How This Disney Screenwriter Broke into the Entertainment Industry

If you’ve been secretly working on a screenplay, TV pilot, or a novel while manning a day job, you know that writing is tough. While you dream of becoming a professionally paid writer, you’re not sure how to get started. One Scandal TV writer shares that the best writing advice she got was from her boss, Shonda Rhimes, who told her, “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough.” True that.

In this week’s How to Quit Your Day Job series, we chat with Victoria Strouse, a screenwriter who penned Finding Dory and is currently working on the upcoming Disney live-actionTinker Bell, starring Reese Witherspoon. Strouse shares her journey as a working screenwriter and offers creative advice for women who want to make it in the entertainment business.

Meet the Screenwriter: victoria strouse

Growing up in an entertainment family, Strouse always knew that she wanted to work in the industry. Strouse’s father, Charles, is a prolific Emmy Award-winning composer who has written the music for Shrek 2, Annie, School of Rock, and many more films and shows. When applying to graduate schools, she applied to a bunch of playwriting programs and one film school. She was rejected by the playwriting programs but got into the University of Southern California’s prestigious film school. “I was so humbled and blown away that I couldn’t believe it. I was so excited to go. It set me on the path to be in screenwriting and I’m so grateful,” says Strouse. Since graduating from USC, she’s spent the past 18 years working as a screenwriter and TV writer. (Photo via Jason LaVeris/Getty)

The Tips

1. Film school is helpful (but not necessary). For Strouse, going to film school was invaluable for her. “As a fairly anxious person, I needed a set of rules and community. As a bit of a loner, I needed other people around and someone to tell me how to do it. For me, I needed to learn the structure of screenwriting,” says Strouse. Everyone’s journey is different, so film school isn’t the only way to make it as a screenwriter, but Strouse mentions that school helped her understand the laws and rules in the structure of screenwriting.

2. Be comfortable in the mess. A month after landing the gig to write Finding Dory, Strouse had a panic attack. “I thought, this can’t be done. You can’t have a main character who can’t remember anything. It’s not like Memento where she [Dory] can tattoo things on her fins. What are we doing to do?” says Strouse. Finding Dory was her first animated feature, and her first time working with Disney-Pixar. “I was fortunate to work with a group of people, the director especially, who had been through breaking an animated movie before. We had great minds thinking on the problems, and who were comfortable in the mess. You’ve got to be comfortable in the mess and enjoy spending most of your time problem-solving or discovering problems,” says Strouse.

3. Love the craft of writing. When sitting down to write a movie, the whole world is open as a potential landscape, says Strouse. “It’s incredibly difficult. I think a lot of people start it and then give up because, like all artistic pursuits, you can’t do it unless you love it.” Even Strouse admits that after 18 years in the business, she still finds the work hard. “But thankfully, I’m so grateful I love it as much as I do.”

4. Write what matters to you. The script that landed her Finding Dory had nothing to do with animation, but instead, focused on a road trip movie about a family. Strouse shares that the Pixar executive who brought her up to meet the director read that script and liked it. “She essentially finds Pixar’s writers,” says Strouse. “What I admire about Pixar is that they genuinely look for quality. What they look for are scripts where they respond to the characters, relationships, themes, and the story. If you talk to other writers who have worked at Pixar, I think probably 99 percent of them had never done a family movie or an animated movie. Writers are really the only job at Pixar that is outsourced, so you’re walking into a community as the writer and you’re bringing your own experience to it all.”

5. Enjoy the slow-motion process. She started working with the Pixar team in June 2012, and four years later, Finding Dory came out. During that intense time period, Strouse likens the writing process to playing a complex tennis match over and over again for four years. “If you’re playing that tennis match in slow motion a hundred times, you’re better prepared for any other match. You do this exploration that strengthens your muscles,” says Strouse. (Photo via Disney-Pixar)

6. Love working for yourself. Most days, Strouse works solo. She’s in charge of her schedule and she loves spending her days coming up with solutions to story problems. Part of her job also involves collaborating with partners on projects or rewriting someone else’s movie that’s on a certain schedule, but overall, being her own boss is a dream job for Strouse.

