Christina Wallace, an author and expert in building a meaningful retirement, shares insights from her book, The Portfolio Life. She discusses the emotional challenges of transitioning from a professional identity and the importance of self-discovery. Wallace introduces the '100 Wishes' exercise, encouraging listeners to envision their future aspirations and find purpose beyond career achievements. She emphasizes balancing various life domains and the need for intentional living to thrive in retirement, inspiring a reflective and fulfilling approach to this new chapter.
A nutritious diet significantly enhances longevity, as poor dietary choices can drastically impact health and life expectancy.
Retirement is an opportunity to redefine purpose through personal pursuits, promoting community engagement and self-awareness in this new phase.
Deep dives
Health and Longevity Insights
Focusing on health and wellness is critical for enhancing longevity, as discussed by Dr. Michael Greger, who emphasizes that diet greatly influences life expectancy. Research shows that the American diet is the leading cause of death, surpassing issues like smoking. To improve health, adopting a diet rich in whole plant foods, legumes, and whole grains while minimizing processed foods and sugars can have profound effects. Notably, studies indicate that eating a burger can statistically reduce lifespan as much as smoking two cigarettes, underscoring the importance of dietary choices in overall health.
Navigating Retirement Identity
Transitioning into retirement often involves grappling with identity loss, which can pose challenges for many individuals. Christina Wallace highlights that retirement does not equate to losing one’s purpose; rather, it's an opportunity to redefine it. By considering one's skills and interests, individuals can build a 'portfolio life' that encompasses various personal pursuits and connections. Mapping out needs such as community engagement and personal growth can facilitate a smoother transition and allow retirees to discover new facets of themselves.
Planning for Purposeful Living
Retirement involves more than relaxation; it requires intentional planning for a fulfilling life. The concept of a 'four-way win' promotes integrating different life domains—work, home, community, and self—while maintaining boundaries to avoid overwhelm. Engaging in self-care ultimately enhances the ability to serve and support others while navigating this new life stage. This perspective champions the idea that taking care of oneself is not selfish but essential for being present and helpful in other areas of life.
Creating Impact After Retirement
After retirement, many seek to make a significant impact through service-oriented endeavors. Jennifer Jacobs exemplifies this by pivoting from a corporate career to founding Connect Our Kids, with the goal of improving foster care systems. Her journey showcases the potential for retirees to leverage their skills in new areas that benefit society. This transition requires recognizing the importance of one's previous experiences while remaining open to innovative ideas from diverse fields to address pressing social issues creatively.
There are many podcasts on retirement, often hosted by financial advisors with financial motives, that cover the money side of the street. This podcast is different. You’ll get smarter about the investment decisions you’ll make about the most important asset you’ll have in retirement: your time.
I help people who are retiring, but aren’t quite done yet, discover what’s next and build their custom version of their next life. A meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.
Schedule a call today to discuss how The Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one – on your own terms.
Joe Casey is an executive coach who also helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a twenty-six-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Today, in addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, which thanks to his guests and loyal listeners, ranks in the top 1 % globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 1.5 million downloads. Business Insider has recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He’s the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.