The Retirement Wisdom Podcast

Sign up for our next Designing Your Life small group coaching program starting in September here __________________________ What happens when you’ve done everything “right” — built a successful career, made a difference, checked the boxes — and yet something still is missing? Today I’m joined by Dave Evans, co-author of How to Live a Meaningful Life: Using Design Thinking to Unlock Purpose, Joy, a...

What if creativity works like medicine? New research shows that regular engagement with the arts can slow biological aging, protect the brain, reduce stress, and promote a new sense of purpose, identity and meaning—especially in retirement. This episode reframes art as one of the most powerful, underused tools for healthy aging. Our guest today, Dr. Daisy Fancourt, is a leading researcher on the h...

If you’re in, or approaching, a life transition and think, “I should have this figured out by now,” this conversation is for you. Today, mindfulness teacher Monique Rhodes shares how to move through that sticky in‑between space of “no longer who you were, not yet who you’re becoming” without beating yourself up. You’ll hear why happiness is an inside job, how to work with your mind when life blind...

Don’t go it alone. Design Your New Life in Retirement. New Groups start in September. Join us…and design your next chapter. Learn more and sign up here _________________________ Bio For decades, Anna Rappaport has studied how people actually transition out of full-time work—not in theory, but in real life. And what she’s learned may challenge how you’re thinking about retirement....

Don’t just retire. Design. Join us in our group program. Two new groups starting in September. Don’t put off planning for your life in retirement. Take the first step today. _________________________ What does it truly mean to age well in a world where longevity is increasing, but health spans vary wildly? In this episode, we meet with Dr. Arnold Gilberg, author of The Myth of Aging: A...

Are you graduating from the grind soon? You could go it alone and wing it. But here’s what one participant said about our small group coaching program: “It was fantastic! I got to work with other people and share ideas with others on what retirement could be. It gave me clarity and confidence.” New groups are starting in September Let’s go! Learn more Join us “Challenged me...

Are you ready to graduate from the grind in 2026? Then here’s your most important project: Future You. Join our small group coaching program and design your new life after work. Learn more “Eye opening and provocative.” “Challenged me to get out of the starting blocks and far down the path of really thinking about this next phase of my life in very different ways. I now feel like I have a solid ro...

What if the most creative chapter of your life hasn’t happened yet? Today’s conversation is about second acts that arrive not quietly—but boldly. Kim Gottlieb-Walker published her debut novel at age 78 after a 50-year career as a photographer. She also leads the Vintage Writers, a lively weekly Zoom group of women authors over 70. Joining her is Roselyn Teukolsky, a former math and computer scienc...

Start the new year right with new habits. FREE 3 session program – 3 Fridays in January at Noon Eastern. Sign up here . __________________________ Are you ready to graduate from the grind? Then here’s your most important project: Future You. Learn more . ______________________ You’ve spent decades building a career, mastering a craft, and maybe even raising a family. But what happens w...

“You are what you repeatedly do.” Start the New Year strong. Join my FREE 3 session Tiny Habits program.  Register here _________________________ What’s your most important project in 2026? Future You. Don’t wing it. Design it. Learn more here . _________________________ What happens when a financial columnist and CFP® professional suddenly becomes her mother’s caregi...

Don’t retire. Redesign . Join our small group program beginning in January. Learn more . ___________________________ Will your retirement life look like the glossy images you see in the brochures? Wise up. There’s a real transition that happens when the paychecks stop and you move into your new life. But here’s the thing: it presents an opportunity for rewarding personal growth,...

Two New Designing Your Life groups kicking off in January 2026 is coming soon. Is It Time to Design What’s Next? . Learn more and sign up today Early registration discount ends 12/15 “Now I know what I’m retiring to.” _________________________ What if everything you’ve been chasing in your full-time working years—the promotion, the bigger paycheck—hasn’t been le...

Two New Designing Your Life groups kicking off in January Retirement by Design : Create a meaningful roadmap for what’s next. Early registration discount ends 12/15 Limited to 10 spots per group Learn more and sign up today  __________________________ Should you hire a Financial Advisor or do-it-yourself ? Glenn Frank rejoins us with some food for thought. __________________________ Just Asking fo...

