Beyoncé doesn’t have a problem with getting older.
Fans may have more difficulty accepting her as a quadragenarian than she does because so many have watched her grow up right before our eyes.
But while fans were caught up in “Is that the teenager from that girl’s group?” or “How much older is her husband, Jay-Z?” she was learning life.
During a recent Harper’s Bazaar interview, the “Put a Ring on It” singer talked about her life, her faith, her journey, and what it looks like to turn 40.
Check out the major lessons she pulled from each generation (including what she does to help her achy 39-year-old bones).
The first thing that Bey shared was that her priorities have shifted and that so much of her younger years were about getting to the top of her industry.
“My 20s were about building a strong foundation for my career and establishing my legacy. I was focused on commercial success and number ones and being a visionary no matter how many barriers I had to break through,” she shared to the iconic women’s magazine. “I was pushed to my limits. I learned the power of saying no. I took control of my independence at 27 and started Parkwood Entertainment. At the time, there wasn’t a company that did what I needed it to do or ran the way I wanted it run. So, I created this multipurpose badass conglomerate that was a creative agency, record label, production company, and management company to produce and work on projects that meant the most to me.”
By the time she hit her 30s, family emerged as the most important sphere of influence in her life.
In addition to being a wife and a mother, the Houston native shared that her 30s were healing “generational trauma” and turning her “broken heart into art that would help move culture forward and hopefully live far beyond me.”
She contends that this period in her life was “about digging deeper,” and so she started using her resources to help others. Through her BeyGood program, she has supported hurricane relief, scholarships for higher education, started a fellowship program in South Africa, advocated for women’s rights, support of minority businesses, helped families dealing with housing insecurity, water crises, pediatric health care, and pandemic relief.
But even now, with her edging the big 4-0, her body is just not the same as when she was dancing so crazy on songs “Survivor” or “Bootylicious.”
“I think like many women, I have felt the pressure of being the backbone of my family and my company and didn’t realize how much that takes a toll on my mental and physical well-being. I have not always made myself a priority,” she shared. “I’ve personally struggled with insomnia from touring for more than half of my life. Years of wear and tear on my muscles from dancing in heels. The stress on my hair and skin, from sprays and dyes to the heat of a curling iron and wearing heavy makeup while sweating on stage.”
She also said she has worked to push through she has “picked up many secrets and techniques over the years to look my best for every show. But I know that to give the best of me, I have to take care of myself and listen to my body.”
The multi-GRAMMY award-winner says she does that by practicing some ancient and homeopathic rituals, easily connected to her recent connection to African spirituality, and is even passing it on to her daughter.
“During quarantine, I went from overindulgences to creating positive rituals drawing from past generations and putting my own spin on things,” she explained. “I discovered CBD on my last tour, and I’ve experienced its benefits for soreness and inflammation. It helped with my restless nights and the agitation that comes from not being able to fall asleep. I found healing properties in honey that benefit me and my children.”
With her husband expanding into the cannabis space, you might think she would want to connect with him for her CBD hook-up.
But not Beyoncé, she is making her own foray into that industry. The Gen-Xer is now also taking her new interest and creating some businesses for health and wellness.
“I’m building a hemp and a honey farm,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I’ve even got hives on my roof! And I’m so happy that my daughters will have the example of those rituals from me.
“One of my most satisfying moments as a mom is when I found Blue one day soaking in the bath with her eyes closed, using blends I created, and taking time for herself to decompress and be at peace. I have so much to share…and there’s more to come soon!” she concluded.