Jen Morgan has never been afraid to laugh at herself, even when life isn't funny. The Cincinnati-born author, speaker, and certified grief coach has built her life's work around the kind of honesty most people reserve for their closest friends. Now living in Southlake with her husband Kevin, Jen has channeled decades of personal loss, friendship upheaval, and hard-won self-reflection into two books, a thriving coaching practice, and an upcoming podcast. Her latest book, ”Fifty & Friendless: Table for One Please,” is exactly what it sounds like: a warmhearted, unflinching look at what it means to know yourself, rebuild your circle, and embrace the table for one.
I COME FROM A LONG LINE OF… big personalities. I'm the youngest of nine kids, born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. I've always been surrounded by people — family, friends, noise, laughter. Being alone wasn't really something I ever practiced. It took me a long time to get comfortable with it, and honestly, that discomfort became the book.
MY WORK IS ROOTED IN… storytelling and faith. My first book, “Bring It On,” is really an introduction to my story — how faith carried me through a lot of trauma and loss, and how I learned to use my experience to lift other women up.
GRIEF, FOR ME, IS… deeply personal. I don't believe in the stages. I've lost three brothers and two of my closest friends. Grief has just been a thread through my life. So when I work with someone, whether as a coach or just as a friend, I meet them exactly where they are. If she wants to cry over wine and talk it through all night, I'm there. If she wants to go to dinner and forget about it for one evening, I'm her girl for that, too.
THE TITLE “FIFTY & FRIENDLESS” CAME FROM… my husband, actually. He has this very dry sense of humor, and during a rough couple of years after my 50th birthday — when friendships were shifting and I was grieving in more ways than one — he started calling me "No Friend Jen." And then my niece said I should name the book “Fifty and Friendless.” I thought - that is catchy. And it makes people ask questions, which is exactly what I want.
WHAT THE BOOK IS REALLY ABOUT IS… the mirror. My first chapter is called that. Before you go looking for better friends, you have to look at yourself and ask: What do I crave? And am I being her? If you want loyalty, are you loyal? If you want fun, are you fun? That self-reflection is where everything starts. I had to do a lot of that work myself, and it changed everything.
LEARNING TO SIT ALONE AT A TABLE… did not come naturally to me. At first, I was sure everyone was staring, wondering why I was there by myself. But eventually, I realized I was just — present. With myself. A glass of wine, maybe a book, maybe just people-watching. Now I love it. It's about being comfortable enough in your own company that you don't always need a crowd.
FINDING NEW FRIENDS AFTER 50 MEANS… doing things a little outside your comfort zone, but things that are actually yours. A cooking class. An art class. A women's retreat. In 2022, I signed up for a trip to Italy with 14 women I had never met. I didn't know a single one of them. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
THE COMMUNITY I WANT TO BUILD… is one where women feel like they can bring all of it — the grief and the laughter, the loss and the comeback. I want to speak at women's events, lead retreats, and host workshops. My partner and I are working on a podcast and retreat series called “Grief, Grace & The Glow Up,” and I'm so excited about it. Grief doesn't get the last word. That's the whole point.
AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING I DO IS… the belief that you are never as alone as you feel. We all go through seasons where the circle gets smaller, where people you counted on aren't there anymore, where you have to rebuild. But there is beauty in that. There is purpose in it. My job is just to remind women of that — and to make them laugh a little along the way.