Walking into Retirement

Send us Fan Mail What happens when the career that shaped your identity, your routine and your relationships suddenly comes to an end?  In this episode of Walking Into Retirement , Peter and DAS are joined by Louise from Australia to explore the reality of life after work.  They talk about preparing for retirement, finding new purpose and structure, replacing workplace connections, discovering a n...

Send us Fan Mail What actually makes us wise?  Is it simply getting older and collecting a few more scars, stories and questionable decisions along the way?  In this episode of Walking Into Retirement , Peter Taylor and DAS take a stroll through the idea of wisdom, exploring what experience teaches us, how our perspective changes as we get older, and whether we really become wiser or simply better...

Send us Fan Mail What happens when retirement is still several years away, but you start imagining life without work?  In this episode, Chris shares her hopes, concerns and expectations, from more time for travel, volunteering and family, to the unexpected pressures of becoming more available to ageing parents.  Exploring the loss of structure, recognition and measurable achievement, and asking wh...

Send us Fan Mail Did he fall over or was it a fall? DAS explains his personal sporting injury which becomes a surprisingly powerful moment of reflection. Rather than focusing on the fact that he fell, DAS reflects on how lucky he was not to be seriously injured and how the experience suddenly made life feel more immediate and precious. The conversation challenges the idea that retirement should si...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Peter and DAS, with their guest Jill, reflect on the power of roots, family, and what it means to move through life's transitions. From generations who were born, baptised and buried in the same village church to parents who left in search of new opportunities, the conversation explores how our backgrounds shape us. They also discuss the experience of a well-...

Send us Fan Mail If every day is now like a Saturday where does the structure come from and is it important anyway? Peter and DAS go for a walk, get lost, and discover the perfect metaphor for the state of elderescence. They further explore the paradox - that when we are busy days feel long but years feel short, yet when, in retirement, days feel leisurely weeks can disappear because there are few...

Three years after leaving corporate life, this episode reflects on the journey our guest, David, made taking back control and embracing the opportunity for continuous growth.  It explores the power of defining how you want to feel rather than simply what you want to do, and how a simple coffee with a trusted friend (in this case DAS) can provide the perspective needed during times of change.  The...

In this episode, during a hot sunny walk along the beautiful river Wye at Symonds Yat, Peter and DAS explore community. We are, after all, social creatures and the value of community through work is something other guests on the podcast has spoken to. But what happens when that 'work' community ends and what do you replace it with in life? DAS accuses Peter of being a social 'loiter...

Exploring, with their guest, Dave Achtemichuk, the long glide path to the point of actual retirement. Peter shares some more statistics and DAS compliments his old boss on his golf handicap. But more importantly the conversation explores the idea that it doesn't have to be a hard stop at the 'R' point (or cliff edge) but it can be instead a gradual reduction in the work side of the...

This episode, with a very flat walk along the Oxford canal and river Thames, chosen by Peter, is very much about Peter and his personal experience of the whole elderescence world. Echoing many of the lessons from earlier podcast guests but with it now a personal reality in a time-rich but focus-poor state and with no real plans beyond the 'R' point (and Peter decides it must be called) D...

After a busy, perhaps pressurised, work life then retirement can be seen as the perfect solution. But what drives so many people to return to work, or some form of work? Peter and DAS  are joined by their latest guest, Dean Stockwell, who talks about the positives and some negatives of retirement and what drew him to returning to the workplace, albeit in a very different role. The main motivations...

Whilst ascending a physical and metaphorical mountain DAS and Peter discuss the many benefits of a future state of retirement that can strengthen relationships by allowing more quality time with family, friends, and community. They also explore creating space for improved wellbeing, thereby giving people more time to focus on physical health, mental relaxation, and activities that genuinely bring...

For many people their career is a big part of how they define themselves, so what happens when that 'identity' through work is no longer there? DAS and Peter are joined by Sadie Wackett to explore this topic as part of the ongoing elderescence journey. Retirement is not just a financial transition but it is also an identity transition - often the hardest part of this whole 'retireme...

Exploring why stopping can be more difficult than expected when on the cusp of retirement. With a backdrop of the wonderful Cotswold landscape and Broadway, and with metaphors galore, Peter and DAS discuss what makes 'stopping' challenging and what is 'lost' when it comes to crossing that retirement bridge. But also, what is to be gained as well when on the other side. All this...

They say that life is what happens to you whilst you are busy making other plans and in this episode, our first guest podcast, Sally MacQueen joins Peter and DAS to discussion the impact of when retirement is more forced upon you rather something you planned. The loss of purpose, the loss of identity, and moving through the grieving process are all covered with honesty and a certain degree of rawn...

In which the dynamic duo head to the Malvern Hills, for a challenging walk, and DAS creates a new word in an effort to get something off his chest about the word 'retirement'. Peter goes public on his lack of love for all things JR Tolkien and DAS shows off about his knowledge of Malvern and surroundings. They also outline the walking and studio plans for the podcast series in 2026, and...

Retirement today is no longer a clear-cut ending to working life, and for many professionals, it is an uncertain transition marked by loss of identity, fear of stopping, questions of purpose, and the challenge of balancing enjoyment of life with planning for a (hopeful) long future. ‘Walking into Retirement’ will address this transition, head on, in a fresh and engaging way.  The hosts, Peter and...