Now

I believe women over 50 are standing at the beginning of a massive cultural shift.

We are healthier, more active, more entrepreneurial, and more engaged than previous generations at this age.

And many women are finally giving themselves permission to pursue the things they put on hold for years.

That doesn’t always mean starting a company or writing a book.

Sometimes the spark is smaller.
More personal.
More internal.

Maybe it’s traveling alone.
Taking an art class.
Changing careers.
Volunteering.
Starting a side business.
Speaking up.
Dating again.
Moving somewhere new.
Launching a creative project.
Or simply deciding you deserve more joy.

The point is not how big the spark looks to other people.

The point is whether it lights something up inside you.

The Courage to Change

One of the themes that kept resurfacing throughout my conversation with Gina was courage.

The courage to pivot.
The courage to evolve.
The courage to let go of old identities.
The courage to stop shrinking yourself.

Reinvention after 50 often requires grieving old versions of ourselves while simultaneously stepping into new possibilities.

That process can feel messy.

But it can also become incredibly freeing.

As Gina said during our interview, once you let go of some of the old constructs, there is enormous freedom on the other side.

And maybe that’s one of the greatest gifts of this stage of life.

We stop chasing who we thought we were supposed to be and start becoming who we actually are.

We All Have a Spark

At the end of our conversation, Gina reminded listeners that we all have a spark.

The challenge is learning how to hear it beneath the noise.

That message stayed with me because this podcast itself became my spark.

And every week, through conversations with incredible women like Gina Sanders, I’m reminded that it is never too late to build something meaningful.

Not after 50.
Not after motherhood.
Not after career changes.
Not after setbacks.
Not after fear.

Your spark still matters.

And maybe your next chapter is the reason for everything that came before it.

Listen to the full episode of Living Ageless and Bold with Gina Sanders wherever you get your podcasts.

About Gina Sanders:
Gina Sanders is the founder and CEO of Gina’s Collective, where she works with purpose-driven founders and nonprofits focused on global impact and innovation. She previously spent nearly 30 years at Condé Nast helping launch and lead iconic media brands including Teen Vogue and Lucky. She is also the author of The Spark: Portraits of Purpose.

Watch her full episode here: