In this solo reflection, Zoë Routh explores what it means to matter in midlife and late career, sparked by transitions, reinvention, and Jennifer Breheny Wallace's book, Mattering.

Against the backdrop of career shifts, empty nests, relocation, illness, and unrealised dreams, Zoe reflects on how our sense of significance can wobble and how it can be rebuilt. Drawing on ennifer Breheny Wallace's five core elements of mattering, recognition, reliance, importance, ego extension, and attunement, she invites listeners to tune inward and reach outward through small, meaningful acts of connection.

Key Quotes:

• "Transitions don't just change our circumstances, they shake our sense of significance." - Zoë Routh
• "Mattering isn't about being famous or extraordinary; it's about being seen, needed, and understood." - Zoë Routh
• "You build mattering by tuning in to yourself and broadcasting outward with intention." - Zoë Routh
• "Small acts of connection create big ripples of belonging." - Zoë Routh

Take Action

• Identify which of the five elements of mattering feels most depleted for you and choose one small step to strengthen it.
• Reach out with a note of appreciation to someone whose absence would be felt.
• Create or join a "third space" outside home and work where connection can grow.
• Practice mudita, celebrate someone else's success as if it were your own.

Key Moments

00:00 Welcome Back: The Midlife Mattering Question

01:05 Olympus Dawn Kickstarter Success & Publishing Updates

01:58 Next Writing Project: Women of Ancient Rome

03:32 Saying Yes in Newcastle: Building Community

07:50 Why Mattering Gets Shaky in Midlife

10:22 Four Types of Transitions

13:01 The Five Elements of Mattering

18:40 Recognition & Reliance in Practice

25:27 Ego Extension & Corner People

28:13 Attunement and Third Spaces

32:42 Small Things, Great Love – The Bagel Story

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Leadership thinker and author Digby Scott joins Zoë Routh for a deep, reflective conversation on leadership transitions, success, and what it truly means to matter.

As leaders move into later stages of their careers, familiar formulas begin to lose their power. Hustle becomes exhausting. Achievement feels hollow. The question shifts from What more can I do? to How do I contribute differently now?

Drawing on decades of leadership experience, Digby explores the shift from ego to eco, from hero leadership to host leadership, and from achievement to contentment. Together, Zoë and Digby unpack how mature leaders can create leader-full, resilient organizations and meaningful lives, without clinging to authority, identity, or legacy.

Key Quotes

"Much of what got me here won't get me where I need to go next." - Digby Scott

"Leadership matures when we move from ego to eco, from focusing on ourselves to stewarding the whole system." - Digby Scott

"Don't try to create a legacy. Do good work, and let what lasts take care of itself." - Digby Scott

"Success later in life is less about achievement and more about contentment." - Digby Scott

"Practice is the path. You don't need to know where it leads, only that you can take the next step." - Zoë Routh

Questions Asked

• What does success really mean at this stage of my leadership journey?
• How do I know when it's time to step back, step aside, or step in differently?
• Am I leading in ways that create dependency or resilience?
• How do I move from being the hero to becoming the host?
• What does "mattering" look like when titles and authority fall away?
• Which of my daily choices enlarge my life and which diminish it?

Take Action

Identify one responsibility you can intentionally hand over to grow someone else's leadership.

Shift one focus this week from doing the work to creating the conditions for others to thrive.

Reduce one thing, urgency, obligation, or noise and notice what space it creates.

Key Moments

00:00 Introduction and the Question of What's Next
00:42 Meet Digby Scott
01:42 The Big Questions Facing Mature Leaders
03:17 Redefining Success and Legacy
06:05 From Hero Leadership to Host Leadership
11:52 Reflective Practice and Organizational Culture
16:59 Ego, Responsibility, and Power
32:47 Mattering and Meaning
37:01 Ego vs. Eco
39:26 Contentment Over Achievement
46:17 Reflective Questions for Leaders
49:06 Fast Three Questions
56:23 Final Reflections

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In this solo reflection, Zoë Routh explores leadership and what it means to live a life well lived, inspired by This One Wild and Precious Life by Sarah Wilson and Mary Oliver's The Summer Day.

Against a backdrop of ecological, political, and personal uncertainty, Zoe reflects on languishing, disconnection, and the chrysalis moments of change. Drawing on minimalist living, nature, art, spirituality, and everyday activism, she invites leaders to slow down, pay attention, and ask what truly enlarges their lives.

Ultimately, this episode asks a simple but profound question:

What will you do with your one wild and precious life?

"Practice is the path. You don't need to know where it leads, only that you can take the next step." - Zoë Routh

"What makes a life worth living will be different for each of us." - Zoë Routh

"The question isn't 'Am I doing this right?' but 'Does this choice enlarge or diminish my life?'" - quotes from Sarah Wilson's book, This One Wild and Precious Life

1. What does a life well lived mean for me at this stage of my leadership journey?

2. Where am I languishing and what might be quietly emerging beneath it?

3. What is time well spent, really?

4. Which of my daily choices enlarge my life, and which diminish it?

5. What practices help me feel more connected, to myself, others, and the world?

1. Choose one small practice that helps you slow down and pay attention, walking, journaling, reading poetry, or time in nature.

2. Apply the filter: Does this choice enlarge or diminish? Use it for decisions big and small this week.

3. Reduce one thing. consumption, noise, or obligation and notice what space it creates.

Key Moments