What is the midlife collision and why should we care about it, talk about it, and support people through it?

Well, the term was coined by Dr Lucy Ryan in her book ‘Revolting Women: why midlife women are walking out and what to do about it.’

For many of us it arrives almost by stealth - a cluster of life-events that eventually pile on so much pressure that if one too many joins the pile, we break or burnout - it impacts our relationships, our work life, and potentially our health.

Perhaps it arrives when we are navigating the most senior and stressful roles of our career. Perhaps it aligns with menopause symptoms boing at their most pernicious. Perhaps a divorce or a bereavement is the thing that tips the balance.

But imagine if workplaces were set up to support their midlife employees at crunch point? Wouldn’t that be a game changer? Wouldn’t we be hugely loyal to those organizations that had our back when we needed it the most, and stakes were highest?

What is coaching? Great question! The ICF defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” Sounds pretty good right? What coaching is NOT is me telling you what to do! It is also very different to mentoring or counselling.

If you haven’t experienced working with a professional coach before it can feel a little daunting. Sometimes people come to a coaching relationship without a clear idea of what to expect - and that’s OK, but it’s important to get clarity on that before we start the process of coaching. That’s why I think it’s vital to spend some time before the coaching actually starts outlining what coaching is, how it works, and what your over-arching goals are so that when we do start the coaching relationship we can begin doing great work.