The Rough Patch Programme

You’ve hit a bump in the road. Work is heavy. Life is loud. And you’re not at your best.

You don’t need a career overhaul. You need short-term support and a calm space to think through what’s next.

One month. Four guided sessions. One lighter load.

4 structured solution-focused sessions over one month to get through this rough patch and ready you for what’s next.

Book Now

Few of us escape tough times.

Even when we have well-meaning loved ones willing to help, most of us deal with tough times alone.

But alone can be…um…lonely, slow-going and exhausting.

  • A job you missed out on.

    A health scare - for you or a loved one.

    A redundancy. Or lost promotion.

    A change in your home-life or family life.  

    A late-life ADHD discovery.

    A looming big birthday.

  • A new role or promotion.

    A big presentation.

    Or something that feels unknown or requires stepping far outside your comfort zone. 

  • Things you’ve been carrying for a while seen to be weighing down on you more recently - the shitty boss, the team troubles or the futility of that Monday morning meeting.

    Big birthday blues factor often here.

Get Started

Some common rough patch triggers I see :

But because you’re stuck in the dip, you haven’t got time or energy to see straight - never mind figure out what to change, where to start or if bigger change is even needed.

You know that if you could just get through this rough patch you could get yourself into a better position to decide what’s next.

You’ve decided something has to change…

The Rough Patch Programme

£995 + VAT

A one-month coaching programme to get you through a sticky period.

We meet weekly for four weeks to get you back to yourself, scale a difficult wall or lighten the load so you can attend to what’s next.

Register here

How does the Rough Patch Programme work?

Here's what's on offer:

4x50min calm, structured, guided sessions with me (on zoom).

Over one month, we take a different look at things. And lighten the load with ample space to think through solutions and possibilities.

No homework. No assessments.

The only preparation you need is to make a cuppa, take a breath or two and then join our zoom call. We do the rest together.

Hey there, I’m Lucia. This is how the Rough Patch Programme came about.

  • Since 2017, I’ve trained experienced people to design the rest of their work life to suit their needs, hopes and dreams as they age. This is deep and transformational work and takes a minimum of three months.

  • Two years ago, I noticed that many of my clients were being thrown into rough patches that hindered our longer-term work-life redesign together. 

  • These included new bosses, new business owners, divorce, major illness, bereavement, discovery of how differently their brain works, difficulty with elderly parents and even changes in government.

  • Even those who believed they were good at compartmentalising found that the tremors that hit their life-beyond-work had bled into their work life. And could no longer be ignored. 

  • So, for the last two years, I’ve conducted rough-patch consulting sessions for free. With clients. And partners of clients. Gaining evidence that this sessions were as helpful as I hoped they would be. Before I offered them to you.

  • “Overnight, the organisation changed. It became impossible to perform my role well. My confidence hit the floor and I lost all ability to see what to do next. In just a few conversations, I could breathe again and see what I needed to do to get through this rough patch intact - and then get back to figuring out my next career steps.”

    Ana, Government Agency, US.

  • “The moment my company announced the possibility of redundancies, I started worrying and couldn’t stop. By the time I booked in, I was so exhausted I was really struggling. In our first session, I felt an immense sense of relief and even hope that I was going to be able to deal with whatever lies ahead."

    Clare, Marketing, Media, UK

  • “A year after a worrying health issue, everything returned to normal except I still didn’t feel like myself. Within a few sessions, I felt the return of an energy and vitality that I'd almost forgotten.

    Catherine, Education, US

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We’re all different. And our rough patches are of different shapes, sizes, depths and widths…

    Our focus is NOT to rehash the problem from 243 angles nor delve into childhoods.

    Our focus is to get you moving towards better from our very first session. It’s my job to guide the conversation in ways for that happens.

    But typically, by session 2 or 3 things start to shift - but it’s not uncommon to begin to feel that shift the day after our first session.

  • Click the button somewhere on this page to sign up.

    You’ll get confirmation email that includes a form, a promise from me, and access to a link to book in your first session. Check your junk/spam.

    If nothing arrives in 5 minutes - email me ( lucia@midlifeunstuck.com) and I’ll sort it out.

    We’ll confirm our regular time for the other three sessions in our first session.

  • Sorry no.

    I admit that sometimes change happens quickly. But I won’t over-promise and under-deliver.

    The 4 session package has been tested proven to work. So I offer a 4 session package.

    If you feel better in one session…Marvellous.

    Why not finish the programme and feel even better?

  • If you follow my structure during our conversations (and I’m very good at helping you do that) I’m confident you won’t need another four sessions. 

    That said, if I’ve learned anything in my 50+ years, it’s that as we age, rough patches come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and regularities.

    I’d been delighted to help you through another in future, should you wish to. 

    But if you hit another rough patch in future, you can invest in another rough patch programme.

  • Career design is focused on deliberately designing the next 5-10 years of your career to be deeply enjoyable, fulfilling and meaningful. There are masterclasses, training sessions, sprints, specific design exercises, private podcasts and private messaging forums. None of those are included in the Rough Patch programme.

    The career design programmes range from c£3000 for the group programme to £18,000 for personalised work-life redesign. And require 3 - 12 months time commitment.

    In the Rough Patch programme we work together over one month to um… get you through a rough patch in work and/or life.

  • For exactly this reason I put a great deal of content into the world - all about deliberately designing work and life to work for you.

    I’ve written on work-life happiness after 40 for 10 years here.

    Instagram

    LinkedIn

    YouTube

    Don’t be fooled by the couple of professional photos that look like a glossy version of me.

    You’ll mostly see the real me - uncontrollable hair, jeans and chunky trainers. I’m serious about the important work we’d do together - but I don’t take myself too seriously. 

     There’s hundreds of hours of me out there. You’ll know in a quick search if we’re a good fit.

  • Definitely.

    It’s often necessary.

    Most people know me for my career design expertise so work is often the frame from which we start.

    But when rough patches hit - they usually hit all parts of life. You always get to choose what’s included in our sessions…and what’s not.

  • If something happens in life that means you can’t attend our confirmed session, please give me at least 24hours notice so that I can offer that time to someone on the waiting list. 

  • “After receiving bad news about my partner’s health, I began to feel anxious about the future - understandably. I soon began to fall back on a project deadlines and I didn’t want to keep letting people down. A couple of sessions in, the weight somehow lifted. The situation didn’t change, of course, but my ability to cope with it had somehow increased dramatically.”

    Adrian, Pharma, UK.

  • “The fog started to lift in our first conversation…by the last session, I had already tapped into my old energy.”

    Shiv, Finance, Property, UK.

  • "A new MD started in my company and we just couldn't see eye-to-eye. I thought it was the end of the road for me. But, after a few sessions with Lucia, something changed. While we'll never be best friends and there are still sticking points in our relationship, I have found a way to stay working in the company I love and do my role in ways that works - for both of us.

    Thomas, Engineering, UK