Episode 51: It’s not just about working longer – Tatiana Rowson discusses her new book on navigating longevity and the age of no retirement

In discussion with Rob Feltham, Tatiana Rowson describes how the world is experiencing an unprecedented demographic shift in the profile of the workforce. People today are living longer and often healthier lives than ever before in history and are increasingly also working into much later life than has been the case in the past. What is frequently overlooked is that it is not just the length of people’s working lives that is changing, but also the nature of those working lives. Tatiana challenges the continuing value of concepts like ‘development’ and ‘work-life balance’ and outlines a model of personal leadership which enables individuals to exercise agency and choice and to create more sustainable and fulfilling working lives for themselves, particularly from mid career onwards.  

Dr Tatiana S. Rowson is Associate Professor in Organisational Behaviour at Henley Business School. She teaches personal leadership development to students in the Henley MBA and undergraduate programmes. Tatiana is the Programme Area Director for Business and Management and is a member of the Henley Centre for Leadership. Her research interests encompass ageing, work, and employment, with a particular focus on how midlife transitions impact health, wellbeing, and economic activity in late career. Before joining academia, Tatiana worked as an organisational psychologist and executive coach for several high-profile organisations in the UK, Brazil, and the United Arab Emirates. She is currently based in the UK.

About the book: Rowson, T. and Sloan, K. (2025) Personal Leadership in the Age of No Retirement, De Gruyter.  

Rob Feltham is Podcast Editor of The ABP