Stepping outside your comfort zone can feel daunting, especially when you’re navigating one of life’s big transitions. Maybe you’re winding down a career, stepping into retirement, juggling part-time work with family or grandparenting, or exploring new passions and friendships. Change at this stage of life is both exciting and unnerving.

And then there’s the quiet voice of internalised ageism whispering, “You’re too old for this.”  Let’s be clear — you’re not. That voice isn’t the truth. It’s a story we’ve been told for too long, and it’s time to rewrite it.

Bravery, at this stage of life, doesn’t mean leaping off a cliff or reinventing yourself overnight. It means being “one shade braver” — taking small, intentional steps toward a fuller, more aligned life.

Life is full of milestones—big and small—that mark our journey. Some are our own, like career achievements, birthdays, or personal breakthroughs. Others belong to those we love, yet they carry deep significance for us as well. This week, I am celebrating a milestone that belongs to my son: his university graduation. He has worked hard to earn his degree, and I am incredibly proud of the man he is becoming. But as I take in this moment, I realise that this is also a milestone for me. His graduation is not just a reflection of his effort but of mine, too.

As you navigate life beyond fifty, you may find yourself reflecting on what truly contributes to a fulfilling and long life. Amidst the myriad factors that influence happiness and longevity, one crucial element stands out above all others: social connectedness. This blog shares both the science behind strong relationships and my own journey of rediscovering connections, enabling you to find an approach that resonates with you.

Have you ever reached the end of the day and wondered where your time went? You had pockets of free time, but they seemed to disappear into emails, scrolling, or small tasks. Instead of feeling rested or productive, you end up drained. That’s time confetti—those tiny, fragmented bits of time that seem insignificant on their own but add up to a lot of wasted potential.

If you’re navigating a major life transition—retirement, a career shift, or redefining your purpose—learning how to reclaim these moments can be the key to feeling more present, energized, and in control of your time.

Many women over 50 find themselves at a crossroads, facing significant life changes that can feel overwhelming. These transitions can be exciting and daunting, whether it's contemplating retirement, adjusting to an empty nest, considering a career shift, or dealing with some other significant change. But what if there was a way to navigate these changes more easily?

Enter transition coaching ….

As we journey through life, we often find ourselves at a crossroads, particularly in midlife as we head toward retirement. The concept of a "midlife atrium," introduced by anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson, offers a fresh perspective on this transitional phase. Rather than viewing midlife as a crisis, Bateson encourages us to see it as an opportunity for growth, reflection, and reinvention.

Living with purpose is a journey that takes on new dimensions in our fifties and beyond. As we start to shift our gaze from careers and raising young children to other parts of our lives, a sense of purpose can act as a spearhead to inform the directions we might take. This blog explores three distinct perspectives on purpose and offers practical ways to cultivate it in your life after fifty. Remember, there's no right or wrong way to find purpose – it's about discovering what resonates with you and enriches your life in meaningful ways.

As Ageism Awareness Day approaches on October 9, I’ve been reflecting on how language around ageing often fails to capture the true strength and value of women over fifty. Terms like “seniors” and “older adults” are more than just labels — they are powerful concepts that reinforce outdated narratives and diminish women, pushing us toward invisibility. But there’s a different way to view ageing — through the lens of the ‘Modern Elder’.

This week, I sat down with my two adult children and partner and announced that I was retiring! “I am retiring as House Manager”, I continued. “I will no longer take responsibility for weekly grocery shopping, cooking most of the meals, putting the rubbish in the bins, putting the bins out, reloading the dishwasher….”

Lately, I’ve been contemplating what it means to be courageous in life after fifty. This theme often resurfaces for me during times of significant change or when I need to summon inner strength. Preparing for an interview on the Courageous Me podcast recently prompted me to rethink my understanding of courage. In this blog, I share my insights on courage, its importance, and strategies for navigating career and life transitions after fifty.

This blog introduces a new framework for navigating career and life transitions, born from the inspiring journeys of the many women I've supported at Flourish After Fifty. Over the span of the last two years, I have witnessed women who, by embracing their present selves (BEING), charting bold new paths (BECOMING), and forging a strong sense of identity and connection (BELONGING), have actively created their flourishing futures.

‘Re-invention.’ It sounds radical, doesn’t it? Yet when I ask women how they experience life after fifty, most describe it as a time of re-invention, and the same has been true for me. After a successful career and years of raising children, I reached a new life stage where I had more time and opportunities than ever before. However, stepping into this new phase with confidence and clarity required knowing who I was and what I wanted. This self-knowledge was hard to access after years of focusing on others and little time or opportunity to imagine my life beyond the current one. If this is your experience too, you will enjoy this blog, which focuses on different strategies to help your journey of self-discovery.  Specifically, this blog is about the concept of life scripts and how to rewrite yours as you navigate your transition after fifty.

Have you found yourself longing for deeper connection and a vibrant social circle after fifty? If so, you are not alone. Life can be a whirlwind time of rediscovery as women carve out new paths, embrace independence, and experience more freedom. Yet, amidst this exciting transformation, many of us find ourselves ‘light on’ in the friendship department. Here are a few ideas to support you in growing your friendship group.

Life after fifty can be accompanied by a whisper in the soul, a yearning for something just beyond the familiar horizon. A yearning for a pause, a breath, a chance to rewrite the narrative and reclaim the rhythm of their own lives. For many women, this is the call of the career break.

Retirement is a significant life transition and it's natural to have mixed feelings about it. In fact, it’s fairly common for women who have spent decades in the workforce to be worried about what life will be like without the structure and meaning that work provides. Many women have built a significant part of their identity around their professional roles and work offers a sense of purpose and achievement. It's important to recognize these concerns as valid and address them thoughtfully by taking steps to ensure a fulfilling and purposeful transition into this new phase of life.

Retirement marks a significant life transition, and while financial planning is crucial, it's just one part of the equation. Planning for life in retirement increases the chance that yours will be a time filled with purpose, meaning, connection and joy. In this blog, I delve deeper into the advantages of being prepared for your retirement.

My last blog post introduced the PERMA model, developed by psychologist Martin Seligman, which is a framework for understanding the key elements that contribute to our well-being. Among these elements, positive emotions stand out as a powerful force that can shape our experiences and overall sense of wellbeing. In this blog post, I want to delve into the significance of positive emotions for women over fifty and explore how you can cultivate and embrace them to lead a truly flourishing life.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to live a truly fulfilling and flourishing life? Is there a secret formula or a roadmap that can guide us toward lasting happiness and well-being? These are the questions that many women ponder as they head north of 50. The short answer is yes: there is much known about the critical ingredients for a flourishing life. The most widely accepted and evidence-based model is the one that underpins my programs at Flourish After Fifty: the PERMA model.

A career or life makeover after fifty can be a time of excitement and exhilaration and it can also be a time of doubt and trepidation. I know this because I am in the middle of one myself. What holds me strong as I forge my new career path are the core beliefs that everything will be ok and that stumbles along the way are an opportunity for learning. This is where the notion of failing forward comes into things.

Using the Wheel of Life is a quick way to assess what needs to change in your life.