About Saved By The Spell
TL;DR: I’m a female tech co-founder who got really fucking tired of slipping away in midlife. Fuck That! This is where I share practical magic for navigating perimenopause, escaping to fictional book realms, and reclaiming your creative power. Expect swearing, honesty, ideas and sometimes just a big vent!
Who The Hell Am I And Why Does This Even Exist?
My name is Annabel Youens. Hello friend!
I created Saved By The Spell because I tired of hearing that midlife and perimenopause bring decline, hot flashes, and invisibility. That our creative energy diminishes. That we should just accept being sidelined.
What a load of fucking bullshit.
Many of us find ourselves caught between aging parents and growing kids, between societal expectations and our own desires. A battle so bloody and sad that sometimes I just lie down on the grass in my backyard and cry. (Honestly, it’s such a tonic.)
It’s about pulling the courage from our weary bodies and deciding to do whatever the hell we want.
Did you feel that tingle?
What WE want.
It’s terrifying and empowering!
The Magic You’ll Find
We’ll explore how women’s life transitions can be sources of power, magic, and transformation.
I blend technology (because I’m a #1 tech nerd), reading (all things magical, sci-fi, speculative, literary fiction), physical creativity (let’s get our hands making) and practical magic (small intentional acts like smoking a joint before you tackle the tangled vacuum) to navigate these transitions.
Your Weekly Spells
Each week, you’ll get:
A post about the messy reality of midlife while offering practical “spells” or “hexes” for the man who keeps letting his dog shit in my meadow-scape and not clean it up.
Creative inspiration for reconnecting with yourself through making. That tiny window of six minutes when you a moment to yourself and the desire to get creative.
Explorations of how technology can either drain or enhance our well-being. No, I will not tell you to hack the shit of your life. I will tell you to go for a walk in the forest and get high.
The unfiltered truth about perimenopause and midlife that your doctor isn’t telling you. Hello under-boob morning sweat post coffee!
Escaping into magical, fantastical, but relatable novels together. Plus, I’ll share how my self publishing journey for my debut novel is going…eek! I’m scared, elated and joyful you’re here with me!
This Coven Is For You If...
You’re tired of being marketed to. Who isn’t!!
You value authenticity over politeness. Fuck the guy mansplaining what a rip tide is. I just fucking told you! Ugh.
You’re navigating big life transitions and need a break from pretending it’s all fine. It’s not fine. It’s a dumpster fire. We talk about mental health a lot!
You appreciate a subtle (or not-so-subtle) middle finger to societal expectations. Yes, I have an amazing logo developed by the incredibly talented Hannah Schickendanz - hire her!
You’re seeking community and practical wisdom. Let’s swear and giggle together. It’s gossip time - which is NOT a bad word.
You’re maintaining your rebellious spirit while embracing the wisdom of aging. We’re a bunch of Gen Xers in our Letters to Cleo t-shirts and Doc Martin boots. Let’s get high, behind the gym.
The Spell That Brought Me Here
After 30+ years in tech, my body began sending increasingly urgent messages like, “Here’s a panic attack, enjoy!” Doctors handed me antidepressants. Friends suggested more exercise. My parents recommended “getting a real job.”
Meanwhile, I was forgetting words mid-sentence, waking up at 4:11am like I’d just popped an upper, and wondering, am I broken? Early on-set dementia at 45, is that even possible? Google says YES!
I could project manage a complex app built with a team of developers, but I’d stopped everything else. No hand-made Halloween costumes. No midnight journalling. No desire to make. The dream of publishing my first cozy science fiction novel felt like a failure.
For 30+ years, all my energy had funnelled into digital products. This kind of work is addictive because it has an obvious start, a messy middle, and a celebratory end. But then four years later, “the thing” you spent 600+ hours on didn’t exist anymore. The app was re-launched, the project cancelled. Did my work even matter?
I needed to reclaim something, fucking anything that felt real, and solid, and genuine. So here I am trying my hand and brain at things I’d forgotten I loved. While diving into fresh hellish adventures like an ADHD diagnosis and middle aged. (Take my quiz!)
This Substack is modern witchcraft: a combination of ancient wisdom, fibre arts, female focussed science, and practical solutions that may sometimes work when you’re juggling sixteen priorities and just noticed you have melted chocolate on your t-shirt as a Zoom call starts.
I’m sharing what I’ve learned about navigating this transition with intention, creativity, power and weed, rather than resignation. While society would love for us to fade quietly into “that good night”, I think we’re just getting to the fucking good part.
The Ultimate Spell: Reclaiming Our Power
At its core, Saved By The Spell is about reclaiming agency during a time when the world seems determined to take it away. It’s about finding magic in the mundane, power in transitions, and community among those who refuse to disappear.
Join me, and let’s cast some spells and hexes together!
P.S. Please meet Hubble. His white whiskers are useful in fuck off spells.
