\n<\/p>\n
What struck her most was his sense of hopelessness and she wished she could do something.<\/span><\/p>\n That feeling stayed with her throughout her career in human resources at Unilever. Then, in 2023, after returning from an 18-month-long job posting to South Korea, Lim found herself at a crossroads.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was 28 years old. I asked myself if it was crazy to give up the best years of my career (to start a social enterprise). I was very torn and cried frequently about it,\u201d she told CNA Women.<\/span><\/p>\n Ultimately, she took that leap of faith. In November 2023, she started The Courage Chapter, initially taking a sabbatical with her director\u2019s blessing before finally resigning in September this year.<\/span><\/p>\n The Courage Chapter was created to champion inclusive employment, specifically to help midlife and older professionals overcome age-related barriers at work, said Lim. The co-founder was selected for this year\u2019s National Council of Social Service\u2019s annual 40 Under 40 leadership programme, which recognises outstanding young leaders in the social service sector.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n One of Lim\u2019s members is an ex-GM who got retrenched in his late 50s during the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n When his search for a similar role failed, he looked for managerial roles. And people questioned why a former GM would take a step down and huge pay cut.<\/span><\/p>\n He then tried a different industry, still with no success. He even applied for an administration job but was rejected on grounds that he had no administrative experience.<\/span><\/p>\nTHE MIDLIFE PAUSE NO ONE PLANNED FOR<\/span><\/h2>\n