Two New Designing Your Life groups kicking off in January Your Future, Designed : Turn curiosity into action with design thinking.  Early registration discount ends 12/15 Learn more and sign up today    Limited to 10 spots per group ________________________ What does it mean to age with agility? Dr. Michelle Pannor Silver, University of Toronto professor and author of Aging with Agility: How Elite...

I’m Just Asking for a Friend Retirement brings so many tough questions. Share your question (for a friend, of course…) to be answered in an upcoming retirement podcast episode. Click here to leave a voice message or email me at joec@retirementwisdom.com — What really makes for a successful retirement? Financial readiness is only part of the story. After decades in the financial planning worl...

What if your brain’s health in retirement depended as much on who you see as on what you eat or how you move? Neuroscientist Dr. Ben Rein, author of  the new book Why Brains Need Friends: The Neuroscience of Social Connection, joins us to reveal how social connection shapes your brain. He explains why isolation is as toxic as chronic stress, how friendship fuels brain resilience, and why your dog...

What if retirement isn’t the end of something — but the beginning of something better – and deeply meaningful? Dr. Susan Reid thought she was ready for her next chapter when she retired early from her career as a university professor. But within weeks, she realized she’d gone from 100% full throttle to zero — and felt adrift. That awakening led her on a powerful journey to re-vision retireme...

I’m Just Asking for a Friend Retirement brings so many questions! Share yours (for a friend….) Click here to leave a voice message or email me at joec@retirementwisdom.com ____________________________ What does it mean to live life fully — without any unfinished business? Today’s guest, Diane Button, knows the answer. As a compassionate end-of-life doula and author of What Matters Most: Lessons th...

What if doing less could actually give you more? Author and minimalist Christine Platt, known as The Afrominimalist , joins us to explore how letting go of clutter—physical and emotional—can lead to a life of greater intention, peace, and purpose. Her new book, Less Is Liberating, challenges the myth that our worth is tied to our busyness or possessions. In this conversation, Christine opens up ab...

What happens when a sleepless baby, a Victorian fixer-upper, and a vineyard come together? For Richard Moran, it sparked a multi-year journey of transformation—from corporate boardrooms to wine country. Along the way, he discovered lessons about serendipity, risk-taking, family, and building a place that lasts for generations. In today’s conversation, Richard shares his story of balancing a high-f...

I’m Just Asking for a Friend Retirement brings so many questions! Share yours (for a friend, of course…) Click here to leave a voice message or email me at joec@retirementwisdom.com ____________________________ What if the secret to a longer, healthier, and more purposeful life isn’t about diets or exercise routines, but about connection, purpose, and how we approach aging itself? In this co...

Parenting doesn’t end when your kids grow up — it just changes. And for many, that shift can be confusing, frustrating, and even painful. How do you move from being the authority to being a supportive “peer”? And what do you do when your hopes for your adult children don’t align with who they’ve become? Today, we’re joined by Dr. Francine Toder , a clinical psychologist to discuss her...

Our guest today, Dr. Chris Walinski, is a dentist, researcher, MasterChef contestant, and prostate cancer survivor. His story is an inspiring one of persistence, adaptation, reinvention and turning adversity into advocacy. Chris shares how his childhood independence led to a lifelong passion for cooking, how his wife nudged him into the MasterChef spotlight, and how a life-altering cancer diagnosi...

Join our group and design your retirement. Six Fridays starting on October 3rd. Learn more here . _________________________ Is there more to a great life than happiness and meaning?  Dr. Shige Oishi thinks so. He’s the author of Life in Three Dimensions: How Curiosity, Exploration and Experience Make a Fuller, Better Life , and h e defines psychological richness as a life filled with diverse...

Want to create a retirement your boss will envy? Design it. New group program starts on October 3rd. Six weeks to a new direction. Learn more __________________________ Most of us know about lifespan and healthspan—but have you thought about your joyspan ?  Gerontologist Dr. Kerry Burnight is the author of  Joyspan: The Art and Science of Thriving in Life’s Second Half . She s hares her rese...