Navigating the Liminal Zone
Navigating the Liminal Zone: Women 50+ Transitioning from Corporate to Entrepreneurship
Stepping into the Unknown
There is a peculiar space that many women find themselves in when they leave their long-established corporate careers to embark on the uncertain path of entrepreneurship. It’s a space of transition—what anthropologists call a "liminal zone"—where one is no longer who they were, yet not quite who they are becoming.
What Is a Liminal Zone?
The word liminal comes from the Latin limen, meaning “threshold.” A liminal zone is a space in between—a place of transition, where the old no longer fits but the new hasn’t fully emerged. It’s the psychological, emotional, and sometimes spiritual waiting room before transformation.
In mythology and rites of passage, the liminal zone is where the initiate is tested before emerging into a new identity. It’s where the caterpillar dissolves into a formless goo before transforming into a butterfly. And for women leaving behind the corporate world to step into entrepreneurship, it’s where they stand—filled with possibility, but also uncertainty.
How do we navigate this space? How do we keep moving forward when we can’t see the whole path?
The Lantern That Lights the Next Step
Imagine standing in a dense forest at night, trying to find your way. You have a lantern in your hand, but it only illuminates a few feet ahead—just enough to take the next step, but not enough to see the full journey. This is what entrepreneurship feels like in the beginning.
The lantern can take many forms:
A coach or mentor who helps you clarify your vision and holds you accountable.
A book or podcast that sparks an idea or affirms that you're on the right path.
A gut instinct that whispers, "Try this," even when it doesn’t fully make sense.
A creative outlet that appears in your life, seemingly unrelated to your goals, yet carrying a message.
The mistake many make is waiting for the full map before taking action. But the reality is, the map doesn’t exist. The path reveals itself step by step, and it is in the taking of steps that clarity comes.
Procrastination or Hidden Guidance?
In this liminal zone, it’s easy to find yourself procrastinating. The to-do list sits untouched, and instead, you find yourself gravitating toward something else—something seemingly unrelated.
For me, I often find myself playing with AI-generated images in Magai. There’s something about experimenting with visuals, colors, and surreal compositions that captivates me. It feels like a break, yet it also feels important—like there’s something trying to come through.
For someone else, it might be:
Doodling in a journal
Gardening
Baking elaborate desserts
Rearranging their home office
Browsing Pinterest for inspiration
Listening to music and dancing around the living room
Writing poetry or freewriting in a notebook
These activities might seem like distractions, but what if they’re something more?
What If, Instead of Beating Ourselves Up for “Wasting Time,” We Got Curious?
What if, instead of dismissing these moments as procrastination, we welcomed them as part of the journey?
Here’s how to explore what these activities might be telling you:
Pay attention to what you’re drawn to.
Do you find yourself captivated by certain colors, aesthetics, or patterns?
Are you drawn to storytelling, symbols, or metaphors?
Do you keep coming back to tech tools, AI, or innovation?
Look for emerging themes.
Are you creating images of strong, wise women? Maybe you’re being called to embrace that archetype in your own life.
Do you keep designing dream-like landscapes? Maybe your subconscious is reminding you to step into a more visionary role.
Are you fixated on symbols of transformation—butterflies, doors, bridges? Maybe this is a nudge to fully embrace the transition you’re in.
Notice how you feel.
Do you feel joy, relief, or deep focus? This could be a sign that your inner self is guiding you toward something important.
Do you feel a sense of playfulness? Maybe you need to bring more lightness into your work.
Do you feel energized or deeply connected? This could be an invitation to explore this activity more seriously.
These seemingly trivial activities might actually be our inner wisdom speaking to us. Maybe we need more creativity in our work. Maybe we’re being nudged toward a business idea we hadn’t considered. Maybe our subconscious is helping us process the transition.
Instead of resisting these urges, we can ask: What is this showing me?
Trusting the Becoming
Stepping into entrepreneurship after a corporate career isn’t just about learning new business strategies—it’s about becoming someone new. It’s about letting go of old identities and embracing the unknown.
In this process, we don’t need to see the whole path. We just need a lantern—a teacher, a book, an intuitive nudge—to show us the next step. And when we find ourselves procrastinating, maybe it’s time to listen. Because hidden in the distractions might be the very wisdom we need to guide us forward.
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