How to Navigate a Mid-Career Crisis | HBR IdeaCast | Podcast episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 11, 2026 · 31 MIN

How to Navigate a Mid-Career Crisis | HBR IdeaCast | Podcast

from Harvard Business Review · host HBR

How to Cope With a Mid-Career Crisis | HBR IdeaCast | Podcast 3 Jan 2023 --- Kieran Setiya, a philosophy professor at MIT, says many people experience a mid-career crisis. Some have regrets about paths not taken or serious professional missteps; others feel a sense of boredom or futility in their ongoing streams of work. The answer isn’t always to find a new job or lobby for a promotion. Motivated by his own crisis, Setiya started looking for ways to cope and discovered several strategies that can help all of us shift our perspective on our careers and get out of the slump without jumping ship. He is the author of the HBR article “Facing Your Mid-Career Crisis.” This episode originally aired on HBR IdeaCast on February 12, 2019. Listen to more HBR IdeaCast episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzAU8TPKsJuaxff5Cp0P2DKE_tFyaWOOa You can also listen to this episode on HBR.org, and wherever you listen to podcasts: - HBR.org (transcript available here): https://hbr.org/podcast/2019/02/how-to-cope-with-a-mid-career-crisis - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-cope-with-a-mid-career-crisis/id152022135?i=1000429709054 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ddroTHJXcZhQVsDdAv9zk?si=483be3f4d7b547d4 - Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/hbr-ideacast/episode/how-to-cope-with-a-mid-career-crisis-58736469 - Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLmhhcnZhcmRidXNpbmVzcy5vcmcvaGFydmFyZGJ1c2luZXNzL2lkZWFjYXN0/episode/dGFnOmF1ZGlvLmhici5vcmcsMjAwNi0wNS0wODppZGVhY2FzdC4wNjY5?sa=X&ved=0CAIQuIEEahcKEwiossnj-Y38AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQLA Series Description: A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management. About Harvard Business Review: Harvard Business Review is the leading destination for smart management thinking. Through its flagship magazine, books, and digital content and tools published on HBR.org, Harvard Business Review aims to provide professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to help lead themselves and their organizations more effectively and to make a positive impact. Learn more at www.hbr.org. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 2:11 – Midlife vs. Mid-Career Crisis 6:29 – The Grand Cartoon of Lives Unlived 12:09 – Shifting Your Mindset About Work 19:55 – To Change Careers, or Not 24:49 - Outro Follow Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/harv... https://www.facebook.com/HBR/ https://twitter.com/HarvardBiz https://www.instagram.com/harvard_bus... Sign up for Newsletters: https://hbr.org/email-newsletters #HarvardBusinessReview #business #management Copyright © 2022 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Cope With a Mid-Career Crisis | HBR IdeaCast | Podcast 3 Jan 2023 --- Kieran Setiya, a philosophy professor at MIT, says many people experience a mid-career crisis. Some have regrets about paths not taken or serious professional missteps; others feel a sense of boredom or futility in their ongoing streams of work. The answer isn’t always to find a new job or lobby for a promotion. Motivated by his own crisis, Setiya started looking for ways to cope and discovered several strategies that can help all of us shift our perspective on our careers and get out of the slump without jumping ship. He is the author of the HBR article “Facing Your Mid-Career Crisis.” This episode originally aired on HBR IdeaCast on February 12, 2019. Listen to more HBR IdeaCast episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzAU8TPKsJuaxff5Cp0P2DKE_tFyaWOOa You can also listen to this episode on HBR.org, and wherever you listen to podcasts: - HBR.org (transcript available here): https://hbr.org/podcast/2019/02/how-to-cope-with-a-mid-career-crisis - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-cope-with-a-mid-career-crisis/id152022135?i=1000429709054 - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0ddroTHJXcZhQVsDdAv9zk?si=483be3f4d7b547d4 - Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/hbr-ideacast/episode/how-to-cope-with-a-mid-career-crisis-58736469 - Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLmhhcnZhcmRidXNpbmVzcy5vcmcvaGFydmFyZGJ1c2luZXNzL2lkZWFjYXN0/episode/dGFnOmF1ZGlvLmhici5vcmcsMjAwNi0wNS0wODppZGVhY2FzdC4wNjY5?sa=X&ved=0CAIQuIEEahcKEwiossnj-Y38AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQLA Series Description: A weekly podcast featuring the leading thinkers in business and management. About Harvard Business Review: Harvard Business Review is the leading destination for smart management thinking. Through its flagship magazine, books, and digital content and tools published on HBR.org, Harvard Business Review aims to provide professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to help lead themselves and their organizations more effectively and to make a positive impact. Learn more at www.hbr.org. Chapters: 00:00 – Intro 2:11 – Midlife vs. Mid-Career Crisis 6:29 – The Grand Cartoon of Lives Unlived 12:09 – Shifting Your Mindset About Work 19:55 – To Change Careers, or Not 24:49 - Outro Follow Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/harv... https://www.facebook.com/HBR/ https://twitter.com/HarvardBiz https://www.instagram.com/harvard_bus... Sign up for Newsletters: https://hbr.org/email-newsletters #HarvardBusinessReview #business #management Copyright © 2022 Harvard Business School Publishing. All rights reserved. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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How to Navigate a Mid-Career Crisis | HBR IdeaCast | Podcast

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This episode is 31 minutes long.

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This episode was published on June 11, 2026.

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How to Cope With a Mid-Career Crisis | HBR IdeaCast | Podcast 3 Jan 2023 --- Kieran Setiya, a philosophy professor at MIT, says many people experience a mid-career crisis. Some have regrets about paths not taken or serious professional missteps;...

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