At 52, Nat Sang is in what she calls a major identity shift season, and honestly, you can feel the clarity in every answer. After another corporate layoff, she stopped measuring her life by titles and earnings and started prioritising something far more radical: joy, peace of mind, and self-care. In this conversation, Nat speaks about the surprising honesty that arrives in midlife, the quiet heartbreak of friendships that fade when you grow, and the mantra she lives by now: let go of what no longer serves you. It’s a gentle but powerful reminder that wanting something different doesn’t make you ungrateful. It makes you awake.
Who are you, and what season of midlife are you in right now?
I’m Nat Sang, a 52-year-old ex-corporate employee, wife and mother of 1. I’m currently in my personal growth and major identity shift season. At 52, after experiencing another layoff, I realised my joy, peace of mind, and self-care are what matter most. I am “unlearning who I thought I needed to be” and becoming “who I am meant to be”.
What surprised you most about midlife or menopause?
The honesty that comes with midlife is mind-blowing. In my twenties to forties, I cared so much about what others thought of me. I always try to please people, and I swallowed a lot of things, especially at work. I’m truly blessed to have a loving and supportive family. But outside of the home, I felt small. I made myself uncomfortable so others would be comfortable. I’m loving my new take on midlife. I am not cruel or callous, but I’m more honest, and I am very respectful of my peace.
What’s been the hardest part that people don’t talk about?
Relationships in midlife are the hardest part for me. Understanding that people who you once thought would always support you, sometimes they don’t. The best friendships can dissipate, and now you’re barely acquaintances. The growth that you go through will not be accepted by everyone. This one hurts the most for me.
What has helped you most (a habit, a mindset shift, support, HRT or no HRT, community)?
It’s essential to reevaluate your community and your support system. Midlife and menopause are hard enough to deal with as is. The added strains of having to be guarded should be a thing of the past. My new mantra is to let go of what no longer serves you. I think we are often trapped in the mindset of “this person has been in my life for so long, and although they have not always been kind, I still need them to be here.” No! You don’t.
What are you unlearning?
I’m unlearning that my worth is not tied to position or earnings. There is more value in self-respect and honouring yourself. I now measure my worth and my value in life experiences. Finding the small joys in simplicity, finding purpose in making the world a better place.
What do you wish you could tell your 35-year-old self?
Do what you love. If you hate what you are doing at 35, make the change. You will be ok, in fact, you will be happier, and you’ll be a much better version of yourself.
What do you want other women to know they’re not alone in?
If you feel like something is off, that your life is missing something, you’re not alone, and you’re not selfish. It’s ok to want something different. It does not make you less grateful for what you already have.
What’s one small ritual or practice that’s keeping you steady in your daily life?
I practice gratitude 3 times a day. I find 3 things to be thankful for when I wake up, and at the end of the night, 3 things I’m thankful for from that day.
What I love about Nat’s answers is how clean the truth feels. Not harsh. Not performative. Just clear. At 52, she’s not chasing the version of herself that looked impressive on paper; she’s choosing the version that feels peaceful in her own skin. And maybe that’s the real midlife upgrade: not more doing, but more discernment. More self-respect. More honesty about what (and who) you no longer have the capacity to carry.
If anything in Nat’s story resonated, let it be this: you’re allowed to want something different. You’re allowed to outgrow old dynamics. You’re allowed to redefine your worth beyond titles, productivity, and people-pleasing. Midlife doesn’t ask us to become someone new from scratch. It asks us to come home to who we were before we started editing ourselves to fit.
If you’d like to be part of the ‘5 Minutes With…’ series, or you know a woman whose voice would feel like medicine here, email me at hello@kiransinghuk.com. And if you’re reading this thinking, same, tell me in the comments: what are you unlearning in midlife?
I love this series, Kiran! What a beautiful window into the lives of women navigating similar spaces in time.
Thank you, Kirin, this puts an exclamation point on not keeping people in my life that, though they have been in my life for years, are not kind and need to go!!! 🫶🏻