The Wobbly Middle: Women's Careers In Midlife – Details, episodes & analysis

A career pivot story about rebuilding after redundancy — from risk consultant to magistrate and PhD researcher.

When a long-term relationship ended in her twenties, Pip Symington chose adventure. She landed a job in Asia and spent twenty years working across Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Japan as a risk consultant and loving every minute of it. She said yes to everything, until one day it was gone.

Made redundant and reeling Pip turned to friends and a bit of therapy before redesigning the shape of her working life. She no longer wanted one all-consuming thing. Today, it's family, study, and service that brings fulfilment.

Summary

Pip Symington spent two decades as a risk consultant across Asia before being made redundant — a pain she describes as like "being dumped for the first time." In her wobbly middle, she rebuilt through therapy, a happiness bowl exercise, and the support of friends who helped her see redundancy as an opportunity. Now back in Oxford, Pip has built a portfolio career that balances her PHD research, teaching music, and volunteering as a magistrate. Her story is proof that a career crossroads can lead to more adventures.

Key Topics

- The emotional toll of redundancy and losing your professional identity

- Using therapy and a "happiness bowl" to rediscover what brings you joy

- Building a portfolio career after a career break — balancing study, service, and family

- What it's like to volunteer as a magistrate in the UK justice system

- Why it's never too late to go back to study — and why midlife is the ideal time

Links

- Interested in volunteering as a magistrate? Find out more: https://magistrates.judiciary.uk/how-to-volunteer/

- The Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wobbly-middle/id1767850643

- The Wobbly Middle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YhwsBch8Q9vAOUBBfusIv

- Subscribe to the newsletter: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep21-pip-symington

- Find out more about The Wobbly Middle: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep21-pip-symington

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If You Enjoyed This Episode

You might also our Season 1 episode From Lab to Lifeline with Dr Emily Connally. Like Pip, Emily is an Oxford-based woman who channelled her skills into community service — founding a food bank at the school gate that's now reshaping how local networks respond to food waste. Both episodes show how the wobbly middle can lead to something that serves not just you, but the world around you.

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Help Us Grow

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things that make a real difference:

- Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.

- Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

Want more from Patsy between episodes? Subscribe to the newsletter — it's where the conversation continues: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep21-pip-symington

New to The Wobbly Middle? Find out what we're all about: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep21-pip-symington

Thank you for listening and for supporting independent podcasters.

Season 3 of The Wobbly Middle — real career reinvention stories for women starting over in midlife.

The Wobbly Middle is back with a new season launching on Blue Monday, 19 January — that mid-January moment when morale plummets, resolutions flatline, and job searches spike. So we're sending in reinforcements.

This season, Patsy talks to women who've forged bold new paths in their 40s and beyond — comedians, psychologists, magistrates, and pathfinders who changed direction because something needed to shift. They talk honestly about what worked and the steps they took, so that you can find your own way forward too.

What's Coming in Season 3

Season 3 features women who pivoted careers, returned to work after a break, and took their long-neglected ambitions seriously. Guests include:

- Pip Symington — risk consultant turned magistrate and PhD researcher, building a portfolio career after redundancy

- Rebecca Newman — investigative wellness journalist exploring the neuroscience of goal-setting and vision boards

- Julianne Miles MBE — psychologist and founder of Career Returners, one of the world's largest return-to-work platforms

- Carri Simmons — drama teacher who returned to university at 38 to retrain as a psychologist in South Africa

- Lynn Harris — award-winning journalist, author, activist and founder of GOLD Comedy, a comedy school for women and non-binary people.

Links

- The Wobbly Middle on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-wobbly-middle/id1767850643

- The Wobbly Middle on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4YhwsBch8Q9vAOUBBfusIv

- Subscribe to the newsletter: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep20-season-3-trailer

- Find out more about The Wobbly Middle: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep20-season-3-trailer

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If You Enjoyed This Episode

If you're new to The Wobbly Middle, a wonderful place to start is our first episode with super docs Drs Susanne Hooper and Melanie Hacking who are helping women navigate the hormonal highway. You'll get to know us a little and also learn something from these incredible menopause specialists.

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Help Us Grow

If this episode resonated with you, there are two simple things you can do to make a real difference:

- Leave a review on Apple Podcasts — it only takes a moment, and it's one of the best ways to help new listeners find the show. Every review counts.

- Share this episode with a friend — if you know someone who might be in their own wobbly middle, send them this one. Sometimes knowing you're not alone is all it takes.

Want more from Patsy between episodes? Subscribe to the newsletter — it's where the conversation continues: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep20-season-3-trailer

New to The Wobbly Middle? Find out what we're all about: https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com/about?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=show_notes&utm_campaign=ep20-season-3-trailer

Thank you for listening and for supporting independent podcasting.