7. It’s okay to fail. Strouse stresses that she’s failed a lot in her career. “I have failed in scene writing. I have failed an entire script. I have failed selling scripts. I have failed getting movies made. I’ve failed pitching shows. I have failed so much that to say it’s part of the job is almost laughable,” says Strouse. “The expression ‘writing is rewriting’ is true. To make something good, you have to hone it and hone it and hone it.”

8. Don’t judge your first draft (or second or third). One thing that Strouse wants other writers to know is not to judge your first draft. “Probably don’t even judge your second or third. Certainly, analyze it and learn from it, but do not let that be your standard,” says Strouse.

9. Look at how other artists work. Growing up, Strouse would wake up hearing her father writing a song and later at the dinner table, heard him working on the same song. “It was very natural for me to hear somebody playing wrong notes all day as they struggled to try to find something. I saw how much my father loved it. I think that’s where my tolerance for creative mess came from,” says Strouse. Seeing how her father adored his daily work and how he struggled to find the right notes allowed Strouse to see the creative process for all of its realities, not just the glamorous final finished product.

Perfect Your Skills

1. USC Cinematic Arts Summer Program (tuition fees vary by course credits): During two separate six-week summer sessions, you’ll take classes with industry pros on filmmaking, editing, animation, writing, computer graphics, interactive game design, and the business of the industry.

2. Screenwriting: The Art of the First Draft ($49): If you’ve been wanting to finish that movie idea you’ve had and take it from idea to a first draft, take this Creative Live online course with Hal Ackerman, the screenwriting co-chair of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television.

3. Write a Story ($59): If the fear of writing is stopping you from actually writing, this online course with author Joshua Mohr can help you clear that hurdle. You’ll learn how to grow a scene to its full potential, develop your writing skills, and create a strategy to build plot and characters.

What’s your dream career? Tweet us @BritandCo to let us know, and we could feature it in the next column!

(Featured photos via Disney-Pixar)

Betsey Johnson turned 75 last year, and her feminine hippie style is famous in fashion. The designer has dished on how to nail your own personal style, rents out her stylish Mexican home via Airbnb, and knows how to rock a red carpet with her signature split. In this week’s How to Quit Your Day Job series, we chat with the fashion maven herself, Betsey Johnson, who blazed a path for herself, starting in the 1960s, to create a whimsical style that is uniquely hers. Here, Johnson shares some hard-earned wisdom for future fashionistas and creatives with all the sparkle and wit you’d expect from the pretty in pink powerhouse.

MEET THE FASHION ICON: BETSEY JOHNSON

In 1964, Betsey Johnson won a Mademoiselle magazine contest to become a guest editor and charmed editors at Mademoiselle with her home-sewn t-shirt dresses. A year later, she became the top designer for Paraphernalia, a clothing boutique in New York City, that catered to a younger clientele that offered silver mini skirts and neon bikinis, and had go-go girls dancing in the store windows. It was London-style by way of NYC, and Johnson was one of the first employees. After her experience at Paraphernalia, Johnson wanted to branch out on her own. Now, with 50+ years working in the fashion industry, the style icon gives an inside look at how she built her empire and what she hopes other creative women implement in their own career journeys.

Brit + Co: What’s your morning routine?

Betsey Johnson: Lately I have been crawling out of bed at 8:30am, which is quite late for me because I am usually a 7am girl. I really enjoy spending time in my backyard, so once I’m up, I drift into the kitchen and have my one cup of black coffee. I often take my coffee to my birds-of-paradise garden in the backyard and sit among my flowers. I’m all about fruit for breakfast, and I’ve been on a grape kick recently. Once I’ve eaten, l call my assistant and we will go over what I am up to for the rest of the day. My schedule usually changes from day to day, so I never know what the day will bring!

B+C: What inspired you to start your brand?

BJ: I worked for 10 years in the industry before starting my namestake brand, and between the ’60s and ’70s, I realized that I wanted to be my own boss, have my own company, do my own thing. I simply just didn’t want to work for anyone anymore.

