Episode 257: BONUS: Avivah Wittenberg-Cox: Higher for Longer is not just for markets - Preparing for the 100 year and 4 Quarter life

The Fiftyfaces Podcast

In this bonus episode we meet with fellow INSEAD alumna Avivah Wittenberg-Cox advocates for new thinking in generational and gender balance. She is a consultant, coach and speaker on the rising impact of longevity on the people and on the workplace and provides advice to help businesses thrive. She is the author of seven books on gender, leadership and longevity and the host of the podcast 4-Quarter lives, where she applauds podcasts as a way to create “real conversations in a very noisy world”.

In this very real conversation we talk about Avivah’s path to coaching and the importance of rethinking what we thought we knew about our lifespans, employment trajectories and retirement path. She draws upon her analogy of life having four quarters, and makes the point that most of us have discounted the potential of the third quarter – the years between 50 and 75.

We discuss the perils of trying to compress too much into the second quarter in particular – to try to “have it all” instead of spreading out goals and achievements. We look at the endless potential of this phase and ask how employers can embrace this and in so doing promote more diversity in the workplace and more sustainable employment practices.

Given that Avivah is a coach we discuss the role of coaching and how it might be integrated into careers at an earlier stage than currently. We also discuss continuing education and how universities and other institutions should adapt to the demand for lifelong learning. Finally we look at the role of intuition, and how trusting one’s instincts can be central to career success.