Just days before filming the Season 20 reunion of The Real Housewives of Orange County (RHOC), Shannon Storms Beador was already thinking about what comes next. After more than a decade of sharing her most vulnerable moments on television, the 62-year-old is in a decidedly different chapter: her daughters are out of the house, she’s single and she’s thinking more about the hormone changes that come with midlife. “I really want to dive into all this new stuff,” she tells me on NewBeauty’s The Beauty Authority podcast. “I used to do the colonics, I used to do acupuncture all the time. You get so busy and I’m going to go back to that.”
Watch the full interview below and keep scrolling for the biggest takeaways from our conversation.
The Lifestyle Shift She Didn’t Expect
Becoming an empty nester was a major adjustment for Beador, especially after years of defining herself through relationships. “It was tough at the beginning,” she says. “I was a person that I always defined myself by being in a relationship. So here all of a sudden I’m completely by myself.”
What surprised her was how much she eventually began to enjoy it. “I kind of like being by myself. I like to be able to create my own schedule and not have to worry about somebody.” After years of navigating relationships on camera, she says there’s also a certain freedom in the change. “I only have to worry about me now. So it’s good.”
Navigating Midlife Changes
Like many women in menopause and midlife, Beador says the physical changes have brought new frustrations, particularly around her stomach. “I’m 62 years old and I have literally tried so many things for this belly area right here, and I’m really not figuring it out,” she says. Looking more closely at hormones is next on her list. “As I get some more free time in the next couple of months, I’m really going to look into the hormones, and I want to share about it because a lot of my girlfriends are going through the same thing.”
Her frustration is familiar to many women experiencing body changes in midlife. “It’s like, what the flip with my stomach? And I don’t eat that much,” she says. “I’m trying certain peptides, but they don’t really work. So I want to talk about it and share. As we get older, things do change.”
The Treatments She Swears By
Beador is just as open about her aesthetic choices. Of everything she’s tried, one procedure stands out. “The thing I was worried about doing, but the thing that helped me the most, is getting that lower facelift,” she says.
When she wants something less invasive, Beador turns to Thermage. “What I have found that I like the best for skin tightening is Thermage,” she says. “I notice a difference when I’ve had that done.” Her current routine also includes lymphatic massage to address puffiness. “I tend to retain fluid and I’m a little bit puffy,” she says. “You just gotta keep up with your skin.”
On Embracing Aging
Beador was 49 when she joined RHOC, so viewers have watched her navigate more than a decade of aging in HD. At 62, she sounds less interested in fighting every sign of it. “Sometimes I’ll just look at myself with no makeup and go, ‘Yeah, you’re fine. Just film,’” she says.
That doesn’t mean she’s swearing off treatments. Women are increasingly considering aesthetic treatments alongside conversations about HRT and wellness in midlife, but Beador’s goal is still to look like herself. “The bottom line is embrace who you are,” she says. “Just be who you are. Get a little tweak here and there.”
