I’ve had a few jobs in my life, can’t say I really liked any of them. They were all a means to an end, a paycheque.  Looking back now, I see they felt different when I was in my 20s and 30s. Maybe it was because my focus then was on trying to build a life, it didn’t go as planned, not even close, but that’s a story for another day.  Maybe I didn’t have the work experience yet. Or maybe back then, I just had decent bosses. 

That started to change when I was in my mid-to-late 40s. I worked three different jobs while I was in my 40s; the first one I was at for 10 years, but they closed the office in my city when I was 45; the second one started okay, but turned bad, so I quit; the third job I actually really liked…until I didn’t. 

I discovered a lot about myself working at that last job.  Like what I was willing to put up with, and what I wasn’t. But most importantly, I learned that my values, morals, and integrity trump any paycheque.  

How I Reached My Breaking Point

It was 2021, and I had just started my new job, which was work-from-home at a local company.  It was chaotic, disorganized as all get out, communication was sorely lacking, but I liked my new job.  My boss listened to me and treated me with respect.  I felt appreciated, heard, and understood. For the first bit, anyway.  

I was hired to answer the phone and collect bill payments from customers.   My role quickly changed to include sales and scheduling our installer technicians, with other small projects thrown in.  It was a lot, but I managed.  I found myself working weekends just to keep up, but I still liked the job. 

But then things changed.

9 Hour Shifts, No Breaks, And A Toxic Manager

A couple of years in, a new COO came onto the scene.  A family member of the boss.  It started out ok, but turned to shit pretty fast. 

Suddenly, I was being micromanaged on everything.  The trust, appreciation, and respect that I felt before were out the window.

The beginning of the end:

I worked 9-hour shifts with no breaks.  

I would get called out in the group chat for logging off the phone to gasp, use the damn bathroom, or take my dog out for a quick pee.  

Customers were left hanging for weeks, all because the new COO just couldn’t let anyone do the job they were hired for; EVERYTHING had to go through him.  

He talked over people and told them they were wrong when they were right, just a flat-out prick.

I was told I was no longer allowed to call my actual boss; I was to only talk to him. 

The new salesperson walked on eggshells with the fear of being fired.

I’m a pretty outspoken chick, so naturally, I called up my actual boss and voiced my concerns.  He told me that the COO “was in the military and expects things to be his way or the highway.”  Maybe that works on a base, but it sure as hell didn’t work for me. 

I have a boatload of experience in customer service and technical support.  I worked for years troubleshooting internet and cell phone issues. And over the years, I’ve had far too many men tell me to put a man on the phone, as there is no way a woman could know anything. This COO was starting to remind me of those men.  

Shit went from bad to worse. 

Employees were quitting.  Installers were working overtime every day. Customers were cancelling because they were pissed at how they were treated. Everybody was being told something different. Nobody knew what the fuck they were supposed to be doing, and somehow it was our fault.

One employee was fired because his doctor put him on light duty for a shoulder injury; the COO said he was lying and just looking for some easy days.

A new hire was called a slacker a couple of days in.

Some customers had 5 days to pay their bill, some 1 day and others 30 days, depending on where they lived.  

The COO’s 19-year-old daughter made the same wage as I did 6 months after she started. Go figure.  Family first seemed to apply here.

All of these things stacked up. 

Now, I’m not saying I was a perfect employee, because I wasn’t. But I knew I needed to get out of there. 

So I started planning my escape. 

I had wanted my own website for years, but I kept telling myself I didn’t have the time and that I wasn’t ready.  Yup, a bunch of damn excuses.

But I was ready now. 

So I started taking courses at night after I put in my 9 hours.  I didn’t have much free time in those days; it seemed I was either working, learning, or planning.  I needed to get my ducks in a row so I could say see ya later to this shitty job.

So I took a week off.  

The Vacation That Changed Everything

In September 2024, my much-needed vacation time finally arrived.  I spent the week with my dad finishing the cleanup in my yard — an unwanted gift of garbage and old vehicles my ex left behind. 

One thought played on repeat the entire week: 

How can I get them to lay me off?

I knew I didn’t want to go from one toxic job to another. I was over making money for other people while I still lived paycheque to paycheque. But I didn’t have any savings, so quitting was off the table.  The only thing that would work was to get laid off. 

I knew the COO didn’t like me, and I knew I didn’t like him.  I also knew the office gossip was reporting back everything I said.  And I didn’t fucking care. 

All that mattered was getting the fuck out.  I either had to stick around until I could quit or I needed a layoff.

The  Stars Align

The day came far too fast. I had to go back to the job I dreaded.  

I knew immediately on my first day back that something had shifted while I was away. I didn’t know what it was, but I knew it had something to do with me.  

