Too young to retire, too old to hire – the crisis engulfing the over-55s
I’m delighted to have a new Big Read published in the i Paper: Too young to retire, too old to hire. I write regularly for the i, but this one feels particularly important to me. It grew from something I’ve been seeing, and becoming increasingly concerned about, through my work and my writing about longer […]
You Publish the Book. Then the Conversation Catches Up
Something rather unexpected happened this weekend. ThriveSpan: Walking Gently Into What Matters Now reached number two in Amazon’s Fitness through Walking category. It also reached number 11 in Ageing, and climbed to around number 3,300 across all books on Amazon UK. I hadn’t planned a campaign. There was no carefully coordinated bestseller push. I hadn’t […]
Why Is It So Hard to Know When to Stop?
I was talking on BBC Radio 5 Live today about retirement in professional sport. Lionel Messi has announced his retirement from international football. Novak Djokovic, now 39, is once again prompting questions about how long he will continue playing. Serena Williams has returned to competitive tennis after several years away, while Venus Williams is still […]
Turning 65, Four Years On
Facebook gave me a memory today. Four years ago, on the day before my 65th birthday, I recorded a short video from Bluebell Wood. I had decided not to have a traditional birthday celebration. No balloons. No party. No big gathering. Instead, I was going to spend the day alone in the wood, in quiet […]
July Reflections
July was a month of writing, reflection and beginning to question the pace. For several months now, I’ve been publishing on Substack four times a week. By July, that rhythm had become almost normal. A Monday article, a paid reflection on Tuesday, another piece later in the week, and usually something more cultural or personal […]
Living With the Book: June Reflections
June was a month of arrival. After years of research, writing, and reflection, ThriveSpan: Walking Gently Into What Matters Now was finally published. The launch itself was only one moment. What followed was something quieter and more interesting: conversations with readers, media interviews, reviews, reflections, and the gradual process of watching the book make its […]
Bringing ThriveSpan Into the World: May Reflections
May was a month of thresholds. After years of writing and several months of intensive preparation, ThriveSpan: Walking Gently Into What Matters Now moved from being a manuscript and publishing project into a book ready to meet its readers. Much of the month was spent preparing for publication. Final adjustments, launch planning, advance copies, website […]
What Marks the End?
Last summer, I stepped away from career coaching. At least, that’s what I told people. I stopped taking on new clients. I closed down parts of my website. I began talking less about career development and more about ageing, meaning and later life. On paper, it looked as though the transition had already happened. But […]
Therapy After 60: It’s Not Too Late
There’s a quiet assumption that runs through a lot of conversations about getting older: that by the time you reach 60, you’ve already figured yourself out. You’ve raised the kids, built the career, weathered the losses. Whatever’s left, the thinking goes, you simply manage on your own. It’s a comforting story. It’s also wrong; and […]
Notes from April: Bringing ThriveSpan Into the World
April has been one of the busiest months I can remember. After years of thinking, writing, researching, revising, and refining, I finally signed off the manuscript for ThriveSpan: Walking Gently Into What Matters Now. Reaching that point felt significant, though perhaps not in the dramatic way people sometimes imagine. More than anything, it brought a […]