The Wobbly Middle: Women's Careers In Midlife

Legendary Mermaid, Rita King, On Going Back To Mermaid School in her 60s

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 03:00:00 +0100

Rita King is a Legendary Siren - a mermaid at Florida's Weeki Wachee Springs - who returned to the water after a whole working life away. She first performed in the famous mermaid shows as a teenager in the late 1960s, then raised a family, taking the sensible route to pay the bills. But the pull to the water never faded.

When she retired from the US Postal Service at 60, Rita retrained at mermaid school and waited four years for a place among the Legendary Sirens to open up. Now she runs adult mermaid camps for women who come from all over.

This Season 4 opener is about intrinsic motivation and reclaiming the part of yourself you set aside. Have you drifted from something you once loved?

THE WOBBLY MIDDLE is a podcast for women rethinking their careers in midlife. Each season, Patsy sits down with women who share their career pivot stories — leaving corporate life and building businesses, breaking back in after career breaks, going back to study, and taking their long-neglected dreams seriously.

New episodes every other Tuesday.

ABOUT THE HOST: Patsy Day is a recovering lawyer navigating her own midlife career crossroads. A penny dropped for her when she realised that the restless feeling she'd been feeling was returning ambition. The Wobbly Middle is that in-between space where we know we want change but don't know how to move forward.

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE:

You might also love our episode on how to make an action board: Pin It To Win It: The Neuroscience of Action Boards with Rebecca Newman (Season 3, Episode 2). If Rita's story is about honouring a wish or a dream you've held inside you and finally going for it; the Rebecca's is about the science of holding that wish in front of you and acting on it.

It's an opportunity to be playful, to cut and stick and to start.

Links

Where to find out about mermaid camps at Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida — :https://weekiwachee.com/

Find out more about The Wobbly Middle:

The Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wobbly-middle/id1767850643

https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep31-rita-king

Subscribe to the newsletter: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep31-rita-king

TIME STAMPS

- 02:30 — Becoming a mermaid in the late '60s and the magnetic pull to the water

- 03:30 — Mermaid myths: custodians of the springs, manatees, and Columbus

- 04:30 — Inside Weeki Wachee: the aquifer, the current, the underwater caverns

- 06:00 — What it's really like to swim in a mermaid tail

- 07:00 — "It spoiled me for any other job" and the rural swamp mail route

- 07:50 — Going back to mermaid school: the four-year wait to become a Legendary Siren

- 09:00 — The performance schedule and underwater safety for the young swimmers

- 09:40 — Conservation: algae blooms, chemicals, and 17 springs that dried up

- 10:00 — Adult mermaid camps: who comes, and how the women transform

- 13:50 — The bond between the mermaids, across every age

- 15:00 — Inspiring women of every age and size from the theatre

- 17:40 — "How do I find the water baby in me again?"

- 18:30 — Soul-searching, determination, and how badly you want it

- 22:30 — What the little girl driven to Weeki Wachee would think now

- 23:50 — Advice to her younger self: "Be more patient"

- 24:00 — Season 4 preview: the women who bring us the sunshine

HELP US GROW

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things that make a real difference:

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.
Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Made a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.

S4 Trailer: The Women Who Bring The Sunshine

Tue, 16 Jun 2026 04:00:00 +0100

For women rethinking their careers in midlife, Season 4 of The Wobbly Middle is here and this summer it belongs to the women who bring us the sunshine.

The holiday you book. The book you pack. The swimwear you brave. The financial confidence to enjoy it.

Host Patsy Day speaks to women who have navigated a career crossroads in midlife and gone on to build businesses, solve overlooked problems, or finally pursue long-neglected dreams. Like the mum of five who built a multi-million pound travel business and the US postal worker who went back to mermaid school in her 60s and now runs adult mermaid camps. There is also the Vogue editor leaving the ladder down for others to follow.

Season 4, the Summer Edit, drops Monday 22 June, then every second Tuesday.

Show Notes

Welcome to Season 4 of The Wobbly Middle — The Women Who Bring Us the Sunshine.

This is a podcast for women rethinking their careers in midlife - that in-between space where you know what you don't want to go back to, but haven't quite worked out the path forward. That's the wobbly middle.

If you're at a career crossroads in your 40s or 50s, wondering whether a midlife career move is still possible, please give our pod a listen. We speak to women who have changed direction, backed themselves, and built things when the market didn’t provide. Together, their stories make the case that that restless feeling we have (call it our returning ambition?) is… well…normal.

This season features:

Rita King — A US postal worker who returned to mermaid school, in her 60s, to become one of the legendary mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida. (And she now runs the adult mermaid camps but hurry - they sell out soon).

Helen Cannon — A superscaler who started building the multimillion pound Ison Travel when her fifth babe was wee.

Bea Searle — The accidental influencer who became a go-to guide for families travelling Europe on a budget, and one of Cycling UK's 100 Women in Cycling 2025.

Dolly Jones — Former digital editor at Vogue.co.uk, Digital Strategy Director at Condé Nast, and author of Leaving the Ladder Down on what she learned and why she's determined to bring other women with her.

Danni Hewson — BBC business correspondent turned Head of Financial Analysis at AJ Bell. She swapped the newsroom for the analyst's chair to help make the world of finance more accessible for women.

Georgina Magnotta — She faced redundancy, then founded Toppsta, the UK's biggest children's book review platform. Now she's launching Readerama, a new home for second-hand books.

Sarah Jordan — Former Head of Digital Strategy at Oxfam, turned underwear entrepreneur and founder of Y.O.U Underwear. Purpose-led from the start.

New episodes drop every second Tuesday from 22 June 2026.

Help Us Grow

If The Wobbly Middle has ever made you feel less alone in your career thinking, please share it. Tell a friend who needs a little career sunshine this summer.

Leave us a review - it helps more women find us at their career crossroads

Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly inspiration between episodes: thewobblymiddle.substack.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=s4-trailer

Follow us @thewobblymiddle on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

The Wobbly Middle is hosted and produced by Patsy Day. For press enquiries: press@thewobblymiddle.com

Going back to study: Executive MBA for Women | Urmi Dutta-Roy & Louise Welch

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 03:00:00 +0100

Executive MBA, going back to study as a mature student, and finding your tribe in midlife with Urmi Dutta-Roy (CFO, The Folio Society) and Louise Welch (ex-PlayStation, now working fractionally) are executive MBA alumnae and good friends.

In this conversation they talk about the difficulty women have creating space to investing in themselves; about stepping away from the nine-to-five, and how "the 100 year life" changes our attitudes towards learning and the shape of our careers. They are honest about the trade-offs (financial, practical, emotional) and the rewards too of going back to study: community, confidence, a lens on the world that a job title alone will never give you.

If you are feeling a career plateau, wondering whether it's too late to go back to study, or simply looking for your tribe in the wobbly middle, listen listen listen.

