Mickey Monroe: My turning point

I was forced to reevaluate my life at the age of 50 after being made redundant from my successful fashion job. You could say I willed that to happen because I was unhappy and stressed, and was thinking, “I’m 50 surely there’s got to be more to life than this?”

But, equally I was a single parent with a mortgage, and with one son at university, and two living at home. So when the time came I had to make some big brave decisions, and stand by what I believed I was capable of, and the lifestyle that I wanted.

Sometimes I look back and think “wow, that took bravery”, but when the chips are down and you come from a background where the choices are limited you can get brave and bold.

I could be the difference

When I saw these younger models passing off as being midlife, I was frustrated and I knew I could make the difference. Why not me? I just took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

Making that call to Storm was a big brave decision after a 25-year hiatus from that world. I needed a place to start this new life and I needed powerful people to propel it. That phone call started a chain reaction that has been a rollercoaster. I was modelling again after 25 years, travelling to India to do a yoga teacher training course, creating a wellness brand with a global retreat portfolio. Not bad for a girl from Glasgow.

Searching for a challenge

I have been in the fashion industry since I was 17 in one way or another, and I loved it. But, there was a year that I was under a lot of unsustainable stress. I wasn’t enjoying life. I was searching for purpose.

I’m the kind of person who loves challenges, and loves to change. I don’t want the same job, and the same house for the rest of my life. When I left modeling at 25 I thought I was old, but I was also bored. There was no mental stimulation, and I wanted to use my brain. I didn’t really know what I was doing or why, it was pure adventure. There was no reason not to do it.

Split with husband

A marriage is great when it’s working, and a business is great when it’s booming. The early and mid 90s were a boom in fashion but as we approached 2000, the internet was here, and fast fashion was coming up. I was realising there was life after children, and slowly the boom began to burst.

Many women throw themselves into motherhood with great intention. But, I also think a very capable woman creates her own monster of a lazy checked out man, where you’re coping so well that they let you get on with it. My advice looking back would be to not forget who you really are, and even if your partner is not as good at you as doing the laundry or cooking the dinner, let him do it.

I didn’t really struggle because I wanted to leave my marriage. I wanted to change my life because I don’t believe in being unhappy. Life is too short. You can do something about where you are. I had that moment of realisation when things were stagnant and I realised that I’m still attractive and that people are interested in me and that I still have value.

Reinvention with yoga

I have the ‘fearless gene’ and I just won’t accept that I can’t give anything a go. I’ve been reinventing myself since a very young age, so when I got to 50, reinvention is just standard. Nobody is saying it’s easy, but it’s not unachievable for most people.

Yoga is my stabilising force, it works like an elastic band that doesn’t break, stretching as required, and reforming when needed. For me, yoga created a framework that builds awareness. It’s only when you become aware can you be smart and brave.

The programmes that I create stimulate the body’s own knowledge and pathways of awareness and learning. My programmes don’t tell you something you don’t know. They open up the doorway to where that knowledge, and that strength of good will that helps you to flow in life.

Advice for that fork in the road

Don’t keep looking in the crystal ball for the answers. Change and transformation is hard work, and not for the faint hearted. If you want to live with purpose you’re going to have to get your hands dirty.

One of the things I am working on in myself right now is to “allow” and to stop trying  and pushing. My son recently said to me that I’m negative. He is 22, and what he sees is that as you get older you find it hard to just allow it, that you’re constantly referring to past experiences and that overshadows the light of a great opportunity, relationship, and your values.

Questions I always ask my clients as they search for purpose is, what’s the one thing about where you are now in your life  that you would like to let go of, and what’s the one thing that you would like to invite in? I then ask, what’s stopping you doing that?

By Mickey Monroe

About the author

With over three decades of dedicated yoga practice, Mickey Monroe, founder of Active  Pada is a yoga and wellness guru who bridges the gap between ancient Eastern wisdom and high-octane modern living. A certified Vinyasa and Yin specialist (RYT-650), Macrobiotic practitioner and advanced Pranic Healer, Mickey’s teaching style is bold,modern and transformative.

With 650+ hours of international training, ranging from the high-energy flow of Vinyasa to the quiet depth of Yin – Mickey’s London-based yoga classes are designed to challenge you physically and wake you up spiritually. She has a unique gift for taking complex ancient teachings and translating them into “real life” terms, helping her students find mental clarity and physical vitality in a noisy world.

Mickey’s story is as inspiring as her practice. After a successful modelling career in the 1980s, she recently returned to the spotlight, signing with Storm Models at age 50. Her mission? To champion body positivity and prove that wellness has no expiration date. Whether you’re on the mat in an ashram or navigating a busy career in the city, Mickey empowers you to move with confidence, think in new ways, and live life with a profound sense of purpose.