MEaningful MEtirement™

What if retirement is your opportunity to stop proving yourself and start enjoying life? Nearly 30 years ago, Cathy Fyock wrote Unretirement , challenging the traditional definition of retirement. Today, at 72, she's living that philosophy—and discovering new freedoms along the way. In this episode of MEaningful MEtirement , Cathy joins Ceci Zak to explore what happens when we let go of the need t...

You can retire from your job—but have you thought about where, how and with whom you want to live next? In this episode of MEaningful MEtirement, Ceci Zak talks with her friend Linda Young about what it looks like to intentionally design life after retirement. Linda carefully planned the financial side of retirement, right down to her retirement date of 66 years and 7 months. But once work was beh...

Do we become less relevant as we age—or do we simply need to rethink how we use everything we've learned? In this episode of MEaningful MEtirement, Ceci Zak sits down with longtime friend and accomplished people leader Melinda Wolfe to explore how wisdom, curiosity, purpose and connection can make our 3rdTHIRD one of our most meaningful chapters. After nearly 40 years without taking a meaningf...

What if the best investment you could make for your future wasn't financial—but an investment in yourself? Three-time Australian Olympian and World Champion swimmer Elli Overton experienced her first retirement at just 26. Suddenly, the clear goals that had guided her life as an elite athlete were gone—and she had to begin figuring out what came next. Today, at 52, Elli is intentionally creati...

Do we become less relevant as we age—or do we simply need to rethink how we use everything we've learned? In this episode of MEaningful MEtirement, Ceci Zak sits down with longtime friend and accomplished people leader Melinda Wolfe to explore how wisdom, curiosity, purpose and connection can make our 3rdTHIRD one of our most meaningful chapters. After nearly 40 years without taking a meaningf...

What if retirement isn't about slowing down—but staying curious enough to keep becoming? This episode is especially close to my heart. My guest, Lynn Stroud , was my mother's dearest friend, has been part of my life for as long as I can remember—and is actually the person who gave me the name Ceci . Lynn and her husband, Bob, retired at 55 and intentionally built a life filled with adventure, trav...

Do we become less relevant as we age—or do we simply need to rethink how we use everything we've learned? In this episode of MEaningful MEtirement, Ceci Zak sits down with longtime friend and accomplished people leader Melinda Wolfe to explore how wisdom, curiosity, purpose and connection can make our 3rdTHIRD one of our most meaningful chapters. After nearly 40 years without taking a meaningf...

What if you didn't wait until retirement to start creating your 3rdTHIRD? At 49, communications executive and iHUG Foundation founder Joanna Breitstein is already asking what she wants her next chapter to look like—and who she wants to be when she gets there. In this deeply personal conversation with Ceci Zak, Joanna shares how an unexpected lifequake has caused her to reconsider the future sh...

What happens when retirement isn't just your transition…it's ours ? In this special episode of MEaningful MEtirement , Ceci Zak welcomes the podcast's first couple, Jodi and Jeff Olin , to explore what she calls WEtirement —the shared journey of intentionally creating a meaningful life together after decades of careers, raising a family, and building a life side by side. After celebrat...

What if the greatest obstacle to creating your best life isn't your age—but the identity you've been holding onto? After decades of building a successful career in healthcare, Linda DaSilva found herself facing an unexpected crossroads. Lingering health challenges, workplace stress, and a growing sense that her professional identity no longer reflected who she truly was forced her to ask a...

What if the life you've always wanted begins the moment you choose yourself? For years, ceramic artist Cathy Broski built a successful career while quietly living with physical pain, emotional exhaustion, and a relationship that no longer reflected who she was becoming. Everything changed when she stopped asking how to fix everyone else—and started asking a different question:"What do I w...

What if the secret to a meaningful 3rdTHIRD isn't retirement at all? In this episode, real estate investor and lifelong learner Pete Madden challenges the conventional idea of retirement and shares why curiosity, health, community, and staying engaged matter far more than stepping away from work. From raising two daughters and embracing life as an almost-empty nester to discovering the power o...