New episodes every other Tuesday.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AJ BELL

Thank you to AJ Bell Money Matters for supporting this episode. The AJ Bell Money Matters podcast is created for women by women, featuring news, information and inspiring interviews to help build your knowledge and confidence around finances. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Please click here to show your support and find out more about AJ Bell: https://www.ajbell.co.uk/investment/women-and-investing?utm_source=moneymatters&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=wobblymiddle

Key Topics

Executive MBA for women — why Urmi and Louise did theirs, the financial and time trade-offs, and why women in their cohorts had to work harder to justify the space

Permission to succeed — the internal and external negotiation women do before investing in themselves, and why men in the same room didn't seem to need to

Going back to study as a mature student — the joy of learning for its own sake when you are no longer 19 and chasing a grade

Fractional working — what it looks like, why society struggles to classify it, and why "what do you do?" is a rubbish question we should start relishing

Identity beyond job title — Louise on the first day of her MBA cohort, watching everyone introduce themselves by job title, and realising she didn't want to

Women in male-dominated industries— Louise on gaming in the early 2000s, and the message younger women absorbed that to succeed you had to "be like a man"

Asking for help — Louise on unlearning the baby-boomer "keep your head down" mentality, and discovering that most people want to help

Links

- The Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wobbly-middle/id1767850643

- The Wobbly Middle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YhwsBch8Q9vAOUBBfusIv

- Subscribe to the newsletter: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep29-urmi-louise

- Find out more about The Wobbly Middle: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep29-urmi-louise

If You Enjoyed This Episode

You might also love Season 3 Episode 8 Shefaly Yogendra, another conversation about non-linear careers, portfolio working and the gatekeepers women meet in midlife. If this episode made you think about what your next chapter might look like beyond a traditional job title, Shefaly's boardroom journey is the natural next listen.

HELP US GROW

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things that make a real difference:

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.
Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Made a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.

Thank you for listening and for supporting independent podcasts.

The Road Less Travelled: Curiosity, Boardrooms and Going Far Together | Shefaly Yogendra

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 05:00:00 +0100

Non-linear careers, midlife career change and what it takes to walk into a boardroom. Shefaly Yogendra - engineer, Cambridge PhD, portfolio board director and author of Uncharted Spaces: Reset the Agenda. Reimagine the Boardroom - joins Patsy on her book’s launch day.

Curiosity and patience are the golden threads running through Shefaly's life, and in this episode they take us from beehives in rural Kenya to onion warehouses in India, by way of a black cab in London.

If you’re at a career crossroads, feeling returning ambition, or quietly reimagining what a second act looks like, listen as together they unpack metacognitive reflections that will help you carry your capabilities into the next chapter.

New episodes every other Tuesday.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AJ BELL

Thank you to AJ Bell Money Matters for supporting this episode. The AJ Bell Money Matters podcast is created for women by women featuring news, information and inspiring interviews to help build your knowledge and confidence around finances. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Please click here to show support of our podcast and to find out more about AJ Bell:

https://www.ajbell.co.uk/investment/women-and-investing?utm_source=moneymatters&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=wobblymiddle

Listener Exercise — Channel Shefaly’s Curiosity

Over the next week or two, take something you’re chewing over — a challenge, a direction, a problem, a decision. Make a list of questions about it. Then drill down: what further questions do you need to ask to find the answers to those questions? In the next episode, we’ll think about what to do with them.

About Shefaly Yogendra

Shefaly studied engineering, earned an MBA from one of India’s most prestigious business schools, completed a PhD in decision making (and a Masters in Technology Policy) at Cambridge. Over the last decade she has served on the boards of several of the UK’s leading listed investment trusts, co-founded a luxury-tech startup, and been COO of an AI company. Her book Uncharted Spaces: Reset the Agenda. Reimagine the Boardroom publishes on 14 April 2026.

Key Topics

The non-linear career — why Shefaly’s path through engineering, MBA, Cambridge PhD, MIT, a luxury-tech startup, an AI COO role and a portfolio of board seats was never going to be a straight line
Returning ambition in midlife — the women who step away in their 30s and 40s and still carry their curiosity with them
Curiosity and patience — two qualities that don’t seem to sit together until they do
The board director career path — what non-execs actually do, how it differs from the executive suite, and why it isn’t a retirement gig or a “jolly”
How Shefaly broke in — spotting the Board Apprentice Programme in a Sunday newspaper in 2015, being coached by headhunter Carol Rosati, and the interview where her small talk about Uber became big talk
Metacognitive reflection — how to describe the higher-level capabilities that actually travel with you
The psychological shift — detaching your identity from a job title and a company name
Margaret Wanjiku’s Smart Hive — a young Kenyan engineer using IoT, solar panels and mobile phones to save collapsing beehives, and the ecosystem around them
Kalyani Shinde’s onion warehouses — IoT sensing to catch rot before anyone can smell it, in Asia’s largest onion trading hub
Belief as the biggest limiter — Sam Smith of Super Scalers on what holds women back from scaling, and why seeing other women do it matters
The road not taken — Robert Frost only offered two roads. Shefaly thinks there are many — and many more uncharted ones

📺 Also on YouTube

Want to see as well as hear? An extended version of this conversation will be available on The Wobbly Middle YouTube channel — including extra material that didn't make the podcast edit. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/vvifAdOQ2os?si=XnVjDhJhWDndrkYY

HELP US GROW

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things that make a real difference:

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.
Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Made a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.

Modelling, motherhood and the Microbiome | Catherine Hurley Arbibe on gut health

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 02:30:00 +0100

Modelling, Motherhood and the Microbiome | Catherine Hurley Arbibe on Gut Health & Investigative Wellness Journalist Rebecca Newman

From behind the scenes at the world's biggest fashion shows to the science behind the gut microbiome - Catherine Hurley Arbibe shows us a new road to gut health.

Catherine read medicine at Oxford, modelled internationally gracing the covers of Vogue, Marie Claire and Cosmo, and is now the founder of NEWROAD30, a gut health supplement developed with scientists from Oxford, INRAE Paris and Queen's University Belfast. Catherine talks candidly about the reality of life as an international model, what motherhood changed, and how she found her way back to science.

Together with guest co-host and investigative wellness journalist Rebecca Newman, Catherine helps us cut through the noise on gut health supplements, the emerging research on microplastics and three clean living changes that actually make a difference - including the sunscreen question we all need answered.

This is an episode about returning to ours roots, career changes in our 40s, plant diversity, our beautiful brains and finding our way back to something that energises us.

New episodes every other Tuesday.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AJ BELL

Please click here to show support of our podcast and to find out more about AJ Bell:

https://www.ajbell.co.uk/investment/women-and-investing?utm_source=moneymatters&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=wobblymiddle

📺 Also on YouTube

Want to see as well as hear? An extended version of this conversation is available on The Wobbly Middle YouTube channel — including extra material that didn't make the podcast edit. Watch it here: https://youtu.be/vvifAdOQ2os?si=XnVjDhJhWDndrkYY

Guest Co-Host: Rebecca Newman

Rebecca Newman is an investigative wellness journalist who has written for the Financial Times, The Guardian and GQ. She has a particular interest in the science of the gut microbiome, women's health and evidence-based wellness. She joined Patsy for The Wobbly Middle's vision board episode and is back this week to dig into the science with Catherine.

