What happens when work has become such a big part of your identity that you can barely imagine life without it?

Alison Hall had built a successful corporate career, but the demands of her leadership role were taking their toll. Approaching 50, she was already questioning whether she wanted to spend another decade working this way. The problem? She barely had the headspace to explore what might come next.

Then a serious breast cancer diagnosis forced her to step away from work for 15 months.

In Part 1 of this deeply personal conversation, Alison joins Lucia Knight to reflect on how her relationship with work changed before, during, and after her diagnosis. She shares what it felt like to leave a demanding career behind, the unexpected connections that helped her through treatment, and what she discovered she truly valued about working.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• Why Alison was questioning her successful career long before her diagnosis.
• How stepping away from work challenged her sense of identity.
• What 15 months away revealed about the relationships she'd built throughout her career.
• Why she began thinking differently about returning to work.

Coming in Part 2: Alison shares what happened when she was ready to return to work, why she chose not to go back to her previous role, and how she began approaching her working life differently.

You don't need a life-changing event to start questioning whether your work still fits the life you want to live.

Take the Joy at Work Quiz to start exploring your own relationship with work and what might need to change.