Second Breaks

If you ever thought that if you were set financially and money was no issue, you would retire immediately and just enjoy life, you might want to listen to this episode. I had the pleasure of chatting with Luke Mathers, a two-time retiree and successful entrepreneur. Luke shares his experience of retiring at a young age, after selling his lucrative practice, and initially enjoying the freedom it af...

In this episode, we discuss the key themes and characteristics of modern retirement, as well as the changing attitudes towards work and purpose in midlife. We explore the desire to continue working after retirement, the need for additional income due to longevity, and the shift toward making a difference and leaving a legacy. Friends of the pod and readers of Midlife Cues contributed to this conve...

This week, we're wrapping up the special series on Modern Retirement.  In previous episodes, we've talked about why reframing retirement is a necessary must-do. I've shared my messy retirement journey. And we've discussed the 7 skills we need to navigate retirement in the 21st century. Today, I want to walk you through a framework that I've been working on. The Modern Retirement framework is not a...

EPISODE SUMMARY This is the third episode in our series on Modern Retirement in the 21st century. The traditional idea of retirement as a life of rest and leisure is no longer appealing to many people, and slogans like "Never Retire" have gained popularity. In previous episodes, we've discussed why we need to reframe retirement and actively reshape its definition and expectations to make it work f...

EPISODE SUMMARY It's difficult to talk about the mess when you're in the middle of the mess. This is the "true" story behind my retirement story - i.e., what happened when (and why) I left my corporate career. It's recorded with the benefit of hindsight, of course, and only with some distance that enabled some reflection and connecting of dots. My personal experience is the reason why I'm so drive...

EPISODE SUMMARY Retirement in the 21st century looks and feels different from how our parents experienced their retirement. It’s even going to be different from how we, once upon a time, might have imagined ourselves retiring. And while the loudest messages out there about retirement are all about financial security, investment strategies, and growing the nest egg, the truth is there’s more to con...

EPISODE SUMMARY Are you concerned about your brain health and the risk of cognitive decline? Do you believe that memory loss is a natural part of aging? In this episode, I interview brain health professional Allison Liu, who shares practical steps to protect and improve our brain health. We discuss the importance of taking care of our brains, debunking the common belief that memory loss is inevita...

EPISODE SUMMARY Do you believe that sex after menopause is always painful and that your sexual life will never be the same again? If so, you may be surprised to learn that these are just some of the common misconceptions surrounding sex after menopause. In this episode, Dr. Alyssa Dweck, MD, discusses these misconceptions and provides valuable insights into managing vaginal health during and after...

EPISODE SUMMARY Stress is a common experience that affects our physical, mental, and emotional well-being, especially in midlife. But unfortunately, only a few have been taught to manage stress effectively. As a result, how to deal with stress is often one of those things we fumble our way around through life!   In this episode, we're continuing our midlife health and well-being series, focusing o...

EPISODE SUMMARY This is the first episode in a series on Midlife Health and Well-Being. I am joined by Laurie Lewis to discuss the benefits of intermittent fasting for midlifers and particularly for women going through menopause. As an expert on the topic, Laurie shares her personal experience with menopause and how intermittent fasting helped her. We also delve into the challenges of maintaining...

EPISODE SUMMARY I think it’s safe to say we would rather be in a state of gratitude than not. It’s also safe to assume that we know — even if we may not be aware of the actual science behind it —  that having a gratitude practice is beneficial to our well-being. However, I must confess that I struggle with maintaining a consistent gratitude practice. I find it challenging and often forced, which m...

EPISODE SUMMARY This is the official 200th episode of Second Breaks! I'm practically twisting myself around and patting myself on the back for reaching this milestone. But I don't want to just celebrate reaching a specific number. I want to mark the progress that I've made in life since I started this show. We all know change is the one thing that's constant in life, and in this episode, I want to...

EPISODE SUMMARY Well, folks, it’s hard to ignore the big news these days about ChatGPT and AI. Although we’ve been using AI for a while now, many of us have thought it was still a ways off from becoming truly disruptive. But now, with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 and GPT-4 in March 2023, we’ve entered a new phase of development where AI outputs are virtually indistinguishable from human...