Key Topics

Career pivot in midlife — from medicine to modelling to founding a science-backed gut health supplement
The gut microbiome — why it matters more than we realised and how to support it
The American Gut Project — the research behind eating 30 different plants a week
Gut health supplements — what to look for, what to avoid, and why food state matters
Microplastics — the emerging research and what fibre has to do with it
The backstage reality — what life at the top of the modelling world was really like
Clean living edits — three practical changes Catherine has made at home
Women's health in midlife — plant diversity for a healthy gut

Links

NEWROAD30: https://newroad.life/?srsltid=AfmBOoo5nHDwZ8p4mpgOQDPPP_osOT6LynaaMgrt7pC48nSCMGHKu00Y
Subscribe to the newsletter: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/
Find out more about The Wobbly Middle: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/
The Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wobbly-middle/id1767850643
The Wobbly Middle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YhwsBch8Q9vAOUBBfusIv

Time to make your action board

🎯 Time To Make Your Action Board

Before you leave — if this episode has you thinking about what you want your next chapter to look like, we have just the episode for you.

Do action boards actually work, or are they just arts and crafts with ambition? In our vision board episode, Rebecca Newman draws on the research of neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart, author of The Source, to explain what's really going on in our brains when we make an action board — and why it might be exactly the tool you need in your wobbly middle. Then theory meets practice as Patsy and Rebecca head to the craft room, where scissors and glue meet cork board, to make their own.

It turns out an action board isn't about magical thinking. It's a daily point of orientation — keeping you facing forward.

👉 Listen to the vision board episode here:

HELP US GROW

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things that make a real difference:

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.
Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Made a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.

Thank you for listening and for supporting independent podcasters.

We are The Punk Generation - Never Mind The CV Gap | Jacquie Duckworth & Rebecca Byrne - on women returning to work

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 02:30:00 +0100

Women in midlife came of age between punk and the Spice Girls. That spirit doesn't leave you. If you're returning to work after a career break, rebuilding career confidence, or just need a shot of self-belief to counter the midlife angst, Jacquie and Rebecca will have you powering up.

Jacquie Duckworth worked in the media on iconic brands ranging from Country Life to FHM, Grazia, and the Times before co-founding Visible Start, a free 10-week career returner programme. Rebecca Byrne is one of its graduates: a former actor and NCT trainer who now works in community health — and someone who had, as she puts it, "never worked in an office." Together, they bring verve, wit, and a fierce refusal to accept that midlife women should settle for invisibility.

This conversation crackles with energy. We talk about why ageism at work is a commercial own goal, why transferable skills from life outside the office are exactly what employers need, and why a midlife career pivot is building forward (not starting over). If you're navigating a career break, wondering whether you still have a place at the table, or simply need reminding that your best work may still be ahead of you — this one's for you.

New episodes every other Tuesday.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AJ BELL

Please click here to show support of our podcast and to find out more about AJ Bell:

https://www.ajbell.co.uk/investment/women-and-investing?utm_source=moneymatters&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=wobblymiddle

LINKS

Visible Start: https://www.visiblestart.com
Subscribe to the newsletter: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep26-jacquie-duckworth-rebecca-byrne
Find out more about The Wobbly Middle: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep26-jacquie-duckworth-rebecca-byrne
The Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wobbly-middle/id1767850643
The Wobbly Middle on Spotify:

IF YOU LOVED THIS EPISODE

You might also love our conversation with Nina Van Schaick in Season 1, Episode 3. A midwife who witnessed firsthand the failures in maternal care — and decided to do something about it. With less than 2% of pharmaceutical R&D dedicated to maternal health, Nina didn't wait for permission. She took action herself. Another woman who saw a gap, backed herself, and built something. Sound familiar?

HELP US GROW

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things that make a real difference:

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.
Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Made a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.

Thank you for listening and for supporting independent podcasters.

The Candyland Board Career: Comedy, Courage and How To Get Paid | Lynn Harris

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 06:57:00 +0100

Comedy as a midlife career move — and why humour is one of the most powerful tools for change and an anti-dote to midlife angst.

What if the thing that makes you funny is the same thing that makes you powerful? Journalist, author and activist, Lynn Harris, has spent three decades using comedy to drive cultural change. From co-creating the cult 1990s superhero Breakup Girl, Lynn has now founded Gold Comedy, an online comedy school where women in their 40s and 50s are bringing the most fire.

In this conversation, Lynn and Patsy talk about the gender gap in comedy; who gets to talk and who has to listen; why "exposure" doesn't pay the bills, and how your transferable skills are the Candyland board that will take you places.

Lynn's message: if you're curious about developing your sense of humor, you don't have to change who you are in order to be funny… Don't wait for yourself to turn into someone else, which you won't. You already have everything it takes.

New episodes every other Tuesday.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AJ BELL

Please click here to show support of our podcast and to find out more about AJ Bell:

https://www.ajbell.co.uk/investment/women-and-investing?utm_source=moneymatters&utm_medium=partnership&utm_campaign=wobblymiddle

KEY TOPICS

Comedy as a vehicle for cultural change — humour as a "delivery system" for shifting norms and assumptions
The Candyland board career — transferring skills across a patchwork freelance life, where writing, comedy, activism, and campaigning are all different-coloured squares on the same path
The gender gap in comedy — not about talent, but about who gets the stage, the mic, the writers' room, and the power to decide what's funny
Women getting paid for creative work — the Cindy Gallop advice: "Say the largest amount you can without actually bursting into laughter"
Gold Comedy's Build and Pitch programme — taught by Ryan Cunningham, where women in their 40s and 50s consistently bring the biggest fire
"You don't have to change who you are to succeed" — or to be funny. Your unique perspective is all the raw material you need.

Where to Follow Lynn

Instagram: @goldcomedy
Twitter/X: @GOLDcomedy
Lynn on Instagram: @lynnharris
Lynn on Twitter/X: @harrislynn
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynnharris1

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If You Enjoyed This Episode

You might also love Episode 24: From Teacher's Desk to Therapist's Couch with Carri Simmons. Where Lynn describes the "Candyland board" of a patchwork career — transferring skills in unexpected directions — Carri tells the deeply personal story of leaving teaching and retraining as a psychologist in midlife.

HELP US GROW

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things that make a real difference:

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.
Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Made a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.

From Teacher's Desk to Therapist's Couch: Leaving teaching and going back to study psychology | Carri Simmons

Tue, 17 Feb 2026 06:57:00 +0100

A career pivot story about retraining as a psychologist after a career break — for women starting over in midlife.

What happens when you realise the career you built isn't the life you want? Carri Simmons spent years as a drama teacher until the toll of staying in the wrong role became impossible to ignore. "I had to leave because I wasn't able to be open to the world because I was in fight or flight. I was in a trauma mode."

In this episode, Patsy talks to her long-distance bestie about walking away from teaching, going back to university as a mother of three, and retraining as a psychologist in South Africa. It's about believing that there IS something more for you.

If you've ever wondered whether it's too late to start again, this one's for you.

New episodes every other Tuesday.

ABOUT CARRI: Carri Simmons is a practising psychologist based in South Africa. A former drama teacher and mother of three, she returned to university in midlife to retrain — earning her psychology qualification and building a new career from scratch. She and Patsy are long-distance friends who share a belief that it's never too late to change direction.

KEY TOPICS

Leaving teaching for a new career in psychology
The emotional and physical toll of staying in the wrong career
Recognising fight-or-flight mode as a signal that something needs to change
Going back to university as a mature student with children
The power of incremental steps - trying things out before you leap
Being open to possibilities even when the path isn't clear
Building a new professional identity in midlife

Where to Follow Carri

https://www.instagram.com/carri_simmons_psychologist/

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IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE

You might also love Season 3 Episode 3 with Julianne Miles. Where Carri tells the deeply personal story of going back to university and retraining from scratch, Julianne explores the science behind career returns — including the psychology of good luck, neuroplasticity and lighting up the pathways. Together, they're two sides of the same coin: the courage to start again, and the evidence that we are still learning and growing.

