Mount Faron, Toulon

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

Thembi Costa Susini

THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY

I didn’t change my life. I reinvented it.

Global Reinvention. Life in Provence. A woman creating her next chapter after 50.

I left New York, returned to university at 47, crossed an ocean, learned how to live in another culture, fell in love, married a French vineyard owner—and discovered that starting over isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about finally becoming more fully yourself.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Three principles. One intentional life.

The values behind the stories I tell, the work I create and the life I continue to design.

Courage over Comfort philosophy illustration

Courage over Comfort

Make room for the life beyond what is familiar.

Reinvention over Resilience philosophy illustration

Reinvention over Resilience

You do not have to endure a life you can redesign.

Authenticity over Perfection philosophy illustration

Authenticity over Perfection

Let the honest version of you take the lead.

A Life in Chapters

So, how did a New Yorker end up on a vineyard in Provence?

NEW YORK CITY → FRANCE → VINEYARD LIFE → WHAT’S NEXT

Early New York chapter

CHAPTER 1

New York City

So, how did a New Yorker end up on a vineyard in Provence?

Read the story

A new chapter in France

CHAPTER 2

Aix-en-Provence

I arrived in 2021 to learn a new way of life.

Explore the story

Life by the coast in Bandol

CHAPTER 3

Bandol

In 2023, I moved to the picturesque coastal town of Bandol.

Read the story

A new chapter in love and family

CHAPTER 4

Love & Family

Our 2024 wedding in Le Castellet marked a beautiful new chapter.

Watch “I Got Married at 50”

The Reinvention Diaries

CHAPTER 5

What’s Next

Stories, tools and lessons for a life still being designed.

Enter the next chapter

Three Ways Into the Story

The Reinvention Diaries

The Reinvention Diaries

Notes on starting over, discovering your voice and choosing your next chapter.

A journey across cultures

Life Abroad

Observations on cultural exchange, learning to belong and making a life in France.

Thembi and Eric on their wedding day

Love & New Traditions

Stories about creating a shared life across languages, families and cultures.

Life at 4 Vents

A family vineyard. A Mediterranean landscape. A way of life worth slowing down to notice.

View from the vineyard

The Reinvention Diaries

Whether you’re navigating a new relationship, a career change, a move, a comeback, or simply a new chapter—this conversation is for you. Starting over after 50 isn’t the beginning of looking foolish. It’s the beginning of finally being free.

If this resonates with you, share it with a woman in your life who needs to hear it today.

Explore the Reinvention Diaries or watch I Got Married at 50.

Thembi reflecting on her reinvention journey

Work with Thembi

Reinvention. Cultural exchange. Life abroad.

The Reinvention Roadmap

The Reinvention Roadmap

A practical guide to designing your next chapter in four creative steps.

Explore the roadmap

Provence Through Our Eyes

Provence Through Our Eyes

Discover Provence through the perspective of a New Yorker and a lifelong Provençal vineyard owner.

Explore Provence

Courses and collaborations

Courses & Collaborations

For organizations, brands, publications and audiences interested in stories about starting over and creating a life across cultures.

See the course menu

Get the Next Chapter

Stories, tools and observations from a New Yorker reinventing life in Provence. Occasional essays, reinvention tools and Provence from our perspective.

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Reinvention isn't about escaping your old life. It's about creating one that finally feels like home.

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