Midlife Reinvention: How I Rebuilt My Career, Health, and Confidence After Losing My Job in My 50s
Two Years After Losing My Job in My 50s, I Rebuilt Everything - Here’s What I’ve Learned
Two years ago, I lost my corporate job.
I was in my 50s. I was the sole provider for my kids. And I was completely blindsided.
My role was eliminated after 10 years of loyalty - ended in a twelve-second conversation:
“I’m not going to beat around the bush. Today is your last day.”
No humanity.
No acknowledgment of what that would mean for me, my family, or my future.
Just like that, it was over.
I was left with a mortgage, two kids, and no idea what I was going to do.
It was more than a job loss - it was an identity crisis.
losing your job in your 50’s is not like losing it in your 20’s.
There’s more on the line.
More fear.
More pressure.
And perceptually fewer easy roads forward.
But looking back now, I see that moment as the start of something bigger:
It was the end of playing small. The end of being a victim. The end of abandoning myself.
I Rebuilt Every Part of My Life. And I Did It Without Extremes.
The last two years have been a journey of rebuilding, reclaiming, and completely redefining what I want my life to look like.
I didn’t do it overnight.
I didn’t do it with shortcuts.
I didn’t do it with time or money to spare while I “figured it out”.
I did it with clarity, consistency, and deep self-trust.
Here’s what’s changed:
💼 Career Reinvention: Starting a New Chapter in Midlife
Today, I run a thriving fractional marketing consultancy, supporting seven deeply aligned clients. I’m also a certified hypnotherapist and coach, helping others create the same kind of authentic, values-based success I’ve built for myself.
I don’t chase corporate titles anymore.
I choose projects and people that align.
And I’ve never felt more energized by my work.
This career didn’t exist for me at 53.
Now, at 55, it’s the most fulfilling I’ve ever known.
💛 Relationship Healing: Leaving Patterns That Don’t Serve
During this time, I also ended a 3-year relationship that had quietly been undoing years of personal growth.
It was familiar, but not healthy.
Comfortable - mostly, but not nourishing.
I knew it had to end if I wanted to thrive.
So I chose me.
And for the first time in my adult life, I’m decidedly single - and genuinely happy.
I’m not waiting to be chosen.
I choose myself.
The peace that comes with that? It’s unmatched.
💪 Health Transformation at Midlife: 25 Pounds Down Without Extremes
While healing my career and relationships, I also reclaimed my health.
In my early 50s, I gained nearly 30 pounds -thanks to the stress of a toxic job and relationship.
At my next doctor’s appointment, the look on her face said it all: this wasn’t working. She basically gave me an ultimatum and a reality check that I hadn’t experienced from her before.
So I got serious. But not extreme.
I didn’t cut carbs. I didn’t take medication. I didn’t deprive myself.
I used an app. I tracked my macros.
I still enjoyed wine. I still ate dessert. Still do!
Over the course of a year, I lost 25 pounds - the sustainable way.
No crash diets. No shame. Just steady, loving consistency.
How I Did It All: Healing, Honesty, and Daily Self-Leadership
This wasn’t just a “glow up.”
It was deep, gritty emotional work.
How did I transform everything? It wasn’t magic. It was the messy, unsexy, often inconvenient kind of healing. Like this:
Journaling (even when it made no sense at first)
Crying - like, a lot
Using my “scream pillow” - it’s a little unicorn
Coaching myself through the hard days
Telling myself the truth - even when it hurt
Hypnotherapy sessions that cracked me wide open
Letting go of people, beliefs, and habits that no longer fit
Making small daily promises to myself (and actually keeping them)
Literally talking to myself out loud - pep talks in the car, in the shower, at the grocery store
Being honest with people close to me about how I was really doing - without attaching shame or needing them to fix it
Walking past the wine aisle like it was a toxic ex (sometimes circling back... let’s be honest)
Stretching instead of scrolling (not every time, but more often than before)
Setting boundaries I used to be too afraid to speak out loud
Celebrating 1-pound weight losses like they were Olympic medals
Reading books that reminded me who I really am
Letting go of the “old me” one brave decision at a time
Saying “no” when I meant it and “yes” when I meant it
Rebuilding self-trust in micro-moments
Learning to rest without guilt
Realizing that self-love isn’t bubble baths - it’s accountability, integrity, and courage
No, every day didn’t bring a breakthrough.
But every day was a brick in the foundation I was rebuilding.
And two years later, that foundation is strong.
To Anyone in Their 40s, 50s, or Beyond - This Is Your Reminder: It’s Not Too Late
If you’ve lost your job, your direction, your spark…
If you’ve found yourself at midlife asking, “Is this really it?”
Let me tell you: it’s not too late.
You can reinvent yourself.
You can heal what’s been heavy.
You can start again - stronger, wiser, and more in alignment than ever.
But it starts with honesty.
It starts with small promises to yourself.
It starts with believing that your life isn’t over just because one chapter closed.
Final Thoughts
At 50, I couldn’t look myself in the mirror without crying.
At 55, I see a woman who is thriving - because she chose herself.
And if I can do it?
So can you.