View this post on Instagram

Sparkle in our step ✨ Dancing on our minds 💃

A post shared by Betsey Johnson (@betseyjohnson) on

B+C: You are a pioneer in the fashion industry and celebrated diversity like casting transgender models in your runway shows. How were you able to trust your inner voice in your business life and beyond?

BJ: Sometimes you have to keep your blinders on and move full speed ahead without distraction from what others are doing/saying. I cast my shows to represent the world I see around me, and that is the most important thing to me.

B+C: You’ve got a book in the works about your life, a boutique hotel in Mexico, and continue to be involved in your company. What keeps your creative spark alive?

BJ: Nothing can keep you creative, you either live it and you have it, you either do it or you don’t. There is no time zone, season, or reason for you to be creative. You just have to motivate yourself and be your own biggest source of energy! No one or anything should be able to make you do something if you don’t have passion for it.

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No such thing as too much pink 💖

A post shared by Betsey Johnson (@betseyjohnson) on

B+C: What have you’ve learned from a failure or mistake you made?

BJ: Your past, the mistakes you’ve made, and the failures that follow you are only going to help you direct how you want to live your future. I am always looking back to my past to inform the way I want to do things now. We should never be ashamed of our mistakes. They make us who we are!

B+C: What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

BJ: “Love it or it will leave you.” I feel you have to love what you do, and be connected to the whole business, then the best results will happen.

B+C: Your clothes, design style, and personality are iconic while remaining true to who you are as a person. What would you tell future female fashion designers about how to blaze their own trail?

BJ: Always be true to yourself. It’s the most important thing you have. Be kind, respect others, and fight hard for the things you want.

B+C: Name two female heroes who you think should get a shout-out.

BJ: First, I want to give a shout out to [my daughter] Lulu and my grandkids. I’ve been with them more than anyone else in my life, and I don’t know where I’d be without them. Also, women like Tina Turner, Madonna, and Janis Joplin have always been huge inspirations for my clothing and in my life. I can’t just pick two!

B+C: If you could tell aspiring creative women anything, what would it be?

BJ: You have to work really really really hard, but you should want to work hard. I think you make your own luck. I’ve been lucky in my life, but that is because I’ve worked hard. I believe the same thing can happen for any other young women out there.

RELATED: Insta Icon Eva Chen Dishes on Her Career, Fashion, and Her Latest Dream Collabs

(Photos via Betsey Johnson)

Trader Joe’s always knows exactly how to get us excited for new products – and this time, it’s rumored that the grocer is bringing back their viral Mini Canvas Tote Bags in four brand-new colors that are all perfect for spring! Speculated to hit stores around April 8, you’re not going to want to miss this TJ’s drop.

Here’s everything you need to know about the return of Trader Joe’s Mini Canvas Tote Bags for spring 2025.

@traderjoesobsessed

Trader Joe’s fan account @traderjoesobsessed first circulated the rumor that the Mini Canvas Tote Bags are set to return to Trader Joe’s this spring.

“Rumor has it that the pastel mini canvas bags will be here in April. Usually, they do release these on a Wednesday. How excited are you for these colors? I can’t wait to customize them!” the caption reads.

Another source, @zuncola, hinted that the totes could hit stores as early as April 8 or 9.

@traderjoesobsessed

It appears there will be four different colorways in this season’s Mini Canvas Tote Bag drop: pink, blue, green, and purple. But they’re not your ordinary pinks, blues, greens, and purples – per the rumors, they’ll come in pastel hues that all look stunning. From carrying your quick grocery hauls to toting each and every picnic essential you’ll need this spring, these bags get it all done in sheer style.

Trader Joe’s

In the past, the Trader Joe’s Mini Canvas Tote Bags have been a limited-time item that garnered plenty of attention from shoppers, even sparking a massivefrenzy inside stores with customers racing to snag their own tote. Some TJ’s locations have also placed a buying limit for bags like these, typically 1 per customer. Based on the reception of the rumors for this year, you’ll likely want to plan when and how you’re going to get your hands on one.

Instagram

Tons of Trader Joe’s fanatics sounded off in the comments of @traderjoesobsessed’s post about the rumors of the Mini Canvas Tote Bags’ return:

“Stoppppp no way!! 😱😱” one person wrote.

