Season 4

Wise Quotes

On Life in Early Retirement 

“Day-to-day life, it really couldn’t be any different. So we were living in this small town in Pennsylvania. Now we live in a ski town in Utah. Back then I was working a 40 plus hour week with a commute a half hour each way. Now, I still do some work. I write the blog and I’ve written a book since I left. So, I do some work, but it’s really all on my schedule because we live in a ski town. So in the winter, we ski four or five, sometimes six days a week.  And in the summer I’m out hiking, mountain biking, doing things kind of every day. And, my family and I, we kind of fit work in around life. Whereas before I felt like we were just kind of always trying to squeeze life in wherever we could around our work schedules. So, from that perspective, it’s, it really couldn’t be much different.”

On What He Knows Now That He Wish He Knew Then

“I was certainly writing about the softer side of retirement, like purpose and meaning and structure, and all these things that we’re talking about. But I kind of wish I would’ve spent even more time on that part because I think the financial part gets a lot of the emphasis in retirement planning. There’s a lot of stuff you can’t know as far as like future market returns and interest rates and inflation and all that stuff. But you know, you can kind of play in and have contingencies. But, I just found that there’s just not a lot of information [about the softer side of retirement] I think it’s very individual for everybody on how you’re going to adapt and adjust and find purpose and meaning – and find that structure. Everybody’s a little bit different and I wish I would have focused maybe even a little bit more on that – or at least maybe had a little more grace for myself, as far as like having a little bit less expectations for retirement and just kind of going with the flow a little bit more.”

On Risks and Mitigation in an Early Retirement Plan

“I think a lot of times you can mitigate those risks. And another strategy that I kind of use is just taking little bite-sized steps…on something like retirement, which is so overwhelming. And so,  doing something like semi-retiring and doing something like my wife dropping down to part-time work. We still made some massive changes. I let my license go. I’m not a physical therapist anymore. We moved across the country. Those are…kind of one-way decisions. But we also gave ourselves a lot of Slack and leeway,  just by making more moderate and gradual changes in other areas. I mentioned how I love being in the mountains and I rock climb and I’d done high-altitude mountaineering and I’m a skier. And I think people look at that as this high-risk thing. But I think when you’re doing those types of activities, it really teaches you risk management and risk mitigation. And there’s a quote I love: “Getting to the top is optional and getting down is mandatory.” And it kind of just reinforces that whole idea of risk management and remembering what is most important – and what things can you not afford to lose. And then you can mitigate those risks – and you know the Mountain is always there. You can always go back to it, but your life? You only get one time.”

Bio

Chris Mamula regularly writes about financial independence while expanding the conversation around what retirement is and can be at CanIRetireYet.com. His articles have been featured on MarketWatch, DoughRoller, and Business Insider.

He achieved financial independence and retired from his physical therapy career in 2017, at the age of 41. In addition to writing, he now focuses on being a dedicated husband, stay-at-home dad, and dirtbag/ski-bum depending on the season at his home in the mountains of Utah.

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

The Skill Set for Life’s Transitions – Bruce Feiler

What Are The Keys To A Successful Retirement? Fritz Gilbert

When Will You Flip the Switch? – Dr. Barbara O’Neill

How to Retire Early and Live Your Life Fully – Leif Dahleen

With the Freedom to Retire, Where Will You Plant Your New Tree? – Don Ezra

Design Your Life and Get Unstuck – Dave Evans

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About Retirement Wisdom

We help people who are retiring, but not done yet, discover what’s next.

A long retirement is a terrible thing to waste. And a meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.

We help you design the life and/or the second career you want.

Schedule a call today to discuss how we can help you.

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Explore retirementwisdom.com

How do you maintain cognitive health as you age? Our guest today is Dr. Krystal Culler and she shares a range of useful practices for brain health and staying sharp.

We discuss with Dr. Culler:

• How she became interested in Gerontology and Health & Wellness
• How she defines brain health
• The misconceptions she sees people having about brain health
• The relative importance of lifestyle factors versus genetics in cognitive health
• What people should do to foster brain health
• The role habits play in cognitive health
• What we should know about neuroplasticity and lifelong learning
• A book that’s had a big impact on her
• Where people should start in cultivating better brain health

Dr. Culler joins us from Ohio.

