At the age of 50, Walt Grassl chose to face his fear of stage fright. For several years he worked through myriad programs to cure himself of this "disease." He has since performed stand-up comedy at the Hollywood Improv and the Flamingo in Las Vegas, and was recently accepted to study Improvisation at the prestigious Groundlings School in Hollywood.

Walt chose to retire at 55 after a near 40-year career as an engineer in the Aerospace industry. He hosts the "Stand Up and Speak Up" radio show and authored his first book with the same title.

On this show Walt shares some of the skills he learned and has further developed as a confident public speaker. He talks about how he dismisses the "I can't" label, and his recent transition from the traditional workplace into the world of Encore Entrepreneurship.

As a Baby Boomer, Walt also addresses what he considers essential skills when heading into retirement, including: perseverance, preparation, confidence, self-belief and committing to living a stress-free life. He also speaks to the importance of choice, healthy living, life balance and having fun - for those newly retired.

Much of what Walt shares comes from his own experiences and personal journey. He encourages people to just "Take the first step" and to not be afraid of making mistakes, especially as they head into Life's next act.