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Redefining Potential at 50 How I learn lead love and thrive

Jacqueline Brassey reflects on her journey of renewal and potential at 50+, emphasizing the importance of health, family, and personal growth. She advocates for leading with purpose, nurturing relationships, and embracing lifelong learning as key components of thriving in this stage of life. Brassey encourages others to redefine their potential, highlighting that it is not limited by age but rather shaped by internal clarity and intentionality.

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6 views

Redefining Potential at 50 How I learn lead love and thrive

Jacqueline Brassey reflects on her journey of renewal and potential at 50+, emphasizing the importance of health, family, and personal growth. She advocates for leading with purpose, nurturing relationships, and embracing lifelong learning as key components of thriving in this stage of life. Brassey encourages others to redefine their potential, highlighting that it is not limited by age but rather shaped by internal clarity and intentionality.

Uploaded by

sanjay2khanna
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Redefining Potential at 50+: How I learn, lead, love and

thrive

Jacqui Brassey, PhD, MA, MAfN 🎗️ (née Schouten)


McKinsey Health Institute | Work as Medicine l Adjunct Professor I Author I Steerco Member
@ WEF Healthy Workforces Initiative

March 31, 2025

By Jacqueline Brassey (PhD, MA, MAfN)

As I crossed the threshold of 50 not so long ago, I found myself reflecting on renewal and
sustainable longevity. Those who have followed my writings and work know I love renewal
and lifelong learning. Today, as the co-director of Healthy Workforces, Director of Research
Science at the McKinsey Health Institute, a proud mother of teenagers, and a partner to an
incredible husband, I am embarking on a new journey embracing the full potential of
#HealthyLongevity and #Opportunity. Health is not a given, it is a blessing and a gift and I
feel it is a responsibility to be as intentional as one can to nurture it. Reaching one’s
potential, is not just about leading in the boardroom—it’s about leading in life, nurturing those
I love, and thriving in every moment integrating principles of #HealthyLongevity as part of
that life. Here’s a first blog of more to come on how I am redefining potential at this stage of
my life journey, balancing leadership, family, and personal health and growth.

Leading with Purpose

At 50+, I have reconfirmed what matters to me in how I want to spend my time: it is about the
right purpose combined with the right people to collaborate with and in symbiosis with my
first priorities of being a mother, wife, family member and friend. Grateful that I am still
succeeding in that mission. In my role at McKinsey Health Institute, I focus on fostering
healthy workforces, drawing from my 25+ years of professional experience drawing from
leadership & organizational development as well as affective neuroscience. My work is
deeply personal; it stems from a passion to help people, organizations and communities to
thrive, not just survive. Whether I’m co-authoring books like Deliberate Calm or guiding
global teams, I aim to lead with empathy and intentionality. Renewal potential, to me, is the
ability to inspire—whilst also rolemodeling and leading by example. Its not about and/or but
about and/and…

Loving our amazing Twin-Teens

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Raising teenagers is its own masterclass in leadership. Our wonderful twins challenge me
daily to adapt, listen, and let go of control—skills that translate directly into my professional
life. At this age, they’re navigating their own identities, and I’ve found that my role isn’t to
dictate but to guide. It’s about showing up with love, even when they push back, and
celebrating their individuality. Some days, it’s messy and chaotic, but those moments of
connection—like a late-night chat or a shared laugh—remind me that power lies in presence,
not perfection (and I am learning every day!).

Thriving with my wonderful Husband

Nic Brassey, my husband and best friend, is my rock. After almost two decades together,
we’ve built a partnership that thrives on mutual support and shared growth. At 50+, I’ve
learned that potential also applies to relationships—it’s about lifting each other up. Nic has
been my sounding board through career pivots, and my cheerleader as I pursued various
additional academic degrees throughout my career. Together, we navigate the juggle of work,
parenting, and personal passions. Our secret? Laughter, trust, daily hour-long walks and
talks, and a commitment to keeping our bond strong amidst life’s demands.

Redefining Potential

Society often tells us that potential peaks in our younger years, but I disagree. At 50+, I see
more potential and opportunities than ever—not because of external achievements, but
because of the internal clarity I’ve gained combined with what I see is needed in this evolving
world. At its heart lies the power to prioritize what matters: meaningful work (of which there is
SO much out there!), my teens’ growth a thriving marriage and a personal operating model to
help me lead this in a meaningful way (more on that in a later post). It’s about the courage to
embrace vulnerability, whether I’m tackling another confidence crisis (as I’ve written about in
Authentic Confidence), handling #WomensHealth challenges, commit to #LifeLongLearning
or admitting I don’t have all the answers as a parent.

As I move forward, I’m redefining potential on my terms in this new stage of life — #grateful,
rooted in purpose, love, connection and being intentional about health and longevity. To
anyone else at this stage of life, I’d say: don’t underestimate the strength you’ve built and/or
the power of renewal and potential with intent. It’s not about slowing down (whatever that
may mean); it’s about leading, adapting, pivoting, loving, and thriving in ways that feel true to
you (and that may mean ‘a different pace’ be it slowing down OR speeding up:-)).

I am not fully sure yet what this journey ahead will look like, but I am sure about my intent:
maximizing my potential as a #FemaleLeader, #Mother and #Wife at 50+! More to come
#StayTuned #HealthyLongevity #Thriving@50+ #LifeLongLearningRocks!

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Jacqueline Brassey is a co-Director Healthy Workforces and Director of Research Science at
the McKinsey Health Institute, affiliated research fellow at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and
adjunct professor at IE University. A Dutch national, based in Luxembourg with her South
African husband and their twins.

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