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Defying ageist stereotypes that older people are not as willing or able to learn or that they lack ambition, Glynis has learnt new skills and gained qualifications to be able to embark on entirely new fields of work after a long and senior career in local government and the NHS.
Glynis left her permanent position in the NHS in July 2025 to focus on growing her coaching business.
"I'd never been self-employed and to leave a well-established career felt like a huge leap of faith. Five years out from a state pension, I worried that I was doing the wrong thing by changing career at this point in my life, and perhaps this is what led me to slightly panic and seek to add several more strings to my bow!
"I'm a firm believer in lifelong learning, and in the last year and a half I've developed my skills and knowledge in several new areas. I've trained as a funeral celebrant (although I haven’t used these skills yet), as well as a marriage celebrant. Weddings tend to be seasonal, and not that many hours, but it's absolutely joyous work!
"I also took an intense course to teach English as a Foreign Language gaining an internationally recognised CELTA qualification. It’s another area of work I haven’t had chance to explore yet, but who knows what the future holds. I also now work as an assessor for coaching apprenticeships."
Assumptions that older people can't learn new things make me angry. It's unjust and untrue. I took a degree in my late forties and I've carried on learning throughout my career.
"People assume that your brain slows down when you're older, and it's true that you don't have the same brain as you did in your twenties, but the knowledge and life experience that you have more than compensates. There are differences but there shouldn't be barriers. I know it's not for everyone, but I enjoy learning new things."
