73. The Art of Celebration with Jen Christian

About this episode

What if your birthday celebration wasn't really about your birthday at all? Jen Christian turned 40 with one of the most intentional, fun, and friendship-forward celebrations I've ever seen — and it started not with a party plan, but with a personal reckoning. After navigating a postpartum fog that hit during COVID, Jen found herself asking: Who am I now? What do I value? And who are my people for this next decade? The answers led her to create "40 Things for 40" — a curated list of experiences, meals, adventures, and connections she organized into a Google site and sent to the people she loves most. No pressure. No spotlight. Just an open invitation to show up and share life together. If you're approaching a milestone birthday — or honestly any season of life where you're ready to come back to yourself — this conversation is going to spark something in you.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Jen shares how coming out of postpartum and the COVID season prompted her to ask the big questions: who am I, what do I value, and who are my people?
• Why loneliness can sneak up on you even when you're surrounded by wonderful people — and what to do about it
• How Jen's eclectic friend group actually inspired the format of her celebration
• The four "buckets" she used to organize her 40 things: places to dine, things she loves most, things to discover, and an evolution of Jen
• Why she chose a Google Site to host the list (hint: her husband's class reunion inspired it)
• How a Google Form made logistics effortless and her social calendar full for the next decade
• Why celebration isn't about the spotlight — it's about pausing, reflecting, and connecting
• Jen's definition of celebration: "It's about pausing. It's about reflection. It's about accomplishment, and it's about connection and relationship."

CHAPTERS

0:00 – Welcome and Meet Jen

1:04 – Why Turning 40 Matters

3:10 – Reclaiming Identity After Motherhood

6:47 – Pulling Back and Finding Your People

9:57 – The 40 Things for 40 Idea

12:07 – Building the List and Buckets

17:03 – Sharing It Out and Timeline

20:11 – Favorite Picks From the 40

21:37 – Why Celebration Matters

23:05 – Template Offer and Wrap Up

RESOURCES

• Jen's "40 Things for 40" Template
• Saltwell Farm Kitchen — between Topeka and Lawrence, Kansas (https://www.saltwellfarmkitchen.com)
• Google Sites — the free platform Jen used to build and share her celebration list (https://sites.google.com)
• Google Forms — used for RSVPs and tracking signups (https://forms.google.com)
• ChatGPT — Jen used this to help brainstorm ideas for her final bucket of five (https://chat.openai.com)
• Pinterest — also used for inspiration while building the list (https://www.pinterest.com)

Want to learn more?

The Thread

Be sure to follow me @audradinell on Instagram and LinkedIn

This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network.

Disclaimer: we may receive a small commission on any products purchased through the links used in this episode. I only recommend tools and resources I actually use and find valuable.