EPISODE SUMMARY: We don’t always recognize a curveball when we get hit by one. We don't see that we need to change and make some adjustments. Instead, we ignore it, deny it, or fight to keep things status quo. That is until it becomes glaringly obvious that some change is required. In this episode, I chat with Stephanie Dethlefs, whose curveball resulted in a change in her career and the identity...

EPISODE SUMMARY: This is the second part of the conversation on why midlife is a call to action for change. If you haven't listened to Part 1 (Ep 195), I suggest you start there! In this episode, I tackle the subject of "unexpected change" or what I call curveballs — events that disrupt our lives, sometimes even reshaping and changing their trajectory. You can read the full text of this episode at...

EPISODE SUMMARY: This week's guest is Bernie Borges, Producer and Host of the Midlife Fulfilled podcast. Bernie shares his perspective on what (and when!) midlife is — which is quite non-traditional, bordering on controversial! I expect it will generate some reactions, no doubt. I’m also sharing my own thoughts and definition of midlife. Although not dissimilar from Bernie’s, it has minor differen...

In the season opener, Lou Blaser makes the case that midlife is a call to action for change. This is a two-parter conversation, and in this episode, Lou talks about why midlife change is necessary and inevitable and why this change is certainly not a crisis. You can read the full text of this episode here.   Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn . Subscribe to Midlife Cues , a weekly newsletter abou...

In this bonus episode, I share my plans and goals for the podcast for the year. FOOTNOTES : Connect with Lou Blaser on LinkedIn . Subscribe to Midlife Cues , a weekly newsletter about intentional living in midlife.  Get full access to Shaping Life at loublaser.substack.com/subscribe

Contrary to popular opinion, wisdom does not come with age. It is the act of sitting down and reflecting on our own experiences that creates wisdom. And one powerful exercise we can do to capture that wisdom is to reflect on the lessons we're taking away from our experiences in the past year. Before you get too busy with your 2023 goals and plans, take a pause to consider the lessons you learned f...

Have you ever looked back and considered how different you are today from the 20-year-old version of yourself? This is a question that I ask all my guests on the podcast. And I’m always blown away by the thoughtfulness of their answers. In this short bonus episode, I’ve compiled the responses of my guests this year so you can listen to all of their thoughts back to back. I’ve found myself in their...

Many of us conduct some kind of a year-end review process sometime in December. My process has evolved a lot over the years, but I’ve been sitting down to do an annual review religiously since my corporate years. I’m always looking for ways to keep my process relevant to wherever I am in life. I also work to spice it up so things don’t get boring and I can look forward to the exercise toward the e...

A singular event rarely transforms a person. True transformation occurs over time and usually, after a series of events that shakes one's world view. ABOUT MY GUEST: Vivek Chakrabortty is the CEO and Founder of The Kavi Group, a crisis management and business continuity consulting firm that supports some of the largest firms in the world today. He is a husband and a father to 3 young adults. You’l...

I’ve come to regard midlife as a kind of fresh start or rather, we can choose to approach it as a fresh start. This is a time in our lives when we can pause and really review where we are and think about how we want the second half of our lives to work out, and then really refocus our energy toward that. For many of us, that means choosing to change areas of our life. Sadly, as much as the vision...

We've all avoided having an important conversation because of fear.  Often, we do so because we don’t have the tools — we don’t know where and how to begin. We don’t have the words or the vocabulary to discuss an important topic. Sometimes, it’s because we’ve been burned in the past when a difficult conversation went awry. I also feel like the older I get, the need to have these difficult or sensi...

While I have pursued many “big” projects and taken on risks head-on, there are still many things that I hold myself back from because of fear. Sometimes, it’s because I don’t feel ready. The worst is when I hesitate because “who do I think I am that I could pull this thing off?” Recently, a good friend did one of these challenging public-facing projects. I had front-row seats and witnessed her mov...