The Art of the Midlife Career Pivot
A midlife career pivot is no longer an unusual thing. A career change can come about for a variety of reasons, some of your own making, others not. The most common include:
redundancy
being ‘managed out’ in your 50s
your own choice (‘there must be more to life than this’)
life circumstances (ageing parents needing care, ill health, caring for someone else, divorce, bereavement)
I want to give my real career dream a chance
Whatever the cause, you need to know one thing: creating an energising new chapter is most definitely possible. It may not feel like it when you’re in the turbulence of sudden change, but it’s absolutely true that ‘when one door closes, another one opens.’
The trick to emerging into a more rewarding stage is to recognise that you have the power to redesign that door - and that if you are true to yourself, it will open onto a more nourishing, fulfilling and joyful landscape.
How do I know? I’ve made three midlife career pivots, survived, thrived, and now work with career changers to create their fulfilling next chapter.
The Story of 3 Midlife Career Pivots
In my 50’s I was ‘managed out’ of a leading role that I had made my own in an international university. It was devastating to know that when I requested a change to my work conditions I wasn’t, after all, irreplaceable. This was a valuable lesson in what mattered to me most. There were certain values I wasn’t prepared to compromise - this was my first venture into backing myself.
And two years after that exit, after much soul-searching, experimentation, and some freelance success, I was accepting a hugely stimulating new role managing the programme for an international literary festival. This was such a fulfilling job, working with an inspiring team, curating events that brought together writers from around the world with readers of all ages. I knew I was in a special place and this stage of my career would be hard to beat.
But after four years of challenge and excitement in this role, my marriage came to an end and I had to move continents. It became apparent that this would be one of those pivotal life moments that had the power to define my future. Once again, there was deep reflection on what I really needed to lead a happy life with fulfilling work, and how I could bring that to fruition. This was a very challenging time for me personally, but also a time of important choices.
After several months of applying for roles at my target organisation back in the UK, I hit what I thought was the jackpot and secured a role that offered what I was seeking. Sadly, due to a large-scale organisational ‘transformation’ process that kicked in three weeks after I took up my new role, it turned out to be not quite what I had signed up for. Nonetheless there were successes, learning and wonderful collaborations. I learnt a lot and was growing crystal clear about what I needed next - to be my own boss.
Armed with this clarity, and the galvanising understanding of the purpose behind this new venture, I gradually ‘managed myself’ out of employment and into my own business. And it was wonderful to know that the career pivots that had often caused me such angst and uncertainty had in fact brought me to the precise place I needed to be: a coach specialising in purpose-fuelled career change.
From here, I can see how every move had brought me closer into alignment with my values and purpose, and enabled me to deploy my strengths with maximum authenticity.
‘Queenager’ Inspiration
The art of the midlife pivot - yes, this I understand. I have lived it three times over and now coach people to design their own next career chapter. So I was delighted to stumble across Eleanor Mills’ podcast on issues facing women in midlife - those she inventively calls ‘Queenagers’.
Eleanor is the author of ‘Much More to Come’ and founder of Noon, an organisation that believes ‘midlife is the age of opportunity’. In her discussion with Dr Lucy Ryan, author of ‘Revolting Women,’ I found incredible resonance with my own experiences of midlife transitions and reinventions.
In this podcast episode: ‘Challenging the Braindrain of Queenager Careers’, I found my own story and I want to share some of my key takeaways here. These not only struck a deep chord, but reflect the experience I have lived through and what I see reflected in the lives of my career change clients.
Know This
If you find yourself in a midlife career pivot, whether of your own making or not, know this:
You are not alone - find your tribe; work with a coach; seek authentic and personal role models
You will come through it - believe that you will ultimately be richer for this experience
Another chapter is waiting for you to write - this is your opportunity to expand (not sink into retirement or stagnation)
You will have the energy to start again when you have identified your ‘thing’
How to design the next chapter
While in the turbulence of change, you still have the power to shape your life:
Give yourself time to process the transition - there may be complex feelings of grief, shame, humiliation, or anger associated with the change you are living through
Grant yourself self-compassion - be kind to yourself every day
Develop an awareness of what you are grateful for in your life
Give yourself permission to pause, be patient with yourself
Treat this transition seriously - give quality thought to answering the two important questions: What do I want? and What do I need?
Be true to yourself - this is your chance to dive into your real values, purpose, strengths, and passions - and to live from there
Celebrate and seriously acknowledge your achievements
Know what success looks like for you today - you are travelling a unique path, don’t compare yourself to others or be limited by ‘shoulds’, linear careers are no longer the norm, work life is long, and likely to get longer. All the more reason to align with your true needs and desires
Believe you will feel inspired, motivated, energised and delighted by a new chapter
Lean into activities that energise you, spend time with people who inspire and delight you, go in search of joy
Free Career Resources to get you started
To get this reflection under way, try one of my free resources (no sign up required):
Identify your own Measures of Success - download
Find work that sets you alight - download
Joining the Dots in your Career Transitions (making sense of your career story and uncovering your why) - download
The Legacy Chapter - where expertise meets purpose and passions (link to article)
And finally, if you’d like to arrange a free 30-minute career coaching call, I’d love to hear from you. We can identify what’s holding you back and how you can move forwards with excitement and conviction.
A midlife career pivot is an artwork - and you are the designer. Don’t settle for the seemingly inevitable ‘glide towards retirement’ when the next stage has such potential to be beautifully inspiring!