What if retirement wasn't about slowing down—but finally having the freedom to become more of yourself? After an extraordinary global career leading commercial organizations across some of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, Renee Tannenbaum discovered that the greatest reward wasn't leaving work—it was gaining the freedom to choose how she wanted to live. In this heartfelt c...

What happens when the identities you've built your life around are suddenly taken away? Dr. Kimberly Harms knows that question all too well. After losing her son to suicide, supporting her husband through a liver transplant, and being forced into an early retirement from a successful dental career, Kimberly faced a choice: remain trapped by loss or reinvent herself once again. In this powerful...

You've checked all the boxes. Built the career. Achieved the success. Reached the milestone. So why does it still feel like there's something more? In this episode, entrepreneur and former CEO Rich Wartel shares the mindset shift that changed everything after selling a successful company. We talk about identity, purpose, family, health, and the surprising truth about fulfillment: it's not found in...

What do you do when life doesn't go according to plan? After losing loved ones, navigating unimaginable lifequakes, and walking away from a career she loved after 28 years, Carol Brannigan made a courageous choice: keep moving toward joy. In this heartfelt conversation, Carol shares how she reinvented her life in her 3rdTHIRD, moved across the country, built a thriving community, embraced adve...

Most people spend decades building a successful career. Few take the time to thoughtfully design what comes next. In this episode of MEaningful MEtirement, Ceci Zak sits down with Nick Colucci—former CEO of Publicis Health, Medical Advertising Hall of Fame inductee, HBA Honorable Mentor, philanthropist, and lifelong leader—to explore what happens when professional success gives way to something ev...

What if the biggest opportunity in your 3rdTHIRD isn't slowing down—it's finally becoming who you were meant to be? In this episode, accomplished executive, board leader, traveler, and adventurer Ellen Keszler shares how life's unexpected transitions became the catalyst for extraordinary growth. After leaving corporate life at 44 and navigating a major life reinvention, Ellen chose cur...

What if retirement isn’t about slowing down… but finally creating a life that feels like you ? At 65, after decades of leadership and breaking barriers in corporate America, Charlotte Sibley faced a question many avoid: Who am I when work is no longer my identity? In this conversation, Charlotte shares the surprisingly simple process that helped her step into MEtirement with intention—before fear,...

What happens when you reach this stage of life—and realize it’s not about slowing down… it’s about becoming more of who you are? In this powerful MEtirement conversation, Wendy White shares what it really looks like to navigate the “in-between”—that space where your old identity no longer fits… and your next chapter isn’t fully clear yet. This isn’t about retirement. This is about MEtirement. We t...

What happens when everything you thought defined you… is suddenly gone? In this deeply honest and inspiring episode, Taren Grom shares what it looks like to rebuild your life after back-to-back “life quakes”—selling her company, losing her mother, and losing the identity she had carried for decades. There was no roadmap. No plan. Just a blank page—and a choice. Taren opens up about: Moving through...

What happens when you stop following the rules everyone else believes about retirement, success, money—and start listening to yourself instead? In this episode, Andrea Mallozzi shares the deeply personal shift that led her to walk away from decades of expectations and toward a life built on freedom, experiences, and authenticity. From surviving breast cancer to questioning society’s “truisms” arou...

Ana Goizeuta Clark doesn’t sugarcoat things—and that’s exactly why this conversation hits. After decades building a successful career on Wall Street, Ana faced a reality many people avoid:What happens when your identity is tied to your profession… and that chapter ends? In this episode, she walks through: The discomfort of stepping away from a high-powered career The ego hit of going from high inc...

Most people think retirement is the finish line. Mitch Lee saw it as the starting line. After decades of leadership, success, and building a career, Mitch made a bold shift—he chose to stop letting work define him and start living a life built around purpose, passion, and impact. And here’s the truth he discovered:You don’t need more time… you need more intention with your time. In this episode, y...

There comes a moment—quiet but undeniable—when you realize: This life I built has been meaningful… and I want even more. In this episode, Simon Davidoff shares how he honored that feeling—and chose to expand, not settle. No dramatic exit. No perfect plan. Just the decision to keep growing. We talk about: Letting your identity evolve beyond your success Trusting yourself before you feel ready Expan...