Martha Stewart Details What She's Learned by Decade

Martha Stewart celebrated her 83rd birthday on August 3, but she has no plans to slow down. In fact, she’s busier than ever: Her home brand is in demand and her 100th cookbook, Martha Stewart: The Cookbook is out in November. “I try to balance a whole lot,” the mogul told Us while promoting Pure Leaf’s “Martha’s Little Helper” National Giveaway. “In comparison with many of my friends, the busyness and creative work helps a lot.”

The Many Lives of Martha Stewart star is also aging backwards: “I realized how important it was to take care of oneself so that with each decade you look OK,” she said. Now, “People say, ‘Oh my gosh, you look much younger than you are. That’s very nice.”

Stewart took a look back on her extraordinary life for Us.

Childhood — Her Formative Years

As the second-oldest of six kids, the New Jersey native (then known as Martha Kostyra) was always a go-getter. One of her first jobs, at age 10, was babysitting for MLB legends Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra. Her teenage years followed the same pattern: “I was a gung-ho gardener, Girl Scout, writer and an avid reader,” she told Us. Looking back, Stewart has no words of wisdom for her younger self: “She did pretty well.”

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20s —  Her Demure Decade

In this “perfectly happy” era, “I was in college. I learned how to manage a home,” Stewart, who modeled to pay for Barnard, said. At 24, she and then-husband Andrew Stewart, who she wed in 1961, welcomed baby Alexis.

30s — Her Ambitious Chapter

Taking a job in the stock market proved to be financially rewarding (“I was making a lot of money,” Stewart told Us), but Wall Street left her unfulfilled. Eventually, the Martha Knows Best star took a leap of faith by launching a catering business out of her own kitchen — and it paid off! “Within two or three years,” she recalled, “I was earning about as much in catering as I had as a stockbroker.” That said, she’s confident that if she had stayed involved with the stock market, “I would bank.”

40s — Her Now-or-Never Stage

In the ’80s, Stewart was thriving professionally. She released Entertaining, the first in a string of 100 (!) food, garden and home titles. But behind closed doors, she was struggling. “I would suggest to anybody who’s not happy in a marriage, get out of it as fast as you can,” she advised. “Don’t belabor it and don’t be miserable about it, because it doesn’t do any good whatsoever.” Instead, she suggested: “Go on with your life, continue to work and continue to be productive.”

50s — Happy Days

The “Good Things” maven recalls this as a “very good” post-divorce chapter. “Lots of dating, lots of traveling,” she told Us. “That’s when I started writing books about forming my own company — and that’s what I did.” Martha Stewart Living the magazine spawned a TV show, and in 1997 came Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia: “That was a huge success.”

60s — Her Resilient Years

Serving time for conspiracy and obstruction of justice in 2004 was challenging. “I had to go to jail for a crime I didn’t commit,” she told Us. “That darkened the horizon for a little bit.” Receiving a warm welcome following her release was a silver lining, however: “The return was very nice and helpful, and I’ve continued from there.” Stewart also embraced self-care as valuable during this era: “I was always very active, but I learned the importance of daily training, of a daily good diet [and] getting a manicure once a week,” she said. “I didn’t do that early on.”

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70s — Her Sexy Era

In 2020, Stewart embraced her femininity by sharing a sultry pool selfie — which she later admitted was a “thirst trap” — netting 240,000+ likes on Instagram. She also continued traveling, often with her two “fantastic” grandkids, and, as it turns out, it pays to have Stewart as your grandmother. “I’ve been to Olivia Rodrigo [concerts], dance recitals, Broadway plays, much more than I used to, because my granddaughter loves all that,” she shared. “Billie Eilish is coming up at Madison Square Garden, my grandson wants [to go to] the Super Bowl and I took him to the US Open [for] the men’s finals.” Though her schedule is packed, she wouldn’t change a thing, noting her grandchildren are “extremely appreciative” and a “great joy.”

80s — Her Peaceful Period

Stewart’s hustle isn’t ending anytime soon! “We’re doing so much stuff,” she explained. “I’m working with a lot of very interesting companies and building an amazing farm in Bedford, New York.”  Most importantly, she’s focusing on the things that keep her young: “Your friends — and work — are very important.”