When Davidson meets clients who are confused about where they’re headed in life, she encourages them to get clear on their core values and personal goals: exploring what is meaningful to them, what drives them and what gives them joy. With those things in mind, she says, clients can start moving forward by creating a “clear plan of manageable action” for how they’re going to achieve their goals and make decisions.

“I like to use SMART goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-boundaried,” says Davidson, adding that these goals can be aligned to values. She gives the example of one woman who had a core value of freedom – and so turned down a job with strict and particular ways of working, realising that it wouldn’t align with her needs.

I’ve started putting Davidson’s advice into action, making a list of my values and trying to ensure they align with my professional decisions. For instance, two of my core values are balance and justice – so I’m now actively turning down work if it will mean I don’t have time for exercise or playing with my kids after school, while prioritising writing jobs that shine a light on injustices in the world. Talking with other women about how they’re navigating their own uncertainties has also made me feel less alone. McCoole tells me that rediscovering a forgotten passion for dance has helped her manage her purpose anxiety: “I relish those few hours a week where I feel like my unburdened younger self again.”

Sam Freili, 37, left her job in teaching after having children and realising she didn’t want to go back to the long hours and emotional drain. She’s now struggling to know exactly what she wants out of life, but in the meantime has found work at a supermarket that fits around her kids’ schedules: “It’s far from my dream job, but it works well for the family and keeps me physically busy.” Graphic designer Luana D’Elias Thomas, 35, was feeling “lost, directionless, stuck and bored” at work – but has now been assigned a mentor who encouraged her to pursue her dream of making a short film.

“Growth doesn’t come from being comfortable,” she observes. “It comes from stepping out of your comfort zone, being OK to get things wrong but not giving up.”

“At 30-something, I'm having an early mid-life crisis – and I'm not alone”