S3 E7- Bonus Episode with Dr Tatiana Rowson- Who are you now? Identity, midlife and career change

Host: Julie Williams MSc, Executive Coach & Founder of Lighting Fires Guest: Dr Tatiana Rowson, Associate Professor at Henley Business School Welcome to a special bonus episode of The Lighting Fires Podcast, supported by Henley Business School. In this episode, Julie is joined by Dr Tatiana Rowson, Associate Professor at Henley Business School, for a fascinating conversation about identity, career transitions and what happens when the life or career we’ve built no longer quite fits. Drawing on her background in clinical psychology, coaching and academia, Tatiana shares her research into midlife transitions and explores how closely our sense of identity can become tied to our work. Julie and Tatiana discuss the value of creating space to stop and reflect on who we are, how we got here and what we really want from the next stage of our lives. They also explore self-awareness and confidence, the expectations we carry from other people, imposter syndrome and the challenges of stepping into new levels of leadership. Tatiana shares insights from her research into menopause, including why understanding what is happening to us, or those we work with, can be so important when making career decisions and supporting colleagues. A thoughtful conversation about knowing yourself, questioning the stories and expectations that have shaped you, and giving yourself permission to find your own way forward. In this episode, you'll hear about: Identity and career transitions in midlife What happens when our work becomes part of who we are Why coaching gives us valuable space to stop and reflect Letting go of other people’s expectations Self-awareness, confidence and imposter syndrome Menopause, identity and women’s careers Finding your own way of stepping into leadership Find out more: Dr Tatiana Rowson at Henley Business School including her research and publications Coaching at Henley Business School Henley MSc in Coaching for Behavioural Change If you’re interested in working with Julie please contact her at julie@lightingfires.co.uk, or Julie Williams MSc. (nee Walls) on LinkedIn or through her website here. And if you’re interested in developing your coaching skills, Julie highly recommends the Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching at Henley Business School, a programme grounded in research, with a strong focus on practical application and real-world impact. To find out more, visit Henley Business School. To find out more about the Insights Discovery psychometric tool, visit Insights Discovery. If you found this episode helpful, please leave a five-star rating and review, it helps more listeners discover these real-world leadership stories and coaching insights. Artwork by Ian Guppy | Music by Penguin Music via Pixabay | Produced by Perri Hurley