The office gossip was actively avoiding talking to me for any length of time. The COO didn’t speak to me at all. I carried on, waiting for the shoe to drop. 

Well, I didn’t wait long; it dropped a couple of days later.

When “Outspoken” Becomes “Restructuring”

I started my shift at 8 am, like always, shortly after my phone rang; it was the COO. 

He started the conversation with the classic “I hate to do this” type of speech and went on to tell me that due to a company “restructuring,” I would be laid off; this was my 2-weeks notice.  

Thank you, universe! 

I knew the reason was bullshit, but I didn’t care.  

My mouth was probably the reason, but instead of just saying it straight — something I respect — I was given a generic bullshit reason.  

My “Woo-Fucking-Hoo” Moment

As soon as I heard the words, I asked, “Do I need to be here for those 2 weeks?”  

The answer was you need to ask the boss (the guy who hired me).  I shot off a text asking if I was expected to stay or if I could be done immediately.  He called me a while later and said I could be done now, and that was it. I thought he would at least give me an honest answer, but there was no conversation at all. Truth be told, that stung a bit.  The remaining respect I had for him flew out the window. 

The first thing I did after I hung up the phone?

I danced around my kitchen, shouting:

 “Hell yes, I’m free.”  

I know a lot of people react to layoffs with panic or embarrassment. 

“What am I going to do now?”  

“How am I going to pay my bills?” 

I didn’t feel any of that.  I felt free.

What I had been thinking and visualizing actually happened!  Gone were the days of stress and frustration.   

And I knew exactly what my next move would be.

Life After Layoff (What I’m Up To Now)

Finally, after all these years, I was actually going to take the leap and create my own website!  I was going to start living my dream!  

All I needed to figure out was how in the hell to make a website and what exactly I wanted it to be about.

That was a whole new learning curve for me, a big one. I made mistakes, and I had moments of frustration. Sometimes the only way to release it was to scream (that works by the way). My dog wondered what the hell was wrong with me, though. 

I knew I was smart enough to figure it out.

I was already pretty proud of myself for doing all the things my dad and I had done in the yard, for a 51-year-old chick and an 85-year-old guy.  We rocked it!  

I knew I could climb this mountain, too.

Choosing Uncertainty Over “Safe” 

I launched my website in November 2025! 

After a lot of thought, I knew what I wanted: a space for midlife women to take back control of their lives.

It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but I did it.  

The day the site went live was one of the proudest in my life.  I proved to myself once again:

I can do the hard things — by myself.  

I still live with uncertainty, though: 

Can I make a living with my site?  

Will I need to get another job that I don’t want if I can’t?  

What does my future hold?

But ya know what, I wouldn’t trade any of that to go back to my safe biweekly paycheque at a dead-end job that did nothing but stress me the fuck out. 

I have never felt this kind of joy in my life; this much freedom.

Here I am today at 53, single, caring for my dad, working on building a life I want.  The life that I deserve to have, to be my own person, make my own rules, and do whatever the fuck I want.

I haven’t figured it all out yet, I’m still getting my feet wet, but one thing I do know is that I am never going to stop trying.

Life has taught me that I can do anything I set my mind to.  It might not be easy.  The road may be rocky. There will be ‘failures’ or, more accurately, lessons learned. But I am going to do my damndest to never have to go back to a job that gets me nowhere.  

I have never been much of a worrier, and I have no plans to start being one now.  

The uncertainty of the future can just be what it will be.  I have no control over that. 

I will focus on living my best life. A life that I choose.

My time for reinvention started when I was 49.  I’m not done yet. I might never be, and that’s ok.

What I do know is that I wouldn’t change anything about the journey I am on. 

They say your 50s are your best years. So far, for me, that is absolutely true. 

What’s Your “Hell Yes” Moment?

So, sister, what about you?  

Are you still waiting for your next hell yes moment?  Are you thinking that you might need a career change, too? 

Or maybe your next hell yes moment has nothing to do with your job.  That’s fine, it doesn’t need to.  

Whatever it might be, just know that if something doesn’t fit in your life anymore, you need to start figuring out your next move to change it and get to your hell yes moment!

Is it time to take your power back? 

After the layoff, one of the first things I did was figure out what actually mattered to me: my strengths and values.  Not what they were 20 years ago, but now.  If you’re trying to figure that out, too, start there. 

Ask yourself: What’s the worst and the best that can come from taking a risk and doing what you really want to do? I do this a lot. When you can clearly see what the worst and the best-case scenarios might look like, it makes it easier to see what lies in the middle, because that’s probably where you’re going to land. 

So tell me, what is your ‘woo-fucking-hoo’ moment?  Drop a comment and tell me your story!  I wanna hear about it and how you’re kicking ass in your midlife chapter.

If you’re in the messy middle of your own reinvention, sister, you’re not alone.

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