There’s a Jigsaw Piece Missing.
And, when you’re aware of the hurdles that life is presenting, we can look at the ways that are available to get over them, go around them or remove them altogether.
Why so many people in midlife feel “something is missing” even when life looks fine on paper.
What happens when a piece of you goes missing?
How would you connect with that missing piece?
Would you recognise that jigsaw piece anymore?
Sometimes clients come to coaching with a very clear problem:
“I want a new job - help me recognise my transferable skills”
“I’m looking for a big change in my life and want to work through the risks, options and what’s holding me back”
“I want to grow my small independent business”
“I’m turning 30, 40, 50… and I think I need a rethink about what I want for myself now”
But more often than not, people arrive with something much harder to explain as it’s a feeling or a sense that something isn’t quite fitting anymore.
Life looks OK on paper. Work is fine. Relationships are fine.
Nothing is obviously wrong.
And yet there’s this nagging feeling that something is missing.
Like a jigsaw puzzle with one important piece absent.
You can still see the overall picture. You can still function. You can still go to work, reply to emails, book holidays, pay bills, laugh at dinner with friends and go to your regular Pilates class.
But every now and then your brain catches on the gap and thinks: “Hang on, something doesn’t feel right.”
I hear this a lot in coaching conversations, particularly with people in midlife or at some kind of crossroads.
It’s not because everything has fallen apart. Often it’s the opposite.
They’ve built the career (but is it the one they still want?)
Built stability and feel proud of it, but also wonder whether there’s “more”.
Become a competent, reliable, sensible adult but still have a rebellious streak.
Somewhere along the way they’ve drifted away from themselves.
It could be because work has slowly worn them down but likely they’ve outgrown a bit of themselves.
Sometimes life has shifted around them - children growing up, relationships changing, burnout, redundancy, ageing parents, menopause, grief, confidence dips, or simply years of putting themselves last (the latter is incredibly common).
And eventually the question appears: “Is this still working for me?”
That question can feel unsettling because there often isn’t one obvious answer. Usually it’s more subtle than that. It’s about recognising what no longer fits. What feels heavy and is weighing on your mind. What parts of yourself have you minimised? What are you now yearning for but it feels out of reach?
A lot of people assume they need to arrive at coaching with a polished goal or a five-year plan. You don’t. Sometimes the starting point is simply “I can’t keep doing things in the same way.”
From there, we untangle things properly. We look at patterns. Confidence. Values. Identity. Work. Relationships. Energy. Purpose. The things you keep dismissing. The thoughts you’ve shoved to the back of your mind because life has been too busy.
Often the “missing jigsaw piece” isn’t one huge life overhaul.
It’s reconnecting with yourself again. You’ll often hear me ask: “How can you build a tiny bridge towards the next thing?”
And that usually starts by giving yourself enough space to hear your own thoughts properly.
Part of my role is helping you reflect on those subtle intuitive thoughts and paying attention not only to what you say, but also to the things you brush past, minimise or leave unsaid.
If you’re at a point where life feels slightly off, unclear, heavy or no longer quite fitting, coaching can help you slow things down, untangle what’s going on, and work out what needs to change.
You really don’t need all the answers before you start. Book a discovery chat with me and find out how my style of exploratory coaching can help you.