Personal Development Mastery: Clarity for Midlife Professionals in Transition

Dr Agi Keramidas - Midlife & Transition Coach
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Personal Development Mastery is a podcast for midlife professionals in transition who are ready for their next chapter in life and work, navigating a career transition or preparing for a midlife career change. - Hosted by Dr Agi Keramidas, a personal development mentor, coach, and former dentist, the show helps you work through midlife crossroads with less second-guessing, more grounded decisions about what comes next, and greater career clarity about the direction you truly want. - In this current season, the focus is on midlife career and life transitions: leaving a long-term profession, starting a new venture, or reshaping the way you work and live. - If you are feeling uncertain, under pressure, or pulled towards something more meaningful, these episodes will help you move from indecision to clear direction and confident next steps. - You will hear honest stories from coaches, authors, spiritual teachers and expert practitioners, as well as solo episodes from Agi, all offering clear examples and practical tools you can apply straight away. - Personal Development Mastery gives you the guidance you need to decide what is next, design a solid plan, and take real steps into your next chapter with greater clarity and confidence. - 🎧 Follow Personal Development Mastery if you are a midlife professional in transition and want help to think things through and move forwards.

  1. Your Job Title Is Lying to You (Snippets of Wisdom) | #577

    2 DAYS AGO

    Your Job Title Is Lying to You (Snippets of Wisdom) | #577

    What if the career path you’re on was never really your choice to begin with? Snippet of wisdom 95. In this series, I select my favourite, most insightful moments from previous episodes of the podcast. Today my guest is the career coach Keith Anderson, who talks about how societal and parental programming shape our identity, and why acknowledging it is key to change. Press play to discover how reconnecting with your true self can lead to a career that fulfils you. ˚ VALUABLE RESOURCES: Coaching with Agi: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/mentor ˚ Listen to the full conversation with Keith Anderson in episode #508: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/508 ˚ 🎙️ Want to be a guest on the podcast? Message Agi on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/personaldevelopmentmastery ˚ Conversations and insights on career transition, career clarity, career change and career pivots for midlife professionals, including second careers, new ventures, leaving a long-term career with confidence, better decision-making, and creating purposeful, meaningful work. ˚ Support the show Career transition and career clarity podcast content for midlife professionals in career transition, navigating a career change, career pivot or second career, starting a new venture or leaving a long-term career. Discover practical tools for career clarity, confident decision-making, rebuilding self belief and confidence, finding purpose and meaning in work, designing a purposeful, fulfilling next chapter, and creating meaningful work that fits who you are now. Episodes explore personal development and mindset for midlife professionals, including how to manage uncertainty and pressure, overcome fear and self-doubt, clarify your direction, plan your next steps, and turn your experience into a new role, business or vocation that feels aligned. To support the show, click here.

    5 min
  2. Why Calm Disappears in Times of Transition and How One Breath Restores It, with Edward Howard | #576

    5 DAYS AGO

    Why Calm Disappears in Times of Transition and How One Breath Restores It, with Edward Howard | #576

    Are you feeling the pressure to make a big career or life decision, but your mind just won’t quieten enough to know what’s next? If you’re an accomplished midlife professional in transition, the noise in your head can be the biggest obstacle. Overthinking, emotional pressure, and fear of “throwing it all away” often block clarity at the exact moment you need it most. In this episode, Edward Howard, former global banking leader with decades of Zen training, shares a simple inner reset that helps you calm mental noise, reconnect with yourself, and make clear decisions even during uncertainty and high-stakes conversations. Learn how to use a simple one-breath reset to regain clarity and emotional steadiness in moments of pressure.Understand why career transitions feel so destabilising and how awareness helps you move forward without panic or paralysis.Discover a practical way to build self-trust and make better decisions as you navigate your next chapter. Listen to discover how one intentional breath can help you cut through uncertainty, regain clarity, and take confident next steps in your transition. ˚ KEY POINTS AND TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Why calm disappears during transition 01:54 - Introducing Edward Howard and his background 02:34 - Career transition and the experience of stuckness 05:35 - A defining moment that triggered change 09:36 - Awareness as a performance tool 10:20 - The three minds from Zen explained 16:57 - Using one breath to shift mental state 19:41 - The one-breath technique in practice 26:24 - One Breath Leadership and closing reflections ˚ MEMORABLE QUOTE: "Awareness is not a mind state—it’s noticing what mind you’re in, and then using the breath to act accordingly." ˚ VALUABLE RESOURCES: Edward's book: https://www.onebreathleadership.com/ ˚ Coaching with Agi: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/mentor ˚ 🎙️ Want to be a guest on the podcast? Message Agi on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/personaldevelopmentmastery ˚ Conversations and insights on career transition, career clarity, career change and career pivots for midlife professionals, including second careers, new ventures, leaving a long-term career with confidence, better decision-making, and creating purposeful, meaningful work. ˚ Support the show Career transition and career clarity podcast content for midlife professionals in career transition, navigating a career change, career pivot or second career, starting a new venture or leaving a long-term career. Discover practical tools for career clarity, confident decision-making, rebuilding self belief and confidence, finding purpose and meaning in work, designing a purposeful, fulfilling next chapter, and creating meaningful work that fits who you are now. Episodes explore personal development and mindset for midlife professionals, including how to manage uncertainty and pressure, overcome fear and self-doubt, clarify your direction, plan your next steps, and turn your experience into a new role, business or vocation that feels aligned. To support the show, click here.

