Kate Schaefers was a guest on the Forward From 50 podcast in December, where she shared why the restlessness so many people feel after turning 50 isn’t a crisis but an invitation. In the conversation, Kate explores how longer lives are breaking the old three-box model of learning, earning and retirement, and why midlife is better understood as a time of reinvention rather than winding down.
Kate also reflects on how purpose in midlife doesn’t have to take the form of one big, overwhelming mission. Instead, she emphasizes the power of small, everyday purpose — along with curiosity, community and experimenting with new possibilities — as ways to move forward when life feels uncertain or stuck. She describes the “messy middle” as the space between who we were and who we are becoming, a stage rich with time, wisdom and possibility. Listen to the podcast
