A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about what I learned from interviewing 244 badass women for my podcast, Badass Women at Any Age. One of my big takeaways, was how these women found their purpose by overcoming life’s challenges, whether it was a divorce or loss, an empty nest, a diagnosis, or loss of a job. Finding their purpose wasn’t forced. It evolved. Yet it is that purpose that fuels their passions and their work.
As women, much of our career we are taught—explicitly and implicitly—that success comes from being liked, reliable, and accommodating. Do good work. Don’t make waves. Let your results speak for themselves. Approval comes from decisions about what we say yes to, what we tolerate, and how visible we allow ourselves to be.
But at mid-career, something shifts. The pursuit of approval starts to feel hollow. The rules no longer deliver the same returns. And many accomplished women begin to realize that influence doesn’t come from pleasing others—it comes from clarity. When you know what truly matters to you, your decisions change. Your boundaries strengthen. And your presence carries more weight.
Purpose, it turns out, isn’t just personal.
It’s powerful.
Purpose Changes the Way Power Works
When we lack clarity about what truly matters to us, we often default to external measures of success—titles, praise, being seen as indispensable. Power becomes something to be granted by others rather than claimed from within.
Purpose changes that.
Research shows that people with a strong sense of purpose experience greater resilience, lower stress, and higher engagement. But there’s another, less discussed benefit: purpose reduces the need for approval.
When your work is anchored in meaning, you’re less reactive to shifting expectations and more intentional about where you invest your time, energy, and voice.
Purpose gives you leverage.
It sharpens judgment.
It strengthens boundaries.
Instead of asking, “Will this make me look good?” the question becomes, “Does this move the initiative forward?”
That shift—from validation to intention—is what transforms effort into influence.
Purpose Strengthens Resilience and Reduces Burnout
One of the most consistent findings in the research is this: people with a strong sense of purpose experience less stress and greater resilience, even when their circumstances are demanding.
Purpose-driven individuals tend to bounce back faster from stress, with less intense emotional and physical reactions.
That matters because mid-career is often when pressure peaks.
You’re managing greater responsibility, more complex politics, and higher expectations—often while navigating caregiving, health changes, or personal reinvention. Without purpose, the stress feels personal. Endless. Draining.
With purpose, stress is contextualized.
Purpose doesn’t make the workload lighter—but it makes it meaningful. And meaning changes how you interpret pressure. Instead of internalizing every setback or overextending to prove value, women with purpose conserve their energy for what actually matters.
That’s not just self-care.
That’s strategic use of power.
Read the full article on Substack.com
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