After 30 or 40 years as an employee, a midlife career change can require a surprisingly different set of skills. For much of a successful professional career, the rules of working life are relatively clear. You have a role. An organisation employs you. There is a salary, a job description, colleagues and perhaps a team to manage. Work arrives in your inbox. Meetings appear in your diary. Someone, somewhere, has decided that your skills are needed. Then, as you begin thinking

When Retirement Planning, Stay Curious! A client recommended I listen to this week’s edition of BBC Radio 4’s Start The Week and that was where I discovered Lani Watson’s book Q: The Hidden Power of Questions in a World That Wants Answers. In this book she explains that, when curious about something, the act of then asking a question creates a little dopamine hit for the brain’s reward system. In that moment we become more receptive not just to the answer we seek, but recepti

When you stop full-time employment you might need to re-contract some of your family relationships. 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 pro

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