From bestselling cookbooks to hit TV shows to being the first self-made female billionaire in the United States and now starring in a tell-all documentary, Martha Stewart has done it all. Last year, she made history as the oldest model to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. And now at age 83, she’s released her 100th book, Martha: The Cookbook.
How does she do it all? Simply put: “I love my work,” reveals Martha, who adds that “inner strength and a common-sense attitude” are key. She also says a lifetime of learning and staying curious helps to keep her going, which inspired her to become a QVC Q50 Ambassador, helping women over 50 to investigate and celebrate all of life’s possibilities.
“I have a lot of friends who are thriving over 50. They’re productive, they’re curious, they’re thinking about their families,” Martha shares with FIRST for Women as our cover girl (get your copy here!). “It takes work but it also takes liking yourself—and that’s very important.” Here, Martha dishes on the good things that keep her joyful, confident and at the top of her game.
FIRST for Women: What is your favorite Christmas tradition?
Martha Stewart: My favorite tradition is an open house Christmas party for my family and friends. I do it almost every year. Every year we have an ‘open house’ holiday party for my family and friends. I live on a farm, and there’s lots of buildings, and we have something different going on in each of the buildings, so that people can wander around and explore.
It’s an old-fashioned, traditional Christmas party with good eggnog and delicious food—like a big country ham and homemade biscuits. My favorite cottage is filled with tables with cookies, cookies, cookies, all kinds of homemade Christmas cookies. It’s very fun.
FFW: And speaking of, do you have any guilty pleasures during the holidays? You mentioned eggnog…
MS: I make the best eggnog—it’s famous. It’s just a great recipe. And for Christmas, I like my rolled-out, cut-out sugar cookies. They have a secret ingredient in them, and they’re beautifully iced and fabulous.
FFW: From guilty pleasures to healthy snacks…what are your go-to things to eat in a pinch?
MS: I’m not a snacker, but I try to eat a pomegranate a day during pomegranate season. We knock out all the seeds from the pomegranate, and I put it in a paper cup. I have another paper cup where I spit all the pith out, and I just chew on the whole cup of pomegranate seeds. It’s so good.
FFW: You recently posted your five-minute beauty routine on Instagram and got a lot of comments. Are there any at-home beauty secrets that your mom passed on to you?
MS: My mom was a naturally pretty woman, and she used Ponds face cream. I remember she told me, ‘You never go to bed with anything on your face except a really good rich cream,’—that’s the only thing. And so I’m fanatic about cleaning my face before I go to bed no matter how tired I am. I really wash my face, and I use a very hot washcloth and steam it, then I put on some delicious cream, and that’s how I go to bed. And you look good that way, too, because your face is all nice and pink.
She also told me, ‘Always put cream on your elbows. Always put cream on your hands. Keep your hands nice and clean.’ My mom was not going to get manicures—she didn’t have time for that, but she made sure she had clean nails and nice hands. And my granddaughter uses everything now. She’s 13, and she has the best habits of anybody I know.
FFW: What do you do to help keep your brain and memory sharp?
MS: I read the entire New York Times, and I do all the puzzles every single day: I do Wordle in about an average of four guesses if you look at my statistics. I do Letter Boxed, then Connections, and it’s so good for your brain. Also with work, I have to memorize scripts, I have to write books, I have to do research, so I keep my mind extremely active. Now, I don’t remember everyone’s name, but nobody does so I don’t feel bad about that!
FFW: What would you say is your worst habit?
MS: Going to bed with my iPad and watching movies, watching series, looking at Instagram and writing to my friends. That’s the worst thing you do is take an iPad to bed.
FFW: If you’re feeling down, what do you do to pick yourself back up?
MS: I’ll go to the greenhouse and groom a 100-foot bench of orchids or I’ll go take a horseback ride—something where you can’t pay attention to anything else because you have to concentrate on what you’re doing in that moment…it’s fantastic. Those are both very good things that I do to refocus, and it’s so healing.
