Smart Careers: How to Turn a Mid-Career Crisis Into a Rewarding Work Life - Paperback

by Jess Annison (Author)

* SHORTLISTED FOR THE BUSINESS BOOK AWARDS 2026*

Have you dedicated your working life to climbing the corporate ladder, only to discover years later that your work has become unsatisfying and unfulfilling? Would you like to do something about it? Jess Annison is here to give you the tools to turn your mid-career crisis into a rewarding and meaningful work life.

Mid-career crises are on the rise. It's no wonder: working lives are getting longer, 'jobs for life' are a thing of the past, and there's more opportunity than ever before to change roles, companies or careers. As a result, more people are questioning whether their work is truly serving them - in emotional, spiritual, and practical terms.

Yet mid-career crises can also become the springboard to finding greater meaningfulness at work, resulting in huge psychological and performance benefits. In Smart Careers, Jess Annison shows you how to craft your career by designing and sustaining a work life that is deeply satisfying and fulfilling.

This accessible and hands-on guide deals with the deepest questions of meaning and purpose, and how they impact both what we do and how we work. Once you understand your personal sources of meaning at work, you can make changes that boost and amplify those experiences, from small day-to-day tweaks to a complete career change, and everything in between.

Smart Careers includes:
- A simple framework to help you find more meaning at work, whatever your starting point and aspirations;
- Real-life stories and evidence-based insights from positive psychology and career development science; and
- Practical exercises to guide you through your career crafting journey.

Author Biography

Jess Annison, OBE, MSc is a positive psychology practitioner, accredited coach, facilitator, researcher, and author. Having navigated her own mid-career crisis, Jess helps individuals and teams to create their most meaningful work life. Her evidence-based approach is underpinned by the science of positive psychology, in which she has published scientific research. A career highlight of hers includes five years planning and delivering aspects of the London 2012 Olympics.