When Jim Kilkenny retired from a very successful career in financial services, he started suffering from something called 'relevance deprivation syndrome'. It's that feeling of listlessness, being at a loose end, a drop in mental engagement and a clear lack of contentment. Jim describes it as a "vacuum of boredom."

In episode 12 of Prime Time, Bec Wilson and Jim Kilkenny discuss: 

• What ‘relevance deprivation syndrome’ really means: How to identify the signs, and why most sufferers have previously been men, but it's growing amongst women. 

• Why so many people looking forward to early retirement are financially prepared, but not mentally prepared.

•  Why a hard stop retirement didn't work for Jim and where he thinks he went wrong.

• The process of decompressing after retirement.

• The road to recovery from relevance deprivation: How Jim overcame the challenges - finding a first project to turn things around.

• How your social interactions from work disappear when you step away. and how to rebuild new social networks around the things you really enjoy.

• How can you be better prepared for when you retire? Jim gives us his list of suggestions and recommendations for navigating the entry into retirement. 

• How Jim is actually still working on things he’s passionate about in retirement, knowing he has found a new, flexible place for himself to retain relevance. 

• Finding some pursuits, hobbies and activities you enjoy, and some that are intellectually stimulating, some are health oriented, and some that get you out of the house.

• Why looking after your physical health is so important at this phase of life and what Jim does to keep active. 

• Why, "for some people, retiring is a dangerous proposition”.

• The surprising upsides of Jim's early retirement: How Jim changed his attitude to money, and the way he spent it in his Prime Time years.

Prime Time with Bec Wilson is the podcast for all of us in the second half of life (47+) who want to live long, live well, and thoroughly enjoy it. Together we’ll dive deep into what will make this phase of life great, with insights from experts and pioneers. We talk about money, health, happiness, relationships, sex, travel and so much more. After all, there are no set rules for navigating this second half for our modern generations. 

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Get in touch with Bec here: [email protected]

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Or read her syndicated column in Nine Newspapers (The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age) each week here

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Visit Bec’s website at epicretirement.com.au to learn more about her work. 

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