In this episode Patsy sits down with her long-distance bestie to talk about teaching drama, having children then growing up, and finding her direction in psychology.

Carri opens up about the cost of staying in a role that doesn’t fit,

"I had to leave because I wasn't able to be open to the world because I was in fight or flight. I was in a trauma mode."

and how the key to finding your next step is openness: to possibilities, to other people’s experiences, and to taking small steps that let you test what might be next.

So get comfortable on the couch, your session is about to begin.

If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll love our Season One episodeIf you enjoyed this episode, you might also like our bonus episode, Pin to Win, all about the neuroscience of vision boards — and how to make one.

And if you have a moment, please leave a review and share with a friend.

THE WOBBLY MIDDLE is a podcast for women rethinking their careers.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Tuesday. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

SHARE YOUR STORY: Made a left turn in your career? We’d love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

READ MORE SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

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ABOUT THE HOST:

Patsy Day is a lawyer on a break. As an intellectual property specialist, she has worked on everything from anti-counterfeiting to publishing and from London to Ho Chi Minh City and back again. Patsy lives in Oxford and is currently immersed in podcasts producing SafeHouse Amsterdam alongside The Wobbly Middle.

RECORDING STUDIO: Thank you to Jack and Hugo from The PodCollective.

Psychologist and founder Julianne Miles lets us in on what makes people lucky, gives me hope about neuroplasticity (my personal favourite!), and shares the research on how work and family can be allies rather than competing demands.

Julianne knows firsthand what it takes to return to work after a break: she went back to university to retrain as a psychologist, and from there co-founded Career Returners, a social impact enterprise and community dedicated to making career breaks a valued part of a lifetime career. Along the way, she’s also shaped how employers and policymakers think about return-to-work practices.

Whether you’re just considering a return or already taking steps, this conversation will make you think differently about luck, opportunity, and starting again.

IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR please follow, share and leave a review.

RETURN JOURNEY: You can find Julianne’s book Return Journey How to get back to work and thrive after a career break here https://careerreturners.com/return-journey-book/

And here is more information on the free or pay-if-you-can Career Returners Professional Community:

https://community.careerreturners.com/

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Tuesday. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

SHARE YOUR STORY: Made a left turn in your career? We’d love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

READ MORE SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

FOLLOW US on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook @thewobblymiddle

ABOUT THE HOST: Patsy Day is a lawyer on a break. As an intellectual property specialist, she has worked on everything from anti-counterfeiting to publishing and from London to Ho Chi Minh City and back again. Patsy lives in Oxford and is currently immersed in podcasts producing SafeHouse Amsterdam alongside The Wobbly Middle.

This episode was produced by Patsy Day. Studio recording by The Pod Collective.

Bonus Episode: Investigative wellness journalist Rebecca Newman (Financial Times, The Guardian, GQ) draws on the work of neuroscientist Dr Tara Swart, author of The Source, to explain what’s going on in our brains when we make an action board and how they sharpen our sight line through the wobbly middle.

Then we head to the craft room, where theory meets practice - or rather, where scissors and glue meet cork board - as we make our own boards.

They are a way of keeping our goals front and centre, something we live with. A daily point of orientation, keeping us facing forward.

If you enjoyed this bonus episode, check out our [] we opened the mailbag to respond our subscribers (occasionally panic-tinged) everywoman questions about navigating the midlife career odyssey.

And if you like what you hear, please follow, share and leave a review.

THE WOBBLY MIDDLE is a podcast for women rethinking their careers.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION: NEW EPISODES drop every second Tuesday. Follow now so you never miss an episode.

SHARE YOUR STORY: Made a left turn in your career? We’d love to hear about it. Write to Patsy at patsy@thewobblymiddle.com — your story might just be the nudge someone else needs.

SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

READ MORE SUBSTACK: thewobblymiddle.substack.com

FOLLOW US on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook @thewobblymiddle

ABOUT THE HOST: Patsy Day is a lawyer on a break. As an intellectual property specialist, she has worked on everything from anti-counterfeiting to publishing and from London to Ho Chi Minh City and back again. Patsy lives in Oxford and is currently immersed in podcasts producing SafeHouse Amsterdam alongside The Wobbly Middle.

THANK YOU: This episode was produced by Patsy Day and Rebecca Newman. Studio recording by The Pod Collective. Thank you also to St Bernard’s Road Craft Room and to Luke Rogers. .