I kept going because I was scared of being found out and my body paid for it. In 2024 I heard myself say "this is killing me" and I meant it. I meant the commute, the role, the lifestyle, the aggravation, the proving and the forcing. It was my Monty Python wafer-thin mint moment. I pretty much always worked for companies where a long-hours culture was expected and I felt I had to match it, despite a long commute costing me downtime and rest. After the long hours there was a p

This summer we welcomed a friend's dog, Happy, into our home, temporarily, while her owner recovered from a fall. A few weeks, maybe a month, we thought. She's been here since June. Happy's owner was one of the people who helped get me back on my feet after my knee replacement. So when she rang and asked if I would take Happy, her baby, while she recovered, I said yes before she had finished asking. She doesn't remember making the call. Saying yes felt like a way of paying he

I Thought I Knew My Values I believed I knew my values. My calendar, my bank account and my decisions told a different story. Two years ago, my knee needed surgery, which meant at least six weeks off work, and I knew exactly how I'd spend them: worrying, not recovering. For the first time, I chose differently. I resigned, knowing other people would hold the pen on the story behind my decision. I left anyway. That decision wasn't easy to explain to myself, let alone to anyone

Before the redundancy. Before the divorce. Before the betrayal. Before the illness. Before life knocked the wind out of you. You just don't feel like yourself anymore. Most people can name the moment, even if they would rather not. The thing that happened, or arrived without warning, after which you kept going, kept performing, kept everything intact, and told nobody. You kept going because that is what you do, and because stopping to examine it felt like a luxury, or a risk,

Understanding the Challenges of Re-Entry If you're navigating midlife career re-entry following a break - whether by choice, redundancy, or a life change forced upon you - you may find it harder than you expected. Fewer roles are available. Some positions are not being renewed. AI is changing hiring decisions. Redundancies are increasing. Even with experience and a strong network, re-entry takes more effort and persistence than it once did. For many, age and past seniority no