Laid off in midlife? Choose what comes next.
A 9-month program for midlife professionals who have lost their job and want to test-drive a realistic alternative before deciding what comes next.
“Bouncing back from redundancy isn’t about finding a job. It’s about choosing a life.”
Sharon von Simson
Next cohort starts Friday 6 November. 12 places.
Enrolment for the November cohort has closed. Join the waitlist for the next one.
- 12 people per cohort
- 6 live group sessions
- 6 one-to-one coachings
- 9 months of support
This is for you if
- You’ve been made redundant and the job search is taking far longer than it used to.
- Companies everywhere are cutting the same kind of role you had.
- You feel lacklustre about a job search that ends in more of the same.
- You have ideas, but you’re scared by the risks.
- You don’t think of yourself as an entrepreneur.
- You set aside your artistic dreams years ago for something that felt safer, and you’re starting to wonder “if not now, then when?”
By the end, you will have identified and tested a viable alternative to your last corporate job, and you’ll have a plan to act on it. Some people return to employment knowing exactly what they want from it. Others build something of their own. Either way, you choose.
Nine months, three phases
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Phase 1 · 6–8 weeks
Set your direction
- Six live group sessions with your cohort, working through the six steps below
- Weekly homework that moves you from wondering to testing real alternatives
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Phase 2 · 6 weeks
Jump into action
- Six one-to-one coaching calls with Sharon
- Tailored support for your first steps in the new direction
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Phase 3 · to month 9
Join the community
- A monthly online meet-up to work through your issues with fellow Mind Flippers
- Expert input on entrepreneurship, health, relationships, and purpose
- 24/7 access to articles and chat
From redundant to purposeful in six steps
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01
Digest the past
What skills and experiences brought you here? What do you keep, and what do you leave behind with the job?
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02
Get creative
Generate options, from familiar to “way out there”.
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03
Overcome fears
Deal with the fears and objections that keep you stuck.
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04
Take action
Test your options with small, safe experiments.
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05
Decide
Choose the path you will follow, with ease and confidence.
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06
Bridge to your future
Chart the journey one step at a time.
Your guide: Sharon von Simson
Sharon spent three decades as an international HR leader. Oxford-educated with an INSEAD MBA, she held senior global roles across the UK, France and Germany.
Then her own Midlife Flip happened, and it was brutal: redundancy, divorce and serious illness. Sharon emerged as a writer, comedian, regular performer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and coach. She brings the creativity and authenticity of the comedy world into her coaching, and developed the Midlife Mind Flip to help people through their own midlife reinvention.
Sharon is an ICF-certified coach and NLP Master Practitioner, trained in Executive Coaching at Henley Business School and in Systemic Organisation Development at isb Wiesloch. She lives in Cologne with her teenager, which is the real education.
What clients say
“This is the first time I’ve ever had a structured way of going through and looking at what I could genuinely be if I stepped off that corporate ladder.”
“Your coaching has made a lasting impact on my personal and professional growth. By the end of our coaching journey, I noticed a remarkable difference in my self-belief and self-worth. I am now able to confidently say ‘I am good enough the way I am.’”
“Sharon is smart, savvy and seriously invested in supporting people through change or challenging situations. She’s also quite funny!”
“Sharon helped me put into words what I’m searching for.”
“Ridiculously effective!”
“My name is Alan, and I am bureaucrat. When I saw Sharon’s LinkedIn post I was a little rudderless. I could barely allow myself to utter the tongue twister she applied to the course she was running: Mid-life Mind Flip.
If you take this course, if you allow yourself to be guided by Sharon, if you are brutally honest with yourself, and if you examine the first thoughts that come to you when she asks you a question, then you will get what I got out of the course: a refreshed mind in the present, a rehashed plan for the future, and a renewed opinion on the merits of LinkedIn advertising algorithms.
Is Mind-flip a word, though, Sharon? I contend that it isn’t, even though the course had a major impact on my thinking. Of course, Mid Life Major Impact on Your Thinking doesn’t have the alliteration you desired.”
Ready to choose what comes next?
Join the next cohortFrom Sharon’s Substack
You Lost Your Job. Now Who Are You?
Welcome to the liminal phase.
The job market just became a lottery. Bet on yourself.
Five ways to stack the odds in your favour when the old career rules no longer apply.
The Fourth Time I Lost My Job, I Finally Got the Message
It’s not about finding a job. It’s about choosing a life.
Join the next cohort
- Starts Friday 6 November 2026
- Group sessions Fridays, 12:00–13:30 CET, live online
- Enrolment closes Friday 30 October 2026
- Places 12
€3,570 incl. 19% German VAT
€3,000 plus VAT. VAT for other countries depends on your billing address.
or 6 monthly payments of €655 incl. German VAT
- 6 live group sessions plus weekly homework
- 6 one-to-one coaching calls
- Community access to month 9, with monthly meet-ups and expert input
- Recordings of every group session
90-day money-back guarantee when you take part fully.
Enrolment for the November cohort has closed. Join the waitlist and Sharon will email you when the next cohort opens.
Not sure yet? Book a free 30-minute call with Sharon.
By joining you agree to the terms and conditions. You have a 14-day right of withdrawal.
What’s stopping you?
“I should be spending my time on the job search.”
A focused, structured process is the fastest way to work out what you really want. Once you know that, you know what you’re searching for.
“I should be able to figure this out by myself.”
Fresh options come from new thoughts. The Midlife Mind Flip gives you new information, new experiences and a new context, and that is what breaks you out of your current thought loop.
“I don’t want to be self-employed.”
You don’t have to be. By the end you’ll be clear about what you do want. That could be your own business, or it could simply be a different role or a different company. You choose.
“It’s too soon, too late, or just not the right time.”
You’re right. There’s never a perfect time. And it’s always a good time to give yourself permission to get what you need.
“I’m not sure it will deliver the results I want.”
If you take part fully and you’re not happy, you get a full refund within 90 days of the first group session. Taking part fully means attending at least 4 of the 6 group calls, completing at least 2 of the 6 coaching sessions and doing the homework each week.
“It’s too expensive.”
Everything has a price, in time, money or energy. What is it costing you not to find out what you want to do next? You can pay in six monthly instalments. If you’re still negotiating your exit, ask whether your employer will cover it.
“How do I know I can trust you?”
Because I have walked in your shoes. A 30-year corporate career that left me utterly miserable by the end, then a midlife crisis that included job loss, divorce and serious illness. I rediscovered my joy and reinvented myself as a coach and stand-up comedian. Also, look at that face!
“I hate watching videos.”
Good news. The group calls are live, in a small group where you can see everyone’s face. The one-to-one coaching is live, at a time that suits you. The homework is written, and you can do as much or as little as you want. And if you secretly don’t mind videos, the group calls are recorded.
Not ready yet? Start with the free guide.
Five Things You Need to Know When You Lose Your Big Corporate Job. Sharon’s advice for the first weeks after a layoff, from signing your exit terms to testing what comes next.