What happens when redundancy hits in midlife — just as you’re already questioning who you are and what you want next?

In this episode of Midlife & Beyond with Jo Blackwell, I’m joined by author Sara King, who was made redundant at 54 after more than a decade in a senior role. Sara shares the shock of losing her job, the fear of being the main breadwinner, and the quieter grief of losing a professional identity later in life.

We talk about age, experience, perimenopause, freelancing after redundancy, and why reinvention in midlife is rarely quick or straightforward. Sara also reflects on writing and publishing her debut novel, Fragments of Her, and what it really means to put your work into the world after 50.

A thoughtful, reassuring conversation about change, courage, and beginning again.https://amzn.to/4s12jU5

(Amazon affiliate link - if you buy through this link I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you)

Do you fear growing older, or the losses we’re told come with it?

In At Peace with Growing Older, Jo Blackwell reflects on ageing, illness, acceptance, and the quiet emotional shifts that can happen in later life. Drawing on personal experience and a reflective piece attributed to Dame Patricia Routledge, this episode explores how peace, gratitude, and self-acceptance can slowly replace fear as we age.

Vicky Payne, Jo’s guest on this podcast, created an online book-club for women of all ages to read and discuss self-help and motivational books that we normally tend to read, then leave to gather dust on the shelf without taking action!

Why self-help books chosen with women in mind? Vicky says the self-help world is very “bro-centric”, which doesn’t always fit with women’s view of the world, or their energy cycles.

Though marketed as a book club for entrepreneurial women, women of all ages are welcome, whether working or not.

The Level-up Book Club: https://levelupbookclub.co.uk/join