The Hero’s Journey is the framework behind films such as Star Wars, The Lion King, and The Hunger Games. It describes a journey of personal transformation. I spent a year testing whether it describes what midlife career transitions actually feel like. The findings might surprise you.
A free guide drawn from my original research – sixteen people, their stories, and what they revealed about midlife career transitions.
What’s inside
The Hero’s Journey is one of the oldest storytelling frameworks in human history. I wanted to know whether it could be applied to a specific kind of personal transformation: midlife career change.
My research, qualitative interviews with sixteen people who had been through a midlife career transition, conducted as part of my MSc in Coaching for Behavioural Change at Henley Business School, tested that idea directly.
The findings suggest the Hero’s Journey is useful as a frame for midlife career transitions. But in six consistent ways, it doesn’t quite match what people actually lived through. Understanding those departures is what makes it useful.
Send me the guide
The guide is on its way the moment you sign up. After that you’ll get Betwixt and Becoming, a fortnightly newsletter of research, stories and what actually helps for people navigating a midlife career transition. Now and then I’ll invite you to talk. No spam, no hard sell, and you can unsubscribe any time.
Research conducted through Henley Business School · Sixteen participants · Eight men, eight women · Senior corporate professionals · Ages 40–60