Is That Sunday Evening Dread Telling You Something?
The weekend is winding down, and that familiar weight begins to settle in your chest. You look ahead at your diary for the week, and that nagging internal dialogue begins: How am I going to get through this? As I write this on Sunday afternoon, I remember that feeling so well. It could be time for a career reset.
If the honest answer to that question is a mix of exhaustion and a persistent sense that you’re trapped, you are not alone. For so many of us in midlife, there’s an internal conversation we keep postponing. We tell ourselves life is too busy, or the finances won’t add up, and that this is not right time to make what feels like a big shift, so we push it down and keep going. After all, we are very used to keeping going, keeping all the balls in the air and mental tabs open. I’ve been in those exact, ill-fitting shoes. Until I made an appointment with my life – and embarked on a career reset. And honestly, it’s the best thing I’ve done for myself in years.
As the former Editor-in-Chief of HELLO! magazine and now a qualified life coach, I know how disorienting midlife career transitions can feel. From the outside, leaving a high-profile media role looked like a massive risk. In reality, I stared at that crossroads in genuine fear, until I was forced to pause due to burnout. For many months I wrestled with that classic question: “Who am I if I’m not doing this job?”
Eventually, at the age of 50, I retrained, founded my own business, and wrote my new book, The PRO Method: Pause, Reflect, Organise all about the experience. People often assume making the leap to change course required extraordinary bravery. But, looking back, I can tell you, I wasn't brave – it became obvious once I shifted how I looked at my own value and then my career. Coaching was absolutely transformational in that journey – both the coaching I had, and then my training to become a qualified coach over the last two years.
Shift Your Perspective: Two Practical Steps to Start Today
In my eyes, reinvention isn't about throwing away your past or starting from scratch. It’s about leveraging the decades of wisdom, skills, and lived experience you already possess. If you're feeling stuck, the first thing to remember is that you don't need to make a drastic move overnight. The best reinventions take careful planning. The good news is you can start right now with two simple exercises to gain clarity:
1. Audit Your Core Values (What matters now?) The things that drove your career in your 20s or 30s - status, rapid progression, proving yourself - often aren't what sustain you in midlife.
Try this: Write down 5 core values that feel essential to you today (e.g., autonomy, calmness, creativity, flexibility, impact). Then, look at your current job and score how well it supports each one of these on a scale of 1 to 10. Where are the biggest gaps? Those gaps usually the source of your Sunday dread.
2. Map Your ‘Transferable Superpowers’ (What comes naturally to you?) We often mistake our job title for our skill set. Yet when you strip away your official role, what are the underlying strengths you bring to everything you do?
Try this: Ask three trusted former colleagues, friends or family members: "What do you think my unique strengths are, and when have you seen me at my best?" We are often blind to our own greatest talents because they come so naturally to us. These might include – ‘you’re really great at thinking on your feet’, or ‘I always come to you for career advice,’ or ‘you’re a brilliant listener’, Noticing where your skills intersect with what you actually enjoy is the foundation for your next step.
Taking the Next Step
Navigating a midlife career shift isn't about changing who you are – it’s about becoming more you. It’s about stepping into a chapter that aligns with what you want to stand for now.
If you’re ready to explore this further, I’ve pulled together these frameworks, plus many more exercises and guided video tools into a self-paced online coaching programme: the Career Reset Masterclass. It is designed to help you clarify your direction, build confidence, and map out your next move without having to start over from zero. You have all the answers within you, it’s just a case of quietening the noise for long enough to hear them, along with a little guidance from a qualified expert who has been there.
You can learn more about how it works at www.rosienixon.co.uk/masterclass, or simply email RESET to hello@rosienixon.co.uk and I’ll send the details directly to you.
This self-paced coaching course can be done over the course of a couple of days, or an hour or two here and there over a number of weeks. It can be done discreetly in your own time, as a way to start taking ownership of the ‘what’s next’, and putting a few plans in place.
If this resonates, please pass it along to someone in your network who might need a gentle reminder that it’s never too late to reshape their work life.
I hope you rest easy this Sunday night.
Email me at Hello@rosienixon.co.uk if you'd like any more information.
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