    31 min
  3. Why Your Career Change Feels Worse Before It Gets Better | #575

    29 JAN

    Why Your Career Change Feels Worse Before It Gets Better | #575

    Are you stuck in that uncomfortable, quiet space between who you were and who you’re becoming? That in-between phase after a big life change can feel empty, disorienting, even invisible; but it’s far from harmless.  In this solo episode, you’ll hear why that transitional space is more dangerous than it appears and why time alone rarely resolves it. If you’ve been journaling, self-coaching, or quietly enduring, yet still feel stuck, this episode is for you. It unpacks the subtle traps that can keep you in limbo for far too long. ˚ VALUABLE RESOURCES: Coaching with Agi: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/mentor ˚ Support the show Career transition and career clarity podcast content for midlife professionals in career transition, navigating a career change, career pivot or second career, starting a new venture or leaving a long-term career. Discover practical tools for career clarity, confident decision-making, rebuilding self belief and confidence, finding purpose and meaning in work, designing a purposeful, fulfilling next chapter, and creating meaningful work that fits who you are now. Episodes explore personal development and mindset for midlife professionals, including how to manage uncertainty and pressure, overcome fear and self-doubt, clarify your direction, plan your next steps, and turn your experience into a new role, business or vocation that feels aligned. To support the show, click here.

    7 min
  4. Why So Many Career Transitions Fail, and How to Avoid the #1 Mistake Professionals Make, with Rachel Spekman | #574

    26 JAN

    Why So Many Career Transitions Fail, and How to Avoid the #1 Mistake Professionals Make, with Rachel Spekman | #574

    Stuck in a “successful” career that looks great on paper but feels soul-sucking? It might be time to reverse-engineer work you actually love. If you’re a high achiever who’s quietly miserable, this episode shows how to move from fear and obligation to clarity and momentum, without blowing up your finances or identity. Learn practical exercises to pinpoint fit fast: design your perfect workday, run a time vs. enjoyment audit, and write your “internal résumé” to surface real strengths.Replace anxiety with a plan: shift from 20% happy to 80% through calculated, incremental moves (not impulsive leaps), guided by the Three C’s:community, contribution, and challenge.Navigate the messy middle: handle reputational noise, manage ego with a beginner’s mindset, and translate transferable skills so opportunities find you. Hit play to learn the exact steps and scripts to start feeling more fulfilled at work, starting today. ˚ MEMORABLE QUOTE: "It’s gonna be okay. You got this!" ˚ VALUABLE RESOURCES: Rachel's website: https://madeformorecoach.com/ ˚ Coaching with Agi: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/mentor ˚ 🎙️ Want to be a guest on the podcast? Message Agi on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/personaldevelopmentmastery ˚ Conversations and insights on career transition, career clarity, career change and career pivots for midlife professionals, including second careers, new ventures, leaving a long-term career with confidence, better decision-making, and creating purposeful, meaningful work. ˚ Support the show Career transition and career clarity podcast content for midlife professionals in career transition, navigating a career change, career pivot or second career, starting a new venture or leaving a long-term career. Discover practical tools for career clarity, confident decision-making, rebuilding self belief and confidence, finding purpose and meaning in work, designing a purposeful, fulfilling next chapter, and creating meaningful work that fits who you are now. Episodes explore personal development and mindset for midlife professionals, including how to manage uncertainty and pressure, overcome fear and self-doubt, clarify your direction, plan your next steps, and turn your experience into a new role, business or vocation that feels aligned. To support the show, click here.

