Peak & Beyond

Hello, lovely readers! I have a confession that might not shock you terribly: I was never destined for Olympic glory. My school sports days largely consisted of creative attempts to be elsewhere, and my PE teachers quickly learned to set their expectations somewhere between “grudging participation” and “hasn’t actually hidden in the changing rooms again.” […]

Hello, lovely readers! There’s a peculiar misconception floating about that when brilliant professionals step away from their corporate roles, their formidable skills suddenly transform into quaint hobbies—as if decades of strategic thinking, leadership, and specialized expertise are now best applied to arranging the village fête flower display. (Though I must say, having seen the fierce

Hello, lovely readers! Picture this: It’s 7:30 AM. The rain is doing that peculiarly British thing where it’s somehow falling sideways. The alarm went off precisely 90 minutes ago, and in that time, I’ve already logged a 5k run, had a refreshing (if bracing) shower, and am feeling remarkably smug about it all. Am I

Hello, lovely readers! If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard an executive say, “My brain feels like it’s been through the washing machine on a spin cycle,” I’d have enough to fund a rather lavish spa retreat. (Which, incidentally, would be excellent for one’s brain health—but more on that in a moment.)

Hello, lovely readers! “So, are they taking it easy now?” If I had a pound for every time I’ve heard this about brilliant executives who’ve transitioned from their C-suite roles, I could fund a jaunt to South America! The assumption that shifting gears means slowing down is perhaps the greatest misconception about life beyond the

Hello lovely people! Coming to you with a rather liberating thought that I wish someone had shared with me about 20 years ago: your career might just hit its most magnificent stride after your 50th birthday bash, and what comes after can be even more exciting. I know, I know. Everything we’ve been told suggests

So you have hit the big Five Oh – what are your feelings? Career over, no future, younger fasttrackers pushing you out, no more promotion, dinosaur shoved in the cupboard, nothing left

How can you age healthily, happily and youthfully? What is the key to moving yourself out of any ruts you may have fallen into over the years so you can open

Is time passing you by? Age sneaking up on you? What do you feel right now?
It is fascinating the different mindset and attitude about time, age and what is considered ‘old’ or ‘too old’…

“Youth is wasted on the young” George Bernard Shaw. Why? They don’t have the great advantages that you have: Freedom, Inspiration, Fulfilment, Tested, Yearning for more…

Where do I start? There are so many advantages to ageing! To distil this down to the most fundamental instead of having an enormous list, I asked my best and oldest friends, what it meant to them as well as my own opinion…

Many people think we slow down in our 50s? Why ? Many of us are still aiming for bigger and better.
So how do we prove these perceptions wrong?

They believe in celebrating silver hair; they want to show how grey hair is naturally beautiful, that ageing is glorious. They are the epitome of assured, dynamic women, secure in their beliefs, ageing gracefully and with strength

Re-reading old articles, as you do, – well, if you are a slightly eccentric boho women’s and 50+ advocate like me you do – sorry, I digress, so…. I came across an article

Do you panic thinking about your age or revel in the glory of the golden years?
Why do you panic? What is there to be so frightened of? What is so negative? Why do you find it so depressing?

My favourite actresses – along with Maggie Smith. Judi Dench, 89, Maggie Smith will be 90 at the end of the year and Helen Mirren a spring chicken at a mere 78!

What is the infamous silver ceiling and how does it relate to you? There are two types of definition – The first concerns practical results, the second a mentality. You need to be aware of the two and analyse which is most apparent in your company and

Innovation is important at any age, but never more so than when we reach the 50+ bracket. We already have great knowledge and experience to contribute,

I turned 60 some years ago and for me it wasn’t a big deal, but I have my own business, so I am not in competition with the younger highflyers climbing the ladder. Even for me

Christine Lagarde, Hillary Clinton, Marillyn Hewson (Lockheed Martin), Indra Nooyi (Pepsi), Carolyn McCall (EasyJet) and Moya Greene (Royal Mail) – what do these leaders have in common?

When you are older, a woman, surrounded by younger colleagues, with a new and much younger CEO/director/manager, the idea of how to be respected and appreciated can

You can work on changing attitudes around you – This is more of an ongoing process which needs to be dealt with tactfully and intelligently.

Show long-term vision – As well as being innovative you need to show that you are looking forwards for the long term, not just until your own retirement…

Unfortunately in some (too many!) countries and companies, ageing is not seen as a wonderful, exciting and valuable life-force of the organisation. Luckily there are also many that realise just what a potential

We were all chatting about life, family, jobs, careers, and as we are all in the M bracket (middle aged, mature, menopause) about retirement. Our host has a rather interesting “career”. His whole life is drug deals, hold ups, killings, gang wars