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Over recent months, a couple of my coaching clients who had recently stopped working full time raised an issue that I reckon is very common, but isn’t talked about that much. After many years of both partners in a marriage leading very busy lives and with children living at home, suddenly finding themselves spending large amounts of time at home alone with their partner was proving a challenge! And both clients acknowledged that the feeling was mutual. Their wives were less t

As a coach, I often hear that significant transformations require six sessions, which appears to be the industry standard. Whilst that can be true, I've observed that a single conversation can sometimes redirect someone's life. A few months ago, I spoke with a former colleague who had recovered from a challenging illness but felt stuck in his professional life. He wasn't seeking answers; he needed space to think out loud. A couple of months later when we spoke again, he co-fo

Many organisations are good at managing the departure of older workers via redundancy, but far fewer are good at managing what happens to these valued employees afterwards. For many experienced employees, leaving a long-term role is not simply a job change. It can trigger a profound shift in identity, confidence, routine and purpose. This is particularly for people in their 50s and 60s who may still have 20+ productive working years ahead. Increasingly, I’m working with s

For people who don’t have a lot of money, it’s a common misconception that life is a lot easier for those who do. Through my coaching with clients who are in their 50s and 60s, I work with people who have worked all their lives, who have been made redundant and are now worrying about how to pay the bills and I also work with people who have made money and having retired in their mid-fifties, are now wondering what to do with the rest of their lives. Those who don’t have money

Later-career transition is becoming one of the big societal challenges of our time, but we’re still treating it as if it were a problem that should be solved at the individual level. I recently hosted a discussion with a group of men in their 50s and early 60s talking about career transition. These were highly experienced professionals — from finance, technology, consulting etc - people with decades of expertise behind them. The conversation covered familiar territory: CVs, n

Every transition in our lives has a stage that feels uncomfortable. We often want to discard our previous identity or role, yet we don't feel fully established in the new one. This "in-between" period, sometimes referred to as liminality, can be challenging. In her book 'Working Identity', Herminia Ibarra emphasizes a crucial point: we don’t think our way into a new identity; we act our way into it. In other words, we need to start 'walking the talk'. This March (hopefuly Spr

The moment when, usually at some point during our 50s and 60s, we are required to leave behind our careers and embrace whatever’s next, is a very particular point in our lives and one that can bring up unexpected challenges. The day we walk out of the office for the last time, willingly or unwillingly, will be the time to start again. This could be a modest shift, taking our client relationships and developing them for our personal benefit rather than the corporate. On the ot

You might have heard the term Snipers’ Alley. It came to prominence during the Bosnian War in the mid-1990’s to describe a place where civilians were randomly shot by snipers. Today it has a relevance that’s a lot closer to home for anyone who is over 50 and especially for those in their 60s. It’s often used to describe that period in our lives when we suddenly become susceptible to life-ending diseases such as cancer or a heart attack. As I write this, I’m grieving over the

I’m definitely not the first person bring this up and I’m certain that I won’t be the last, but we all need reminding: men have traditionally been taught not to share their emotions and it can have disastrous consequences. For many men of my generation, work has never just been about earning a living. It’s been about identity, structure, status — and often the place where we felt most useful. So, when work ends — through retirement or redundancy — the impact can run much deep

For many people, one of the hardest parts of leaving a senior role isn’t the loss of status or routine. It’s the feeling that you somehow don’t matter any longer.. For years, your judgement was valued, your experience was sought out and people listened to you. Then suddenly the meetings have stopped and your diary is empty. You start asking yourself the question “If I’m not doing all that anymore… then what?” This transition away from corporate life can be a really tough peri