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Bio

Dr. Krystal Culler is a Doctor of Behavioral Health with a background in the behavioral sciences (psychology of aging, gerontology, and sociology). She is a Senior Atlantic Fellow with the Global Brain Health Institute, where she was the first scholar from the United States to complete her residency training at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland on dementia prevention and the social determinants of brain health. She has an unwavering commitment to promote brain health equity to individuals of all ages and the communities she serves.

Dr. Culler is the Founder & Creative Director of the Virtual Brain Health Center. Krystal has spent nearly 5 years in Executive-level positions with health non-profit organizations and has 15 years of experience working with individuals with brain health concerns, their families, and advocacy organizations.

Under her leadership, the centers have received 4 international and national awards from leading organizations in the aging care sector for innovation in brain health programming and community impact including honors from the International Council on Active Aging, Mather Lifeways Institute on Aging, the American Society on Aging and the Southern Gerontological Society on Aging.

Additionally, she has been recognized through the receipt of 4 personal leadership awards for her contributions to the field including the Global Brain Health Leaders Award (2019) from the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Society, and Global Brain Health Institute, and Crain’s Cleveland Business 40 Under Forty (2017).

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Wise Quotes

On Lifestyle versus Genetic Factors

“One of the most fascinating things about our field is how fast things are growing. So usually we were saying it is about 70% lifestyle and 10% genetics. And Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s new book was just released early this year. And the research is actually slanting a little bit more where now 90% of our lifestyle is in our hands and it’s 10% genetics. So I like to think that’s really empowering for us to know that there are variables that we are able to control own [rather than] inherit, but for the most part, there are many things that we are able to manage and think about in a mindful way to move us forward on our personal brain health and wellness journey, all across our lives.”

On How to Cultivate Brain Health

“We have different reports that have come out over the years that pinpoint about 15 different factors. And the Lancet report shows that when we look at these different lifestyle factors and we talk about dementia, risk reduction across the world, we can prevent about 40% of those cases. And what we tend to think about kind of categorizing these factors. If we were to think about them in terms of your brain, your body, and your environment with your brain, you want as much education as early in life as you can. You want to stay stimulated, protect your brain, minimize stress or ongoing chronic stress sleep well, minimize depression, or if you’re having a low mood and it’s ongoing, reach out for help. And monitor your hearing loss and protect your ears from loud noises and exposure. And if you’re thinking about it, your brain moves down to your body.”

On Neuroplasticity

“I like to think most people should know that neuroplasticity is our brain’s ability to adapt and change. And it’s been one of the largest myths of aging that, that is solely reserved for young children and the youth. Neuroplasticity occurs all throughout our life, really up until we are no longer here. Do we have the ability to grow and build new neurons? It’s an ongoing process for us. So we are not stuck with the brains we have. I feel that we are very lucky for this ability for us as humans, we’re constantly reorganizing information throughout our lives so we can make new connections, adjustments, and changes. So if we’re really thinking about lifelong learning and we are seeking out high-quality, lifelong learning programs, you’re looking for three core principles. You want something that’s new, something that’s novel, and something that’s an appropriate level of challenge for you. I know that might sound counterintuitive, but it is because all of us are so different. So we want to engage in tasks and exercises, where we were to visualize a ramp and we’re at the bottom. We have to keep climbing that ramp all throughout our lives and so tasks that we may have enjoyed when we were younger and that we can revisit and do eat more easily, serve a purpose that may help us relax or unwind. So if you play music, that is fantastic. You may want to try a new instrument to really stretch your brain. If you like to crochet or knit, it would be a new pattern or trying a completely different medium, sand the same thing for artists. It would be trying something outside of your wheelhouse. And you’ve got to just keep pushing that ball up the ramp. Basically, if you were going for a physical workout, you’re trying to make your own brain sweat. And so that ramp for all of us is very individualized because we have been exposed and engaged to many different things, but being a lifelong learner is really what it sounds like. We can do it through formal opportunities or informal opportunities, but we want to just keep making our brains stretch and sweat so they’re more flexible. And we can engage in neuro-plasticity throughout our lives.”

