What Happens When the System Changes? Navigating Organisational Loss and Identity in Transition

What happens when the system you gave so much to… disappears overnight?

For many at NHS England, the recent announcement of its abolition has been more than a headline — it’s a shockwave that touches careers, purpose, and personal identity.

Because when you dedicate your life’s work to a system, and that system is suddenly taken away, what’s left behind isn’t just a job loss.

It’s a disruption of self.

Change Is External. Transition Is Internal.

Organisational change can happen with the stroke of a policy pen. But personal transition doesn’t move on a press release timeline.

As William Bridges reminds us:

“It isn’t the changes that do you in, it’s the transitions.”

Change is structural.

Strategic.

Often external.

Transition is emotional. Psychological. Deeply personal.

It involves letting go of the identity you held in that role — and figuring out who you are without the title, the badge, or the framework that once defined you.

And this is where many leaders and professionals find themselves now — not in crisis, but in the in-between.

So What Comes Next?

That’s a question without an easy answer.

What I do know is this: your leadership didn’t end with the system.

And who you are now is not erased by what’s been taken away.

In fact, this is often where the most powerful chapter begins — the one where you choose your voice, your values, and your path with fresh clarity.

This is the work I now hold space for.

It’s the soul of Owning Being You™ — my programme for women navigating midlife transitions with intention, not fear.

Because what you’re carrying right now may not be “just a job change.”

It may be an invitation into something more honest, aligned, and sustainable.

A Quiet Invitation

If you’re sitting with shock, sadness, or uncertainty right now — know this:

You are not lost.

You are broken.

You are in transition.

You are becoming.

And you don’t have to navigate that alone.

📩 If this reflection resonates, get in touch here .