Career Coaching: What I’ve Learnt in 2025
- pauseandempower
- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
If someone had told me on 1 January 2025 that by December I’d be writing a retrospective about coaching conversations, corporate talks, Women’s Circles, podcasts, and all the moments that made me pause, I’d probably have given them a side-eye and muttered, “Are you serious?”
And yet, here I am. Running Pause and Empower this year has meant embracing both the chaos and the clarity that comes when midlife transitions, menopause, career uncertainty, and life’s bigger questions collide — often all at once.
2025 has been a masterclass in resilience, disillusionment, community, and real support. It’s also reminded me, in no uncertain terms, that there are a lot of women quietly struggling out there — sometimes in plain sight, often completely under the radar.
The Hidden Load: What Women Are Carrying
It didn’t take long to notice a recurring themes this year. Midlife women — often accomplished, capable, and professional — are carrying a hidden load.
I’ve heard:
“I used to be the go-to person. Now I double-check everything.”
“I’m fine — just exhausted, but I don’t want to mention it.”
“Is this normal, or am I failing at being me?”
Many still showed up at work, managed teams, and met deadlines, but inside they felt depleted. Energy levels dipped. Confidence wobbled. Memory felt foggy. Mood swings whispered doubts.
Menopause and midlife transitions weren’t just “personal” struggles — they bled (no pun intended) into performance, ambition, and sense of self. And yet, workplaces rarely made space for vulnerability. Women carried on, quietly and privately, like pros in a high-stakes, invisible marathon.
What I learnt: menopause (and midlife change) isn’t a footnote. It quietly shapes how women show up — and sometimes, how much of themselves they hold back.
But here’s the upside: with the right support, that hidden load doesn’t have to lead to burnout or breakdown. It can lead to recalibration — to realignment, to rediscovering who you really are.
Coaching as Sanctuary: What Pause and Empower Has Meant This Year
Coaching, especially for midlife, menopausal women, isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline.
Through my one-to-one coaching, women are rediscovering strengths they haven’t acknowledged in years. They are finding voices that had been quieted by endless multitasking and professional demands. In workplace coaching and organisational sessions, they’ve begun to ask the big questions: not just about their own careers, but whether the work environment actually deserves their talents.
On the Pause and Empower website, I talk about tools like DISC profiling and the “Wheel of Life” — helping women reconnect with values, purpose, and priorities, not just job titles. This year, that connection has been more vital than ever.
Here’s what women have shared:
One client called coaching a “life MOT,” helping her re-evaluate career, health, values, and life balance — enabling clearer, calmer decision-making.
Another said she finally felt confident enough to realign her career with her values, not just expectations, stepping into a role that felt authentically hers.
A third explained that during a particularly foggy perimenopause, coaching gave her clarity, focus, and a practical plan. She didn’t leave her job — she reshaped it.
These stories reaffirm why I do this work: coaching isn’t about moulding women into a younger version of themselves. It’s about helping them evolve — on their own terms.
The Most-Read 2025 Articles: Lightbulbs and Lessons
Of course, I keep an eye on what resonates on the blog. Often, the most-read pieces highlight what women are already thinking but haven’t quite voiced. Five stood out this year — and they reinforced what I was seeing in my interactions.
22 April – “The Impact Gratitude Can Have on a Career Change”
This one surprised me with its popularity. Gratitude isn’t about plastering over hardship. It’s about grounding yourself when everything feels uncertain. It helps women reconnect with their strengths, achievements, and invisible resources — even at 45, 50, 55.
Women shared that this reframing helped them shift from “I don’t know who I am now” to “I’ve done a lot. I know more than I give myself credit for.” Sometimes, the first step to change isn’t action — it’s acknowledgment.
06 May – “Menopause, Micro-Revolutions and the Art of Not Giving a Toss (Professionally Speaking)”
This piece hit a chord because it named the subtle midlife recalibration many women feel but rarely voice. Not dramatic exits — small, intentional shifts: setting boundaries, refusing to over-extend, saying “no” without guilt.