    35 min
  5. Midlife Career Transitions Aren’t Always Empowering - Here’s What No One Tells You | #573

    22 JAN

    Midlife Career Transitions Aren’t Always Empowering - Here’s What No One Tells You | #573

    What happens when the role you have built your identity around no longer makes sense, but nothing has replaced it yet? When your work has shaped how you introduce yourself and how the world sees you, loosening your grip on that role can feel deeply unsettling. Instead of clarity or excitement, you may experience doubt, a drop in confidence, and a strange sense of emptiness.  In this episode, we explore the overlooked phase of professional transition where old identities fall away, familiar measures of success stop working, and you find yourself between who you were and who you are becoming. Understand why disorientation and low energy often follow the decision to step away from a long held professional identity.Recognise the quiet loss that comes with leaving a role that once provided certainty and status.Learn why this in-between phase is not something to fix, but something to move through.Listen now to make sense of the space between identities and to understand why you are not meant to feel finished yet. ˚ Support the show Career transition and career clarity podcast content for midlife professionals in career transition, navigating a career change, career pivot or second career, starting a new venture or leaving a long-term career. Discover practical tools for career clarity, confident decision-making, rebuilding self belief and confidence, finding purpose and meaning in work, designing a purposeful, fulfilling next chapter, and creating meaningful work that fits who you are now. Episodes explore personal development and mindset for midlife professionals, including how to manage uncertainty and pressure, overcome fear and self-doubt, clarify your direction, plan your next steps, and turn your experience into a new role, business or vocation that feels aligned. To support the show, click here.

    7 min
  6. The Hidden Emotional Traps of Career Change No One Talks About, with Michelle Schafer | #572

    19 JAN

    The Hidden Emotional Traps of Career Change No One Talks About, with Michelle Schafer | #572

    Ever feel like your career transition is “going nowhere”… even though you’re doing all the right things? If you’re in that messy in-between of job loss, burnout, values mismatch, or a pivot that’s taking longer than you expected, this episode will feel like a deep exhale. Michelle Schafer (two-time restructuring survivor turned career coach) breaks down why this phase feels so uncertain, why confidence takes a hit, and what to do when the “sprout” hasn’t shown up yet… even though growth is happening under the surface. Learn practical ways to manage the emotional rollercoaster of uncertainty (without pretending you’re fine).Discover simple, repeatable actions to rebuild confidence, especially if job searching feels harder than it used to.Get a clear career-transition strategy: how to define your target, create a plan, and stop wasting energy on unfocused applications. Press play now to get a grounded, step-by-step approach that helps you regain clarity and confidence, so you can move toward work that energises you and aligns with what you believe. ˚ KEY POINTS AND TIMESTAMPS: 01:40 - Michelle’s background and restructuring experiences 03:30 - The planted seed: discovering coaching 07:00 - The seed and gardening metaphor for career transition 09:48 - Navigating uncertainty during transitions 13:54 - Emotional regulation and building supportive practices 16:18 - Confidence dips and practical reflection strategies 21:10 - Strategy, clarity and planning your career direction 27:45 - Resources, final questions and concluding insights ˚ MEMORABLE QUOTE: "Use your network more. Look through your network, not just at it, because every connection opens the door to many more." ˚ VALUABLE RESOURCES: Michelle's website: https://mschafercoaching.ca/ ˚ Coaching with Agi: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/mentor ˚ 🎙️ Want to be a guest on the podcast? Message Agi on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/personaldevelopmentmastery ˚ Conversations and insights on career transition, career clarity, career change and career pivots for midlife professionals, including second careers, new ventures, leaving a long-term career with confidence, better decision-making, and creating purposeful, meaningful work. ˚ Support the show Career transition and career clarity podcast content for midlife professionals in career transition, navigating a career change, career pivot or second career, starting a new venture or leaving a long-term career. Discover practical tools for career clarity, confident decision-making, rebuilding self belief and confidence, finding purpose and meaning in work, designing a purposeful, fulfilling next chapter, and creating meaningful work that fits who you are now. Episodes explore personal development and mindset for midlife professionals, including how to manage uncertainty and pressure, overcome fear and self-doubt, clarify your direction, plan your next steps, and turn your experience into a new role, business or vocation that feels aligned. To support the show, click here.

    36 min
  7. What’s Keeping Your Midlife Career Transition Stuck (It’s Not Fear or Lack of Motivation) | #571

    15 JAN

    What’s Keeping Your Midlife Career Transition Stuck (It’s Not Fear or Lack of Motivation) | #571