HELP US GROW

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things that make a real difference:

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.
Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Made a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.

Thank you for listening and for supporting independent podcasters.

Returner's Luck — And How to Make It | Julianne Miles MBE, Founder of Career Returners

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:57:00 +0100

Returning to work after a career break — the psychology of luck, neuroplasticity, and starting again in midlife.

Julianne Miles knows what it takes to return to work because she's done it herself. After stepping away from marketing when her children were small, she spent over a year asking herself "can I really start again?" — a question many of us will recognise. The answer was yes: she retrained as a psychologist and went on to co-found Career Returners, a social enterprise that has changed how employers and policymakers think about career breaks.

In this episode, Julianne shares the science behind why it's never too late, including the encouraging research on neuroplasticity, work-family enrichment, and the psychology of luck. Her advice? Stop overthinking and start doing.

New episodes every other Tuesday.

ABOUT JULIANNE:

Julianne Miles MBE is an occupational psychologist and co-founder of Career Returners, a social impact enterprise and community dedicated to making career breaks a valued part of a lifetime career. A former marketer who retrained as a psychologist after her own career break, she has shaped how employers and policymakers think about return-to-work practices. She brought the concept of "returnships" — pioneered by Goldman Sachs — to the UK, and is the author of Return Journey: How to Get Back to Work and Thrive After a Career Break. She was awarded an MBE for services to career returners.

KEY TOPICS

The "shall I, shan't I" phase — and how to break the cycle of indecision
Why confidence comes from action, not from having the perfect plan
Neuroplasticity: your brain makes new connections at any age — the science says it's never too late
Work-family enrichment: why going back to work can give you more energy, not less
The psychology of luck — Richard Wiseman's research on why "lucky" people create their own opportunities
How Career Returners grew from kitchen table workshops to a national platform
Navigating recruitment bias against career gaps — and what actually works
Building your return-to-work support team and the power of community
Why "every no gets me closer to a yes"

Links

Julianne's book Return Journey: https://careerreturners.com/return-journey-book/
Career Returners Professional Community (free or pay-if-you-can): https://community.careerreturners.com/
The Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wobbly-middle/id1767850643
The Wobbly Middle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YhwsBch8Q9vAOUBBfusIv
Subscribe to the newsletter: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep23-julianne-miles
Find out more about The Wobbly Middle: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep23-julianne-miles

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE

You might also love our Season 3 Episode with Carri Simmons From Teacher's Desk to Psychologist's Sofa with Carri Simmons. Where Julianne shares the science behind career returns, Carri tells the deeply personal story of walking away from teaching, going back to university as a mother of three, and retraining as a psychologist. Together, they're two sides of the same coin: the evidence that it works, and the courage to try.

HELP US GROW

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things that make a real difference:

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.
Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Made a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.

Thank you for listening and for supporting independent podcasters.

Pin It To Win It: The Neuroscience of Action Boards | Rebecca Newman | Investigative Wellness

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 06:57:00 +0100

The neuroscience behind action boards / vision boards and goal-setting — and how to use them at a career crossroads.

Do action boards actually work, or are they just arts and crafts with ambition? In this bonus episode, investigative wellness journalist Rebecca Newman draws on the research of neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart, author of The Source, to explain what's really going on in our brains when we make an action board — and why they might be exactly the tool you need in your wobbly middle.

Then theory meets practice as Patsy and Rebecca head to the craft room, where scissors and glue meet cork board, to make their own. It turns out a vision board isn't about magical thinking — it's a daily point of orientation, keeping you facing forward.

KEY TOPICS

The neuroscience behind actions boards — what happens in your brain when you visualise your goals
Dr Tara Swart's research in The Source on selective attention and goal prioritisation
How action boards differ from wish lists — making goals tangible and visible
Using action boards as a practical tool for navigating a career crossroads in midlife
The power of keeping your goals front and centre as a daily point of orientation
Why getting hands-on with scissors and glue can unlock clarity you weren't expecting

New episodes every other Tuesday.

LINKS

The Source by Dr Tara Swart: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16913/9781785042003

The Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wobbly-middle/id1767850643

The Wobbly Middle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YhwsBch8Q9vAOUBBfusIv

Subscribe to the newsletter: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep22-rebecca-newman

- Find out more about The Wobbly Middle: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep22-rebecca-newman

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE

You might also love our Q&A with Patsy Day and Susannah de Jager, where they opened the mailbag to tackle listeners' questions about navigating the midlife career odyssey. If the action board episode got you thinking about what's next, the Q&A offers practical encouragement for when you're ready to take the next step.

HELP US GROW

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things that make a real difference:

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.
Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Made a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.

Thank you for listening and for supporting independent podcasting.

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All Rise! From Redundancy to the Magistrate's Bench — Pip Symington on Leaving Corporate Life, Purpose-Led Living and Going Back To Study

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 06:57:00 +0100

A career pivot story about leaving corporate life after redundancy and going back to study — from risk consultant to magistrate and PhD researcher.

When a long-term relationship ended in her twenties, Pip Symington chose adventure. She landed a job in Asia and spent twenty years working across Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Japan as a risk consultant and loving every minute of it. She said yes to everything, until one day it was gone.

Made redundant and reeling Pip turned to friends and a bit of therapy before redesigning the shape of her working life. She no longer wanted one all-consuming thing. Today, it's family, study, and service that brings fulfilment.

Key Topics

The emotional toll of redundancy and losing your professional identity
Using therapy and a "happiness bowl" to rediscover what brings you joy
Building a portfolio career after a career break — balancing study, service, and family
What it's like to volunteer as a magistrate in the UK justice system
Why it's never too late to go back to study — and why midlife is the ideal time

New episodes every other Tuesday.

LINKS

Interested in volunteering as a magistrate? Find out more:

The Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: click here

The Wobbly Middle on Spotify: click here

Want more The Wobbly Middle between episodes? Subscribe to our newsletter — it's where the conversation continues:

New to The Wobbly Middle? Find out what we're all about.

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS EPISODE

You might also our Season 1 episode From Lab to Lifeline with Dr Emily Connally. Like Pip, Emily is an Oxford-based woman who channelled her skills into community service — founding a food bank at the school gate that's now reshaping how local networks respond to food waste. Both episodes show how the wobbly middle can lead to something that serves not just you, but the world around you.

HELP US GROW

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things that make a real difference:

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.
Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

SHARE YOUR STORY

Made a left turn in your career? We'd love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.

Reigniting Possibility: Season 3 of The Wobbly Middle Is Here | Going Back to Study

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 06:57:00 +0100

Thinking about leaving corporate life and building a business, breaking back in after a career break, going back to study, or just taking your long-neglected dream seriously? The Wobbly Middle is a podcast for women rethinking their careers in midlife.

Season 3 has a light "Going Back to Study" thread running thought it. It launches on Blue Monday, 19 January — that mid-January moment when morale plummets, resolutions flatline, and job searches spike. So we're sending in reinforcements.