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Newsrooms collapsing. Journalism jobs vanishing. Three-time Emmy winner and TV reporter Aundrea Cline-Thomas saw the signs flashing like a breaking news ticker: the industry she loved was falling apart live on air.

Stepping behind the camera, Aundrea launched her own production company, Mountain Court Media, as well as the community initiative The Rewrite to help other journalists navigate their own pivots.

With the poise of a prime-time pro and the candour of a hot mic, she shares the behind-the-scenes on walking away from a career in front of the camera to build a new career — and how others can identify their hidden strengths and skills to do the same.

• (00:00) - Lights, Camera... Pivot!
• (03:38) - Aundrea's Journey into Journalism
• (05:48) - Challenges and Triumphs in Journalism
• (10:31) - The Impact of Empathy and Upbringing
• (11:43) - The Decline of Traditional Media
• (13:27) - Transitioning from Journalism
• (17:10) - Empower Framework for Career Transitions
• (20:37) - Building Confidence and Facing Discomfort
• (26:33) - The Importance of Community and Networking

You can find out more about The Rewrite here.

To hear more from Aundrea, listen to her excellent podcast The NEXT Best Thing. 

Have you navigated your own midlife career wobble?

We want to hear EVERYTHING. The disasters, the triumphs, the moments you thought "I've made a terrible mistake" before realising it was actually GENIUS. Email us at stories@thewobblymiddle.com. Seriously. Tell us EVERYTHING. We want to hear your story—whether it’s messy, magnificent, or still mid-wobble. 

Email us at stories@thewobblymiddle.com and join the conversation.

About the Hosts:

Susannah de Jager has just relocated to Abu Dhabi, where she’s podcasting, consulting with start-ups, and occasionally advising on scale-up capital. After leaving her role as CEO of a boutique asset manager, she asked the all-important question: what next? Five years later, she’s following her curiosity —The Wobbly Middle is for her and every woman doing the same.

Patsy Day is a lawyer on a break—and a podcast producer. She’s worked everywhere from London to Ho Chi Minh City, but these days she lives in Oxford. Patsy is knee-deep into podcast production for SafeHouse Amsterdam (launching 2025) and co-hosting The Wobbly Middle. 

Do you feel a pull towards something new but aren’t sure what’s next?

So do we! Following a No. 1 ranking on Apple Podcasts GB Careers chart, hosts Susannah de Jager and Patsy Day—who leapt off their own corporate career ladders—return for Season 2 on Wednesday, April 23 with more inspiring conversations about bold career shifts, unexpected opportunities, and the skills we’ve been quietly building all along.

This season, they sit down with women who’ve made remarkable career moves, including:

• An Emmy-winning reporter who stepped behind the camera to launch her own media company
• A civil engineer who swapped steel beams for gem stones and built a thriving jewellery co
• A lawyer who laid down the law to create a game-changing period care empire.

Whether you’re making a big leap, a strategic shift, or a slow-burn transition, The Wobbly Middle is here to help you recognise the value of what you already know and use it to build what comes next.

This season also brings bonus content—extra interview snippets, behind-the-scenes moments, and practical career advice to help you take your own next step.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Wednesday. Follow now so you never miss an episode. 

SHARE YOUR STORY: whether you're in the wobbly middle or have made it through to the other side, we’d love to hear from you! Email us at stories@thewobblymiddle.com

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER:  thewobblymiddle.substack.com 

LEARN MORE ON SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

FOLLOW US on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook @thewobblymiddle

ABOUT THE HOSTS:

Susannah de Jager is consulting to start-ups and occasionally advising on scale-up capital having left her role as CEO of a boutique asset manager. She is also host of Oxford+, a podcast exploring the myths and truths of the Oxford investing landscape.

Patsy Day is an intellectual property lawyer on a break. She has worked on all things IP from anti-counterfeiting to publishing and from London to Ho Chi Minh City and back again. Patsy lives in Oxford and is producing the podcast SafeHouse Amsterdam (out 2025). 

Donna was in her 40s when she picked up a camera. A stay-at-home mum in a new country, she poured her passion for food into a blog to fill the long school days. Good photos were essential, so—like every resourceful mother—she taught herself. The result? Drool-worthy, award-winning images that launched a stellar career.

Now in her 50s, professional food photographer Donna Crous has cancer. With the same creativity, determination, and heart that shaped her career, she’s using her Diary of a Booby Queen to educate women about secondary breast cancer and to give them the courage to advocate for themselves.

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (00:16) - Susannah's Week of Perspective
• (01:20) - Patsy's Small Steps Approach
• (02:11) - Introducing Donna Crous
• (04:57) - Donna's Journey: From Banking to Baking
• (09:47) - The Leap into Food Photography
• (22:12) - Facing Cancer: Donna's Story
• (25:46) - Advocacy and Final Thoughts

This is the final episode of Season One. Thank you for your support and encouragement. That the response has so far exceeded our expectations shows that The Wobbly Middle is striking a chord. Women are recognizing themselves in these stories of career reinvention, and they’re feeling seen, heard, and inspired to reimagine the shape of their own careers. We’re committed to continuing this conversation and energizing women to seek purpose, passion, and fulfillment in their midlife chapters.