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For More on Dr. Krystal Culler

Website

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Podcast Episodes You May Be Interested In

Successful Aging – Daniel Levitin

Can You Grow Younger? – Marta Zaraska

How Can You Be Better with Age? – Alan Castel

Is Working Into Retirement Good for Your Brain? – Dawn Carr

Tiny Habits Can Lead to Big Changes – BJ Fogg

The Mind-Body Connection and The Rabbit Effect – Kelli Harding

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About Retirement Wisdom

We hope you enjoy this retirement podcast.

We help people who are retiring but aren’t done yet, discover what’s next.

A long retirement is a terrible thing to waste. And a meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.

We help you design the life and/or the second career you want.

Schedule a call today to discuss how we can help you.

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Explore retirementwisdom.com

About 5% of older adults live in retirement communities in the United States. What’s life like behind the gates of retirement communities? Filmmaker Lance Oppenheim looks at life in The Villages, a retirement community in Florida with 130,000 residents, in his new documentary Some Kind of Heaven.

We discuss:

• How he came up with the idea for the film
• How he selected the four main characters
• The arc of the stories that unfolded in the documentary
• His thoughts on what the film says about aging in America today
• The lessons younger generations can take away from the film
• The level of intergenerational relationships he observed
• One of his earlier short films – The Happiest Guy in the World
• What’s next for him

Lance Oppenheim joins us from Los Angeles.

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Bio

Lance Oppenheim is a filmmaker from South Florida.

Lance was a 2019 Sundance Ignite Fellow, named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film 2019,” and is the youngest contributor to The New York Times Op-Docs. He was featured on Variety’s “Power of Young Hollywood” list in 2020.

He graduated from Harvard University’s Visual and Environmental Studies program in 2019.

His first feature, SOME KIND OF HEAVEN, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. The film was produced by Darren Aronofsky, The New York Times (the paper’s first feature film production), and the Los Angeles Media Fund. It will be distributed by Magnolia Pictures in 2021.

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Wise Quotes

On Grower Older

“…when you’re in a world like The Villages that does have this radiant optimism – and sometimes it does feel a little bit manufactured –  this kind of artificial construction, the way people were spending their time. I very much connected and empathized with the stories of folks who found themselves at odds with the ethos of the community. And I found that to be relatable if you’re in a place where everyone is having the best time of their lives and you’re not having the best time of your life, but you’re constantly being told that you need to be having the best time of your life.

And you have this ticking clock in the back of your head, that’s telling you ‘I only have maybe 20, 30, more years of life to live’ that will do something to you. And that’s a really distressing and stressful and confusing feeling. And that was something ultimately that I wanted to make a film about. It was not a movie that was more concerned with statistics or information. I wanted to make something that was far more expressive about this kind of existential condition that I was interested in and saw quite a bit of throughout my time there.”

On What Attracts People to Retirement Communities

“I think we all have our own ways of living inside of bubbles, whether it be people my age [or older adults]. I live in a total bubble in many different ways. The people I spend my time with, the articles I read online, the things I do in my digital life is not dissimilar from the ways in which residents of The Villages choose to unplug –  and live in a place where everyone has more or less imaginative beliefs, ideas and ways of living. I think I also relate to and I understand why it’s so wildly popular. There really aren’t a lot of places like The Villages that exist that do give you that many opportunities to just kind of find yourself again and be whoever you want to be.”

On Intergenerational Relationships

“We haven’t figured out how to more naturally allow for these kinds of relationships to blossom between those who are younger and those who are older. It’s a shame that I think in some ways, the reason that we have places like The Villages, and the reason why they’re so popular, is because we don’t have any alternatives where elderly folks can go where they don’t feel invisible. I think that was a common theme that I was hearing from so many people who felt like they were no longer interested in appearing invisible to people who had more or less ageist viewpoints on who they were. So it’s a shame. And it’s obvious there are some very interesting kinds of phenomenons that are happening now. And I’ve heard about experiments, social experiments, where college campuses are creating little spaces now for elderly residents and to try and foster those kinds of intergenerational relationships. And I think that’s really fascinating. And I would be curious to see how that works.”

