Since entering her forties, journalist and beauty founder Ateh Jewel has embarked on a total health overhaul.
Committing to longevity and living her best life in her second act after her thirties saw her diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it took a series of events to push Ateh, who turned 47 in March, to take action.
Here, with a new obsession with longevity, Ateh shares what made her take control of her health, and the four things that helped her along her path.
What made me change my ways
1. A move to the country
My healing journey began in 2018 when I moved to the Cotswolds to reset. I needed space, fresh air and long walks to reconnect with myself. I knew my life needed to change in order to survive - I just didn't realise I needed to also get divorced in order to heal (which I did in 2023).
2. A loss in the family
In 2020, my cousin passed away from breast cancer. It was the first time I had lost someone close to me and it hit me that time is finite.
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A doctor had warned me years earlier, "If you keep living like this, you’ll be dead by 50 and none of your plans and ambitions will come true when you're dead."
I don’t respond well to tough love and I wasn't ready to hear it at the time, but his words lingered. As a newly single mum to 13-year-old twin girls, I knew one thing for certain, I can't die. I need to be here for them.
3. Diabetes diagnosis
I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in my late 30s. I felt shocked, ashamed and completely out of control. I had been eating my feelings, numbing my rage and doubling in weight - going from 11 stone to over 22 in a matter of years.
It was the first time my body had ever failed me, and it hit me like a freight train: I wasn't invincible.
My lovely friend and beauty mentor Tracy Woodward said something that stuck: "Your body is your only true home—take care of it."
She recommended I go on a fasting retreat at Buchinger Wilhelmi, but I put it off for years.
4. A retreat
I finally followed her advice in September 2023 after a rollercoaster of a year. I'd ended my 22-year marriage, launched my beauty brand, Ateh Jewel Beauty, into Harrods and for the first time in decades, I put my health, my body, and my needs first.
I went to Buchinger Wilhelmi and in just 10 days, I lost a stone and saw my blood sugar levels go down to normal. It was a powerful wake-up call - this wasn't just about weight loss—it was about staying alive.
Healing rituals
Healing isn’t about one big transformation, it's about the tiny, daily rituals that nurture me back to life and help me feel connected when I emotionally spiral.
1. Tub time
Bathing isn't just about getting clean but is a complete wellness ritual for me. It's my meditation, my safe space and my reset button.
Every night, I sink into a tub infused with Neal's Yard 'Women's Balance Bath Salts', £17, which help me feel grounded, calm and soothed.
I'm also obsessed with Dreem Distillery's 'Into the Deep CBD Therapeutic Bath Oil', £75 for 100ml.
I'm an ambassador for this incredible brand and it's really helped to heal me, as sleep is medicine and I'm a bad sleeper.
Laced with relaxing vetiver, calming chamomile and grounding geranium and broad-spectrum CBD, this bath oil helps me feel soothed as well as get a deep restorative sleep.
2. Exercise
Exercise has also been a game changer. Weight training has been revolutionary for me. I work with my PT, Bebe Beachus, who is helping me build strength, balance and resilience.
My body is changing in ways I never imagined and it's less about the number on the scales and more about feeling powerful, steady and alive.
3. Cellular health
Cellular health and energy are essential for longevity, so Some of my go-to supplements to support my cell health include Wild Nutrition's 'Food-Grown Magnesium', £19.50, which I take for stress relief and better sleep.
Seabody's 'Movement' supplement, £49, is also an essential, designed to support mobility and flexibility, packed with marine antioxidants, micronutrients and essential vitamins such as B12, B2, B7, and C, it nourishes bone, joint, and muscle health – ideal for women in perimenopause and beyond.
I’m also taking WillPowder's Milk Chocolate Keto Protein Powder, £38, which is chocolate-flavoured. I'm a sugar addict and always will be - it's about accepting this and getting better alternatives – hence my love of this powder. It helps my 4pm sugar cravings, it's delicious and prevents a sugar crash.
4. Healing through colour
My nails are my mood board, little pops of colour therapy I can see every day. Right now, I'm obsessed with Nails Inc's new 'It's Topless' nail polish, £9, - a new range which has a gel-like finish and is a base coat, treatment, colour and topcoat all in one - it's genius.
Doing my nails makes my hands look chic, polished and put together, even on the messiest days. Colour isn't just about aesthetics, though. It's about how it makes you feel, and right now. I feel alive.
For me, longevity isn’t only about living well for longer; it's about living better. It's about taking up space, setting boundaries, loving yourself fiercely and doing the things that bring you joy.
This is my second act and I'm making it my best one yet.
