EP45: Age and regenerative work — a joyful exploration!
Today, I’m talking about age—and why the idea that we “age out” of value, usefulness, or the possibility of starting something new is a harmful corporate story that has no place in regenerative work. Whatever stage of life you’re in, it’s possible to consciously shape a regenerative career that’s aligned with your values, your lived experience, and the kind of meaningful work you want to be doing now.
I share the story of a client in midlife who was transitioning out of corporate after a long pause to raise children. She was ready to start a purpose-driven business, but struggling with the question: am I too late? Together, we explored how this chapter of life could become a source of creative power and clarity. I also share a personal story about my nan and the long-term impact of the choices we make in our 50s and beyond.
Whether you’re navigating midlife, recovering from burnout, or wondering how to find meaningful work after leaving corporate, this episode is an invitation to reimagine what’s possible—and to co-create a work life that supports regenerative living, purposeful income, and the freedom to make money doing what you love, well into the next chapter.
Listen here
Full Transcript
Alisa: In a regenerative context, it is entirely available to you to consciously create work that is in alignment and in harmony with your age. Whatever your age has brought—depth of experience, stories, connections, exposure, ideas—all of that can feed into your work. And you get to decide how.
Hello, this is the Regenerative Work Life podcast. My name is Alisa Murphy, and I’m so happy to spend this time with you today to explore what it means to live and work regeneratively. Specifically today, I’m going to explore the concept of age in regenerative work.
This is actually a really joyful topic, because my bottom line here is that the idea we somehow age out of our usefulness or value—or out of the possibility for new beginnings and change—is completely tied to industrial-era thinking. It’s an entirely corporate construct. And it has no place in regenerative work.
So, done. We don’t have to think about that anymore. (Okay, not quite that simple!) But I would really love for us to let go of the idea that age is, in any way, an issue or a barrier. Of course, that does take some individual work, especially if age is showing up for you as something you're embarrassed about or struggling with.
I’ll try to speak into why I genuinely don’t believe age is a problem, and how you can think about your work in response to your age—crafting work that will serve you well into your older years, if that’s what you choose.
Because here's the truth: there's no requirement to retire within regenerative work. You can work as long as you are able and as long as you want to. And if you think carefully about the kind of work you want to do, you can actually start setting things up now to create a work life that gives you the best opportunity for working in some capacity for as long as you'd like.
This topic was inspired by a particular client I worked with, someone in her mid-40s. She had taken quite a long pause from working—to raise her children—and was ready to return. But she definitely didn’t want to go back into the corporate sustainability agency world she'd left behind.
She was starting something new, and that brought up a lot of discomfort and embarrassment around age. Questions like: “Can I, at 45, embark on something completely new? And how long can I realistically be doing this kind of work?”
We worked quite deeply on this together. I’m 41, so we’re not far apart in age. We're both in perimenopause, and it was such a pleasure to unravel those beliefs and reframe them—seeing this as the perfect time to begin something new.
Midlife—and especially perimenopause or menopause—often brings a natural unraveling, letting go, a kind of seismic shift. In some ways, you just can’t help but create something radically disruptive… in a really positive way.
To me, something that's radical and disruptive is a good thing. You’re already starting to lose your ability to care what people think. You’re unravelling a little bit at the edges—what better time to build something new?
If you’re familiar with author Sharon Blackie, she refers to this phase as Hagitude. So, we worked on embracing my client’s haggitude—finding a business that resonated with it.
Just a couple of weeks ago, we wrapped up our final session after working together for about nine months. She had locked in her business idea, her offer, and was ready to go. She knew the work she wanted to do for the next 20, 30, maybe even 40 years of her life.
We did a beautiful visualization where I took her forward to her mid-70s. From that place, she looked back at the impact her work had had—the legacy for her children and grandchildren, how the work had served her, and how she was still active in it. It was so beautiful. So powerful.
This is available to you, too.
If age is showing up as a topic for you, it’s likely you’re approaching midlife or later—perhaps at a stage where others expect you to retire or step back. In a corporatized world, your usefulness is considered to be fading.
But in a regenerative context, it’s the opposite. You get to choose work in alignment with your age. And your age brings richness: experience, stories, relationships, ideas—all of that feeds your work.
Yes, you need to meet your needs. I understand that. Whether you can fully do that from regenerative work depends on your circumstances and the kind of work you choose. But you do have the opportunity to decide how much space your work takes up, how much physical energy it demands.
There’s so much possibility out there. All contributions are welcome in regenerative space. You don’t have to fit into a corporate-shaped hole. You don’t have to package and push yourself into something that doesn’t fit.
If you need to make money, find the simplest and easiest way for you to do that—then let your regenerative work be something beyond money. Pour in your creativity, your passion, your perspective. Separate those two things if needed. Otherwise, you may end up trying to package yourself into something that feels like a “should” rather than a calling.
I also spoke recently with someone about 10 years away from retirement who was feeling concerned about becoming a burden to her family. She was called to do regenerative consultancy work—had a clear idea of the kinds of businesses she wanted to support—but kept circling back to: “Maybe I should just get a job.”
That’s when age becomes a problem: when we try to squeeze ourselves back into something that doesn’t fit, and that doesn’t want us.
Yes, there are some exceptional organisations that don’t follow that pattern—but by and large, most corporate environments don’t know what to do with you past a certain age. They don’t understand you. They don’t value you.
So: create possibility for yourself. That starts with deciding whether or not age will be a barrier—and with setting work boundaries in response to age.
Take yourself forward 10, 20, 30, even 40 years. What is going to serve that version of you? What will she look back on and say, “I’m so glad you made that investment”?
I shared a story with the same client about my nan. (Nan, if you’re listening—it wouldn’t surprise me—you know I love you very much.)
She’s now in her late 80s. In her early 50s, she had an accident and shattered multiple bones in her ankle. She never properly had it fixed—no surgery, no structured rehab, no recovery plan. And it’s been a problem for the second half of her life. She can only walk short distances; her mobility is limited.
I often wonder: what if 50-year-old Nan hadn’t thought it was too late? Maybe she did. Maybe the idea of a long rehab process just felt overwhelming.
Let’s say that recovery would’ve taken 10 years. Would that not have been worth it for the 30+ years that followed?
I shared this story because my client felt she needed to launch her business quickly—that she didn’t have time to waste. She found the slower parts of the process frustrating. But even if it takes time—and it might—it’s still worth it.
It would be irresponsible for me to pretend change always happens quickly. Sometimes it does. But for many (maybe most), it’s cyclical. A few steps forward, a few back. Ongoing.
Whatever it takes, it’s worth it. Because what comes after is what you’re building toward.
Whatever age you’re at, however long it takes, ask yourself: isn’t it worth investing now to create a work life that will serve you into old age? So that one day, when you’re working very little or not at all, you can look back and say:
I did something meaningful.
By “legacy,” I don’t necessarily mean fame or fortune. I mean meaningful change. The contribution. The people you touched. The ecosystems you nurtured. The shift you helped create.
Let go of the idea that it’s too late. That belief isn’t yours—it’s someone else’s. Embrace the stage you’re in. Find the value in it. Make the investment, even if it takes time.
Do it for all the years—and all the beautiful, impactful work—that still lies ahead.
That concludes my stream of consciousness on the topic of age and regenerative work life.
I’d love to hear your experiences. Does age show up for you as an issue? Are you someone who’s embraced your age? Are you in a new creative chapter because of your age?
It would bring me so much joy to hear your stories. You can email me at alisa@regenerativeworklife.com — that’s A-L-I-S-A.
Thanks for listening to the Regenerative Worklife podcast. I’ll be back here next week if you care to join me.
