RETIREMENT COACHING
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
You’ve seen the ads with older adults walking contentedly on endless beaches. You’ve watched people around you leave their old life behind and seemingly slide happily into retirement.
So, why aren’t you more excited? Why do you feel like you need help figuring out what comes next?
There’s nothing wrong with you.
A part of life that used to last a few years now stretches for decades. You will likely spend 20-30 years in retirement. You’re not wrong if you feel like that’s a long time to walk on a beach, tend your garden, or work on the to-do list of projects you’d been meaning to get to.
“A plan for the next third of your life is about more than figuring out how you’ll spend your free time.”
What people don’t tend to talk about is the struggle. The fear. The loss of identity and purpose. The loss of connection. The fear of slowly disappearing from the life they worked so hard to create.
And so, here you are. You have questions. You have concerns. You have dreams.
You’re in the right place.
There’s no shortage of people who would love to tell you how they navigated retirement and exactly what you should do because, surely, what worked for them will work for you.
That’s not how we’ll spend our time.
The choices that worked for your friend, your relative, your coworker, or a stranger on social media aren’t automatically right for you.
You are a multi-dimensional person who has lived a multi-dimensional life and the pieces of that life have become interwoven in intricate and surprising ways. Whether you’ve loved your work or despised it, your career has affected more than your finances and free time. It’s shaped connections, relationships, health, identity, purpose, your sense of structure, and more. The impact of career on the other facets of one’s life is different for everyone.
“A thriving retirement doesn’t require you to leave your identity behind.”
A real plan goes deeper than how you’ll fill your days. Creating a plan for the next third of your life is about more than figuring out how you’ll spend your free time and where you’ll volunteer. It’s about evaluating what a thriving retirement looks like for you and putting the supports in place to make it happen. It’s about recognizing and intentionally planning for the voids that show up when career disappears. It’s about understanding the unique opportunities and challenges that retirement presents and having resources to help you navigate them when they arise.
A thriving retirement doesn’t require you to leave your identity behind. Our work together will be based on who you truly are and how you can continue to express that (or maybe even express it for the first time) in retirement. We’ll also explore what purpose and meaning look like for you and how they fit into your life moving forward.
Our primary goal together is to create a plan that will help you make the most of the time you worked so hard for.
When we’re done, you’ll have completed a custom workbook grounded in the fact that you are still a complete person in retirement. You will have assembled ideas, actions and strategies to guide you through this next part of life. And because we all change over time, we’ll make sure that the plans we put in place not only fit who you are now but are flexible enough to move and change with you.
More than a plan. Our time together will provide you with space and time to think through what you really want next, in a judgement-free zone. I will encourage you to move beyond shoulds and old stories to get to the heart of what is true to you. The resources and tools I provide are designed to start conversation, not end it. You always have the final say in what does and doesn’t make sense for you. When you feel like you’re being tossed in the sea of your own thoughts, I will help you navigate your way back to shore. Clients often tell me that being truly seen and heard without pressure or judgement is one of the most powerful parts of working with me.
Our sessions will be virtual unless we arrange otherwise. You can choose between 60- and 90-minute sessions. I recommend that we meet on a weekly basis for at least one month as we establish groundwork and momentum. Meeting weekly, we can usually create a plan within three months.
We’ll start with a 30-minute, no-strings conversation. We’ll talk about where you are, your retirement hopes and hesitations, and figure out if I’m a good fit for you.
I don’t know if you’re arriving at this time in your life feeling exhausted and a little worn down, or energized and excited. I do know that retirement holds more possibility than ever and that there’s a path for you.
You’ve created a life. Let’s create your future.
Session time is your time. You can use it however you wish. Sometimes, we’ll work through particular tools or activities together. Most of the time, you can also expect to do a lot of talking, as I provide you with the space and support to think through how to create the future you want.
Typically, our sessions will start with time for you to recap your successes and challenges since our last session. Then, we’ll identify an outcome for the current session and we’ll spend time working toward that outcome. From there, we’ll create action steps and commitments to yourself for the week ahead.
I will be ready to suggest strategies for us to explore, but the process is fluid. If we are working on developing strategies for building community and a family challenge arises, we can switch gears to deal with life as it happens.
Coaching is not a passive process. I’m here to not only help you get clear on your retirement but to give you the guidance you need to actually create it. Insights and clarity are an important part of the work we will do together, but those don’t mean much unless they’re put into action. Each time we meet, we will co-design actions for you to work on between sessions. We’ll also employ strategies to help you stay on track. The more willing you are to commit to yourself and our work together, the more you will get out of it.
