Retirement on the road | Discover

In 2019, Siobhan Daniels found herself in the driving seat of a motorhome, about to rev into retirement and a brand new adventure.

“I sold my home and gave away all my possessions to charity shops – my daughter thought I’d gone bonkers!” laughs Siobhan. “But when I turned the key in the lock of that motorhome, I was crying and giggling at the same time. I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do, other than that I was in search of happiness. Four years later, I’ve become the woman I always should have been.”

Shifting gears

An unconventional retirement wasn’t always on the cards for Siobhan. After working as a nurse for 9 years, in the 1980s she decided to retrain as a journalist after hearing an advert for a trainee reporters’ scheme run by the BBC. This opportunity led to a successful career as a reporter, presenter and producer on various programmes across regional BBC radio and TV.

But from her late 40s onwards, challenges – both personal and professional – began to emerge and Siobhan grew disillusioned. “As I was approaching 50, my daughter went off to university,” says Siobhan. “I’d been a single mum for years, and I started bragging to everyone that it was going to be ‘party time’! But it wasn’t that at all – I was quite miserable.”

Over the next decade, Siobhan lost two siblings to cancer, experienced her own health issues, and faced new difficulties in the workplace. “I really struggled with the menopause,” Siobhan reveals. “I forgot things, my performance was questioned, and I felt increasingly marginalised and voiceless.”