Social enterprise launched to help people prepare for midlife

Created by Rosi Viljoen and Deb Pasley, the portal helps individuals locate specialists and advisors in the city of Brighton who are professionals and experts in subjects linked to this phase of life, from money matters to the menopause, careers to relationships, health and wellness to fitness - all have a midlife focus.
Rosi Viljoen, co-founder, said: “There’s usually a negative association with reaching midlife. It can be a time of emotional, physical and hormonal change, that we just don’t want to recognise or deal with. For many people who are already stressed in their day to day work and play, the impact can catch them unaware.

“Midlife can be time of change, but it can also be a great time to reflect and decide what you want this phase of your life to look like.”

In a recent poll, the Office for National Statistics shows that people aged between 45-49 years are 15 per cent less satisfied with their lives overall than those age 65-69yrs*.

“There is a profound source of expertise out there that deals with a range of midlife issues, we just want to bring this into one easy to locate system and our portal will be that reference point. 
“We not only support local businesses, but we offer professionals and experts the chance to reach and connect with the individuals who need their advice, guidance and a real-life plan, so that they can cope with whatever a mid-life crisis throws at them. Our aim is to create a resource with everything in one place, a go-to for help and support.” added co-founder Deb Pasley.
The breadth of resource offered online at The Midlife Hub is growing every day and currently includes; yoga teachers, personal trainers, specialist nutritionists; career change coaches; talking therapists; financial advisors.
“This is not just about women; in fact, the NHS suggests that just over two per cent of males suffer too and it’s prevalence increases with age, and our Hub will provide male specialist advisors as well,” said Viljoen
www.themidlifehub.com includes:
1. Make a midlife MAP a free service helping people to create their own a midlife plan.
2. A directory of trusted businesses; people can find midlife related business and events based
on location and rate and review a service they’ve used. All the businesses listed have passed our 6- point quality check to ensure they are trusted and reliable.
3. An information hub; people can find topical midlife-related content, useful links and local events and experiences.
4. A community forum; where people can ask and respond to midlife questions, and engage with moderator generated topics
“We wanted to create something that we felt was missing when we reached our own midlives and to be honest, we didn’t get the support we needed. Like many people we only realised how the changes that midlife bring were affecting us personally once we were experiencing our own crises.  We’d met
for a social coffee (which turned into a beer) and as we started talking and sharing our story, we realised we both had a passion to help other people have a better experience than us.”
The Midlife Hub is open to the community in Brighton, and welcomes any individuals, businesses and events that have a midlife focus to submit their ideas and business details via [email protected].


*ONS 2018.