You’re not alone in feeling this way. Many people wrestle with the, “Am I ready?” question. There are many different reasons why you might feel reluctant to retire. We can absolutely work that out together. In addition to guiding you through considerations in the various aspects of your life, we can work through assessments that are specifically geared toward retirement readiness.
Ready for more good news? Retirement doesn’t have to look the same for everyone. We can explore alternatives to outright retirement, like phased retirement, encore careers, and more. Together, we’ll figure out not only if you’re ready for a new chapter, but what that chapter might look like.
Yes! Retirement has shifted and often includes career changes and new entrepreneurial endeavours, and as a certified career coach and retirement coach, I can help. We can shape your retirement to look however you want. Whether you’re looking for potential ideas, or you’re further along and need help in putting your ideas into action, we can work on the steps to move you toward your goals. We’ll also be sure to balance your other retirement plans with your new career or entrepreneurial pursuits to help you create the future you want. To learn more about the specifics of how I can help with career planning, I invite you to take a look at my Career Coaching Services page.
First, let me assure you that you’re not alone and there’s no shame here. The transition to retirement is more difficult than expected for a lot of people. You’ve experienced a lot of disruption and change in a relatively short period of time. I’m so glad that you recognized that you don’t need to stay in the struggle.
It’s not unusual for clients to start working with me after they’ve already retired. Often, the honeymoon period wears off and people are left wondering, “Is this all there is?” (By the way, the answer to that question is, “No.” There’s more. We just have to find what it is for you.)
We’ll start where you are. We’ll address the challenges you’re currently facing and put structures in place to help you step more fully into your life.
I am a Certified Professional Retirement Coach through the Retirement Coaches Association. I am currently finishing up work toward the Associate Certified Coach designation through the International Coaching Federation (ICF). I am a Certified Professional Coach and Certified Career Coach through the World Coach Institute, an ICF-accredited school.
I have a particularly strong interest in the neuroscience of change and have completed an intensive professional development program in Applied Neuroscience and Brain Health through Dr. Sarah McKay. I am currently completing an additional program in the neuroscience of coaching through Dr. Irene O’Brien.
Curious about how I chose an encore career in coaching? This is my story.
Ah, I’m glad you asked. The honest answer is that there is quite a lot you can do on your own. There are plenty of books out there. The internet is at your fingertips. If you’re a fan of AI, there’s a lot of information you can access.
However:
I’ve made retirement planning my passion. I’ve studied and curated resources so that you don’t have to.
As we work together, I can see blindspots that you can’t. I can see your body language, hear changes in your voice and identify when you’re leaving things unsaid. I can tell when we need to spend more time with a thought or idea instead of rushing you to make a decision. I provide genuine encouragement and, when needed, pushback, to make sure you’re getting what you truly need based on who you are.
The thing I hear from clients in nearly every session is, “I never thought of it that way before. I’ve never been given this kind of time and space to think about any of these things.”
There is no replacement for being guided through and witnessed by a qualified person in the change process. You’re not an algorithm. Neither am I.
It’s great that you’re working with a financial planner. A solid financial plan is a big step toward a successful retirement, but it’s just one step. Modern retirement requires more than having enough money to survive. I’m not a replacement for your advisor. I’m here to help you with the aspects of your retirement that go beyond investments.
Together, we’ll address areas like health, connection and relationships, identity and sense of purpose, leisure/adventure, use of time, and life changes. We’ll also work through the unique challenges, opportunities and transitions that most people don’t consider as they prepare for the next third of life.
A qualified financial advisor helps you to save for your future. I’m here to help you create it.
I hear you. You’re not alone. The very thought of plans and goals makes many retirees break out into a cold sweat. Most likely, the plans, goals and schedules you’ve encountered so far in your adult life have revolved around the needs and expectations of the organization or other people.
Plans, goals and schedules look much different in retirement. We’re not looking for ways to restrict you and your time. We’re looking for ways to make sure that you get more of what you want and less of what you don’t. Without some sort of plan, the freedom and flexibility you’re looking forward to can easily be consumed and before you know it, you’re more overstretched than you were before retirement, or your days all start to look very much alike.
When we work together, we’ll find terminology that works for you. If words like goals, plans, strategies and structure tie your stomach in knots, we’ll use terms that meet you where you are at this stage. On the flip side, if you’re somebody who’s reluctant to let go of org charts, KPIs and ROIs, then we’ll work with that.
I love that you picked up on that level of detail! I was born and raised in Canada and spent my early career there. Canada uses the British spelling for many words. When I moved to the United States, the extra ‘u’s followed me. Full disclosure: The metric system also followed me. I still don’t understand Fahrenheit temperatures.
