Do you ever look in the mirror and wonder, “Who am I beyond all the roles I play?”

For many women, midlife can feel like a crossroads. After years of prioritising family, career, and the endless to-do lists, it’s common to wake up one day and feel like you’ve lost touch with who you are. The identity shifts we experience in motherhood, relationships, and even as we navigate perimenopause and menopause are profound—but they are not the end of our story. In fact, they are an opportunity for a new beginning.

This blog explores how to reclaim your identity, step into your power, and embrace midlife with renewed confidence and purpose.

To acknowledge and celebrate International Women’s Day 2023 and the Embrace Equity focus for this year, it’s time to get clear on why women living healthily is key to driving the changes that we need for a fair world.

Are you living like you have all the time in the world, holding off doing the things you really want to do and making the changes you wish you could make to live a happier life?

After 20 years working for global giant Nike I’m finally embodying their infamous slogan Just Do It. I want you to Just Do It too so you can live a full and purpose driven life. I’m helping you to have no regrets and get doing it right now.

There is no quick fix to putting a new habit in place, nor is there an easy route to follow. A habit will always take willpower, commitment and consistency. But, when fear sets in about your ability to make the change happen, you fill your head with negativity which quickly spreads and takes hold, making you believe you’re not capable or worthy of doing it. So you don’t even get off the starting block. You tell yourself it’s ok, you are fine to stay put, forget the change and building any new habits.

We all go through varying seasons in our lives, and some of these are guaranteed to have as part of them, very specific physiological add-ons. Things that happen to our bodies and minds we can’t just choose to ignore or neglect.

How much do you know about the seasons of your life and what they are likely to bring with them? Are you creating the healthy mind and body you need to support and protect you for the rest of your life?

Being aware of what might change or be an obstacle as you go through different life stages will help you to be prepared to protect yourself and successfully maintain your health and happiness.

Facing sudden change can be daunting and fill you with lots of negative emotions. How do you show resilience to overcome the adversity in your way? How can you adapt your brain to think positive when the situation seems anything but?

I hadn’t significantly climbed the career ladder, I’d progressed steadily with great performance and feedback on my contribution to the business. I didn’t step up to a director role, like some of those I’d interviewed and brought into the company years before. I suppose I'd plodded, always contributing and diligent, but never taking the next big leap. Something had held me back, that inner voice chattering endlessly, making sure I knew my limits. 

When all you can see are pound signs no matter what time of day or night and your brain feels like a huge calculator churning the numbers, pushing them out onto those large printed rolls of paper from a great big noisy printer.

I’d been at Nike for 20 years, dedicated nearly half my life to the company. I’d earned the respect of my colleagues and was a valued member of an international team, at one of the biggest brands in the world. I’d always get an appreciative reaction when I introduced myself in meetings, gave my Nike story and said how long I’d been with the company. I wasn’t smug about it; I was proud. I’d committed myself to Nike and could be relied upon. The longer I was there, the more settled and content I felt. I guess it made me feel safe.