Patsy talks to women who've navigated career change in their 40s and beyond — a journalist who founded a comedy, a teacher who studied to become a psychologist, a consultant who became a magistrates - and Phd reasearcher (!) after redundancy. ... they are pathfinders who changed direction because something needed to shift. They talk honestly about what worked and the steps they took, so that you can find your own way forward too.

What's Coming in Season 3

Guests include:

- Pip Symington — risk consultant turned magistrate and PhD researcher, building a portfolio career after redundancy

- Rebecca Newman — investigative wellness journalist exploring the neuroscience of goal-setting and action boards

- Julianne Miles MBE — psychologist and founder of Career Returners, one of the world's largest return-to-work platforms

- Carri Simmons — drama teacher who returned to university at 38 to retrain as a psychologist in South Africa

- Lynn Harris — award-winning journalist, author, activist and founder of GOLD Comedy, a comedy school for women and non-binary people.

Links

The Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wobbly-middle/id1767850643

The Wobbly Middle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YhwsBch8Q9vAOUBBfusIv

Subscribe to the newsletter: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep20-season-3-trailer

Find out more about The Wobbly Middle: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep20-season-3-trailer

---

If You Enjoyed This Episode

If you're new to The Wobbly Middle, a wonderful place to start is our first episode with the menopause doctors Susanne Hooper and Melanie Hacking who talking about hormonal health, perimenopause help, how to navigate the hormonal highway. You'll get to know us a little and also learn something from these incredible menopause specialists.

Help Us Grow

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things you can do to make a real difference:

- Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.

- Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

Want more from Patsy between episodes? Subscribe to the newsletter — it's where the conversation continues: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep20-season-3-trailer

New to The Wobbly Middle? Find out what we're all about: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep20-season-3-trailer

About The Host

Join recovering lawyer Patsy Day as she navigates her own midlife career crossroads in real time. A penny dropped for her when she realised that the restless feeling she'd been feeling was returning ambition. The Wobbly Middle is that in-between space where we know we want change but don't know how to move forward.

Salima Saxton: From Losing Herself in Motherhood to Rebuilding Her Multi-Hyphenate Career

Wed, 16 Jul 2025 01:00:00 +0100

Actress, writer, podcaster, and mother of three, Salima Saxton joins The Wobbly Middle Season 2 finale to talk about reclaiming yourself. From centre stage to the school gate and back again, Salima shares what it took to reawaken her creative life after years on mute.

In this warm, frank conversation, she reflects on the disconnection so many women feel after stepping back from their careers - and how she wrote her way back into her multi-hyphenate roles. Together with hosts Susannah de Jager and Patsy Day, Salima dives into the messy middle of rediscovery, thrills at the power of women’s anger, and throws the idea of “balance” straight overboard.

If you’ve ever felt like you left parts of yourself behind, this one’s for you.

(03:47) - Salima's Early Career and Family Life
(07:49) - The Challenges of Motherhood
(13:29) - Rediscovering Identity Through Writing
(16:25) - The Reality of Success and Failure
(20:27) - The Inception of 'Women are Mad' Podcast
(27:58) - Estrangement and Family Reflections
(31:45) - Final Thoughts

THE WOBBLY MIDDLE is a podcast about women rethinking their careers in midlife. Each episode Patsy and Susannah sit down with women who share their career pivot stories — leaving corporate life and building businesses, breaking back in after career breaks, going back to study, and taking their long-neglected dreams seriously.

ABOUT THE HOSTS: Patsy Day is a recovering lawyer navigating her own midlife career crossroads. A penny dropped for her when she realised that the restless feeling she'd been feeling was returning ambition. The Wobbly Middle is that in-between space where we know we want change but don't know how to move forward.

Susannah de Jager has just relocated to Abu Dhabi, where she’s podcasting, consulting with start-ups, and occasionally advising on scale-up capital. After leaving her role as CEO of a boutique asset manager, she asked the all-important question: what next? Five years later, she’s following her curiosity —The Wobbly Middle is for her and every woman doing the same.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Tuesdays. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

SHARE YOUR STORY: Made a left turn in your career? We’d love to hear about it. Write to us at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com —your career pivot story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

LEARN MORE ON SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

FOLLOW US on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook @thewobblymiddle

Joy Ride: Taking your confidence out for a spin | Women in Tech | Joy Foster

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 01:00:00 +0100

We talk about social media careers, learning tech in your 40s and a career pivot into digital.

From olympic dreams to a digital sisterhood, Joy Foster traded a career in the City for a quiver of arrows, followed love across borders and then and then, somewhat accidentally, became a digital entrepreneur.

Her creation, TechPixies, now serves as both launchpad and lifeline for women looking to pivot, re-enter the workforce, or start from scratch.

In this episode, Joy talks about what it means to bloom wherever you’re planted even when the soil is foreign or the sun unreliable. She shares her belief that confidence is a decision, reinforced daily through small acts of doing. From five-minute power moves to three-year plans, Joy’s practical, no-nonsense guidance is both energising and refreshingly doable.

If you’re stalled, stuck, or quietly simmering with ideas, this conversation will propel you from inertia to momentum.

(03:28) - Joy's Philosophy on Confidence
(04:51) - Crafting a Vision for Your Life
(09:18) - Joy's Personal Bravery
(12:37) - Challenges in Switzerland
(15:20) - Resilience and Support Systems
(17:14) - Empowering Women Through Tech Pixies
(20:14) - Navigating Grants and Funding
(24:57) - Reflections and Advice

THE WOBBLY MIDDLE is a podcast about women rethinking their careers in midlife. Each season, Patsy and Susannah sit down with women who share their career pivot stories — leaving corporate life and building businesses, breaking back in after career breaks, going back to study, and taking their long-neglected dreams seriously.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Tuesday. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

SHARE YOUR STORY: Made a left turn in your career? We’d love to hear about it. Write to us at stories@thewobblymiddle.com—your pivot might just be the nudge someone else needs.

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

LEARN MORE ON SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

FOLLOW US on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook @thewobblymiddle

Celebrating a Period of Change | Fem Tech Founder Rachel Newton on purpose-led brands and period products

Wed, 18 Jun 2025 01:00:00 +0100

Liberating and taboo-busting, Rachael Newton (former hedge fund lawyer turned entrepreneur) is part of a new wave of founders, thinkers, and advocates throwing open the bathroom door and reshaping the policies, products, and possibilities of period products and menstrual care.

In this episode, Rachael tells us how she designed Nixit, the revolutionary, reusable menstrual disc after she realised her tampon waste took so long to break down it would likely survive the apocalypse alongside the cockroach.

Rachael assessed the alternatives in the market and found them wanting. (Hell, there are more gadgets to poach an egg than there are period products). So she started from scratch designing a new type of reusable menstrual disc that could be worn for 12 hours. In doing so, Rachael has not only changed how people manage their periods but also how they relate to their bodies.

She also tells us about the moment she put down her law books to become a fem tech founder, about the risks and the loneliness along with the pinch-me moment of the pinging of sales.

If you’re curious about starting something new, building a purpose-led brand, or simply rethinking your period, Rachael’s story is a smart, grounded reminder: you don’t have to go with the flow. Not in your career. And definitely not with your period.

