From Executive Search to Inner Search: Sally's Midlife Reinvention

In this episode, Lauren welcomes Sally, a graduate of the Women of a Certain Stage Menopause Coach diploma program who spent decades in executive search, specializing in C-Suite placements and working with some of the most senior women in corporate leadership.Sally's story is one of intentional transformation—leaving behind a high-powered career not because she had to, but because she wanted to explore what came next. Despite sailing through menopause relatively symptom-free herself, Sally was drawn to the program as a lifelong learner who recognized the profound connection between women's midlife transitions and the executive exits she witnessed throughout her career.This conversation explores the "mahogany veneer" of wisdom Sally accumulated through thousands of executive interviews, the patterns she observed in senior women's confidence (or lack thereof), the guilt that high-achieving women carry across all aspects of life, and why she believes at least 50% of women leaving C-Suite roles are doing so because of menopause—even though it's rarely discussed.Sally shares her insights on what it takes to help senior executives break free from their "chrysalis," the power of truth-telling wrapped in compassion, and why she's committed to using her accumulated wisdom to support women through their next chapter.Key Points Covered:• The Mahogany Veneer of Wisdom: After decades in executive search conducting thousands of interviews across multiple cultures, industries, and geographies, Sally describes herself as having accumulated a "mahogany veneer"—not mica, but genuine depth—touching on so many aspects of leadership and humanity that it creates profound wisdom.• The Hidden Menopause-Executive Exit Connection: Sally estimates that at least 50% of women leaving C-Suite roles are doing so because of menopause, yet this connection is rarely (if ever) discussed in conjunction with executive transitions. She's exploring research from CIPD, ACAS, Bank of America, and other financial institutions to investigate this further.• Why She Trained Despite Not Suffering: Sally was fortunate to sail through menopause with minimal symptoms, but was drawn to the program as a lifelong learner (having completed a master's degree in her 40s and Montessori teacher training in her 30s) who wanted to keep developing skills and expanding knowledge—even if she wasn't initially sure how she'd use it professionally.• Scratching the Surface of C-Suite Women: Despite impressive accomplishments and senior positions, Sally consistently found that C-Suite women have remarkably little confidence when you scratch the surface. She wonders how much of this is influenced by perimenopause and menopause symptoms that go unrecognized or unaddressed.• The Transition Crisis: Senior executives—both men and women—struggle profoundly when moving from executive to non-executive careers. Women in particular often feel lost, despite decades of achievement, when making this transition.• The Sacrifice Required for C-Suite Success: Women who reach C-Suite positions often sacrifice family life, social connections, spiritual development, health, and other life domains in pursuit of excellence. The constant guilt of "never doing anything as well as you should be" at work, with family, or with friends becomes an exhausting burden.• Double Standards in Leadership: Behaviors that are acceptable and even celebrated in men are deemed "unacceptable" or "aggressive" in women. Sally describes being called an "agitator" or "up for yourself" simply for having opinions and speaking out against unfairness—behaviors that would be called "leadership" in male colleagues.• Higher Standards for Women: Women are measured differently and held to higher standards, particularly women of color who face even greater barriers. Women have to try harder to achieve things and prove themselves more than their male counterparts.• The Practice Client Revelations: Sally discovered that beneath the presenting issue of menopause, her coaching clients all shared fundamental life issues—partner challenges, control issues, not sitting down for meals together, rushing through everything, and particularly struggles with decluttering and asking for help.• Partners as Obstacles: A common pattern emerged where partners (male, female, or otherwise) were often significant obstacles to women's wellbeing, but this only surfaced around weeks 3-4 of the coaching relationship. Sally learned to sense this bubbling beneath the surface and gently create space for clients to talk about it without feeling they were "betraying" anyone.• The Decluttering Week Breakthrough: Of all the menopause plan modules, decluttering and asking for help created the most transformation. Sally was shocked to discover that even her successful, accomplished clients weren't sitting at tables for meals, were rushing through everything, and lacked basic healthy habits around water intake and self-care.• The Nutrition Week Challenge: Sally admitted she struggled most with the nutrition week, finding parts of it "very American" and "unrealistic" for her time-strapped clients with multiple children. This became a teaching moment about recognizing her own judgments and learning to plant seeds rather than prescribe solutions.• The 1% Improvement Philosophy: Rather than expecting clients to go from 2/10 to 10/10, Sally celebrates helping them reach 5-6/10 in just seven hours of coaching—recognizing that wherever someone is in life, there's always a next level and always another step to take.• The Chrysalis Metaphor: Sally describes her coaching approach as helping people realize they've built a chrysalis around themselves—they have beautiful wings but are trapped. Her role is helping them break out of that chrysalis and realize they can fly.• Kick and a Cuddle Coaching Style: Sally believes "the truth is a gift" but must be appropriately wrapped. Too many people avoid telling the truth to spare feelings, but real help comes from honest feedback—whether about body language, voice, presence, or imposter syndrome—delivered with compassion.• Loneliness at the Top: Senior positions are profoundly lonely. Sally shares a story of leaving a note under a new CEO's hotel room door during his "three-month wobble" with affirmations, which he kept in his office—highlighting the desperate need for trusted support at senior levels.• The Safe Space of Coaching: The menopause plan gives women permission to talk about things they haven't even allowed themselves to think about. As layers get unpicked, clients experience "aha moments" where their jigsaw puzzle starts coming together—not completed by the end, but with a clear picture emerging.• NDAs and Settlement Agreements: While Sally hasn't had direct visibility into how many women are exited via non-disclosure agreements potentially linked to menopause, she suspects it's significant. NDAs are often used when someone is in a moment of weakness or vulnerability, lacking the mental fortitude or finances to fight properly.• The Gift of Time: After leaving executive search, Sally appreciates having the luxury of time to let her thoughts naturally evolve, reflect on her journey, and decide how to share her next chapter without arbitrary deadlines or pressure.• What Lights Her Up: Sally loves giggling with like-minded people, fighting unfairness, being a listening friend who gives people "airspace to talk," and engaging with fascinating people—even (especially) the difficult ones that everyone else avoids.Timestamps:[00:02:00] Saying thank you: Reframing the LinkedIn farewell [00:04:00] The C-Suite exodus and menopause connection [00:06:00] Struggling with the nutrition week [00:08:00] What really comes out in coaching sessions [00:11:00] Why Sally trained without having symptoms [00:13:00] Working predominantly with C-Suite women [00:14:00] The confidence deficit at the top [00:16:00] Sacrifices and double standards [00:19:00] The VA revelation: Cards and guilt [00:21:00] NDAs and settlement agreements [00:23:00] The chrysalis and beautiful wings [00:25:00] Creating safe spaces for conversation [00:27:00] What makes Sally smile [00:30:00] The wisdom worth translating [00:31:00] Why trust the process worksResources:https://www.linkedin.com/in/sally-a-f-springbett-she-her-b8b3224/• Women of a Certain Stage Menopause Coach Diploma: https://womenofacertainstage.lpages.co/menopause_coach/• Research on menopause and workplace exits:CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development)ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service)Bank of America studiesWomen in Banking and Finance researchPortal library section: Work and Menopause resources• Free guide: "Top 5 evidence-based menopause resources" → womenofacertainstage.com/menopause-resourcesLet us know if you're liking the show! https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/tex...Support the show https://www.buzzsprout.com/2261882/su...Meet your Host:Lauren is the founder of Women of a Certain Stage and creator of the Become a Menopause Coach diploma program.