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For More on Lance Oppenheim & Some Kind Of Heaven

Lance Oppenheim’s Website

Some Kind of Heaven Website

Some Kind of Heaven Trailer

The Happiest Guy in the World (10-minute short film – The New York Times Op-Docs)

Heaven on Earth? A New Documentary Looks at Life in The Villages – Next Avenue

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Are You Ready for The New Long Life? – Andrew Scott

What Can You Do to Age Better? – Anna Dixon

With the Freedom to Retire, Where Will You Plant Your New Tree? – Don Ezra

Are You in the Driver’s Seat? – Cindy Cox-Roman

Retirement Planning Includes Getting Good at Getting Older – Rabbi Laura Geller

What Do You Really Want to Do?- Melissa Davey

Do Your Retirement Strategies Account for 6 Stages & Community? – Ted Carr

Can You Grow Younger? – Marta Zaraska

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About Retirement Wisdom

We help people who are retiring from their primary career – and aren’t done yet –  discover what’s next.

A long retirement is a terrible thing to waste. And a meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.

Schedule a call today to discuss how we can help you make yours great.

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Explore retirementwisdom.com

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It’s been a year since the pandemic began. How have your networking relationships evolved? Is it time to rethink how you approach networking? Our guest is J. Kelly Hoey, the author of Build Your Dream Network, and she encourages people to think of networking differently. It’s not about networking events, it’s about cultivating the right relationships. If you’re looking to build a second career, Kelly Hoey’s networking tips will change your mindset and your approach to networking.

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We discuss:

• Her journey from a legal career in Toronto and New York to what she’s  doing today
• How economic downturns created opportunities
• How we should think differently about networking – beyond networking events
• The most important word to remember about networking
• Where specificity can give you an edge
• The Do’s & Don’ts of networking approaches – from the receiver’s point of view
• The advantages introverts bring to networking that they may not realize
• How she thinks of the social media platforms she uses
• What can be learned from networking in the pandemic
• How to leverage your network in creating a second career

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Bio

Kelly Hoey is obsessed with changing the way we understand and approach networking. She’s the author of Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Connections In A Hyper-Connected World (Tarcher Perigee/Penguin Random House), a modern, practical guide to the necessary (and frequently dreaded) task of networking.

Kelly has worked with top companies, brands and conferences. She’s appeared on CNBC’s Power Pitch, co-created and moderated the “Meet The Innovators” speaker series at Apple, and contributed to publications such as The New York Times, Forbes.com, Fast Company, and Inc. Kelly’s insights have been featured in Real Simple, Working Mother, Good Morning America, AARP, Vogue.com, Brit & Co, The Muse, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, CBC Radio, Monster.com, AARP, The Ladders, Parade, Business Insider and many more, as an authority on networking.

A former attorney and active participant in New York’s startup community, Kelly has been lauded from Forbes (“1 of 5 Women Changing the World of VC/Entrepreneurship”) to Fast Company (“1 of the 25 Smartest Women On Twitter”) to Business Insider (“1 of the 100 Most Influential Tech Women On Twitter”) and Inc. (“1 of the 10 Most Well-Connected People in New York City’s Startup Scene”). EBW 2020 included her on their list of the “100 Most Influential Global Leaders Empowering Women Worldwide”.

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Wise Quotes

On Why It’s Not About Networking Events

“I think what people need to think about networking is you need to ditch the schmooze. You need to ditch the notion. When you need something like a job lead or a career lead, you need to think about it more in the sense of How do I interact with people every day? And well before the events of 2020, things we were doing every day – we’re texting and tweeting and maybe posting on Facebook, maybe we’re sending a birthday note or an anniversary wish. All that is part of your networking arsenal if you’re someone who has been or had been in the workforce a long time. When I think about your networking, how have you shown up every day for your colleagues and co-workers? Were you a good mentor? Were you someone who was a good project manager? All of those activities to me are part of our networking reputation – and network building – that we have done throughout our lives. So for the listeners who may be thinking about a change or some evolution in their career, this is where I’d say sit back and think about how you’ve been showing up for your network every single day.”

