As good as work gets post-35? (and what the happiest 1% do differently)
Introducing the (2025) Midlife Work-Life Satisfaction Report
Discover what the happiest midlife professionals do to thrive at work more often (The 1% club) [Image: KAios Media]
I'm not going to sugar-coat it.
If you're over 35 years old, smart, capable and hard-working… but still finding yourself wondering, "Is this it?" when it comes to your work life - you are absolutely not alone.
In fact, I've got the data to prove it.
After a year of research, 1,000 in-depth survey participants and dozens of deep-dive interviews, the 2025 Midlife Work-Life Satisfaction Report is here.
And it’s not all joyful reading.
But it is the truth many professionals have been silently living through.
It's full of insights that could help you (and people you care about) stop drifting through work and start redesigning it to optimise for…joy, fun, satisfaction, impact, meaning, purpose and whatever is most important.
Why this report matters, now
This isn’t just another dry research report or a vague call to (yawn) 'find your passion'
It’s a reality check - a loud warning signal.
Many of our participants were already doing 'fine.'
Decent jobs. Decent salaries. Experience under their belts.
But something was still off.
They weren’t experiencing enough joy at work.
And when you’re spending one-third of your life working (or 60% of your waking hours)… 'not enough' joy slowly chips away at your energy, confidence and… soul.
This report dives into why.
And leaves you with recommendations on what to do about it.
Who is this report for?
The Midlife Work-life Satisfaction Study [Image: KAios Media]
This is a big report and it’s not everyone.
I’ve designed it for:
Smart professionals who want to connect the dots between work that feels good, work that stimulates their brain and work that pays them well enough to live (their version of) a 'life well-lived'.
Professionals in their mid-30s, 40s, 50s and 60s wondering ‘Is this really it…forever?!’
Professionals who know they have 'more to offer', have 'more left in the tank' or are 'not done yet' - irrelevant of age, disciple, industry or location.
Professionals quietly coasting in 'okay' jobs that don’t feel ‘right’ anymore - even if they can't quite put their finger on why.
Any professional who is curious about what real work satisfaction could look like - if they learned how to design it to fit them and feel great.
What you’ll get - if you read this report
Real data from 1,000+ professionals (age 35+). Mostly based in UK and US.
Insights into what might be quietly sucking your energy (and maybe your soul!) dry.
Clarity on which of the 5 stories might be crushing your joy at work potential - and how to flip the ones that aren't serving you.
Mini-case studies from real human beings (names and photos included) who redesigned their work life to optimise for joy, meaning, fulfilment, stimulation and earnings.
Ideas you can steal to inject more energy, satisfaction and joy - in just the right way for you.
Essentially, you’ll get a cheat sheet to help your design your next decade of work.
The 5 undeniable stories behind work-life happiness.
What I discovered is that there are five 'stories' running through the data.
Patterns that show up again and again in people’s careers, quietly and repetitively sabotaging joy (in no particular order of importance):
1. The purpose story
Meaningful work is fundamental to midlife work happiness.
When we stop caring about the problems we solve every day, work becomes soul-numbing.
Even if it looks successful from the outside.
Look out for the very first graph in the report - I called it 'the black hole'.
2. The money story
Money is only one key story that influences joy at work in midlife.
Work that pays the bills…is a necessity.
But is your financial relationship with your work allowing you to fund enough fun moments each month?
Or fund freedom in the future?
Or just keeping you stuck?
3. The boredom story
Boredom matters in the work-life happiness story for midlifers
Smart folk need to do stimulating work. Under-stimulated brains in the workplace equals underwhelming careers. Under-used potential. Under-tapped opportunities for impact.
And a whacking 97% of our participants are craving more stimulation.
4. The human network story
Human network matters if long-term enjoyment of work is a goal.
Something most people don’t realise is that career longevity has far less to do with your resume/CV/years of experience - and far more to do with your people.
Your special people. And how you show them you care about them. That you value them as human beings.
Neglected relationships might be quietly shrinking your joy.
5. The time & energy for change story
Unsurprisingly, we need time and energy to design happier work.
You know what needs to change… but you're tired.
Busy-ness and burnout leave little or no space for a better work life design.
And that's a solvable problem.
When work turns grey: The quiet loss of Green Space
Inside the Midlife Work-life Satisfaction report - notice the limited green zones.
When you take a look at the graphs inside the report, one thing becomes glaringly obvious:
The green zones - the positive responses - are few and far between.
Satisfaction, meaning, energy, stimulation and time/energy for change…? They’re simple not visible enough in every work day for most of the participants.
I wish this was a small issue. Or an isolated issue for only a small segment of the 1000-strong research study.
But this is a full-on black hole of satisfaction for such a large portion of research participants - professionals in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
And yet, there is hope…
Meet the 1% Club
2.5 weeks into the data analysis, I began to slump into a pit of worry.
Intense worry for 1000 people with such potential for joy at work…but whose current reality was deeply under-satisfying.
Then I hit upon a different angle from which to view the data.
What were the happiest participants in the study doing?
Across each of the five stories of work-satisfaction?
From that angle, there were big lessons to learn - and quick lessons.
(While you may not be part of the Tik-Tok nation with their 10-second attention-spans, you're busy and probably time-poor, so quick lessons were necessary.)
The happiest 1% aren't are special.
They have no special circumstances. No special talents. No special privileges in life. No endless hours of spare time. No magical buckets of energy.
They’re real people from all sorts of industries and roles who are thriving.
Professionals, predominantly in UK and US, who are doing this work thing differently.
Their stories, insights and exact choices on how they do this work thing different are waiting for you inside the report.
WORTH NOTING: While they were the happiest people in the research study - but they were part of the study because they wanted even more joy at work.
Ready to feel hopeful about work again?
Download the full 2025 Midlife Work-Life Satisfaction Report now. Get the insights you need to start making small, smart, joyful shifts. Available to members of the free Midlife Unstuck Never too old, Never too late community.
And then dive in and take the free Boost your Midlife Joy at Work Quiz to see where you stand: Invest 5 minutes in completing the quiz. Then get personalised recommendations.
Joy at work…you deserve it. [Imagery KAois Media]