Season 2 is coming soon. In the meantime, you can stay up to date by signing up for our newsletter on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook @thewobblymiddle.

About the hosts:
Susannah de Jager has just moved to Abu Dhabi. She is podcasting, consulting to start-ups, and occasionally advising on scale-up capital, having left her role as CEO of a boutique asset manager and asked, "What next?" In the last five years, she has forged a new path following her passions and interests. This podcast is for her and for all those like her.

Patsy Day is a lawyer on a break. As an intellectual property specialist, she has worked on everything from anti-counterfeiting to publishing and from London to Ho Chi Minh City and back again. Patsy lives in Oxford and is currently immersed in podcasts, producing SafeHouse Amsterdam (out 2025), and co-hosting The Wobbly Middle.

Notebooks at the ready—this is a masterclass in taking ideas to thriving ventures from one of the UK’s most dynamic businesswomen. Debbie Wosskow OBE has built, scaled, and sold multimillion-pound businesses, including Love Home Swap, and now leads the charge for female founded businesses with the £250 million Invest in Women Taskforce and her new venture The Better Menopause.

In this candid conversation, Debbie shares the lessons learned from decades of experience: the sunlit uplands as well as the darkness. With a different business for every decade of her life, Debbie’s playbook is packed with insights to inspire your next move.

• (00:00) - The Wobbly Middle S1 E7 Debbie Wosskow
• (02:11) - Debbie's Early Career and Success
• (05:07) - Personal Reinvention and Challenges
• (15:19) - Building and Leading Female-Focused Businesses
• (24:46) - Navigating Uncertainty and Personal Growth

If you are in the wobbly middle of your career, please share your story with us via our socials or email us at thewobblymiddle@gmail.com. We'd love to hear what’s on your mind - and if you're out the other side, please let us know how you got there!

About the hosts:
Susannah de Jager has just moved to Abu Dhabi. She is podcasting, consulting to start-ups and occasionally advising on scale-up capital having left her role as CEO of a boutique asset manager and asked "what next?”. In the last five years she has forged a new path following her passions and interests. This podcast is for her and for all those like her.

Patsy Day is a lawyer on a break. As an intellectual property specialist, she has worked on everything from anti-counterfeiting to publishing and from London to Ho Chi Minh City and back again. Patsy lives in Oxford and is currently immersed in podcasts producing SafeHouse Amsterdam (out 2025) and co-hosting, The Wobbly Middle.

Born in the New Mexico deserts where running water was a luxury, Dr. Emily Connally was an unlikely contender for the ivory towers of Harvard and Oxford — but with grit, brilliance, and a touch of rebellion, she soared. Yet her greatest achievements may not be in the lab...

When the pandemic struck, Emily applied the same expertise she used to map the brain’s complex pathways to chart a thriving grassroots network. Starting with a schoolgate foodbank, she built Cherwell Collective which is transforming how local networks tackle food waste and sustainability.

From elite academia to community hero, listen to Emily’s warm, uplifting tale of courage, ingenuity, and the power of pivoting when it matters most.

• (00:00) -
• (01:37) - Introducing Dr. Emily Connally
• (02:53) - Emily's Early Life and Education
• (05:33) - Challenges and Triumphs in Academia
• (11:37) - Activism and Union Leadership at Arizona
• (19:30) - The Birth of Cherwell Collective
• (24:34) - Cherwell Collective's Impact and Future Plans

If you are in the wobbly middle of your career, please share your story with us via our socials or email us at thewobblymiddle@gmail.com. We'd love to hear what’s on your mind - and if you're out the other side, please let us know how you got there!

To learn more about Cherwell Collective, visit https://www.cherwellcollective.com/

About the hosts:

Susannah de Jager has just moved to Abu Dhabi. She is podcasting, consulting to start-ups and occasionally advising on scale-up capital having left her role as CEO of a boutique asset manager and asked "what next?”. In the last five years she has forged a new path following her passions and interests. This podcast is for her and for all those like her.

Patsy Day is a lawyer on a break. As an intellectual property specialist, she has worked on everything from anti-counterfeiting to publishing and from London to Ho Chi Minh City and back again. Patsy lives in Oxford and is currently immersed in podcasts producing SafeHouse Amsterdam (out 2025) and co-hosting, The Wobbly Middle.

Sophie was 37 when she was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. Recovered but with a heavy dose of heartache, she had a choice to make: return to the legal career she had spent years building or follow her passion into the fires of the kitchen.

