Identity Crisis at the Airport: What It Taught Me About Midlife

Recently, I found myself at the airport in one of those moments that becomes a metaphor for everything.

I was flying back to the UK, and when I reached the desk, the agent looked at my documents and said, “Your passport and boarding pass don’t match. We can’t let you fly with this.”

My passport had my married surname.

My boarding pass had my previous one.

Two identities, both mine… but suddenly I was “not allowed” to move forward because they didn’t align neatly.

And in that moment, it hit me how much midlife can feel exactly like that.

Not the woman you once were.

Not yet the woman you’re growing into.

Standing in the space in between.

I could feel the emotional wave rising — and I nearly gave up.

I almost bought a brand new ticket.

Almost accepted the setback.

But then the man at the desk asked a simple question:

“Do you have your marriage certificate?”

I didn’t have the physical copy.

But I remembered — a few years earlier, I’d taken a screenshot.

I searched my phone, scrolled… and found it.

That tiny screenshot was enough.

They approved it.

I made it home.

This moment reminded me:

We already have what we need.

The strength, the resilience, the ability to adapt — it hasn’t disappeared.

It may be tucked away, forgotten for a while, but it’s still ours.

And we don’t need to fully match the past or future version of ourselves to move forward.

We just need to honour who we are right now.

If you feel caught between versions of yourself — I get it.

You’re not lost.

You’re evolving.

And you don’t have to navigate this transition alone.

That’s exactly why I created MenoFit — a space for women moving through this powerful, shifting season together.

You’re invited to join us: simply email petra@petracoaching.co.uk to secure your spot.