#09 From Performance to Presence – With Rosie Arnold on Letting Go, Growing Older & Staying Creatively Alive

In this ninth episode of midL.I.F.E. – Living in Full Expression, I
speak with Rosie Arnold – legendary Creative Director, former
President of D&AD, and a woman who has not only shaped
advertising for over three decades but who is now redefining what
comes after. A conversation about the quiet power of reinvention,
the courage to step off the ladder, and the joy of doing things
simply because they matter to you. We dive into Rosie’s deeply
personal "midlife pivot": - What it really feels like to move from
high performance to inner purpose – and why that transition can be
both liberating and disorienting. - Why midlife is not the end of
relevance, but the beginning of creative rewilding. - And how to
unmask from roles, perfectionism, and self-sacrifice—and return to
the person you were before the world told you who to be. This
episode invites you to rethink success, identity, and aging: Where
are you still performing instead of expressing? And what might
change if you stopped holding back—and started following what truly
lights you up? One of Rosie’s key reflections: "We are multifaceted
people with multifaceted talents—if something calls to you, don’t
be afraid to follow it, even if it’s not what made you successful
before." If you sense that the second half of life could be a space
of creativity, joy, and freedom—not decline—this episode is your
invitation to begin.