DDOTM: The one and only Martha Stewart

We’re excited to have Martha Stewart as our first Divorcee Diva of the Month because what’s not to love about her? An ex-con who at 81 becomes a Sports Illustrated cover model? The first self-made female billionaire when she took her company public in 1999? A party planner and gardener like no other who continually inspires women to aim for something more in their homemaking pursuits? Still a relevant cultural tastemaker known for her famous friendship and lucrative partnership with none other than Snoop Dogg? Martha Stewart is an icon for the ages and proof that even with its challenges, life can flourish post-divorce.

“If you wanna be happy for a year, get married. If you wanna be happy for 10 years, get a dog. If you wanna be happy for a lifetime, plant a garden!”

And the most amazing of all is that she really didn’t hit her stride until after she got divorced. Sure, she was a stockbroker when she was first married (seriously, what can’t this woman do?) but much of her financial success came when she had to depend on herself and rebuild her life. It might have been easier because she was white, thin, and good-looking, but she’s also someone who is not afraid to get her hands dirty (quite literally) and take a risk on herself. She believes in her own potential. Best of all? She is quite candid about sharing her thoughts, opinions and advice.

The Martha Stewart Documentary

If you haven’t watched the recent documentary made about her, get thee to Netflix straight away. A perfect example of Martha’s candor can be found when she was doing press for this very documentary. Someone asked her what she thought of it and she was unafraid to share what she thought the filmmaker should have done differently. She disagreed with the “ugly camera angles”, thought the score was “lousy”, and disliked the ending with her looking like “a lonely old lady.” Martha also gave the documentarian full access to her archives, but complained that he “really used very little.” She was also disappointed that no rap music was used, stating that she wanted “Dr. Dre or Snoop to score it.”

“I have two mottos. One is learn something new every day, and the second one is when you’re through changing, you’re through.”

Let’s not even get started about the five months Martha Stewart spent in prison. The fact that she doesn’t hide it, but instead, openly talks about her time on the inside, and how awful it was, that makes her such a badass. She helped other women in the prison, sharing her expertise in everything from gardening to entrepreneurship. 

Martha Stewart proves that by owning our stories, we can continue to reinvent ourselves and rewrite our endings, no matter our age.