Jennifer Stevens

in her own words…

I’m Jennifer, a writer, editor, MC, new(ish) mum and recent countryside blow in. I took voluntary redundancy from a great, pensionable job at just 23 to chase my dream of working in magazines and never having a retirement fund again. Since then, I’ve worked all over the place and been the editor of Irish Tatler, U and Irish Country Magazine. In the middle of the glamourous jobs I decided to try hard news and 5am starts to work on the news desk of the Evening Herald. It wasn’t the job for me, but it was where I met my husband! Over 17 years in magazines I’ve been to international fashion weeks, had dinner with supermodels, met movie stars and stayed in some amazing places but nothing beats the time I accidentally ended up at a party in James Blunt’s house. I had my first daughter at the ripe of age of 40 after five very difficult years of trying and my second little girl arrived in February of this year. I decided not to go back to full-time work after maternity leave in 2018 and instead work for myself. Since then I’ve written about everything from banking and the menopause to Christmas decorations and children’s literature and I ghostwrote a book – you’ll never know for who! I had been working from home without childcare for a year before the pandemic hit so I’m a veritable expert at how to get a full day’s work done during a 40-minute nap. Having lived in Dublin City centre since I was 22, last year we decided to move to leafy Kildare. It seemed like a crazy idea to leave our beloved Dublin 8 and its famous sourdough until lockdown hit and we had acres of deserted parkland on our doorstep and room for both a paddling pool and a home office. I currently spend too much time on Instagram and making pizza dough and not enough time sleeping when the baby sleeps because that’s an absolute myth. I’ll probably be exhausted ‘til I’m 50.

I want to say something really insightful about aging but the thing that I'm most surprised about is how little I care about it. 40 was always a big looming milestone that was made out as almost the beginning of the end but it was the opposite for me. I'm happy, healthy, more confident in who I am and less concerned with other people's opinions than ever before. 

It doesn't mean I don't care about it at all. When lockdown is over I'll book in for highlights and I'll probably go for laser to sort out my post-baby skin, I'm not planning on embracing my grey or using only coconut oil as a moisturiser. Feck that. And if I ever get botox and somebody compliments my skin I'll tell the truth and won't pretend it was a new cream, because, that, my friends, is bullshit!