To find out more about Nixit: https://nixit.com/pages/menstrual-disc

(00:39) - Discussing Period Stigma
(01:54) - Introducing Rachel Newton
(03:38) - Rachel's Career Journey
(05:14) - Challenges in the Legal Profession
(07:55) - Relocating and Career Shift
(10:00) - The Birth of Nixit
(15:11) - Developing the Product
(26:09) - Branding and Marketing
(30:51) - Entrepreneurial Insights
(33:39) - Final Thoughts and Farewell

THE WOBBLY MIDDLE a podcast for women rethinking their careers in midlife. Each season, Patsy and Susannah sit down with women who share their career pivot stories — leaving corporate life and building businesses, breaking back in after career breaks, going back to study, and taking their long-neglected dreams seriously.

Susannah de Jager has just moved to Abu Dhabi. She is podcasting, consulting to start-ups and occasionally advising on scale-up capital having left her role as CEO of a boutique asset manager and asked "what next?”. In the last five years she has forged a new path following her passions and interests. This podcast is for her and for all those like her.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Wednesday. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

SHARE YOUR STORY: Made a left turn in your career? We’d love to hear about it. Write to us at stories@thewobblymiddle.com—your pivot might just be the nudge someone else needs.

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

LEARN MORE ON SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

FOLLOW US on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook @thewobblymiddle

Culture Club: Good Karma Only | Leila Kardouche | Women in Investment

Wed, 04 Jun 2025 01:00:00 +0100

Where female investors bring the values—and the returns.

Experienced fund manager Leila Kardouche knew that to keep doing what she loved—investing—it had to be on her own terms. So she co-founded Variis Partners, a women-led firm that’s diverse by name (Variis means “diverse” in Latin) and by nature, built on a culture rarely found in traditional finance.

In the high-stakes investment world, Leila is confident about what sets the foundation for success: her age, experience, financial stability, and wisdom—along with the complementary strengths of her co-founders. On taking bold steps later in life, she says: “You have a much higher chance of success. We are healthier, we're living longer, we want to be engaged for much longer professionally and therefore doing something like this at 50 is not late at all. It's about the right time.”

In this episode, we talk about building a values-led business, choosing the right partners, and busting tired myths about women, risk, and what makes a great investor.

(02:23) - Leila's Career Journey
(05:46) - Challenges for Women in Finance
(07:25) - Motherhood and Career
(10:11) - Founding Variis Capital
(12:34) - Building a Diverse Team
(19:43) - Balancing Optimism and Pessimism
(26:28) - Women and Risk in Investment
(31:23) - What Would You Tell Your 30-Year-Old Self?
(33:10) - Final Thoughts and Farewell

THE WOBBLY MIDDLE is a podcast for women rethinking their careers in midlife. Each season, Patsy and Susannah sit down with women who share their career pivot stories — leaving corporate life and building businesses, breaking back in after career breaks, going back to study, and taking their long-neglected dreams seriously.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Wednesday. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

SHARE YOUR STORY: Made a left turn in your career? We’d love to hear about it. Write to us at stories@thewobblymiddle.com—your pivot might just be the nudge someone else needs.

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

LEARN MORE ON SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

FOLLOW US on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook @thewobblymiddle

Setting Her Own Stones: Building a Life-Shaped Business | Sophia Champion de Crespigny - jewellery design

Wed, 21 May 2025 01:00:00 +0100

Sophia Champion de Crespigny loved physics. She studied civil engineering for 8 years, fascinated by structure and design. In the workplace, however, she found herself wading through actual sewage in the field - and the more metaphorical kind in the office. Engineering may have been the plan but it turns out it wasn’t the fit.

When Sophie finally quit, she left without a grand plan, just with the instinct that there was something else out there for her.

(00:22) - Balancing Life's Demands
(01:01) - Transferable Skills for Lawyers
(01:43) - Introducing Sophie Champion de Crespigny
(02:49) - Sophie's Journey from Engineering to Jewelry
(04:23) - Challenges in a Male-Dominated Industry
(08:00) - Leaving Engineering Behind
(09:29) - Starting a Kombucha Business
(11:53) - Motherhood and Business
(18:55) - Launching Sorsa Jewelry
(27:23) - Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
(28:24) - The Importance of Authenticity

In this episode, Sophie talks about how she began again - first fermenting a kombucha business in her London flat, and then forging Sorsa, a jewellery brand built around sustainability, beauty, and family life.

It is a celebration of women’s businesses of every shape, scale, and intention and the importance of their place and space be it round the kitchen table or the boardroom.

The Wobbly Middle is a podcast for women rethinking their careers. Each season, Patsy and Susannah sit down with women who share their career pivot stories — leaving corporate life and building businesses, breaking back in after career breaks, going back to study, and taking their long-neglected dreams seriously.

About the hosts:

Patsy Day is a recovering lawyer navigating her own midlife career crossroads. A penny dropped for her when she realised that the restless feeling she'd been feeling was returning ambition. The Wobbly Middle is that in-between space where we know we want change but don't know how to move forward.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Wednesday. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

SHARE YOUR STORY: whether you're in the wobbly middle or have made it through to the other side, we’d love to hear from you — we’re building a library of midlife plot twists! Email us at stories@thewobblymiddle.com

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

LEARN MORE ON SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

Q&A with Patsy Day; Advice on Your Midlife Angst from Susannah de Jager

Wed, 14 May 2025 01:00:00 +0100

We’ve got mail. You've got questions on changing when change is hard, tackling overwhelm and learning tech in your 40s!

Susannah and Patsy open the mailbag and respond to some of your excellent (occasionally panic-tinged) every-woman questions about navigating midlife career change.

This means, Patsy, who usually prefers to hide behind the microphone (and strong opinions about editing), has to sit in front of it. Susannah on the other hand is already on her second podcast of the day—just casually interviewing biotech CEOs before breakfast—and brings her usual mix of energy and insight.

They discuss:

→ How do you find space to even think about change when life keeps getting in the way?

→ How do you resist the gravitational pull of the familiar when change is hard?

→ And what if tech has run ahead of you… can you still catch up?

(01:44) - Innovative Career Pivots
(03:28) - Listener Questions: Overwhelmed in OX2
(03:53) - Tips for Tackling Overwhelm
(05:30) - Focusmate and Task Initiation Tools
(06:14) - Listener Questions: Tech Skills for Career Change
(07:08) - Upskilling Resources and AI Tools
(09:45) - Listener Questions: Staying the Course
(10:11) - Aundrea's Empower Framework

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Wednesday. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

LEARN MORE ON SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

FOLLOW US on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook @thewobblymiddle

About the Hosts:

Break. Return. Rise | Hannah McCracken on Returning After a Career Break

Wed, 07 May 2025 01:00:00 +0100

When Hannah McCracken returned to advertising after a career break raising her children, she anticipated going back at the same level, with some flexibility. She was met with a “no” — neatly packaged as professional advice: expect less.

Less responsibility. Less pay. Less relevance.

But for Hannah, time out never meant value lost. She had built her career at some of the world’s top ad agencies. She knew her worth—and wasn’t about to apologise for the years spent mothering. She rejected the tired narrative that stepping away from work somehow erases your talent, ambition or potential.

Instead, she came back clearer, sharper, stronger.

This is a story about pushing back against other people’s limits. About holding onto your belief when the world tries to shake it loose. And a reminder for women that they have every right to want what they’ve already earned.

