The Jake Turner Podcast Ep. 18 ft. Jim Poirier

Retirement is supposed to be the finish line.

Freedom. Relief. Finally slowing down.

But what if the moment you stop working is the moment you realize you were never meant to stop building?

In this episode, Jake sits down with Jim Poirier, a Marine veteran, engineer, and longtime mentor, to unpack what really happened when Jim retired at 49...and why the word retirement itself turned out to be a lie.

Jim grew up learning discipline the hard way, joined the United States Marine Corps at 18, and spent years building a successful career across engineering, finance, and artificial intelligence. On paper, he did everything right. But beneath the stability was a growing question about purpose, faith, and what it actually means to live a meaningful life.

They explore how faith becomes real when it’s tested, why leadership is built by treating people like humans instead of machines, and how brotherhood, integrity, and ownership shape a man long after the uniform comes off. The conversation moves through work, money, anger, marriage, trust, and the quiet cost of doing what you have to do instead of what you’re called to do.

Jim also shares how a simple coaching conversation pushed him to reinvent his life, why he walked away from corporate success, and how building a veteran owned woodworking business became a way to serve again...this time on his own terms.

This episode isn’t about quitting early.

It’s about choosing purpose over comfort, reinvention over drifting, and responsibility over autopilot.

Together, they discuss:

• Why retirement can quietly drain purpose
• Faith tested through pressure and uncertainty
• What the Marine Corps builds that never leaves
• Leadership through example, not authority
• Treating people like humans, not machines
• Money as a tool instead of a cage
• Reinvention after corporate life
• Brotherhood, trust, and integrity
• Marriage as alignment, not convenience
• Building something that actually matters

If you’ve done everything right but still feel unsettled...this conversation will help you rethink what winning actually looks like.

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 | Welcome and Jim’s background
01:05 | “God’s got it” and faith tested
05:38 | Leadership and first impressions
12:12 | Time, legacy, and perspective
19:47 | Work, purpose, and irreplaceability
26:04 | Lessons from the Marines
32:15 | Brotherhood and trust
39:14 | Coaching, retirement, and reinvention
43:48 | Purpose, woodworking, and service
52:10 | AI, learning, and adaptation
56:10 | Marriage, alignment, and growth
1:09:11 | Money, debt, and responsibility
1:12:18 | Anger, words, and repair
1:19:40 | What he did differently
1:29:43 | Final lesson and takeaway

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Disclaimer: This episode is for educational, inspirational, and conversational purposes only. It does not constitute medical, psychological, or legal advice, and it does not create a clinician-patient relationship. Always seek the guidance of qualified professionals regarding personal or mental health matters. Any stories or examples shared are anonymized, and details may be changed or combined for privacy. The views expressed are our own.

#purpose #retirement #faithandwork #veterans #leadership #discipline #personalgrowth