January 5, 2026
Age-Positive Pioneers: Charlotte Neser on Reframing Q3
We’re shining a light on the people reimagining how we age – building communities, services and opportunities that support a more age-positive future for everyone.
Among them is Charlotte Neser, co-founder of Beyond Your Career.
Charlotte, and her co-founder Victoria Barker, are on a mission to make career transitions in ‘Quarter 3’ (50-75yrs; i.e. the third quarter of our ‘hundred year’ lives) healthier, happier and more psychologically prepared. Working closely with the University of Winchester’s psychology department, and alongside neuropsychologists and specialist coaches, Beyond Your Career helps professionals to step away from their previous careers (often 20yrs+ with the same company) without falling off a cliff edge.
While most of us are drilled to focus on pensions, very few of us are encouraged to think about the psychological shift of the next stage of our careers. Many people want to keep working in Quarter 3 – but that work might look quite different from earlier in their careers.
Beyond Your Career’s research shows that Generation X (born 1965-1979) don’t see themselves as ‘retiring’ in the same way that previous generations did. This generation sees themselves as continuing to work, albeit perhaps in a different way. Multi-stage careers and multi-stage lives have taken over from the previous concept of life having 3-stages (education/work/retirement; often with the ‘work’ stage being at only one company). With multi-staged careers, the concept of re-training (or a ‘side hustle’) is more common, and many people feel they are only just hitting their stride in Quarter 3. This is positive for many reasons – because ‘work’ (in whatever form) continues to give meaning, purpose, identity (and money) in Quarter 3. The risk of clinical depression increases by 40% during retirement, often tied to a loss of connection and identity, so continuing to work (in a way that works for you) has many benefits.
The Beyond Your Career programme tackles this head-on. The programme (run as cohorts with like-minded professionals) is a series of workshops to help people prepare ahead for career transitions in Quarter 3. In a nutshell, it helps experienced professionals prepare for the question many of us quietly dread: “What do you do?” (when the answer might no longer be ‘I’m a lawyer/ doctor/ accountant’).
When did you start doing work in this space? Why? What were your first steps?
We launched Beyond Your Career in 2022. Victoria and I both know people who struggled when their long professional careers ended. Victoria previously co-founded Credible Coach, and noticed that she was frequently being asked to recommend coaches who specialise in this career transition; and I was MD at The School of Life.
We wanted to do something in this space, and the research showed that preparing ahead is key – but most people find it hard to make the time to do so, especially when they are juggling busy careers and lives. By doing the programme it helps you to find some space and time to do so. The workshops are led by neuropsychologists and specialist coaches, and cover topics such as identity, meaning, purpose, values and relationships (all of which help people to prepare and think about what this next stage of work might look like for them). People learn a lot from the coaches and the topics covered, but they also learn a lot from each other. Many people start the programme saying they feel very prepared for the next stage, but by the end of it they are thinking differently about what’s important to them and what they want to do next.
Why do you think work that promotes age-positivity is important?
Big transitions in life can be exciting, but also challenging. Whether it’s starting your first job, becoming a parent, losing a family member or leaving a job. The transition after a long professional career is one of life’s biggest psychological transitions, but it’s not really talked about. It can be an exciting time, but it’s also a time to recalibrate and work out who you are and how you want to spend your time. Age-positivity embraces the idea that many of us would like to continue to work in some capacity into our 60s and 70s and beyond – maybe part-time, in the same field or in a completely different field.
I’m fascinated by the fact that in the USA many people choose to work into their 70s and 80s (including lawyers, doctors and academics), and their experience and expertise is highly valued.
Tell us a story or share a case study about someone inspiring you have encountered through your work.
I love stories about people who have found immense satisfaction doing something a bit different in the next stage of their careers. We have ongoing alumni sessions to keep our groups connected. It’s fascinating seeing the career choices people make after our programme – from taking up a full-time C-Suite role (perhaps described as their last big career move, and one they want to get right; taking a lot of care and attention to ensure it’s the right role at the right company). Or moving into an adjacent but different role, that uses skills and experience from previous roles. One alumni member shares his story of how he became a criminal lawyer after a long career in finance and compliance; now working the hours he chooses (sometimes in the middle of the night or at weekends) representing people in court. Criminal law was the area he enjoyed most when he was originally studying law, so it’s been a wonderful (and previously unplanned) transition to have come back to it in Quarter 3. Another alumni member went from a hugely demanding operations role, to becoming a director of a football club; and the club has brilliantly benefited from his skills in people management, operations, personnel, finance etc.
Alice Thomson wrote in an article in The Times about ageing well in Sweden, and gave the example of a lecturer at Stockholm University who, after her academic position ended, took a part-time role in the city’s railway office, and describes enjoying the human interaction and connection it brings.
What one book, programme or film has provided most inspiration for your work?
As a classic book, The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a reminder that we need to live now, in a way in which we thrive best (being dutiful might feel like the right thing to do, but you may later regret it). I also recently read The Psychology of Mattering: Understanding the Human Need to be Significant by Gordon Flett. His premise is that the feeling you matter (or conversely, don’t matter) is key to wellbeing.
What one intervention, policy or cultural change do you think could have an amazing effect on ageing well?
The change would be that a candidate being ‘over-qualified’ is perceived as a positive, rather than a negative (or reason to screen a candidate out).
What can be missed by (human and AI) stereotyping of CVs is that people in Quarter 3 (50-75yrs) may be brilliant candidates for roles that are being advertised. They may have good reasons why they want to take a particular full- or part-time role (including being ‘over-qualified’ for roles with less responsibility or a lower salary). This should be seen as something that companies can benefit from; and candidates would ideally be offered the opportunity to talk through where they are in their careers, and why they are interested in the role. Companies and recruiters need to be more curious and more open-minded, and to be careful with their choice of language (for example defining a role as requiring ‘3-5 years’ experience’ implies that candidates with more experience are excluded).
We must be open to the fact that this generation wants to keep working – in ways that work for them (and is behaving differently from previous generations).
What do you think about the prospect of more people living in better health for longer, and therefore working for longer?
In Camilla Cavendish’s book Extra Time: 10 Lessons for Living Longer Better, she talks about the concept of the ‘Young-Old’, who have several decades more in good health. We support the idea of people working longer (in ways that work for them). The paper ‘Work Longer, Live Healthier’ (2013, Institute of Economic Affairs in association with the Age Endeavour Fellowship) highlights that later retirement may be better for health (and the more years spent in retirement is detrimental to health).
What aspect of your work do you draw hope from?
I draw hope from the companies that are recognising the competitive advantage (and societal benefits) that can be brought about by thinking about their Quarter 3 workforce in a more enlightened way. We are all living longer, so it makes sense that our careers are longer, and multi-staged.
And I also draw hope from our alumni, who go on to find meaning and purpose in the next stages of their careers (often in unexpected ways; sometimes very planned, and other times involving a degree of serendipity). Some participants reflect and make an active decision to stay in the roles they are doing for a bit longer, but find ways to focus on the areas they enjoy more fully. It’s exciting to see them thriving down the line, and sharing their insights with others.
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At Experienced, we believe a more age-positive world benefits everyone. What’s more, we understand that a healthy transition into the next stage of your career is about more than just your finances – it’s about purpose, connection and identity too.
If you are a company looking to offer a leading training programme for employees in Quarter 3 (or an individual considering your next chapter after a long professional career) check out the Beyond Your Career programme.
Or, if you’re an experienced professional looking for part-time or project-based roles that fit your lifestyle, join our waitlist to be the first to hear when our platform launches. We’re building something new for professionals like you.