‘Yes! These will make great bags for Easter gifts,” another said.

“Looks like I need to buy camping gear cause I'll be in that line before sunrise 🤩,” one more fan commented.

Reddit

In previous years, the Mini Canvas Tote Bags went for $2.99 too $3.99, and we expect this pastel-filled drop to cost about the same.

Reddit

Though there’s no official release date for the mini totes, they’re speculated to hit shelves sometime in April 2025, possibly the 8th or 9th. Stay tuned here for more updates!

Subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of all the best Trader Joe's news!

This post has been updated.

If your sweet tooth is your calling, why not learn how to turn your dessert dreams into a full-time passion from women entrepreneurs who took their inspiration beyond an idea? One movie date with her future husband to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory prompted Sugarfina co-founder Rosie O’Neill to wonder why grown-up candy stores didn’t exist. Food blogger Katie Higgins flipped her side gig of writing healthy dessert recipes into a career, and food scientist Natalia Butler found her ideal job creating new flavors for the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream empire. In this week’s How to Quit Your Day Job, we chat with Kim Malek, the CEO and founder of Salt & Straw — a popular West Coast chain of ice cream parlors focused on local flavors — about how she turned her idea for a community-based gathering spot for good times into a sweet success story.

Meet the Ice Cream Pro: Kim Malek

Years before Salt & Straw founder Kim Malek started her company, she worked at Starbucks Coffee, Yahoo!, adidas, and Gardenburger in marketing, community outreach, and product management and development. But inspired by the time she lived in the foodie paradise of Portland, Oregon, she had a vision to create a local eatery where friends could gather. Fourteen years later, she and her cousin Tyler, now head ice cream maker, started with an ice cream cart in Portland. Their unique flavors, like Strawberry Honey Balsamic with Black Pepper and Pots of Gold & Rainbows (a mix of colorful marshmallows and cereal milk-flavor), garnered fans and graced Food Network’s list of the Top 5 Ice Creams in America.

With brick-and-mortar scoop shops now open in Los Angeles, Downtown Disney District, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle, the neighborhood ice cream dream Malek had 14 years earlier is now a thriving company. This year, Salt & Straw is gearing up to open its 19th location, and the team will be releasing its first cookbook, the Salt & Straw Ice Cream Cookbook (out April 30).

Brit + Co: What’s your morning routine?

Kim Malek: I have three kiddos, and I try to always take them to school when I’m not traveling. My mornings are all about them. I wake up around 5:30am, take our new puppy out for a little walk, make coffee, and pull myself together over a morning dose of NPR, and then wake up the littles and get them rolling. I’m big into ensuring they have a well-rounded breakfast, so I’m always dreaming up new things to serve along with a large plate of fruit daily. We dash out the door to be sure they have some time to play before school starts (essential to burn energy before sitting all day), which also gives me time to connect with other parents and teachers. Having accomplished all of that before I arrive at the office by 8:30am makes me feel like I’ve already packed in a lot. It’s great momentum for my busy day ahead.

B+C: What inspired you to start your company?

KM: I’d spent most of my adult life in Seattle but lived in Portland for a brief period in the mid-’90s. While there, I was struck by the incredible sense of community and collaboration that I experienced, and I was convinced that an ice cream shop would be the perfect way to reflect that. I wanted to create a place where people could run into their neighbors and spend time with friends and family. I started to work on a plan to open a shop and even looked at real estate. But I got cold feet and retreated back to my safe corporate job for the next 14 years, until the stars aligned for me to move back to Portland in 2010 and dust off my plans. Now, when I see the lines and groups of people who come together at our shops, it’s really gratifying to know that my original inspiration of creating great neighborhood gathering places has come to life in so many wonderful places up and down the West Coast.

B+C: How do you challenge yourself as an entrepreneur?

KM: I heard [football quarterback] Joe Montana speak several years ago and identified with a statement he made about being motivated by fear. As a classic entrepreneur who is motivated by the possibilities with a great appetite for risk, also being motivated by fear seemed ironic to other people when I described it. I had the opportunity to sit next to Joe at a dinner a few months ago and let him know that his statement had stuck with me all these years later and asked him if he’d explain a bit more what he meant by that. He said that he was generally pretty confident that he’d succeed at whatever he was doing, but he was motivated by fear to create contingency plans, be more ready than seems logical, and work harder than anyone else. I loved that!

