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There’s a challenge that comes with being known for what you do. When you move on you now have to figure out who you truly are. Deborah Santana spent more than three decades inside one of the most recognizable partnerships in American music as COO of the New Santana Band, co-architect of the Milagro Foundation, and the steady, contemplative presence behind a global touring life with her ex-husband, the legendary musician Carlos Santana.
At an age when most people are quietly winding down, she did the opposite: she walked away from a 34-year marriage, dismantled the identity she had built around someone else’s career, and started over. She earned a master’s degree in her 60s, founded a new nonprofit (Do A Little), wrote a second memoir (Loving the Fire: ), and became a trustee of major cultural institutions.
But this is not a celebrity interview. It’s an exploration of transitions and later-life reinvention. You’ll hear about her experience and the lessons she learned that may help you. She shares the foundational daily contemplative practice she built, the calendar block for herself disguised as “a meeting” she used to jump start her writing, and the people audit she did to illuminate who is toxic and who is the light in her life. Deborah describes how liberating it can be to be a beginner again, if you’re willing.
I often say “You don’t stop growing just because you retire.” But, it’s not just a saying and Deborah’s story is an case study. If you’re ready to let go of your past and discover who you truly are now, this conversation is for you.
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“When you have everything stripped away that you were known as, it is a wonderful opportunity to create exactly who you are.” — Deborah Santana |
You’ll walk away with:
- A vocabulary for the identity work that retirement requires. And not just for the “what’s next” part, but also the words for the “who am I now” part.
- A useful framework (the Four C’s) for organizing life after a major transition.
- A replicable practice for protecting time for the work of “becoming” even when the people around you don’t quite yet understand what you’re doing.
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Bio
Deborah Santana is the author of Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom, Space Between the Stars: My Journey to An Open Heart and the editor of the acclaimed anthology All the Women in My Family Sing. Her work has been featured by Vogue, Oprah, and NPR, among other national and literary outlets. She is the founder of the Do A Little Foundation, which supports women and girls in the areas of health, education, and happiness. Her work explores identity, social justice, spirituality, and the power of collective voice. She is mother to three artists: Salvador Santana, Stella Santana and Angelica Santana. She holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy and Religion with a Concentration in Women’s Spirituality. She is a leadership donor of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and a Lead Investor to the Courage Museum in San Francisco.
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For More on Deborah Santana
Loving the Fire: Choosing Me, Finding Freedom
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Do You Know What You’ll Be Retiring To?
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Retirement Podcast Conversations You May Also Love
Mattering…in Retirement – Jennifer Breheny Wallace
Navigating the In-Between – Monique Rhodes
What Matters Most – Diane Button
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Wise Quotes
On Loving the Fire
“When there is fire, when there is struggle, if I continue to walk through and find courage and bravery, then I’m going to get to the other side and realize how much I’ve learned, how much I’ve grown.”
On Expectations
“I expect a miracle. I expect to see someone, meet them with a smile.”
On Finding Your Self
“There is a special reason why you’re here. So please find your authentic self, find your voice, know who you are, and go out and change the world.”
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About The Retirement Wisdom Podcast
There are many podcasts on retirement, often hosted by financial advisors with their own financial motives, that cover the money side of the street. This podcast is different. You’ll get smarter about the investment decisions you’ll make about the most important asset you’ll have in retirement: your time.
About Retirement Wisdom
I help people who are retiring, but aren’t quite done yet, discover what’s next and build their custom version of their next life. A meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.
Schedule a call today to discuss how the Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one — on your own terms.
About Your Podcast Host
Joe Casey is an executive coach who helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a 26-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking.
Joe has earned Master’s degrees from the University of Southern California in Gerontology (at age 60), the University of Pennsylvania, and Middlesex University (UK), a BA in Psychology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and his coaching certification from Columbia University.
In addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, ranked in the top 1% globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 2 million downloads. Business Insider recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He’s the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.
