These last few weeks, since returning from vacation, I have been exploring that “back to work” sentiment with several of my clients. Often, it is a mixed feeling. A break gives us enough distance to notice what we have been normalising. We may start to recognise the habits, expectations and ways of working that were …
If you are a successful midlife professional on the outside, but are beginning to recognise strong neurodivergent traits in yourself, what might a diagnosis offer? Long story short: it depends. There is no single answer to whether pursuing an ADHD or autism assessment is the right choice. It can depend on the severity and impact …
What might an ADHD or autism diagnosis offer in midlife? Read More »
It is September. A new season, a brilliant new cup, and a new focus: thesis preparation time. This autumn, I’ll be diving deeper into the neuroscience and neurobiology of midlife women’s mental health. It feels increasingly relevant to my work, given that around half of my clients are professional women, and deeply personal too. I …
In my native Finland, Valentine’s Day is officially Friendship Day. A beautiful idea. Yet research suggests many of us feel lonelier than ever, particularly in midlife. I hear this often in my client conversations, perhaps slightly more from midlife men who admit that their social world has narrowed. It is not surprising. Midlife can be …
Is it really that hard to make friends in midlife? And why should we try? Read More »
Watching the Winter Olympics this week reminded me that I used to be a figure skater. Yes, really. Not a particularly good or serious one. But between the ages of six and fourteen, it was something I approached with genuine passion. When I later moved to the UK, that chapter closed. My more nerdy pursuit …
Flow, Figure Skating, and Finding Your Element in Midlife Read More »
“I no longer work for companies – only for people.” A friend said this to me recently. I hear variations of the same sentiment from many clients, particularly those in mid-career who have invested years, sometimes decades, of time, energy, and identity into organisations. Often, that investment was made in exchange for promises of progression, …
I no longer work for companies – I work for people Read More »
No wonder “new year, new me” ambitions can feel overwhelming on this first Monday of January. It is freezing cold, and the news cycle is gloomy and serves as a reminder of how much lies outside our control. In that context, sweeping transformation goals can feel unrealistic and emotionally tone-deaf. Perhaps this is precisely why …
Did you know that some of the most beloved Christmas carols in the world’s allegedly happiest country are incredibly sad? In my native Finland, many traditional carols are written in a minor key and often tell stories about grief, sadness and longing? There is the frozen sparrow that turns out to be a departed child, …
What Finnish Christmas Songs Reveal About Emotional Agility Read More »
Being laid off led me to adopt two Maine Coons – and start a business and career I now love passionately. Of course, it wasn’t quite that simple or that quick. There was a pandemic (remember that?), homeschooling, endless courses, frantic soul-searching, a newly bought house, and the usual worries about mortgages and “what now?”. …
For years, we assumed the adult brain was fixed; that once neurons died, they were gone for good. The idea that the brain could change, adapt, and even grow new cells after childhood was considered impossible. That view began to shift only a few decades ago. In the 1960s, researcher Joseph Altman first observed new …
Living Neuroplasticity: Why It’s Time to Rethink Work, Leadership and Age Read More »