This year, I saw women test these micro-revolutions courageously. Restructuring hours, renegotiating responsibilities, stopping volunteering for extra projects — all felt relief. Micro-revolutions matter: small tweaks, sustainable careers, less burnout.
12 May – “How Career Coaching Can Truly Support Women Through Change”
Coaching isn’t about chasing fast promotions or fancy titles. It’s for women at a crossroads, feeling dislocated from themselves, or unsure what the next step is.
This article resonated as clients moved from “I should know by now” to “I now know what I care about again.”
02 June – “Recognising and Addressing Professional Burnout in Career Women”
Burnout is still misunderstood. Chronic fatigue, brain fog, irritability — creeping, subtle, nearly invisible. Women often blame themselves until confidence slips and focus wavers.
One client has described it as “running on low battery but no warning light.” Coaching helped her reconnect, reprioritise, and set boundaries — without dramatic rescue, just thoughtful realignment.
09 June – “When Work Stops Working for You”
Sometimes work doesn’t change — we do. Skills, values, energy shift. Job descriptions, pace, expectations don’t. Misalignment matters. Resentment, exhaustion, disconnection lurk. Leaving can feel like failure; staying without change can feel like compromise.
Women wrestled with this grief — some wanted out, some stayed, some paused. There isn’t one right answer. There is alignment with values, energy, and life stage.
More Than Words: Living 2025
2025 wasn’t just words and writing. It was lived, loudly and quietly:
March: I spoke at The Co-op to their Aspire employee group — a mixed room, many hearing about menopause in the workplace for the first time. Curiosity was real; so was the desire to understand, support, and retain talent.
x3 this year: I have been invited onto podcasts to discuss womens rights in the workplace or my role as a career coach for menopausal women. Clinical insight met lived experience — creating validation rather than confusion.
December: Bedford’s Women’s Circle: Vulnerable, honest, transformative. Women reported feeling empowered to ask for change at work for the first time. Just being heard, without judgement, became an act of courage.
There is also a short recording for a BBC fan favourite. (That needs to be kept confidential til it's aired, in January 2026 I hope!)
These aren’t business wins; they’re human wins. Sometimes, the greatest support isn’t another CV tweak — it’s the space to be human, acknowledged, and seen.
What I’ve Internalised
Threads weaving through this year’s work:
Menopause is invisible, but its impact isn’t. Energy, focus, confidence, identity — affected. Often unrecognised at work, but real.
Women don’t need fixing. They need space, compassion, and agency. Respect for life-stage and whole-person perspective matters.
Micro-revolutions count. Slow, steady, intentional adjustment — shifts in boundaries, priorities, or voice — creates sustainability.
Community changes the conversation. Coaching, circles, and public talks create solidarity — permission to speak honestly and ask for what’s needed.
Organisations need to wake up. The loss of midlife women talent is structural, cultural, and costly. Menopause support and flexible working should be standard, not optional. Bonus trivia: menopause becomes a UK protected characteristic in 2026 — businesses, take note!
Looking Ahead to 2026 - a free masterclass
I’m planning a Masterclass in the New Year: “Menopause in the Workplace: to include How to Write a Solid Flexible Working Request.”
It will be:
Practical and honest
Grounded in lived experience
Focused on actionable tools (real flexible working proposals)
Recorded, but limited places
In order to maintain confidentiality, we will not record the Q&A section after my presentation and live attendees will also have access to, what I hope to be, enticing offers!
If this resonates — for you or someone you know — DM me via my website to register an interest as places will be very limited. Many women are juggling burnout, invisibility, self-doubt, and hormones. What they need is understanding, structure, and respect.
Thank You — And Notice the Micro-Revolutions
To every woman who sat with me in a coaching session, attended a seminar, joined a circle, or listened to a podcast — thank you. Your stories matter. Your micro-revolutions matter.
If 2025 taught me anything: menopause isn’t an ending. It can be a reset. A turning point. The start of a career and life that fits the woman you’ve become, not the one you were told to be.
Let’s pause thoughtfully — then move powerfully. DM me via my website. Let’s do this together.
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