    Are you stuck in a career that no longer fits, but still haven’t taken a real-world step to change it? If you’ve been quietly contemplating a career or life transition for months (or years) without moving forward, this episode will speak directly to you.  It’s not about confusion. It’s about why high-achieving professionals often stay silently stuck, even when clarity has already arrived. Discover why your current approach might be the very thing keeping you circling in place. If you’ve been carrying this quietly on your own, listen now to discover a new, more sustainable way forward. ˚ VALUABLE RESOURCES: Book a 1:1 conversation with Agi: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/mentor ˚ Support the show Career transition and career clarity podcast content for midlife professionals in career transition, navigating a career change, career pivot or second career, starting a new venture or leaving a long-term career. Discover practical tools for career clarity, confident decision-making, rebuilding self belief and confidence, finding purpose and meaning in work, designing a purposeful, fulfilling next chapter, and creating meaningful work that fits who you are now. Episodes explore personal development and mindset for midlife professionals, including how to manage uncertainty and pressure, overcome fear and self-doubt, clarify your direction, plan your next steps, and turn your experience into a new role, business or vocation that feels aligned. To support the show, click here.

    6 min
  8. Why Midlife Professionals Feel Disconnected from Their Work and Identity, and How to Find Career Clarity, with Shelley McIntyre | #570

    12 JAN

    Why Midlife Professionals Feel Disconnected from Their Work and Identity, and How to Find Career Clarity, with Shelley McIntyre | #570

    Are you a midlife professional feeling a growing disconnect between your career success and your personal fulfillment? Many Generation X professionals reach midlife with impressive achievements, yet silently struggle with a deep sense of dissatisfaction, identity confusion, or the haunting feeling that time is running out to live a truly meaningful life. This episode offers a compassionate, insightful roadmap for those questioning their current career path and seeking a purpose-driven reinvention. Discover why high performers often feel disconnected at midlife, and what to do when the “mask” you’ve worn at work no longer fits.Learn practical ways to explore new possibilities through tiny experiments, identity redefinition, and values discovery.Hear a deeply personal story of transition from corporate leadership to purpose-led coaching, with actionable advice on navigating financial fears, identity loss, and uncertainty. Listen now to learn how to begin designing a life and career that reflects who you truly are – not just the role you've always played. ˚ KEY POINTS AND TIMESTAMPS: 00:41 - Introducing Shelley McIntyre & the midlife disconnect 03:04 - Masks, midlife reckoning and inner identity 06:53 - Options, evidence and experimenting with possibility 09:17 - Values, meaning and redefining what work must provide 11:18 - Shelley’s personal transition story 16:26 - Practical first steps: finances and portfolio careers 19:33 - Challenges of transition: uncertainty, off-gassing and relationships 24:14 - Identity, masks and rediscovering what you love 30:16 - Professional identity, caring professions and essence work ˚ MEMORABLE QUOTE: "All knowledge is rumor until it is in the bones." ˚ VALUABLE RESOURCES: Shelley's website: https://burnthemapcoaching.com/ ˚ Coaching with Agi: https://personaldevelopmentmasterypodcast.com/mentor ˚ 🎙️ Want to be a guest on the podcast? Message Agi on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/member/personaldevelopmentmastery ˚ Conversations and insights on career transition, career clarity, career change and career pivots for midlife professionals, including second careers, new ventures, leaving a long-term career with confidence, better decision-making, and creating purposeful, meaningful work. ˚ Support the show Career transition and career clarity podcast content for midlife professionals in career transition, navigating a career change, career pivot or second career, starting a new venture or leaving a long-term career. Discover practical tools for career clarity, confident decision-making, rebuilding self belief and confidence, finding purpose and meaning in work, designing a purposeful, fulfilling next chapter, and creating meaningful work that fits who you are now. Episodes explore personal development and mindset for midlife professionals, including how to manage uncertainty and pressure, overcome fear and self-doubt, clarify your direction, plan your next steps, and turn your experience into a new role, business or vocation that feels aligned. To support the show, click here.

    43 min
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About

Personal Development Mastery is a podcast for midlife professionals in transition who are ready for their next chapter in life and work, navigating a career transition or preparing for a midlife career change. - Hosted by Dr Agi Keramidas, a personal development mentor, coach, and former dentist, the show helps you work through midlife crossroads with less second-guessing, more grounded decisions about what comes next, and greater career clarity about the direction you truly want. - In this current season, the focus is on midlife career and life transitions: leaving a long-term profession, starting a new venture, or reshaping the way you work and live. - If you are feeling uncertain, under pressure, or pulled towards something more meaningful, these episodes will help you move from indecision to clear direction and confident next steps. - You will hear honest stories from coaches, authors, spiritual teachers and expert practitioners, as well as solo episodes from Agi, all offering clear examples and practical tools you can apply straight away. - Personal Development Mastery gives you the guidance you need to decide what is next, design a solid plan, and take real steps into your next chapter with greater clarity and confidence. - 🎧 Follow Personal Development Mastery if you are a midlife professional in transition and want help to think things through and move forwards.

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