What if the life you've spent years building no longer feels like the life you want to keep living?
For many women, midlife brings questions that are difficult to ignore. The career that once felt fulfilling starts to feel empty. The goals that used to motivate you don't carry the same weight. Your body is changing, your priorities are shifting, and you find yourself wondering, What do I actually want now?
But what if this isn't a crisis? What if it's an invitation to listen more closely to yourself?
In this conversation, I sit down with Erin Dougherty, certified health and wellness coach, author, Reiki Master, and founder of Erin Dougherty Coaching / Get It Together Wellness, LLC. Erin spent 18 years as an English teacher before burnout during the pandemic led her to question whether she could see herself doing the same work for another five or ten years.
That question eventually led her into clinical research, where she discovered a passion for health advocacy and a deeper understanding of the whole person behind a diagnosis. That experience ultimately led her to health and wellness coaching, where she now works with women navigating major life transitions in midlife.
Together, we explore what happens when the career, identity, or definition of success that once made sense no longer feels right. We also talk about perimenopause, changing relationships with our bodies, self-advocacy, intuition, behavior change, loneliness, and why our purpose doesn't have to stay the same throughout our lives.
In this episode you'll discover:
- Why midlife can make you rethink your career and purpose
- How our early experiences shape the choices we make
- Why your purpose can change as you grow
- How Erin's own career journey led her from teaching to health coaching
- Why midlife can bring greater clarity about what you want
- How perimenopause can affect energy, focus, and wellbeing
- Why it's important to stop comparing your body to your younger self
- How scaling your goals can make change more sustainable
- Simple ways to reconnect with your intuition and yourself
- Why connection and community matter during major life transitions
One of the ideas I loved most from this conversation is that your purpose doesn't have to last your entire lifetime.
The person you were when you chose your career had different experiences, priorities, and knowledge than the person you are today. Changing direction doesn't mean those years were wasted. They may simply have been preparing you for something you couldn't see yet.
Maybe the question isn't, "How do I get back to who I was?"
Maybe it's, "Who am I now, and what matters to me in this season of my life?"
Living the width of your life means giving yourself permission to explore those questions. To go deeper. To listen to your intuition. To care for the body you have today. And to create a life that reflects who you are becoming, not just who you once were.
🎯 Perfect for: women considering a midlife career change, high-achieving women who feel successful but unfulfilled, women navigating perimenopause or other midlife transitions, anyone questioning their purpose, and anyone looking for a more compassionate and sustainable approach to health, wellbeing, and personal growth.
Show notes: https://akuzmagroup.com/podcast/purposedoesnthavetostaythesame
🔗 Connect with Erin Dougherty:
- Website → erincdougherty.com
- Linkbio →@getittogetherwellness Lnk.Bio · link in bio
- LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/erin-dougherty-coaching/?skipRedirect=true
- Facebook → Erin Dougherty Health Coaching/Get It Together Wellness, LLC | Tucson AZ
- Instagram → Erin Dougherty Coaching (@getittogetherwellness) • Instagram profile
- Free Clarity Call → Free Clarity Call - Erin Dougherty
- Grab Eugene the Shy Dinosaur on Amazon → Eugene the Shy Dinosaur
Connect with Aneta:
Instagram → Aneta Ardelian Kuzma | Holistic Life Coach • Author • Speaker (@anetakuzmacoaching) • Instagram profile
LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anetaardeliankuzma/
Free Guide + Newsletter →Live the Width Weekly Newsletter and Ardelian Kuzma Group
Monthly Alignment Planner → Aligned Companion and Ardelian Kuzma Group