Life Starts at Retirement

As we get older, some life lessons begin to mean more than they once did.

In this video, I share nine reminders about protecting your peace, choosing kindness, caring for your health, taking chances, and deciding what success means to you now. These lessons made me pause and reflect on what deserves my time and energy in this chapter of life.
I hope one of them speaks to you, too. Which lesson resonated with you most? And what lesson would you add from your own life? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

I’m Maureen, and this is Life Starts at Retirement—where we talk about making retirement healthy, meaningful, and remarkable. 
If you enjoy the conversation, please like, subscribe, and share this video with someone who might appreciate it.

Chapters: 0:00 Introduction
1:29 Live for peace, not approval
3:06 Not every battle deserves your energy
4:22 Choose a kind heart, not just a beautiful face
5:40 If it costs your peace, it’s too expensive
7:20 Most of today’s worries won’t matter in five years
8:43 Your body is your most important investment
10:18 We often regret not trying more than failing
11:40 Time alone doesn’t heal everything
13:13 Redefine what success means to you
#LifeLessons #RetirementLife #LifeStartsAtRetirement

Happiness in retirement doesn’t always arrive automatically. Sometimes, it begins with the small things we choose to do every day.

In Part 2 of my September series, we’re talking about **The Happiness Habit**—seven simple habits that can give your days more structure, connection, purpose and joy. These aren’t dramatic life changes. They’re small, realistic things you can begin doing today—even if retirement hasn’t felt quite as happy or fulfilling as you expected.

In this video, we’ll explore seven happiness habits:
00:00 – Introduction
03:13 – 1. Give the day a beginning
05:02 – 2. Put one thing on the calendar to look forward to
06:18 – 3. Move your body to change the channel
07:42 – 4. Notice one good thing while it’s happening
09:38 – 5. Make one small human connection
11:27 – 6. Do one thing that makes you feel useful
12:58 – 7. End the day positively

You don’t need to completely reinvent your life. Choose just one habit and begin there. Because happiness isn’t always something we find—it’s often something we practice.

Which of these seven habits could make the biggest difference in your life? Let me know in the comments. And if you know someone who could use a little more happiness in their retirement, please share this video with them. Subscribe to **Life Starts at Retirement** for honest conversations, encouragement and practical ideas to help make your retirement

Retirement can leave you wondering: Who am I now? Without the job, the routine, and the responsibilities that once defined your days, it’s easy to feel a little lost.

But perhaps you’re not lost at all. Perhaps you’re becoming someone new.

In this video, we’ll talk about the emotional side of retirement—the loss of identity, the uncertainty, and the opportunity to rediscover who you are beyond your working years. You don’t need to have everything figured out. This new chapter isn’t about finding your way back to the person you were. It’s about giving yourself permission to become the person you are now.

If retirement hasn’t felt quite the way you expected, I hope this video reminds you that you’re not alone—and that there is still so much ahead of you.

Please share your thoughts in the comments: What part of yourself are you rediscovering in retirement?

Subscribe to Life Starts at Retirement for honest conversations, encouragement, and practical ideas for making your retirement remarkable.

#Retirement #LifeAfterRetirement #RetirementMentalHealth

Last week, I didn’t make a video.

It wasn’t because I had run out of ideas or because something terrible had happened. I was simply full.

After six consecutive weeks at the trailer with different grandchildren, working on my speeches, continuing my work as a mortgage broker, and travelling to Edmonton to help my mom, I reached the point where I couldn’t summon the energy to do one more thing—even something I normally enjoy.
Retirement is supposed to give us more time. But somehow, that time can quickly fill with family, responsibilities, projects, travel and the expectations we place on ourselves.

In this video, I talk about recognizing when your life has become too full, why rest isn’t something we need to earn, and how taking care of yourself sometimes means allowing something to go undone.
A full life can be a wonderful life—but even wonderful things can become heavy when there is no room left to breathe.

Have you ever reached a point where you simply had nothing left to give? I would love to hear how you recognized it—and what helped you make room for yourself again.

#Retirement #RetirementLife #SelfCare #LifeAfter60 #HealthyRetirement

Why do we keep so much stuff?

This year I finally opened the storage room under our stairs — a space that hadn't been touched in years — and found everything from a box of my husband's forgotten beer can collection to baby shoes I could never part with.

Here's what I found, what I kept, what I let go of, and the honest truth about why I'm still not finished.

What's hiding in your storage room, closet, or garage?

Tell me in the comments — I'd love to know I'm not alone. Join our community of 35,000+ retirees in the Life Starts at Retirement Facebook group:   / lifestartsatretirement  

Retirement sounds wonderful—but have you talked about what everyday life will actually look like when you’re both home together?

