Lucy Ryan 
Revolting Women [EPUB ebook] 
Why midlife women are walking out, and what to do about it

Preface:

Jane’s Story: Collision and coincidence.

Introduction

• Embarking on this journey

Part 1 – What’s the problem?

Chapter 1

Midlife: the forgotten age

• Crisis, what crisis?


• The diversity conundrum


• Lies, damn lies and statistics


• Where have all the (older) women gone?

Diane’s Story: The creative collaborator

Chapter 2

Midlife Myths in a man-made world

#1 It’s all old news (and solved)

#2They don’t want it

#3 We’ve got one, thanks

#4 It’s all downhill from here

#5 They’re mad, bad and sad

Sarah’s Story: Going to the festival

Chapter 3

Looking back to look forwards

• A brief history of female anatomy and ‘inferiority’


• Proving the gender difference


• Medicalising the older woman


• Female stereotyping and leadership

Niamh’s story: Stepping up or out

Part II – Ageing in the workplace

Chapter 4

Strangers within

• Feeding the food chain


• The power of language


• Acting young


• Silver fox meets silver vixen

Joelle’s story: the 50-minute make-up workout

Chapter 5

Critical collisions

• The midlife ‘smash-up’


• Losing control and running on empty


• Who Cares?


• Empty nesting and other syndromes

Nicki’s story: To stop, to pause, to change

Chapter 6

Menopause matters

• Facts and frictions


• Symptoms and the lived experience


• HRT and other solutions

Jo’s story: Dressing for the Board

Chapter 7

The Ticking Clock

• Facing loss and finding purpose


• Avoiding the ‘nasties’


• Existential angst and the big M

Frankie’s story: What is it worth?

Chapter 8

Motivation and Midlife

• The Motivation Myth


• The imprint of old science


• Raring and ready to… retire?

Claire’s story: Stepping out to step up

Part III – Rewriting the rules: alternative perspectives

Chapter 9

Mirror, mirror: on the other hand

• Energy ambition and age
  Cyn’s story: Bucking the trend


• Resilient midlife women
  Brenda’s story: Braver, stronger, fitter


• Post-menopausal zest!
  Lori’s story: Feeding all parts of my life

Chapter 10

Reconfiguring success: the organisation’s perspective

• Tackling assumption
  Simon’s story


• The flexible midlife workplace
  Steph’s story


• Creative collaboration across the generations
  Geraint’s story

Chapter 11

A positive agenda for change

• For policy makers


• For employers


• For women


• For men


• For you

Additional Reading and resources

References

Acknowledgements

Index.

For the last 20 years, Dr Lucy Ryan has trained and coached over 10, 000 leaders in global, blue-chip companies across 29 countries, and is a passionate advocate for women’s professional development. Noticing a trend of female midlife clients leaving their corporate roles, she led a unique five-year doctoral research project exploring this phenomenon, filling a long-standing data gap. In 2021, Lucy published the best-selling Lunchtime Learning for Leaders with Kogan Page. Nominated as one of the top 100 global coaches for women, she is a much-requested speaker on the Conference and a popular webinar and podcast guest. With a Masters in Positive Psychology, Lucy lectures in Positive Leadership at the University of East London and is an honorary research fellow at the University of Liverpool. She has personal experience of the unique events women experience at midlife including menopause, parental caring, and empty nesting. She is also resilient, hopeful, and enthusiastic about the next chapter of her life!