In this episode, Kate Hansen joins me to talk about what it really takes to walk away from a “safe” job and make room for a career as a creative. She shares her journey from nursing to interior photography, the years of quiet dissatisfaction and pretending to be someone she wasn’t, and the surprising origin story of her blog The Room Illuminated.

In this special crossover episode, I share the unfiltered story of my own midlife transition, from a decades-long academic career to building a coaching practice for women over 50. Originally recorded for the podcast Primetime with Bec Wilson, I talk openly about single parenting through menopause, caring for aging parents, losing my passion for my career mid-COVID, and the messy, uncertain middle I navigated before finding my new beginning.

In this episode, I sit down with governance geek, community builder, and founder of Take On Board, Helga Svendsen, to demystify what board work is really like for women in the second half of their careers. If you’ve ever imagined a board role as the “natural next step”, a meaningful way to contribute, shape strategy, and maybe create more flexible work, this episode will help you decide whether it’s genuinely a fit for you.

In this very special episode, I’m joined by 57‑year‑old Kerry Pietrobon, a fashion consultant, plus‑size model and storyteller, as she reads a powerful letter to her younger self about growing up in a bigger body, discovering plus‑size fashion, and learning she was never the problem. In the conversation that follows, Kerry shares how she’s navigating hard endings and exciting beginnings in her late fifties, and reclaiming visibility by taking up space and being unapologetically herself.

In this episode, I talk with career change specialist and author Robyn Greaves about how to design your “third chapter” of work and life so you can work as long as you choose, on your own terms. We explore the rise of portfolio, interim and fractional roles, and Robyn’s 5D framework for imagining and building a more energising next chapter.

You’ll hear practical ideas for experimenting while you’re still in a job, protecting your energy, and recognising your “ageing superpowers” so you can widen your contribution rather than wind down.

In this episode, I sit down with Susan Metcalf to explore what happens when the CEO role of your dreams comes to an end, and there’s no tidy roadmap for what comes next. In the aftermath of COVID, Susan faced a difficult but necessary transition, stepping away without another role lined up and no clear sense of who she would be without the inbox, the calendar and the title.

Susan shares how the demands of leading through COVID left her “well beyond burnout” and ultimately led her to leave corporate life, reframing the experience as an opportunity to escape its constraints.

Earlier this year, I sat in the audience at a women’s comedy line‑up and realised something confronting: I didn’t see myself anywhere on that stage, and I left wondering, “Where are all the comedians over 50?” So I went searching and came across new comedian, academic and “hobby hard” enthusiast Mandy Scotney.

80% of women over 50 who dream of starting their own business never take the first step. Money worries. Fear of failure. Lack of confidence. Sound familiar? In my latest podcast episode, I sit down with Bambi Price, cofounder of Seniorpreneurs and WoWT (War on Wasted Talent).

In this episode, I talk with Kathy Wood, a former Relationships Australia leader who resigned just before she turned 70 and is now consciously “living into later” on her own terms.

In this episode, I talk with coach and author Jane Moffett about her book What Next? The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Redefining Retirement, exploring how professional women can design life beyond traditional work on their own terms—blending purpose, identity, money realities, and joy.

Most of us have a someday list. A version of ourselves we keep putting off until we feel more ready, more confident, or just a little less afraid. Kim Payne has spent years listening to women’s stories of change and learning what happens when women stop waiting for someday — and choose to act with courage instead.

Explore how to transform your birthday into a meaningful, joyful milestone with Tamar Hurwitz‑Fleming, author of How to Have a Happy Birthday. She invites you to consciously design celebrations that reflect who you are now and who you’re becoming, rather than relying on old habits, expectations or other people’s plans, especially when you’re facing those big “0” birthdays like turning 50, 60 or 70.

As life shifts in midlife and beyond, through career changes, new chapters, changing bodies or the end of long relationships, it’s easy to find that your clothes no longer feel like you. In this episode of Flourish After 50, Sue West talks with personal stylist and Style Rises founder, Lucy Owens, about what it means to dress for the woman you’re becoming, not the one you used to be.

In this episode, I have an honest conversation about friendship with my friend Sarah Hopkins. We share the joys and challenges of making new friends in our fifties and sixties and explore how vulnerability, authenticity, and courage can open the door to deeper connections and lasting joy. It’s a heartfelt reminder that meaningful friendship can flourish at any life stage.

Raised on a remote Australian farm, Heather Cameron has lived through droughts, domestic violence, and reinvention. Her bestselling trilogy 'Never Underestimate a Woman' tells a story of courage and transformation. Heather shares how she found her voice and reclaimed her power - and she's now helping other women do the same.

Ageism affects how others see us and how we see ourselves. Researcher and author Joanna Maxwell has spent years studying age beliefs and their impact on women’s work, confidence, and identity. In this conversation, she unpacks myths about ageing, internalised bias, and why it’s time to challenge the idea that life peaks before fifty.

In this bonus episode, Melissa Braden shares what it was really like to walk away from a big public service career after twenty‑five years in senior roles. In her mid‑50s, she accepted an early retirement package and stepped into the unknown. Eighteen months on, she talks about the wobbles, the wins and the identity shift that followed – and how, beyond all of that, she has created more choice, deeper community and plenty of “me‑me time” in this new chapter.

Dr Katie Allen has lived multiple remarkable careers, from pioneering medical research to serving in federal parliament. In this episode, she takes us inside the moment she tore up her CV and jumped off the cliff into politics, driven by a desire to have an even greater impact through her work. Now living with stage four cancer, she speaks candidly about why the risk was unequivocally worth it and calls on women over fifty to back themselves and pursue their ambitions, no regrets.

Whether you’re navigating an empty nest, rethinking your career, or simply facing a season of change, life after fifty is full of pivotal moments. In this episode, Kari Cardinale of the Modern Elder Academy offers a roadmap for embracing what’s next with clarity and intention. She explains the idea of “transitional intelligence” or TQ, and shares empowering strategies so you can meet transitions with curiosity and actively design a future that excites you.

Longevity and life stage expert Barbara Waxman is on a mission to redefine midlife as a time of awakening, not decline. Inspired by teenage adolescence, she's coined the term 'middlescence' as a new life stage brimming with potential. From energy as medicine to longevity life plans, Barbara shows how to live your most vibrant years yet.