We’re leading in a world where the maps we’ve relied on for generations no longer match the landscape of life or business. Work is being reshaped by AI, demographic shifts, and escalating complexity. The workforce is ageing. The pace is accelerating. And the future is increasingly unpredictable.
In this environment, leadership isn’t about having the answers and following familiar paths. It’s about being adaptive, deeply human, and able to navigate through ambiguity with clarity and courage.
Traditional leadership models, often rooted in hierarchy, certainty, and control, are no longer fit for the current and emerging context. What’s needed now is a shift from expert-knower to curious learner, from hero-leader to community builder, from performance at all costs to leadership that includes well-being, a willingness to experiment, and sustainable ways of working.
And while this shift is happening around us, as midlife women leaders, it’s also happening within us.
Many of the women we work with describe midlife as a time of subtle, and sometimes seismic, transition. Confidence can waver, energy may ebb, and questions about purpose, identity, and ambition rise to the surface.
You’re still performing. Still achieving. But you’re also quietly asking: Is this it? What do I really want for the next chapter? Who is me V2.0?
This is not a breakdown, it’s a breakthrough. Midlife can be a powerful turning point. A time to integrate everything you’ve lived and learned so far, and become the leader you’re truly here to be.
At katebilling.com, we believe midlife women are uniquely positioned to lead in a world without maps, not in spite of these changes, but because of them.
We want you to know: you’re not lost, you’re arriving.
And you’re not alone. You’re in extraordinary company.
‘Midlife’ is a label we might be bit uncomfortable with. It smacks of negative stereotypes about our identity and visibility, and limiting stories about our value and potential. But its where we find ourselves. In the middle of life.
Midlife is an experience characterised by transformation and introspection. With 45+ years of life under our belts, we have accumulated vast experience, honed our skills, and navigated numerous professional and personal challenges and milestones. Yet, at a time when we should be at the height of our powers, we run headlong into obstacles specific to this life stage that can knock us off course, hinder our progress, and undermine our confidence.
From the subtle biases and stereotypes that persist in our own minds and our workplaces, to the societal expectations that shape our roles as women, parents and caregivers. From balancing responsibilities and priorities across multiple (often conflicting) domains, to juggling career aspirations with our partners or doing it all alone. From dealing with the stigma of peri/menopause and the bias of gendered ageism, to redefining our identities: we find ourselves in a space between who we were and who we are yet to become.
‘When Lightning Strikes’ is a fortnightly update from Kate on all things midlife leadership.
A first of its kind human-centred development community for midlife women leaders.
A 6-month development programme to help you embrace the midlife power of your leadership.
“Kate is a marvel and the best leadership specialist I’ve worked with. Kate brings an incredible level of energy combined with groundedness, humour and pragmatism. She masterfully gets to your innermost triggers and enables you to move through your own dawning reality, identifying what needs to be true to make significant and impactful changes. I can’t recommend her enough.”
Nic Simpson
Chief People Officer
“I’ve worked with Kate in two organisations now, and each time she has had a significant impact. She brings so much knowledge of how humans think and behave from across multiple disciplines and distils it into what the group needs most at that stage in our journey. With Kate it’s more than imparting knowledge, it’s about listening, challenging, joining dots and guiding us to the aha moments we need to have, then holding us accountable for what we say we’ll do.”
Sarah Able
Chief People Officer
“Kate is an impact player and an incredibly gifted facilitator who is curious about everything. What I love about her, (apart from being super cool!) is that she cares deeply about people and is passionate about connected leaders and fully human organisations. Kate is simply one of the best humans I’ve worked with.”
Nicky Ashton
Managing Director
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