(01:40) - The Eisenhower Matrix: A Tool for Prioritisation
(02:21) - Hannah McCracken's Journey
(03:31) - Hannah's Career Beginnings and Advertising Insights
(08:08) - Balancing Family and Career
(09:01) - The Decision to Step Away from Work
(13:11) - Reentering the Workforce: Challenges and Strategies
(15:50) - The Importance of Self-Belief and Support Systems
(21:14) - Recognising and Valuing Non-Traditional Skills
(24:30) - The Role of Flexibility in Career Growth
(27:41) - Final Thoughts and Reflections

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Tuesday. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

LEARN MORE ON SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

About the Hosts:

Behind The Scenes: Bonus Episode with Aundrea Cline-Thomas

Wed, 30 Apr 2025 01:00:00 +0100

We get the inside scoop on what it was really like producing a live, chaotic political interview with then-candidate Donald Trump — the pressure, the reputational stakes, and Aundrea’s strategies for the toughest of interviews.

This bonus episode is packed with big energy, behind-the-scenes moments plus Aundrea’s “Wobbly Middle” Go-Bag essentials.

Listen now! Don’t miss the full conversation with Aundrea Cline-Thomas on transferrable skills and new careers for journalists in our main episode, Lights, Camera...Pivot!

The Wobbly Middle is a podcast for women rethinking their careers in midlife. Each season, Patsy and Susannah sit down with women who share their career pivot stories — leaving corporate life and building businesses, breaking back in after career breaks, going back to study, and taking their long-neglected dreams seriously.

Stay up to date with our newsletter.

To hear more from Aundrea, listen to her totally energising podcast The NEXT Best Thing.

Have you navigated your own midlife career wobble?

We want to hear EVERYTHING. The disasters, the triumphs, the moments you thought "I've made a terrible mistake" before realising it was actually GENIUS. Email us at stories@thewobblymiddle.com. Seriously. Tell us EVERYTHING. We want to hear your story—whether it’s messy, magnificent, or still mid-wobble.

Email us at stories@thewobblymiddle.com and join the conversation.

About the Hosts:

Lights, Camera... Pivot! | Aundrea Cline-Thomas on new careers for journalists

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 01:00:00 +0100

Newsrooms collapsing. Journalism jobs vanishing. Three-time Emmy winner and TV reporter Aundrea Cline-Thomas saw the signs flashing like a breaking news ticker: the industry she loved was falling apart live on air.

Stepping behind the camera, Aundrea launched her own production company, Mountain Court Media, as well as the community initiative The Rewrite to help other journalists navigate their own pivots.

With the poise of a prime-time pro and the candour of a hot mic, she shares the behind-the-scenes on walking away from a career in front of the camera to build a new career — and how others can identify their hidden strengths and skills to do the same.

(03:38) - Aundrea's Journey into Journalism
(05:48) - Challenges and Triumphs in Journalism
(10:31) - The Impact of Empathy and Upbringing
(11:43) - The Decline of Traditional Media
(13:27) - Transitioning from Journalism
(17:10) - Empower Framework for Career Transitions
(20:37) - Building Confidence and Facing Discomfort
(26:33) - The Importance of Community and Networking

Links

You can find out more about The Rewrite here.

To hear more from Aundrea, listen to her excellent podcast The NEXT Best Thing.

Have you navigated your own midlife career change?

Email us at stories@thewobblymiddle.com and join the conversation.

About the Hosts:

The Wobbly Middle Season Two | Career change in midlife for women

Wed, 02 Apr 2025 01:00:00 +0100

Do you feel a pull towards something new but aren’t sure what’s next?

So do we! The Wobbly Middle is a podcast for women rethinking their careers. Each season, Patsy and Susannah sit down with women who share their career pivot stories — leaving corporate life and building businesses, breaking back in after career breaks, going back to study, and taking their long-neglected dreams seriously.

Following a No. 1 ranking on Apple Podcasts GB Careers chart, hosts Susannah de Jager and Patsy Day—who leapt off their own corporate career ladders—return for Season 2 with more inspiring conversations about bold career shifts, unexpected opportunities, and the transferrable skills we’ve been building all along.

This season, they sit down with women who’ve made remarkable career moves, including:

An Emmy-winning reporter who stepped behind the camera to launch her own media company
A civil engineer who swapped steel beams for gem stones and built a thriving jewellery co
A lawyer who laid down the law to create a game-changing period care empire.

Whether you’re making a big leap, a strategic shift, or a slow-burn transition, The Wobbly Middle is here to help you recognise the value of what you already know and use it to build what comes next.

This season also brings bonus content—extra interview snippets, behind-the-scenes moments, and practical career advice to help you take your own next step.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Wednesday. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

SHARE YOUR STORY: whether you're in the wobbly middle or have made it through to the other side, we’d love to hear from you! Email us at stories@thewobblymiddle.com

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

LEARN MORE ON SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

FOLLOW US on Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook @thewobblymiddle

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

A Portrait of Passion and Courage | Donna Crous | Career change 40s

Wed, 08 Jan 2025 01:00:00 +0100

Donna was in her 40s when she picked up a camera. A stay-at-home mum in a new country, she poured her passion for food into a blog to fill the long school days. Good photos were essential, so—like every resourceful mother—she taught herself. The result? Drool-worthy, award-winning images that launched a stellar career.

Now in her 50s, professional food photographer Donna Crous has cancer. With the same creativity, determination, and heart that shaped her career, she’s using her Diary of a Booby Queen to educate women about secondary breast cancer and to give them the courage to advocate for themselves.

(00:16) - Susannah's Week of Perspective
(01:20) - Patsy's Small Steps Approach
(02:11) - Introducing Donna Crous
(04:57) - Donna's Journey: From Banking to Baking
(09:47) - The Leap into Food Photography
(22:12) - Facing Cancer: Donna's Story
(25:46) - Advocacy and Final Thoughts

This is the final episode of Season One. Thank you for your support and encouragement. That the response has so far exceeded our expectations shows that The Wobbly Middle is striking a chord. Women are recognizing themselves in these stories of career reinvention, and they’re feeling seen, heard, and inspired to reimagine the shape of their own careers. We’re committed to continuing this conversation and energizing women to seek purpose, passion, and fulfillment in their midlife chapters.

Links

Season 2 is coming soon. In the meantime, you can stay up to date by signing up for our newsletter on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook @thewobblymiddle.

About the hosts:

The Entrepreneur Masterclass: Debbie Wosskow’s Blueprint for Success

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 01:00:00 +0100

Notebooks at the ready—this is a masterclass in taking ideas to thriving ventures from one of the UK’s most dynamic businesswomen. Debbie Wosskow OBE has built, scaled, and sold multimillion-pound businesses, including Love Home Swap, and now leads the charge for female founded businesses with the £250 million Invest in Women Taskforce and her new venture The Better Menopause.

In this candid conversation, Debbie shares the lessons learned from decades of experience: the sunlit uplands as well as the darkness. With a different business for every decade of her life, Debbie’s playbook is packed with insights to inspire your next move.