On Generosity

“Well, I think there’s this underlying notion with networking: Give before you get. And I think there is this notion that people hold on with sort of an outdated version of networking reciprocity you feel as transactional in the sense of, Oh, Joe has made an introduction for me. I must make an introduction for him. And that’s sort of a very linear way of thinking – rather than thinking about networking in a much more kind of bigger picture than a one-off situation. And so generosity for me is how we respect people. It is how we show other people we are grateful for what they’ve done for us. It is how we can extend our thanks. It’s how we can create a stronger relationship.”

On Wide or Deep Networks

“Women’s networks have been more narrow and deep in the sense of it might not be as big, but there’s a greater depth in terms of the investment of time that women have spent getting to know people. And what you’ve seen over the course of the pandemic is that the women’s networks, the narrow deep ones,  have been what we’ve really needed in terms of people to turn to, to help us with the stress and the strain and shoulder the worries. And where we’ve actually seen decreases in networks has been in those sort of shallower [ones], the relationships with less depth.

And so a lot of men have experienced network shrinkage because of those more casual relationships. We haven’t had the environment to reinforce those. So it kind of behooves all of us going forward to really think about that dynamic – and how and where you’re finding ways to nurture and grow both of those types of networks. Because you need both of those to have a strong network. You need both of those types of dynamics to have the right sort of composition of people around your career, your ambitions, your career transitions and your dreams.”

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For More on Kelly Hoey

Kelly’s book: Build Your Dream Network: Forging Powerful Relationships in a Hyper-Connected World

Kelly can be found (frequently) online:

• Website: https://jkellyhoey.co/
• BYDN Podcast: https://apple.co/2klTSGM
• BYDN Course + Community: https://www.buildyourdreamnetwork.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jkhoey
• Clubhouse: @jkhoey
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellyhoey/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jkellyhoey/

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Podcast Episodes You Might Like

How to Future Proof Your Career – Jeff Gothelf

How to Build a Portfolio Career – Kate Schaefers

Design Your Life and Get Unstuck – Dave Evans

How to Build a Non-Profit Encore Career – Betsy Werley

A Second Act after The Law – Mark Shaiken

Navigating An Unexpected Career Change – Maggie Craddock

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About Retirement Wisdom

We help people who are retiring from their primary career – and aren’t done yet –  discover what’s next.

A long retirement is a terrible thing to waste. And a meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.

Schedule a call today to discuss how we can help you make yours great.

______________________________________

Explore retirementwisdom.com

Is it time to discover What’s Next after your primary career comes to an end?

Is there something you always wanted to do?

Is there a problem or challenge that your skills and experience could help solve?

Is there something calling you?

This mini-episode of our retirement podcast highlights three stories of people who are making a difference – in new ways.

Cynthia Barnett found her career in education coming to an end prematurely. She spotted an important problem. Girls were not entering educational pathways that would prepare them for careers in high-growth fields in science, technology, engineering, and math. Deciding that she was retired, but not done yet, she dove in and created an award-winning program to inspire young women to consider and prepare for STEM careers.

Melissa Davey was an executive in health care when a chance encounter led her to conversations that inspired her to retire – and follow her dream to become a filmmaker.

Steve Javie was at the top of his game as an NBA referee when a chronic injury curtailed his career. A period of intensive self-reflection, conversations, and discernment lead him to become an ordained Deacon.

Their experiences underscore how valuable an open-mind can be.

What could you discover?

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Listen to our full conversations – and their advice:

Retired, But Not Done Yet – Dr. Cynthia Barnett

What Do You Really Want to Do?- Melissa Davey

From the NBA Hardwood to the Altar – Steve Javie

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You May Also Be Interested In:

Design Your Life and Get Unstuck – Dave Evans

How to Build a Portfolio Career – Kate Schaefers

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Interested in designing a second-act career that’s right for you?

Check out our one-on-one coaching program based on the principles of Design Thinking.

Schedule a free call to learn more about our new upcoming six-week Group Coaching program starting in March.