After more than 40 years of marriage, I’ve learned that retiring together can change far more than your schedule. Suddenly, you may be sharing your time, your space, your money—and even the household jobs—in completely new ways.

In this video, I’m sharing seven important conversations every couple should have before retirement. Some are practical, some are uncomfortable, and a few may be conversations you’ve been avoiding. But talking about them now could make your retirement—and your relationship—much happier.
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Introduction
1:18 Who is in charge of the jobs?
2:51 How much togetherness is too much?
4:05 What about money?
5:31 How will you divide the household tasks?
7:40 What are your retirement goals?
8:54 Have you talked about death?
9:49 What do you want your legacy to be?


Which of these conversations have you already had—and which one do you still need to have? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Subscribe to Life Starts at Retirement for honest conversations, practical advice, and inspiration for making your retirement remarkable.

Why do we keep so much stuff?

This year I finally opened the storage room under our stairs — a space that hadn't been touched in years — and found everything from a box of my husband's forgotten beer can collection to baby shoes I could never part with.

Here's what I found, what I kept, what I let go of, and the honest truth about why I'm still not finished. What's hiding in your storage room, closet, or garage?

Tell me in the comments — I'd love to know I'm not alone. Join our community of 35,000+ retirees in the Life Starts at Retirement Facebook group: http://facebook.com/groups/lifestartsatretirement

#retirement  #retired life

Retirement is supposed to be relaxing... but no one tells you how quiet life can suddenly become. It isn't just the alarm clock that disappears. It's the little sounds, routines, conversations, and moments that quietly fade away—often before you even realize they're gone.

In this video, I share the seven things that became unexpectedly quiet after retirement, along with the simple ways I learned to fill those spaces with purpose, connection, and joy.

If you're already retired—or getting close—I think you'll recognize yourself in at least a few of these.

 ❤️ I'd love to hear from you. Which one surprised you the most? Leave a comment below and let me know.

Timestamps
0:00 - Introduction
0:58 - Alarm clock
2:24 - Little conversations
3:51 - Having a title
4:55 - Deadlines
5:56 - Being needed
7:26 - Payday

If you're enjoying these conversations, please consider subscribing to Life Starts at Retirement, where we talk honestly about making retirement one of the best chapters of life.

Here is the video of how I felt when my granddaughter was at our trailer this summer. Watching my granddaughter become so independent filled me with pride—but if I'm honest, it also left a little ache in my heart. https://youtu.be/Df877eDaOEI

Last week, my 15-year-old granddaughter came out to our trailer with a friend — and for the first time, I realized she doesn't really need me anymore. It hit harder than I expected.

In this video, I'm talking about the quiet, complicated grief of watching grandkids grow up — the kind nobody warns you about in retirement. Nobody has done anything wrong. Nothing bad has happened. It's exactly what's supposed to happen. And it still hurts a little.

We talk a lot about retirement finances, staying active, finding hobbies. But nobody tells you retirement is also full of quiet goodbyes — the last board game, the last time they want you to push them on the swing, the last sleepover where they still want Grandma to read a story. You rarely recognize these moments while you're living them.

If you've felt this too — with grandkids, or your own kids growing into teenagers — I'd love to hear about it in the comments. I read every one.


💬 Related video:   6 Lies I Believed About Strength    https://youtu.be/fmC4vSgoC6E?si=eIhYDTfchb7QEzTl

#retirement #grandparents #lifeafterretirement

Last week I shared one of the hardest videos I've ever made — and so many of you told me "I thought I was the only one."
That got me thinking about the lies I've believed about what it means to be strong, and how they shaped my entire life, including retirement.

In this video, I'm breaking down 6 lies I believed about strength — the quiet rules I never questioned until real life stopped asking permission.
From "strong people don't struggle" to "if I say it out loud, it becomes real," these are the beliefs that kept me quiet for far too long.


If any of these resonate with you, I'd love to hear which one in the comments.

💬 Related video: https://youtu.be/zN0bQZZ_LbI?si=lRhFx-dnQgrEsA8I
#retirement #mentalhealth #strength



0:00 Intro 1:43 Lie 1: Strong people don't struggle
3:22 Lie 2: If I'm grateful, I don't have the right to struggle
4:42 Lie 3: Retirement should automatically make me happy
6:04 Lie 4: Needing help means I'm failing
7:18 Lie 5: If I say it out loud, it becomes real
9:23 Lie 6: Nobody wants to hear the hard parts