(00:00) - The Wobbly Middle S1 E7 Debbie Wosskow
(02:11) - Debbie's Early Career and Success
(05:07) - Personal Reinvention and Challenges
(15:19) - Building and Leading Female-Focused Businesses
(24:46) - Navigating Uncertainty and Personal Growth

Links

For additional insights, read The Wobbly Middle on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @thewobblymiddle.

If you are in the wobbly middle of your career, please share your story with us via our socials or email us at thewobblymiddle@gmail.com. We'd love to hear what’s on your mind - and if you're out the other side, please let us know how you got there!

About the hosts:

From Lab to Lifeline: When Brain and Heart Collide | Emily Connally

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 01:00:00 +0100

Born in the New Mexico deserts where running water was a luxury, Dr. Emily Connally was an unlikely contender for the ivory towers of Harvard and Oxford — but with grit, brilliance, and a touch of rebellion, she soared. Yet her greatest achievements may not be in the lab...

When the pandemic struck, Emily applied the same expertise she used to map the brain’s complex pathways to chart a thriving grassroots network. Starting with a schoolgate foodbank, she built Cherwell Collective which is transforming how local networks tackle food waste and sustainability.

From elite academia to community hero, listen to Emily’s warm, uplifting tale of courage, ingenuity, and the power of pivoting when it matters most.

(02:53) - Emily's Early Life and Education
(05:33) - Challenges and Triumphs in Academia
(11:37) - Activism and Union Leadership at Arizona
(19:30) - The Birth of Cherwell Collective
(24:34) - Cherwell Collective's Impact and Future Plans

Links

New episodes of The Wobble Middle released fortnightly. For additional insights, read The Wobbly Middle on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @thewobblymiddle.

To learn more about Cherwell Collective, visit https://www.cherwellcollective.com/

About the hosts:

From Courtroom to Chef’s Kitchen: A Feast of Grit and Glory

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 01:00:00 +0100

Sophie was 37 when she was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Recovered but with a heavy dose of heartache, she had a choice to make: return to the legal career she had spent years building or follow her passion into the fires of the kitchen.

With humour, grit, and inspiring zest, Sophie Archer reveals how her strength grew to fuel her culinary dreams - all the way to MasterChef: The Professionals. This is a story that will ignite your own ambitions and leave you hungry for possibility.

(00:00) - From Courtroom to Chef’s Kitchen: A Feast of Grit and Glory
(02:17) - Introducing Sophie Archer
(06:26) - The Shift from Law to the Culinary Arts
(12:16) - Building a New Career
(18:03) - The Kitchen of Dreams
(27:43) - Reflections and Future Plans
(28:52) - Sophie's MasterChef Experience

Links

New episodes of The Wobble Middle, released fortnightly. For additional insights, read The Wobbly Middle on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @thewobblymiddle.

About the hosts:

From Delivery Room to Disruptor: When the Gloves Came Off

Wed, 06 Nov 2024 01:00:00 +0100

Midwife Nina Van Schaick felt a deep calling to support mothers through the transformative experience of childbirth. But as she witnessed the trauma caused by failures in maternal care, she knew change was urgently needed. With less than 2% of pharmaceutical R&D dedicated to maternal health, Nina decided to take action herself.

Join the warm, funny, and bold Fem Tech founder as she shares how she moved from the delivery suite to the boardroom to create meaningful change for women’s health.

(00:00) - Introduction to The Wobbly Middle
(03:08) - Nina's Journey into Midwifery
(05:39) - The Emotional Spectrum of Midwifery
(08:04) - Challenges and Changes in Midwifery
(12:11) - Innovating with PeriPear
(20:00) - Empowering Women in Midlife

Links

New episodes of The Wobble Middle are released fortnightly. For additional insights, read The Wobbly Middle on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @thewobblymiddle.

About the hosts:

Dame Helena Morrissey: A Career Isn't a Ladder — It's a Labyrinth | Women in Investment

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 01:00:00 +0100

What happens when one of the most influential woman in the City resigns at the top of her game? Dame Helena Morrissey stunned the financial world when she stepped down as CEO of Newton Asset Management at 50 — without a fully formed plan. In this compelling episode, Helena opens up about the unfinished business that drove her forward; and how she learned to embrace discomfort as she forged a new path.

As one of the most prominent advocates for equal pay and opportunity, Helena also sets out her powerful vision for getting more mid-career women into investment roles. Listen in to hear how she’s making an impact yet again, transforming the future of women in finance.

Links

New episodes of The Wobble Middle are released fortnightly. For additional insights, read The Wobbly Middle on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @thewobblymiddle.

https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com

If you are in the wobbly middle of your career, please share your story with us via our socials or email us at thewobblymiddle@gmail.com. We'd love to hear what’s inspiring you or if you have a question for us - and if you're out the other side, please let us know how you got there!

About the hosts:

From Playground to Powerhouse - Life on the Frontlines of a Revolution | Career change 40s

Wed, 09 Oct 2024 01:00:00 +0100

Helen was made redundant while pregnant. In the playground, she watched as skilled mums - lawyers, accountants, architects - pushed swings, frustrated by the lack of jobs that could accommodate family life. Grabbing her phone and laptop, she decided to take matters into her own hands. In this episode, Helen Wright of 9-2-3 tells us of life at the forefront of the movement that is reshaping our working lives.

Links

You can find Helen at www.923jobs.com

New episodes of The Wobbly Middle drop every two weeks. For additional insights, read The Wobbly Middle on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @thewobblymiddle.

https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/

If you are in the wobbly middle of your career and would like to share your story with us, please drop us a line via our socials or email us at thewobblymiddle@gmail.com. We'd love to hear what inspiring you or if you have a question for us - and if you're out the other side, please let us know how you got there!

About the hosts:

The Menopause Doctors Navigating the Hormonal Health Highway

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 01:00:00 +0100

When their often young, sub-fertile patients needed perimenopause help, Drs Susanne Hooper and Melanie Hacking took a sharp right turn in their careers...

New episodes of The Wobble Middle drop every two weeks. You can also read our Wobbly Middle musings on Substack at The Wobbly Middle. You can also find us on Instagram, @thewobblymiddle

Links

Find Susanne and Melanie at the Oxford Hormone Clinic.

If you are in the wobbly middle of your career and would like to share your story with us, please drop us a line via Substack or email us at

thewobblymiddle@gmail.com. We'd love to hear what inspiring you or if you have a question for us - and if you're out the other side, please let us know how you got there!

About the hosts:

Welcome to The Wobbly Middle, a podcast for women rethinking their careers in midlife

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 01:00:00 +0100

Patsy quit her job. Susannah quit the city. Now they’re on a quest to find the path through the wobbly middle of their careers - that in between space at the career crossroads where you know you want change but don't know how to move forward.

Looking for some career change inspiration? This podcast is for every woman who’s asking “What's next for me?”.

Susannah de Jager and Patsy Day sit down with women who share their career pivot stories about leaving corporate life and building businesses, breaking back in after career breaks, going back to study, and taking their long-neglected dreams seriously.

Season 1 of The Wobbly Middle features interviews with famed city superwomen, , revolutionary midwives, fem tech innovators and menopause doctors who reveal what they’ve learnt through their own wobbly middle experiences.

Find us on Substack: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

About the hosts:

Susannah de Jager is podcasting in Oxford, consulting to start-ups and occasionally advising on scale-up capital. Having left her role as CEO as a boutique asset manager and asked "what next?”.