Martha Stewart is reissuing her first book “Entertaining,” first published in 1982, and it’s no wonder why. 

At 84 years old, Stewart has remained a media icon, publishing more than 100 books, leading television shows and running a lifestyle-centric media empire. While she’s been in the public eye for many years, Stewart has remained relevant, even winning share with younger generations — Martha Stewart aesthetic was one of the largest trends on Pinterest with searches up 2,889 percent. 

During WWD x FN x Beauty Inc’s annual Women in Power event, Stewart took to the stage with Beauty Inc editor in chief Jenny B. Fine to discuss how she’s maintained such a successful career, her latest skin care venture Elm Biosciences and her advice to all women chasing progress. 

For Stewart, her longevity, of course, started with great genes. Her mother lived until 94 and her grandfather lived to 99. Stewart also attributes her success to her devotion to living well, both in her career and in her personal life. When asked about her approach to longevity, Stewart said “I have devoted the last 40 or 50 years to the subject of good living.” 

Now, she’s more dedicated to good living than ever before.

“We’re trying to see how we can successfully age and cope with the fact that more than 50 percent of Americans are going to be over the age of 65 in a couple more years, so we have to learn how to grow old gracefully,” Stewart said.

Aside from focusing on her health, from her daily green juices to regular Pilates, Stewart has also found a way to maintain her cool factor in the media over the years, appealing to a range of generations. 

“I’m a very curious person, and I spend a lot of time thinking about what’s cool right now. When I befriended Snoop Dogg for example, it was cool, and yet he was cool, and I became cool,” she said. “Our demographics expanded exponentially because my friends wanted to know about him. His friends certainly wanted to know about me, and it’s continued.” 

Aside from her friendship with Snoop Dogg, Stewart said participating in the “Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber” in 2015 earned her a lot of credit with younger generations. The release of her documentary “Martha” on Netflix one year ago also introduced her to younger consumers, leading to the rerelease of her first book “Entertaining.” Stewart said hundreds of millions of people had watched the documentary, per Netflix. 

“[Viewers] would realize that there was something there about good living and beautiful living and eating well and cooking well and doing all the homely things. They started to ask their moms for ‘Entertaining’ and mom said, ‘No, you can’t have it,’” Stewart said, noting this led to the demand for the rerelease.

While her mission for good living has remained timeless and still inspires consumers today, Stewart further attributed her longevity to her cohort of friends who are younger than her.

Stewart also discussed her recent foray into skin care alongside Dr. Dhaval Bhanusali with Elm Biosciences, a streamlined approach to the category. Currently, Elm Biosciences only has two products: A3O Elemental Serum, $135, and Inner Dose The Daily Skin Supplement, $50. Per Stewart, a third product is coming soon. 

“So many different products come my way, and I thought ‘If I find the right person, maybe I can come up with something that one product or two products or three products will work,’” she said. “We have finally come up with what we think…works. When you apply [the serum], it’s cool. When you wake up, your face is taught. It does all the things that you hope something will do.”

As with all of her ventures, Stewart is being very strategic about Elm Biosciences, particularly when it comes to new products. The assortment will remain streamlined.

“I don’t want to do a glut…I get confused,” Stewart said. 

While Stewart has been able to create an empire as a female entrepreneur, she emphasized the importance of passion and commitment to a specific mission, particularly when building a new company and trying to raise money as a woman.

“[If] you have a plan, and you have a well designed business plan, you can find the right place to take it and hopefully get support,” she said, adding that her latest ventures also include consulting for a variety of brands, including a home organization app that employs AI. 

Given her packed schedule, when asked about how she juggles it all, Stewart said she doesn’t believe in “balance.” So when asked about her advice for attendees striving for progress, Stewart closed out her talk saying: “Take a deep breath. Take a glass of Zubrówka vodka. Put a big slice of orange in it…and go on with the day lady.”