Hi Hannah! I’m way out of your target demographic, but 20 years ago this was me right after getting my MBA from INSEAD and feeling pretty miserable as a management consultant. But I will tell you this — at 50 most of us are still going through the same thing. Getting laid off by ageist Corporate America, having to cover a big mortgage with another 10-20 years of raising kids ahead of us. A steady income these days is a blessing and often more important than excitement at work. If I could go back to 30, I would have picked a path that ages well, where experience is valued as knowledge and wisdom and not a sign of being outdated or expired. Personally I would have become a doctor, but other paths that value age include professor, therapist, politician… okay I guess not that many, I wish there were more. Anyway my point is similar to your first one — this is a problem as old as humans, but it’s also a problem that doesn’t get “solved”. And AI is only making the future of careers more uncertain. These days my thought is this: choose a path that requires you to be a physically present human. I might start over at 50 as a nurse.
This is awesome. One of the things I struggle the most with is finding the motivation to inspire all of the young women coming out of school and looking for advice. I’m starting this account for exactly that
Caroline, this resonates so much! The journey really is the same regardless of when you did your MBA. One thing I'd add, I went into my MBA with significantly more experience than most of my classmates, which shaped my expectations entirely differently. I however fell for the noise of corporate, when I was already past that phase and looking for something deeper, impact, building, sustainability. That gap between what the MBA promises and what it actually delivers on entrepreneurship is real, and I felt it sharply. Like you, I wish I'd spent more time building for myself than playing the traditional MBA game. Your point about choosing paths that age well really hit home, experience should be a currency, not a liability.
Wow what a great response! This really has me thinking. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to “future-proof” my career because of ageism in the work place. I’m no where near 50 but I’m anxious for sure. Now I’m thinking that for age 50 and beyond, having my own business might just be the way. What business? I don’t actually know. Just a thought about what would make sense for my future.
The line I keep coming back to is “stop trying to manufacture an interest that isn’t there.” Most advice in this genre can’t bear to say that—it has to promise a hidden passion if you just journal hard enough. There’s a quieter version I’ve lived, where the not-knowing wasn’t a fog to clear so much as a room I had to actually live in for a while before anything honest showed up. The side quests didn’t hand me the answer; they just gave me enough quiet to stop auditioning for the old one. Enjoy the two weeks fully offline—that’s its own kind of side quest. 🫶🏻
Hi Hannah, thank you I needed to read this today, it’s honest and describes exactly how I’m currently feeling. Love the tarot too! It was really insightful
The fog you're describing is its own kind of honesty. Not the brain overworked and needing recovery, but the specific numbness that comes after years of chasing targets that were never actually yours. You say "stop trying to manufacture interest" but the thing you're circling is harder: you've spent so long borrowing other people's definitions of what excites you that you've forgotten what it looks like when something speaks to you first, before the ambition calculates its worth. How do you rebuild a voice when the system that trained you to be excellent at shutting it down was actually, in every measurable way, working?
The distinction between consuming clarity and generating it is the one I'd keep from this whole piece. I spent about two years thinking my way through a career shift that only clarified when I actually did something small and badly. The information you get from that is different from any reading.
I’ve genuinely never heard anyone articulate this feeling in a way that’s so eloquent but still SO relatable. It feels like you’re talking to a friend who’s giving you advice from lived experience. Absolutely loved this one!!
This definitely applied to me when I first started working after being at uni. It was incredibly difficult seeing online all the paths my friends were taking and doubting if you’re making the right choice. You’re right- sometimes we need to step back and take a view. Such a helpful read!
We hit the ground running so young. Study, get the good job, chase the promotion, head down, never coming up for air. Then the older we get, the better we know ourselves (well, I'd like to think we do), and we start questioning what we're actually doing and where it's going. Maybe being stuck isn't a breakdown at all. It's just the first time we’ve had a chance to put our heads up long enough to look around.
Yes!! I quit my management consulting job nearly 10 years ago, and moved to East Africa to build agriculture businesses that serve farmers who make less than 2 dollars a day. I love your point about just doing something, anything! We can only get more data points with more action. PS I am obsessed with a good side quest.
Thanks for sharing this Hannah. Needed to read this today :) it's literally how I am feeling right now. I like the idea of not obsessing over the problem and trying to find a sudden fix immediately
This is a great piece! I liked the points about not overly focussing on the problem, getting out into nature, talking to people and just experimenting with stuff. I think experimentation is how the needle moves anyway, especially when we feel lost or stuck - it's what I'm trying, anyway!
