“Midlife is not a crisis. It’s an opportunity!”
This realization was what drove Kavita Ahuja, a then 49 year old successful yet unfulfilled pharmaceutical executive, to make the unconventional and brave decision to leave her well established corporate career of 25 years and follow her life purpose as an entrepreneur.
In her three year long self-discovery process, Kavita “did a lot of soul searching, studied extensively, researched theories and psychology around life transitions, pursued spirituality through meditation and yoga to figure out who I really was, what I really wanted, and how to get there.” That is until her calling was finally revealed to her and she developed the “courage” to make it her career: Her own reinvention journey was to serve as a roadmap to guide other women in midlife in their own journey of discovery and transformation.
At 55, she is now the Host of the successful Podcast, “The Midlife Reinvention”, Founder of Power Purpose Play, a global platform for women in midlife, a Core Energy Midlife Transitions Coach through IPEC and a Course Creator and Facilitator of “It’s My Time Now”
We spoke with Kavita about her reinvention journey, the pivotal moments in her life and career that led her to create a business dedicated to the upliftment of women in midlife and her advice for Generation X women and women entering their 40s.
Here are the highlights of our conversation:
How It All Started
As an Indian woman born in Kenya and raised in Canada, Kavita faced what many children of immigrants face; she witnessed first hand her parents’ struggles. The importance of a traditional life trajectory involving marriage, kids, a college education, and working for a “good” company was also “strongly” encouraged at a very young age. So her choice to pursue the traditional and “safer” path was not a choice at all. It was simply the only option.
And Kavita went on to do just that. She got married, had two children, two degrees and built a successful career with well known pharmaceutical companies…. until her moment of awakening.
She recounts: “In my 20s, my 30s and even into my 40s, my job was comfortable. It was actually fun at that time; I met a lot of great people and I loved serving the patients. So there were certain aspects of that career that I really enjoyed. But although I was really successful; I won multiple awards and I was recognized in the field, around the time I was turning 50, it seemed like a ‘storm of things’ happened.” She continues “I started going through menopause, I became an empty nester and one day I just realized: ‘I didn’t want to do this for the rest of my life’.”
From the outside looking on, Kavita Ahuja looked like she had it all but “there was something inside of me that was telling me that there’s got to be more. And I didn’t really know what that was.” she said.
And that was the catalyst for Kavita to start her soul searching journey.
Power Purpose Play
Power Purpose Play is a community for midlife women that has morphed into a global movement. Its core mission is to help women rediscover the Power within themselves, uncover their true Purpose and live a life of Play in Midlife and beyond.
Kavita founded “Power Purpose Play” when she, herself, could not find a community of like minded women to support her in her journey. It was her “aha” moment.
“I was looking for a platform that supported women who were in the same boat as me, ” she said. “Although there were some elements out there addressing specific topics, they were disparate and neither I nor the women in my circle who were going through the same journey could find a comprehensive platform that catered to women like us. And it just hit me: ‘I now know what I want to do’. So I created the platform.”
We loved the deliberate play on the words: Power, Purpose and Play. We, especially, appreciated the inclusion of “Play”. As women, we often relinquish our play time to work or care responsibilities. So it was refreshing to see the emphasis on Play as a key ingredient for reinvention.
“What does Play mean? It is not reserved for that once a year 2-week vacation where we frolic on the beach, forgetting all our worries – only to return to our crazy lives, barely remembering how free we felt for those 2 weeks. It is about bringing that feeling of fun in every day of our lives. If we don’t enjoy the moment, what is the point of life?”
Excerpt from How Women Can Fill Their Midlife Journey With Play
Her Hope For Women In Midlife
“I really want women in their 40s, 50s and beyond to be able to rediscover themselves. To not only find their true purpose and their reason for being but to actually act upon it”.
She adds, “my hope is for women to go from a vision or an idea in their heart to a hard plan of action of what they are going to do in their next stage of life. By tapping into their unique talents, strengths and values so they can design how they bring that out into the world.”
Her Advice For Women Entering 40
“40 is not something to be feared! 40 is the time to be courageous!”
“I would actually flip the paradigm of fearing 40 to celebrating this amazing stage in our lives. It should be an exciting time. Actually, it is an exciting time. As women, we rarely celebrate ourselves and our achievements as much as we should. Many of us don’t recognize all the amazing things that we’ve done.” She adds, “I say, why not! To every woman entering her 40s look at what you’ve done, and really celebrate it and be proud of it. And most importantly, be courageous. Figure out what it is that you want to do and do it!”
Learn more about Kavita’s offerings on Powerpurposeplay.ca.
Kavita has taken all her research and her own journey of rediscovery in a step-by-step process that she shares in her signature course called “It’s My Time Now”. Use code GENX to receive 40% off all options, including Independent, Group, or Private Learning! (Offer valid till December 31, 2021)
Note from Dena & Megan – Authors & Co-Founders of GenXWoman
The guest stories that we share on igenxwoman.com and our social media outlets are uniquely amazing. However, they do highlight a similar current that we have uncovered through our conversations with these amazing women; there is a shift that happens right before we turn 50.
In this crossroads moment marked by unhappiness and dissatisfaction, many women are faced with the decision: Should we “stick it out” in our careers and relationships or make a radical change and choose a different path; a path that we create not one that was suggested, dictated or forced upon us.
With responsibilities spanning two generations (parents and children), high debt and a society that in many cases still equates women’s viability and desirability to their age, many Gen X women opt to remain where they are, defeated and feeling they have no other option but to endure.
With features such as Kavita’s story, we hope to inspire more Gen X women and women of all generations to say YES to the road less travelled and YES to their own version of “having it all”.
