My Story: Why Midlife Isn’t a Crisis

Hello, I’m Tamsin, and I help midlifers turn unexpected life changes into positive life transformations.

I haven’t just studied this work, I’ve lived it. Some of my reinventions were bold choices. Others … let’s just say they were spectacularly bad choices. And plenty were curveballs I never saw coming.

The Sporty One

From an early age, I was the sporty one. County here, regional there, a bit of this and that -but lacrosse was the crown jewel.

Putting on the England U18 shirt was one of the proudest moments of my life. The yellow card I picked up 15 minutes later for an over-enthusiastic tackle? Not so much.

Missing the U21 World Cup because I was two months over the age cut-off felt devastating. But the drive to perform, compete, and chase possibility never left.

I channelled it into a degree in sports science and history, and then into teaching and coaching, helping young athletes raise their own game.

Into the Wild

After five years, adventure called. My then-partner wanted to become a safari guide. Why not? We packed up and moved to South Africa, where I found myself training in the Timbavati.

From there we moved to Botswana's Okavango Delta and into Luxury Lodge Management. He eventually wanted to settle in one camp. I didn’t. When the chance came to support the opening of a Premier Lodge, I grabbed it. He didn’t. We drifted apart, and he returned to the UK while I stayed put.

Alone in the Delta, I fell in love with the wild: elephants breathing heavily outside my tent, sunsets that demanded a toast, mornings that forced you to start fresh no matter what the night before brought. It was raw, brutal, clarifying.

And training local Batswana into lodge management roles lit a fire in me - developing people was as thrilling as any lion sighting.

Fear and Reinvention

By 30, fear crept in: single, childless, and living in the bush - was I destined to be alone forever? So I drove south and resettled in Cape Town.

The first job I took was a disaster. Full-blown crisis of confidence. Luckily, the 2010 World Cup created opportunities and I joined the launch team for the One&Only Cape Town. Five-star chaos, training, quality assurance, and I thrived.

Two years later, hotel launched and staff trained, I set up my own consultancy. I trained as a life coach, added counselling and communication qualifications, and spent years blending business strategy with personal development across South African businesses, from family firms to corporates.

Then, just before 40, came a trauma I couldn’t work around: I was held up at gunpoint outside my home. The fear stuck. Hypervigilance set in. Depression followed. And I knew: I couldn’t stay.

Back to the UK I went.

Rock Bottom in Reverse

Coming home wasn’t the fresh start I hoped for.
Teaching again? Hated it.
Job applications? Rejected, not even an interview.
Network? Non-existent.

I felt invisible, out of place, unemployable. It was bleak.

But sometimes, rock bottom clears the ground for rebuilding. I committed to creating a life that worked for me, not the “normal” one society prescribes.

The Life I Built

Fast forward a decade:

• I own a mortgage-free property that I rent out.

• My businesses are online, which gives me total location freedom.

• I spend winters in South Africa and spring-to-autumn in the UK, either housesitting, in Cornwall, or Airbnb-hopping.

• My bills are low, my profit margins are high.

• I play tennis. A lot.

• My circle is small but solid.

And here’s the truth of what it took to get here:

• Changed countries – three times.

• Changed careers – more times than I’d like to remember.

• Failed long-term relationships – at least three.

• Failed to become a mother – uh huh.

• Faced dying alone and the reality of self-sufficiency – yep.

• Toxic work environments and multiple professional rejections – check.

• Near-death experiences – more than one (the lion story and the hippo story will have to wait for another day).

• Terrible online dates – too many.

• An 18-month sibling rift resolved through brutal counselling – painful.

• Failed friendships, lost loved ones, tricky family dynamics, ageing parents - the list goes on.

And I wouldn’t change any of it. Because every collapse, every reinvention, positioned me to stand here now - grounded, steady, and ready to guide others through their own version of finding and feeling their freedom in the second half of life.

Why It Matters

The clients I work with are high-functioning, ambitious, and responsible - often the “fixers” in their families or workplaces. But eventually they hit a point where fixing isn’t enough, because it’s not about fixing. It’s about facing what’s really going on.

Like Jane, the nurse who moved countries with her young family, carried everyone’s needs, and completely lost herself in the process. Together, we stripped it back. She found clarity, work that suited her, and a life designed for her, not just for everyone else.

Like George, the entrepreneur blindsided by divorce. Outwardly thriving, inwardly wrecked. Our work wasn’t about patching him up. It was about resilience, honesty, and courage. By the end, he had more than a plan - he had his confidence back.

Their stories, like mine, prove the same point: midlife doesn’t have to be a crisis. It can be a redesign.

Your Invitation

So if you’re teetering on the precipice of reinvention, whether after a divorce, a health scare, a career shift, or just the quiet ache of is this it? - know this:

You don’t have to wait for collapse to create change.
You don’t have to spiral into expensive mistakes.
You can choose differently, right now.

Midlife isn’t a crisis. It’s an invitation.
And I’d be honoured to help you accept it, and hit your second half out of the park.

Like what you're reading?
If something in this stirred you up a bit, come join the deeper, honest conversations I only share by email. Insight, reflection, and quietly powerful nudges - on your terms, in your inbox.
👉 Join here and take a step closer to a better second half.

A Quick Note:

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog - I know your time is precious and I am grateful you chose to invest some of it here with me.

About the Author:

Tamsin Acheson is a midlife life coach, strategist, and transformation guide who helps high-achieving adults navigate change with clarity, compassion, and conscious intent. With more than two decades of experience in counselling, education, hospitality, leadership, and personal development, she created the Fundamental 5 coaching framework—a psychologically grounded, intuitive model for real-life transformation across Health, Work, Relationships, Lifestyle, and Self. Known for her honesty, depth, and humour, Tamsin works with emotionally intelligent, responsible individuals who are ready to untangle complexity, reclaim their personal power, and design lives they genuinely want to live. Her signature programmes include a series of 5-Day Sprints, a 5-Week Coaching Programme, and a 3-Month High-Touch Coaching Partnership for deeper reinvention. She holds an ICF-accredited InnerLifeSkills® Master Coach and Trainer qualification, an SACAP Advanced Certificate in Counselling and Advanced Communication, and credentials as an Integrative Enneagram Solutions Coach and Facilitator, TRE® Level 1 Coach, and Quantum Energy Coach.

NEXT STEPS:

Take my Midlife Audit. In 10 minutes you’ll know exactly which part of life needs your attention first (and where to start).

No agenda, no pressure, just 30 minutes to explore what’s next for you. Hop into my diary here.

Grab a 5-Day Sprint – Self, Health, Work, Relationships, Lifestyle — pick the one you need most and get off the bench. Ready, Set, Go.