Co - Founder

Ingrid Fawcott

As a woman in midlife, I have felt and seen first-hand the challenges that this time of life can bring.

Whether it was working for myself, working for ABC Life Support and bringing up a family, I’ve always wanted to do something positive. I returned to work during lockdown in 2020 as I wanted to be part of a growing organisation and work in a team again. 

This has been a great experience, but I felt that I could do more. Having talked to friends, I could see this midlife was hard but who could support women like me who feel like they are at a crossroads in their job or career?

Sally and the idea of Midlife360 came along at exactly the right time, and it was something that I felt was much needed that I could add value and my experience to. Being able to create a social enterprise which aims to tackle the barriers faced by women in midlife to thrive at work really sparked my imagination. Working with women and employers to encourage, train and develop together to create a culture of understanding and growth – what a plan! 

Talking to friends, I had seen the challenges of midlife and how it was affecting the confidence, self-belief and value of women around me. Life is never easy but add extra factors including illness, bereavement, caring responsibilities, children leaving home, the feeling of sameness, feeling unfulfilled at work and overlooked by employers can either bring an epiphany or in many cases a feeling of deep sadness. 

I knew that Midlife360 could help to alleviate these feelings by bringing women together to support each other, train, retrain and coach these amazing humans. 

Just because we are in midlife, it doesn’t mean we have to settle, whether this be at work or anywhere else in our lives. 

Lived experience is a valuable resource, one which is often overlooked by our employers. We want to change how women in midlife are seen in the workplace and enable employers to recognise these skills, understanding and value. We want them to feel empowered to make changes and to develop themselves both professionally and personally.

We are in this together, midlife isn’t just about menopause, it is about making the most of yourself wherever you work or belong. 

Co - Founder

Sally Field

Following a fulfilling career in IT, I took a long break to raise a family and focus on volunteering within the third sector.

Approaching the age of 50 and attempting to re-enter the workforce in 2019, I encountered scepticism from potential employers regarding the transferability of my skills, along with age discrimination. 

Driven by an inclination towards entrepreneurship, I was able to pivot from this very demoralising situation and started my own business - SIMBEO, a Business Development Consultancy supporting socially driven organisations within the East of England. 

However, the echoes of 2019 lingered, and I increasingly heard far too many similar stories from midlife women struggling to re-enter the workforce. Many simply sought meaningful employment and a chance to contribute productively.

I was fortunate to be based in Cambridgeshire, a region which boasts a collaborative, well networked business community with a strong presence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and I knew that if changes could be made to equip and welcome midlife women into age-positive work cultures, this was the place to do it. Even more so given the challenges of the skills and talent shortage across the region.

Invigorated with insights from the RAND Europe / Cambridge Ahead 2023 research, which further highlighted the challenge, I began to formulate a plan and rally support. 
It was during this phase that fate intervened, and I met Ingrid Fawcett, a staunch advocate for social enterprises. 

Together, we enrolled on the Social Ventures Weekend at The Judge Business School, swiftly followed by Allia’s three-month Social Enterprise Programme. These experiences propelled us from ideation to a solid business plan, instilling in us the confidence that we could indeed establish a new benchmark for midlife women. 

This story is just beginning, and I am beyond excited to be part of this community and movement.