I'm having a mid-life crisis

In September last year I resigned from my role as a Director of a youth mental health organisation with no real plan for the future. I had been in my role for four years and worked with an amazing group of colleagues with a real purpose, and yet I felt like it was time for a 'big' change.

My career has been a bit of a patch work quilt thanks to motherhood and my husband's career, which moved us around. I also chose to live in the UK for two years in my late twenties (working holiday). However for the main part I have done government and desk-based roles, except for that one time I ran a seniors centre in Balmain (hardest job ever with a lovely but forthright group of seniors).

The first stage of my mid-life crisis was creating Brave Smart Strong. After working in mental health it always surprised me that many people didn't know the basics of self care or prioritise it. And sometimes that's understandable because when things aren't going well eating bad food, binge watching Netflix and enjoying a bottle of wine brings comfort. Buts it's not sustainable long term.

The Find Your Calm bracelet is a self care reminder, as well as a reminder not to believe everything you think (hit those bad thoughts on the head, shovel) and of your inner strength (the lighthouse). I know when my own kids come home from school sad and out of sorts we go through the options of how to feel better from the charm bracelet ... often after snacking down a naughty treat first. And do you know what, it usually (not always) works.

Starting Brave Smart Strong has been a steep learning curve. I learned how to build a website, about ecommerce, supply chains and sales. I have been very blessed to have been helped along by friends and family, and most recently the amazing Rebecca Sparrow.

The other thing I have been doing is staging properties for sale, and I love it. It's active, creative, hard work and incredibly rewarding. I love creating luxurious bedrooms, with crisp clean bedding, plump pillows and of course that throw rug that looks so effortlessly placed at the end of the bed. I work with a very talented colleague, Virginia who started the business from scratch and is still building her reputation. Shameless plug for Canberra and wider area, if you need home staging for an upcoming sale try Smoke and Mirrors Styling (Instagram @smokeandmirrorstyling, website coming soon).

And to pay the bills, I am also doing a little bit of consulting work on the side ... but not too much!

It's been a period of ups and downs. Days when I feel energized and motivated and other days where I worry about the future long term. I have been trying to make time for self care, particularly to exercise regularly and get good sleep. One of the positives is being around more for the kids, which they love, although we are still not getting much homework done!

I'm also lucky that I have a supportive husband and that with a few tweaks we have been able to economise a little to make this all work.

So if you are stuck in a bit of a rut, I truly encourage a mid-life crisis or making some changes. It doesn't have to be big, it can be taking a class you have always wanted to do, making more time for yourself to avoid overwhelm, getting out into nature or learning to play the banjo (one suggestion for me from a former colleague!). Because in the end we get one life to live, so it's worth taking a few risks along the way.

So now I'm looking at my mid-life crisis not as a crisis, but as a mid-life transformation.