The holidays are all about getting together with loved ones and often there’s some pressure to make the entire experience feel memorable.
Chances are, Martha Stewart has been guiding you through your holidays since the 80s!
Who else has even come close to her influence in the food and entertainment space?
In fact, Martha Stewart’s influence is so ubiquitous that she can easily be credited with how current influencers style their food Instagram posts and DIY Pinterest tutorials.
Success In Her 40s
Born in 1941 in New Jersey, Martha was raised by two teachers. Her mother taught her to sew while her father shared with her his love of gardening. Taught canning and preserving by her grandparents, Martha was quickly well-rounded in everything within a home.
While she modeled a bit in her teens and twenties, she actually worked as a stock broker before creating a catering company.
It was while running this business that she was discovered by Alan Mirken, head of Crown Publishing Group. Impressed with her entertaining and hosting skills, he approached Martha to create her own cookbook.
Her first of 99 best-selling lifestyle books, Entertaining quickly launched the 41 year old into lifestyle fame.
It wasn’t just that the cookbook was a success. The entire concept of her original cookbook has driven the industry now for decades. Pairing beautiful color photos and stories with the recipes is the template that we still use today.
The Original Influencer
Before we had a word to describe the type of impact someone like Martha had on the culture, she was living that.
Her cookbooks quickly turned into a hugely successful magazine (that still circulates today), the Martha Stewart Living TV show, and countless products.
Martha Stewart didn’t just allow others to push her influence either. In 1997, she combined all of her ventures into one company – Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia – and went public in 1999.
With that offering, she became the first female self-made billionaire.
Living Her Best Third Age
One thing I love about Martha Stewart?
She doesn’t let age define her!
The 81 year-old shows no signs of slowing down, having just launched a podcast this last summer and even posting viral thirst traps on her Instagram. Her opposites-attract friendship with Snoop Dogg continues to amuse and delight, too. Plus, she’s even moving into the CBD space! (Though she’s said she’ll leave the THC up to Snoop.)
We don’t all have to be lifestyle experts, but we can all learn to live our best lives from someone like Martha.
