longer, sustainable working lives

So much more than career coaching...



Considering future work options? Wanting to future proof your career? Craving work that feels more purposeful?

Brave Starts helps experienced professionals get clearer and re-energised about their future career direction.

As a non-profit we focus on making a difference. For the significant outcomes and impact we achieve, our value is unmatched.

Try one of our meetings
As featured in multiple publications and parliament:
Our supporters and trusted partners:
Winners of the 2022 Community Award awarded by the ILC
Read our success stories
trustpilot-star-rating
2026

Well worth diving into

I wholeheartedly recommend Brave Starts to anyone who is in the midst of a career change or trying to figure out their 'why' in their 40's and beyond. It's incredibly good value and the workshops and community support were a real lifeline in what was a rollercoaster year for me".

Jon Davies
trustpilot-star-rating
2026

Excellent supportive group

I find the workshops and member activities have helped to focus my way forward and I've met a load of great new people along the way.

Stephen Dyson
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2025

Absolutely worth the very reasonable registration fee!

Fantastic emphasis on building community and it's run by the loveliest people who take time to get to know you indiviudally. Highly recommend for anyone who is rethinking their career in their 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's!

Bella HR
trustpilot-star-rating
2024

Genuine, evidence based and all round excellent!

Genuine and excellent, delivering evidence based support to those over 45+. In a world of snake oil " cure all" weekend certificate NLP career coaches, Brave Starts is the real deal! The price is a bargain even for one workshop let alone an entire series! You will learn, network (not as bad as it sounds!) and get a far better handle on the " what next?" for your career.

C Hillman
trustpilot-star-rating
2024

Hitting the reset button on my stalled career

After months with no prospect of employment, I'm now in a position to choose which of the three offers in front of me I prefer. Much of the credit goes to Brave Starts, and the positivity and focus they helped me find. The community aspect is wonderful -  others are facing the same problems, and offer support, encouragement, and useful advice.

Ken Pemberton
trustpilot-star-rating
2024

An organisation genuinely wanting to help people 45+

I've done the core workshops and really like the refreshing take on how to approach things. There are more things coming up over the next few weeks which look exciting and I'm really enjoying being part of a community energised and engaged by what we're doing.

Cecelia Cheung
trustpilot-star-rating
2023

Independent sounding board

I wanted to verbalise and explore some thoughts. I had been having about career and direction. It was a really valuable session with some sound, pragmatic advice and points to consider and follow up on. I would definitely recommend Brave Starts and think it's both a great concept and service for people over 50 exploring direction around work and their options.

Grant
trustpilot-star-rating
2023

Lucy has been excellent in her communication and support since our first interaction. Today I attended two sessions both different but equally informative. I really feel that this network and its members will offer me the opportunity to move forward at the right pace to change my career direction and/or help me create a plan specifically for me....

Thomas Garside

The Problem we solve:


Most people in midlife have no structured guidance on how to manage career transitions. Recruitment systems often overlook older workers, and traditional career advice doesn’t reflect the realities of midlife or the rapidly changing nature of the work landscape. Brave Starts fills that gap.

How are we different?
Brave Starts is built on occupational psychology, community insight and evidence-based methods and we are recognised widely for our impact on midlife careers.

As a non profit, we are free to focus on impact and making a difference. We cut through the fluff and focus on what actually works (not what sells or pleases a shareholder)  

Learn more
  • Clarity on options: our structured programme of coaching workshops help you explore and prepare for different ways of working (portfolio, fractional etc.) whilst getting clear on next work steps

  • Confidence build via practical skill development: 20+ monthly interactive online and face to face workshops enable you to target specific areas at a time and pace to suit you.

  • Build your network: peers, employers, recruiters and experts: Each month,  employers and recruiters target our members for roles: they want to meet our proactive members.  Our community of 1000+ professionals are amazing: get support whilst building interesting connections. Read more about our members

MEET SOME OF OUR MEMBERS

An image from our new member welcome

Tony Evans

Brand Strategy director, now portfolio career including careers advisor for the Shaw trust:

"After being unemployed for several months, I joined Brave Starts. I've connected with people on similar journeys, learned from their experiences and received help as I explored different career options".

An image to showcase what our first workshop in our coaching workshop series covers

Amy Barklam

Amy was MD at HSBC and is now a senior civil servant:

"In a sea of coaching/networking "suppliers" Brave Starts really stands out. Spot on, to the point - bringing in truly helpful experts that are also willing to give their own time. It provides the chance to network with great group of like-minded people across the careers and life spectrum"

We run linkedin masterclasses. This image shows a phone with the LinkedIn log and a coach who runs this class.

Trevor Walford

Joined Brave Starts when he was out of work and is now full time employed at the Science Museum Group:

"Brave Starts is an excellent organisation aiming to support and inspire a generation of workers looking to pivot, re-enter or branch out into new options. They furnish you with the insights to deal with a changing commercial landscape for the older professional"

Cecelia Cheung

After an extended career break, Cecelia is retraining to become a machine learning engineer:

"Life events happen. Not everyone can have a straight career path. Having an organisation like Brave Starts to hold our hands, articulate our fears and build our confidence.. makes this midlife journey that much more bearable".

Graham Heddle

Graham was a Partner in a Private Equity business.  He now has a portfolio career:

"Brave Starts has been fantastic. I was going around in circles, I was unclear, frustrated and anxious. Now I’m excited and energised."

Jeremy Michaels

After working as a freelancer for a number of years, Jeremy is now working full time in a software development business

"Joining Brave Starts has been transformative in ways I couldn't even begun to expect. From the structured rigourously researched and practical coaching to meeting employers and exploring new paths it far exceeded my expectations".

SOME OF OUR UPCOMING EVENTS

An image from our new member welcome

What's in it for you to join us?

We believe in transparency and letting you ask your own questions by meeting some of our members and learning for yourself if joining us will be a good match for where you are currently.

Find out More
An image to showcase what our first workshop in our coaching workshop series covers

Build the job you want

This event is now full and we're onto waitlist places only.

Even though it's full, you can still read about it :)
We run linkedin masterclasses. This image shows a phone with the LinkedIn log and a coach who runs this class.

Build your own AI agent

Fellow member Howard Allson is sharing his skills and knowledge in building AI agents. For members exploring new career paths, freelance work, entrepreneurship, or ways to future-proof their skills, this will open up exciting opportunities to work more efficiently, create new income streams, and bring ideas to life without needing technical expertise.

Find out More

Strategies for dealing with divorce

Ted X speaker Suzy Miller will come and share with our members strategies to avoid expensive legal fees. When you're going through a hard time - let's try and at least save some of the financial pain.

Find out More

Meet the CEO

What German Bencci has built is incredible and he's hiring. He loves our members and the skills they bring, so have a look at their website, look at the jobs they are recruiting for and come and ask your own questions.

Find out More

Networking workshop

Benjamin Chilcott ran a previous workshop to rave reviews, so he's back this year with a face to face workshop on June 30th. We're kindly being hosted at The IN group offices near Liverpool St.

Find out More

Get inspired about what’s next.


In our popular newsletter we share insights, practical tips, curated opportunities and stories to help you navigate work in midlife.

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