B+C: Tell us about how your family and friends help support your business.

KM: My family has been instrumental in the company. I founded the company with my cousin Tyler. He wanted to join me to make ice cream when I was getting the company started, but he’d never made ice cream before and just started culinary school. He lived in my basement and experimented with ice cream making on a machine he got at Goodwill. It quickly became apparent that he was really talented, and he became the head ice cream maker right off the bat. It turned out to be a terrific partnership, and his culinary sense has made the company what it is today. The other person I have to mention is my partner Mike. Before I started Salt & Straw, I lived in Seattle and was about to move to NYC. I came to Portland for a birthday and met a guy in a bar, which doesn’t usually end well, but we are still together with three kids. And so I moved to Portland instead of NYC for love. I began working on the business but didn’t really have the funding needed. I cashed in my 401(k), sold my house, and had a garage sale to raise money, but was still $40K short. Mike put his house up as collateral for a small loan from the City of Portland to secure the final funds needed. He’s been an incredible support ever since.

B+C: What have you learned from a failure or mistake you made?

KM: One mistake that most growing companies make is around hiring. I’ve learned what a costly mistake this can be. I’ve found that spending more time on scoping roles to be sure we understand what the company needs over the next two to three years and collaborating with the team on core competencies associated with the position are key to ensuring that we find the right person. It slows us down at the start but allows us to move forward with everyone aligned on what we are looking for in a candidate.

B+C: What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?

KM: One of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten: not to take advice! Stay clear about your original vision and mission, and come back to that when making decisions. I find it most helpful for others to share their experiences versus offering advice. I’ve learned the most that way and have been able to choose how to incorporate that experience into my decision-making.

B+C: What do you love about your job?

KM: I’m most inspired by working side-by-side with people who have been with Salt & Straw since the beginning and have had a long career, continuing to push the company and others to new heights. It’s incredible to see how people have grown and taken the idea of this company far beyond what I could have imagined. I popped into a meeting recently with folks from all over the company working to figure out how to introduce a new product. It blows my mind to see these super-smart, passionate people creating a new future together.

B+C: Name two female heroes who you think should get a shout-out.

KM: First, Maggie Weissman, a principal at Billings Montana High School where I grew up and who went on to own Great Harvest Bread in Seattle. Before that, she was in the Peace Corps. I remember going to the drug store with her to buy toiletries for someone she was hiring who was recently released from prison. She worked on a plan to help him be successful in the job. Watching her go through the process changed everything I knew about what creating jobs could mean for others.

Second is RBG [Ruth Bader Ginsburg]. One story I love about her is that when her son’s school called about her son’s behavior, she said, “He also has a father. Please call him from now as the first point of contact for issues pertaining to our son.” Since they both worked, it didn’t seem fair that the school always contacted her first. Funny enough, she said when the school now had to interrupt a man at work, they stopped calling so frequently. As a household with two working parents, it was a good reminder to be sure the systems and institutions we work with are supportive of co-parenting. It’s an ongoing struggle to make it all work.

B+C: If you could tell aspiring creative women anything, what would it be?

KM: Find your voice and use it. You have terrific ideas that the world deserves to hear. I think women tend to be too conservative in sharing their thoughts, dreams, and plans, and wait until they have things perfect to speak out. One of the biggest gifts someone can give you is to underestimate you.

RELATED: How Two College Roommates Turned a Food Allergy Into a Superfood Ice Cream

(Photos via Leela Cyd Ross)

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After only two episodes of Only Murders in the Building season 4, Hulu renewed the series for season 5! I'm so excited that the show breaks a recent pattern of cancelling shows after the third or fourth season, giving us more time with our favorite characters, and I'm not the only one.

"Here we go again… my favorite set family. I’m coming home!" Selena Gomez says in an Instagram post, while the official Only Murders account made their own post, saying, "We had our lawyers call business affairs. Turned the 4 into a 5. #OnlyMurdersInTheBuilding is coming back for Season 5!!"