Love your posts Hannah. I quit my job and while in phase #2 of resting it actually gave me the room to think and create, and ultimately inspired me to write on substack and create a wellness app to help regulate the nervous system - https://sakoon.ai
Hi Hannah! I’m way out of your target demographic, but 20 years ago this was me right after getting my MBA from INSEAD and feeling pretty miserable as a management consultant. But I will tell you this — at 50 most of us are still going through the same thing. Getting laid off by ageist Corporate America, having to cover a big mortgage with another 10-20 years of raising kids ahead of us. A steady income these days is a blessing and often more important than excitement at work. If I could go back to 30, I would have picked a path that ages well, where experience is valued as knowledge and wisdom and not a sign of being outdated or expired. Personally I would have become a doctor, but other paths that value age include professor, therapist, politician… okay I guess not that many, I wish there were more. Anyway my point is similar to your first one — this is a problem as old as humans, but it’s also a problem that doesn’t get “solved”. And AI is only making the future of careers more uncertain. These days my thought is this: choose a path that requires you to be a physically present human. I might start over at 50 as a nurse.
Thank you for sharing your retrospective!
This is awesome. One of the things I struggle the most with is finding the motivation to inspire all of the young women coming out of school and looking for advice. I’m starting this account for exactly that
Caroline, this resonates so much! The journey really is the same regardless of when you did your MBA. One thing I'd add, I went into my MBA with significantly more experience than most of my classmates, which shaped my expectations entirely differently. I however fell for the noise of corporate, when I was already past that phase and looking for something deeper, impact, building, sustainability. That gap between what the MBA promises and what it actually delivers on entrepreneurship is real, and I felt it sharply. Like you, I wish I'd spent more time building for myself than playing the traditional MBA game. Your point about choosing paths that age well really hit home, experience should be a currency, not a liability.
Wow what a great response! This really has me thinking. I’ve been thinking a lot about how to “future-proof” my career because of ageism in the work place. I’m no where near 50 but I’m anxious for sure. Now I’m thinking that for age 50 and beyond, having my own business might just be the way. What business? I don’t actually know. Just a thought about what would make sense for my future.
The line I keep coming back to is “stop trying to manufacture an interest that isn’t there.” Most advice in this genre can’t bear to say that—it has to promise a hidden passion if you just journal hard enough. There’s a quieter version I’ve lived, where the not-knowing wasn’t a fog to clear so much as a room I had to actually live in for a while before anything honest showed up. The side quests didn’t hand me the answer; they just gave me enough quiet to stop auditioning for the old one. Enjoy the two weeks fully offline—that’s its own kind of side quest. 🫶🏻
Ok I love this comment bc I’ve never been able to journal consistently in my life and think “just go journal” is the worst advice in the world
Hi Hannah, thank you I needed to read this today, it’s honest and describes exactly how I’m currently feeling. Love the tarot too! It was really insightful
The fog you're describing is its own kind of honesty. Not the brain overworked and needing recovery, but the specific numbness that comes after years of chasing targets that were never actually yours. You say "stop trying to manufacture interest" but the thing you're circling is harder: you've spent so long borrowing other people's definitions of what excites you that you've forgotten what it looks like when something speaks to you first, before the ambition calculates its worth. How do you rebuild a voice when the system that trained you to be excellent at shutting it down was actually, in every measurable way, working?
So true! It’s like the key to incubation effect is slowing down when all you want to do is push harder to solve the problem
This is so helpful, thank you 🫶🏼
I am such a big fan of your content. I started substack because of you and today is my first day. Thanks so much :)
I’m so honored to hear that!!!!
The distinction between consuming clarity and generating it is the one I'd keep from this whole piece. I spent about two years thinking my way through a career shift that only clarified when I actually did something small and badly. The information you get from that is different from any reading.
Really resonated with this one
I’ve genuinely never heard anyone articulate this feeling in a way that’s so eloquent but still SO relatable. It feels like you’re talking to a friend who’s giving you advice from lived experience. Absolutely loved this one!!
Aw happy to hear!
This definitely applied to me when I first started working after being at uni. It was incredibly difficult seeing online all the paths my friends were taking and doubting if you’re making the right choice. You’re right- sometimes we need to step back and take a view. Such a helpful read!
We hit the ground running so young. Study, get the good job, chase the promotion, head down, never coming up for air. Then the older we get, the better we know ourselves (well, I'd like to think we do), and we start questioning what we're actually doing and where it's going. Maybe being stuck isn't a breakdown at all. It's just the first time we’ve had a chance to put our heads up long enough to look around.
Yes!! I quit my management consulting job nearly 10 years ago, and moved to East Africa to build agriculture businesses that serve farmers who make less than 2 dollars a day. I love your point about just doing something, anything! We can only get more data points with more action. PS I am obsessed with a good side quest.
That’s so cool!
Thanks for sharing this Hannah. Needed to read this today :) it's literally how I am feeling right now. I like the idea of not obsessing over the problem and trying to find a sudden fix immediately
This is a great piece! I liked the points about not overly focussing on the problem, getting out into nature, talking to people and just experimenting with stuff. I think experimentation is how the needle moves anyway, especially when we feel lost or stuck - it's what I'm trying, anyway!
Love your posts Hannah. I quit my job and while in phase #2 of resting it actually gave me the room to think and create, and ultimately inspired me to write on substack and create a wellness app to help regulate the nervous system - https://sakoon.ai
Hannah, I've noticed ambition doesn't go away. It just changes direction. What motivated me at 35 is very different from what motivates me at 55.