Repurposing Your Life in Retirement with Suzanne Campi

Summary

Suzi is a certified co-active coach and has made it her mission to understand the process of personal and professional transitions and the challenges that come with them. She is passionate about working with clients to help see them through and make a pathway for the life the want to experience 

In our conversation Suzi encourages people planning for or already living in retirement to step back and reflect on who they are and what they truly enjoy, as well as the significance of having a positive attitude and choosing to thrive in retirement.  

We discuss the differences between men and women in retirement, particularly in terms of social connections and expectations, whilst also exploring why communication and setting expectations are crucial for couples transitioning into retirement.  

In Suzi’s opinion retirement is a multifaceted life transition that requires deep introspection and consideration of various aspects of life. Her retirement wheel is a tool that helps individuals visualize and address different areas of their life, including spiritual well-being, family and friends, partnership and love, health and fitness, and fun play and travel (a free download of this is available in the show notes).  

And finally, Suzi talks about why she believes it is important to approach retirement with curiosity and a sense of wonder, remaining open to new experiences and learning opportunities and how Retirement should not be seen as the finish line, but rather as a new beginning that requires ongoing adaptation and planning. 

Takeaways

• Retirement is an opportunity to repurpose one's life and find new meaning and purpose. Taking the time to reflect on who you are and what you enjoy is essential during the retirement transition.
• Having a positive attitude and choosing to thrive in retirement can lead to a more fulfilling experience.
• Men and women often have different challenges and expectations in retirement, particularly in terms of social connections.
• Communication and setting expectations are crucial for couples transitioning into retirement. Retirement is a time for deep introspection and consideration of various aspects of life.
• The retirement wheel is a helpful tool for visualizing and addressing different areas of life in retirement.
• Approach retirement with curiosity and a sense of wonder, remaining open to new experiences and learning opportunities.
• Retirement should be seen as a new beginning that requires ongoing adaptation and planning.

Sound Bites

"I love helping people to repurpose."

"Retirement is an outdated concept."

"Retirement is a chance to repurpose what life means."

"It's a retirement wheel that can help people visualize all the pieces, because it's not just a financial piece as we have so declared here."

"How are you in your spiritual peace and will you give yourself time for that peace?"

"Retirement will evolve greatly. You can't pretend it's not going to."

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background 03:27 The Changing Landscape of Retirement 06:01 Repurposing Your Life in Retirement 07:49 Choosing a Positive Attitude in Retirement 09:33 Preparing for Retirement: Mindset and Expectations 12:28 Thriving in Retirement: Shifting from Surviving to Thriving 15:16 Gender Differences in Retirement 24:17 The Retirement Wheel: Visualizing and Addressing Different Areas of Life 33:25 Retirement: A New Beginning Requiring Adaptation and Planning 36:42 Retirement as a Complex Problem Requiring Consistent Adaptation 39:20 Mourning the Ending and Having Gratitude for Your Career