In addition to the show entering production, the one and only Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy) just joined the cast. Iconic!

Here's everything you need to know about Only Murders in the Building season 5, coming to Hulu soon.

Who's in the Only Murders in the Building season 5 cast?

Eric McCandless/Disney

The Only Murders in the Building season 5 cast features all our favorites, and some new faces! According to Dan Fogelman, “we can expect more big guest stars that’ll probably be announced sooner rather than later,” he tells The Wrap.

"I am so grateful that I have been surrounded by human beings that make me better, challenge me, remind me day after day that every moment is a gift," Selena Gomez says about working with Steve Martin and Martin Short. "That’s my pure joy. I thank god for the era I’m in. It’s been the best yet."

The Only Murders season 5 cast includes:

  • Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora: a true crime lover who begins her own podcast after getting sucked into a murder mystery.
  • Martin Short as Oliver Putnam: a theatre director and founder of the Only Murders in the Building podcast.
  • Steve Martin as Charles Hayden Savage: an actor and true crime lover who begins the Only Murders podcast with Oliver and Mabel.
  • Téa Leoni as Sofia Caccimelio: a woman who approaches the podcast trio after her husband Nicky goes missing.
  • Renée Zellweger
  • Christoph Waltz
  • Keegan-Michael Key

What is Only Murders in the Building season 5 about?

Patrick Harbron/Disney

We finally got our first details about Only Murders season 5 — and we're going in a direction I totally didn't expect. When Sofia visits Mabel and Charles in the season 4 ending, and asks them to find her missing husband, she's disappointed when they turn her down. And since Téa Leoni just joined the season 5 cast, it looks like she's not taking no for an answer.

“I think she’s the great tease at the end of the finale and a little bit of an intriguing bump forward,” co-creator John Hoffman says in an interview with Deadline. “She’s an extension of the little news report in Episode 9 that Mabel makes note of at the hospital. [Sofia] is the wife of the Dry Cleaning King of Brooklyn, and maybe a couple of dry cleaning outlets in Manhattan, as well, we may come to know...It’s a world opened up potentially that we haven’t talked about too much yet in New York, so she holds a lot of intrigue.”

Patrick Harbron/Hulu

New York's underground is a wild space that we haven't really seen on Only Murders yet so I know we're in for one very interesting season — because if this show is going to go there, they're going to go there.

Executive producer Dan Fogelman told The Wrapwe can look forward to “another big fun mystery the writers have been cooking up," while Hoffman has gone on the record saying the new episodes will “hit on some very current things going on within New York, specifically very relevant things that are happening in the city right now.”

When is Only Murders in the Building season 5 coming out?

Patrick Harbron/Hulu

There's no Only Murders in the Building season 5 release date quite yet, but the show is in production! Considering we've had a new season over the last four years (with season 1 in 2021, season 2 in 2022, season 3 in 2023, and season 4 in 2024), we're expecting to see season 5 in 2025. Stay tuned for the official Only Murders season 5 release date.

How many episodes are there in Only Murders in the Building season 5?

Patrick Harbron/Hulu

Only Murders in the Building season 5 will have 10 episodes total on Hulu.

Check back here for the latest Only Murders in the Building season 5 news and check out the other new TV shows coming in 2025.

This post has been updated.

You've likely spent your whole life promising yourself that you'd never turn into your parents, cringing at their music taste, fashion choices, and insistence that you'll "understand one day when you're older."

Well, unfortunately, science says otherwise. The quirks, habits, and even opinions you swore you'd never adopt are part of your biology and just waiting for the right time to surface.

In fact, research suggests there are seven scientific reasons you'll end up more like your parents than you'd probably care to admit. Let's dive in.

Scroll to find out the reasons you'll actually turn out just like your parents, based on science...

1. New Music Will No Longer Bring Joy

Tima Miroshnichenko

Whether you grew up in the age of records, CDs, or iPods, discovering new music is always a thrill when you're young. At the same time, the "old" tunes your parents blast in the car seem stale, and they probably scoff at whatever music you choose to listen to.

