I recently came across a new idea called Peakspan, and it immediately caught my attention because it reframes ageing in a way that feels both empowering and just a little bit confronting.

Most of us are familiar with longevity, which is how long we live, and healthspan, which is how long we stay well, but Peakspan asks a far more interesting question: how long are you actually operating within 90% of your best? Not just functioning or coping, but sharp, energised and fully in your stride.

The science behind it is fascinating because it highlights that different systems in the body peak at different times. Cardio fitness peaks early and declines unless you actively train it, muscle strength holds on longer but still drops off without effort, and while fluid intelligence peaks earlier, crystallised intelligence, your judgement, wisdom, and pattern recognition, often strengthens into your 40s, 50s and beyond. In other words, you can be “healthy” and still no longer operating anywhere near your peak.

Which naturally led me to think about women, leadership, and something I hear surprisingly often.

Women in their mid 40s and early 50s telling me, quite calmly and almost as a statement of fact, that they feel like they only have one big role left in them, as though their most expansive years are somehow behind them.

And I do understand where that comes from, because it sounds logical on the surface, and often there is a desire to make that next move count in a more intentional way.

But I am also here to gently challenge it.

Because I have had that exact thought myself.

In my mid 40s after a particularly torrid role, I distinctly remember thinking I probably only had one last big role left in me. A neat and contained final chapter that would round my career out in a logical and satisfying way, and if I am honest, part of that thinking was not strategy at all, it was fatigue, plus more than a hint of burnout, dressed up as realism.

Well, as it turns out, I have had three, and I am heading into a fourth, and each one has been more interesting, more aligned and more expansive than the last.

Which is why I am cautious about that “one last role” narrative, because when I look at this through the lens of Peakspan, I do not see a closing window, I see a recalibration point.

Yes, your technical capability may have peaked earlier, but in your mid to late 40s and 50s your judgement is stronger, your pattern recognition is faster, and your ability to read a room, navigate complexity and influence outcomes is significantly more refined. And perhaps most importantly, you are no longer trying to prove yourself, you are far more interested in placing yourself where your impact truly matters.

That is not decline, that is power.

And here is the reframe that feels most important.

In your mid 40s, what can feel like burnout is often not a signal to wind down, but a signal to train differently, because leaning into Peakspan, intentionally and strategically, is power. It is the decision to stay relevant, not just experienced, to stay visible, not just valuable, and to remain in rooms where decisions are made and your voice is heard, while directing your energy with far more precision.

The real risk is not that you only have one big role left, the real risk is that you start to treat it that way, narrowing your field, playing it safe, and aiming for something sensible rather than something expansive, which in turn quietly moves you out of your Peakspan earlier than you need to.

Because Peakspan reminds us of something both simple and powerful, which is that if you are not actively maintaining and evolving your capability, you do not stay at your peak, you slowly move away from it.

So instead of asking whether you have one big role left, a far more useful and expansive question might be:

What would it look like to train for my Peakspan so I can stay in my power for the next decade and beyond, in whatever shape or form that might take, whether that is full-time roles, fractional or interim work, consulting, board positions, launching something new, or stepping into something entirely different?

Because that shifts the narrative entirely, away from winding down (where frustration builds and age bias becomes more likely) and firmly back into expansion, where it belongs.

And let’s be honest, the world needs more women in leadership, not fewer, because that is how we shift the balance of power and create something better for all of us.

This is exactly the kind of conversation we will be exploring at my brand new Define Your Next Act Retreat in Palm Cove from 3–6 June 2026, where a small group of women will step out of the day-to-day and into a more expansive, strategic view of what comes next, not just in terms of roles, but in terms of identity, energy, influence and how you want to lead in your next chapter.

Yes, we’re officially launching! A second Retreat in 2026.

If this is resonating, I would love you to join us.

Read more here.

Request an invitation here. Or drop me a note to book an appointment to learn more.

Let’s thrive, not just survive.