With humour, grit, and inspiring zest, Sophie Archer reveals how her strength grew to fuel her culinary dreams - all the way to MasterChef: The Professionals. This is a story that will ignite your own ambitions and leave you hungry for possibility.

New episodes of The Wobble Middle, released fortnightly. For additional insights, read The Wobbly Middle on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @thewobblymiddle.

If you are in the wobbly middle of your career, please share your story with us via our socials or email us at thewobblymiddle@gmail.com. We'd love to hear what’s on your mind - and if you're out the other side, please let us know how you got there!

• (00:00) - From Courtroom to Chef’s Kitchen: A Feast of Grit and Glory
• (02:17) - Introducing Sophie Archer
• (06:26) - The Shift from Law to the Culinary Arts
• (12:16) - Building a New Career
• (18:03) - The Kitchen of Dreams
• (27:43) - Reflections and Future Plans
• (28:52) - Sophie's MasterChef Experience
• (30:11) - How to Cook a Gremlin Podcast
• (31:34) - Conclusion and Farewell

About the hosts:

Susannah de Jager has just moved to Abu Dhabi. She is podcasting, consulting to start-ups and occasionally advising on scale-up capital having left her role as CEO of a boutique asset manager and asked "what next?”. In the last five years she has forged a new path following her passions and interests. This podcast is for her and for all those like her.

Patsy Day is a lawyer on a break. As an intellectual property specialist, she has worked on everything from anti-counterfeiting to publishing and from London to Ho Chi Minh City and back again. Patsy lives in Oxford and is currently immersed in podcasts producing SafeHouse Amsterdam (out 2025) and co-hosting, The Wobbly Middle.

Midwife Nina Van Schaick felt a deep calling to support mothers through the transformative experience of childbirth. But as she witnessed the trauma caused by failures in maternal care, she knew change was urgently needed. With less than 2% of pharmaceutical R&D dedicated to maternal health, Nina decided to take action herself.

Join the warm, funny, and bold FemTech innovator as she shares how she moved from the delivery suite to the boardroom to create meaningful change for women’s health.

• (00:00) - Introduction to The Wobbly Middle
• (03:08) - Nina's Journey into Midwifery
• (05:39) - The Emotional Spectrum of Midwifery
• (08:04) - Challenges and Changes in Midwifery
• (12:11) - Innovating with PeriPear
• (20:00) - Empowering Women in Midlife

New episodes of The Wobble Middle are released fortnightly. For additional insights, read The Wobbly Middle on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @thewobblymiddle.

If you are in the wobbly middle of your career, please share your story with us via our socials or email us at thewobblymiddle@gmail.com. We'd love to hear what’s on your mind - and if you're out the other side, please let us know how you got there!

About the hosts:

Susannah de Jager has just moved to Abu Dhabi. She is podcasting, consulting to start-ups and occasionally advising on scale-up capital having left her role as CEO of a boutique asset manager and asked "what next?”. In the last five years she has forged a new path following her passions and interests. This podcast is for her and for all those like her.

Patsy Day is a lawyer on a break. As an intellectual property specialist, she has worked on everything from anti-counterfeiting to publishing and from London to Ho Chi Minh City and back again. Patsy lives in Oxford and is currently immersed in podcasts producing SafeHouse Amsterdam (out 2025) and co-hosting, The Wobbly Middle.

What happens when one of the most influential woman in the City resigns at the top of her game? Dame Helena Morrissey stunned the financial world when she stepped down as CEO of Newton Asset Management at 50 — without a fully formed plan. In this compelling episode, Helena opens up about the unfinished business that drove her forward; and how she learned to embrace discomfort as she forged a new path. 

As one of the most prominent advocates for equal pay and opportunity, Helena also sets out her powerful vision for getting more mid-career women into investment roles. Listen in to hear how she’s making an impact yet again, transforming the future of women in finance. 

New episodes of The Wobble Middle are released fortnightly. For additional insights, read The Wobbly Middle on Substack. You can also find us on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook @thewobblymiddle. 

https://thewobblymiddle.substack.com

If you are in the wobbly middle of your career, please share your story with us via our socials or email us at thewobblymiddle@gmail.com. We'd love to hear what’s inspiring you or if you have a question for us - and if you're out the other side, please let us know how you got there!

About the hosts:

Susannah de Jager has just moved to Abu Dhabi. She is podcasting, consulting to start-ups and occasionally advising on scale-up capital having left her role as CEO of a boutique asset manager and asked "what next?”. In the last five years she has forged a new path following her passions and interests. This podcast is for her and for all those like her.

Patsy Day is a lawyer on a break. She has worked on all things IP from anti-counterfeiting to publishing and from London to Ho Chi Minh City and back again. Patsy lives in Oxford and is currently immersed in podcasts producing SafeHouse Amsterdam (out 2025) and co-hosting The Wobbly Middle.