Yet, as time goes by, something strange happens. The latest chart-toppers will begin to sound like noise, and you'll find yourself defending the music you grew up listening to, claiming it's way better than what younger generations are enjoying now.

Science has an explanation for this shift. As we get older, our brains process dopamine, or the chemical that makes music exciting, less efficiently. That means the songs you once obsessed over still hit you hard, but new ones just don't spark the same joy.

2. Rebellion Won't Be Appealing Anymore

Polina Tankilevitch

When you're a teenager, it's practically a rite of passage to be rebellious. Rules seem like they're made to be broken, and anything from sneaking out to defying authority figures at school feels like fair game.

However, you won't always be so bold. That's because, as your brain matures, the rebellious streak that once fueled the late nights and questionable decisions of your teenage years and twenties will fade. The same neurological shifts that make teens impulsive begin to mellow out with age, resulting in an increased sense of empathy and responsibility.

So, when you see some newly licensed teens racing down the road in their first car or egging houses on Halloween, you'll eventually start to shake your head at the recklessness, just like your parents.

3. Previously Boring Things Will Bring You Satisfaction

cottonbro studio

The idea of cleaning out the garage or tending to the garden on a Saturday probably sounds like a boring nightmare to most teenagers. At that point in our lives, our activities were driven by excitement and chasing instant gratification or an "adrenaline" rush.

Yet, as we mature, those previously "boring" hobbies start to feel, well, satisfying. While teenagers crave high-reward and low-effort activities, older adult brains begin to prioritize long-term fulfillment over fleeting joy or excitement.

That's why, out of nowhere, you may suddenly appreciate slower weekend mornings, organizing the bathroom on your day off, and spending hours picking out home decor.

4. You Won't Be Able To Sleep In

cottonbro studio

Sleeping until noon feels like a basic human right (and quite easy) during your teens or twenties. And back then, when you rolled out of bed in your pajamas halfway through the day, your parents might've called you lazy.

Contrary to popular belief, the shift toward earlier wake-up times in adulthood isn't about discipline; it's biology. Teenagers' bodies naturally produce melatonin later, making it harder for them to wake up early.

Then, as you age, your internal clock gradually changes, making it much tougher to sleep in, regardless of how tired you feel. Someday soon, you might find yourself brewing coffee at the crack of dawn and wondering how you ever wasted so much time lying in bed.

5. Bad News, Men: Your Motivation To Change Will Fade

Yaroslav Shuraev

After you graduated from high school or college, you might've sworn that you'd never "let yourself go." So, you may have hit the gym like it was your second job and chased after promotions like they were candy to further your career.

If you fast forward a couple of decades, though, that drive starts to fade, and testosterone is actually the culprit.

This hormone, which is responsible for muscle mass, motivation, and energy, peaks around age 40 before gradually declining. As it drops, the urgency to push yourself goes with it. You'll no longer be jumping at the chance to stay late at work or stick to your old, grueling six-day workout regimen.

6. Bland Food Won't Seem So Terrible

Pavel Danilyuk

If you're a self-proclaimed "foodie," you love visiting fancy restaurants, trying new cuisines, and think your palate is only getting more refined as you age.

But if you've ever wondered why older adults seem perfectly fine with eating the same old bland meals every week, science has the answer. You may not know that, as you age, your mouth produces less saliva, which is crucial for breaking down food and bringing flavors to your taste buds.

On top of that, appetite naturally shrinks, meaning dinners are more of a necessity than an experience. Suddenly, some plain crackers and apple juice won't seem so bad after all.

7. You'll Reminisce, Just Like Your Parents

Kampus Production

Nowadays, you might roll your eyes when you hear your parents tell the same childhood story (or rant about how things were "so much better" back in the day) for the hundredth time. You may even have a pact with yourself, promising to stay more current and open-minded.

Well, when you get older, your brain actually relies on nostalgia as a sort of built-in natural antidepressant. In other words, reminiscing helps older people counteract the stress and responsibilities of adult life.

This is why long-winded stories about the "good old days" become even more frequent with age, and someday, you'll likely find yourself falling into the same pattern.

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