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Are you yearning for work that is more purposeful, energising and aligned with who you are now? Are you ready to put your experience to work in a new and more meaningful way? For many people, the move toward an encore career begins when the work that was once secure or rewarding is no longer fulfilling. For me, it happened when I realised, in a conversation with my husband, that I did not have a dream. I had been working so hard to help other people achieve their dreams that

Gen X-ers are learning, as did Baby Boomers before them, that the benefits of work depend on health and functional ability, as well as job quality. When it comes to getting older, the prevailing narrative is one of preparing health systems for increasing demand as the population ages, rather than seeing the benefits and opportunities this brings for individuals, communities and society. The healthy ageing agenda is a global policy and practice framework focused on supporting

Avoid Pitfalls in Encore Career Planning to Honour Your Service and Serve Your Future An encore career is a new adventure in the second half of your working life. It allows you to live and work according to your values, with a focus on purpose and social impact. If you are a senior NHS professional considering creating your encore career, here are some common pitfalls to avoid in encore career planning. Plan the next chapter of your career with confidence and clarity EmbracE

In healthcare, we often talk about authority and we are familiar with hierarchy. While job titles, organisational charts, formal responsibilities are important, the real work of change happens through something less obvious, more subtle and more pervasive: the power of influence.

If you haven't negotiated a career crossroad for a while, or you've arrived at one unexpectedly, it's a scary place. Wisdom is often treated as something vague and sentimental, but in a medical career it’s incredibly concrete. Years of practice give you the skills to recognise patterns in clinical and human behaviour, a deep understanding of how systems really work (and fail) and a grounded sense of what truly matters to people and communities. If you haven't negotiated a car

Writing these blog posts and recording my podcast has brought me face-to-face with an uncomfortable truth that I expend a lot of energy avoiding: I am vulnerable. As I step into my encore career, that vulnerability sits squarely in the room with me. It challenges my confidence and unsettles my professional identity as I transition from clinical practice to coaching, from being an employee to an entrepreneur. I notice my critical inner voice whispering that I’m not ready, keep

Making a career change can feel like standing at a crossroads for doctors, especially those later in their careers. After years of dedication, long hours, and immense responsibility, the question arises: what comes next? It’s natural to wonder if there is a meaningful path beyond the hospital wards and clinics. I want to share with you a gentle exploration of how to find purpose beyond medicine, especially when considering careers after leaving medicine. This journey is not a

Deciding to change career as a senior doctor belonging to Gen X is a profound and often complex journey. It’s not just about changing jobs; it’s about reshaping your professional identity, your daily rhythm, and your longer‑term future. If you find yourself questioning whether to stay in frontline medicine, reduce sessions, or step into an encore or portfolio career, you are not alone. Many senior consultants and GPs reach this crossroads in their 50s and 60s, and there is ta

Professional identity conflict is the psychological discomfort felt when professional values clash with the realities of daily work For many senior doctors and NHS professionals, late career transitions bring both freedom and uncertainty. After decades defined by service, responsibility, and professional standing, a profound question emerges: Who am I when I’m no longer defined by my role? This question lies at the heart of professional identity. Understanding professional id

If you’re a senior doctor, you probably spend a lot of energy on problems you can’t fully fix

Do you ever feel like a fraud, doubt your abilities and fear you will be “found out,” despite clear evidence of success and competence? Welcome to the extremely common Imposter Syndrome, the inability to accept success based on your competencies and capabilities and instead attribute it to luck, error or personal connections ( Clance and Imes, 1978 ). Imposter Syndrome is powered by our Inner Critic, a negative internal voice that judges and criticises, making us feel demeane

Whether you are facing unwelcome job changes, ongoing doubts about your career or a yearning for something more purposeful, it is worth spending some time to understand where you are now.

I talk a lot about values and purpose, but what exactly does that mean? More specifically, what does it mean for Gen X doctors, with career success who find themselves asking "what now?" People have always been drawn to a medical career by core values of service, altruism, intellectual curiosity, status and security ( Goel et al, 2018 ). Doctors in my age bracket (45-60) will, most likely, possess a set of values shaped by their training and years of lived experience that cl

When it came to leaving clinical practice, I spent a lot of time in denial. I knew deep down that my job didn't align with my core values (happiness, challenge, connection, service, learning and health in case you were wondering). That was, quite literally, destroying me. I was burnt out, but it wasn't the workload that was draining me of my energy: over the years, I developed strategies like choosing my battles, knowing when to walk away and setting boundaries. It was the

Senior doctors are the backbone of the NHS, yet they are leaving at an alarming rate. This isn’t just a workforce issue; it’s a profound loss of wisdom, continuity, and care expertise. According to the British Medical Association, 60% of hospital doctors and 50% of GPs in the UK are aged over 45, the group that is most likely to be considering early retirement. The loss of their valuable expertise and skills exacerbates strain on health systems that are already under pressure

A purposeful career is a balance of passion, skill, impact and value. That's Ikigai and it's the perfect way to think about your encore career

This year, I did something that I haven't done since I was a child - I allowed myself to get engrossed in a Christmas board game. It wasn't the game itself that captivated me: I was intrigued by what it sparked in me and my nearest and dearest. I think it was the living embodiment of values, right there on our kitchen table. Values are the rules of the game we think we’re playing — except most of us haven’t actually read the rule book. They influence every turn, shaped by

The years I spent planning my departure from clinical practice into an encore career were very, very emotional. It touched my identity, relationships, values, and a deeply ingrained sense of duty. For many doctors, it feels less like changing jobs and more like leaving a core part of who they are. I felt anger and frustration because I knew I wasn't reaching my full potential, I felt I had no purpose and that left me bored. Tired and bored - a great recipe for disillusionme

I created an encore career because I was in a place where I felt my energy was being wasted. Having practiced palliative care for a long time, I understood only too well how short life is and in my later 40s, with caring responsibilities, I had to acknowledge that my energy is precious too. Generation X doctors like me - born between 1985 and 1980 - are the group most likely to leave the profession. We are at the peak of our medical careers, yet many of us are seriously co

I recently discovered the concept of encore careers - a new adventure in the second half of your working life, where you live and work to your values with purpose and social impact. It describes exactly what I did and why I did it. An Encore Career new career in the second half of your working life, where you live and work to your values with purpose and social impact It happened after the pandemic, although looking back, I can now see that it actually started much earlier.