After working in the banking industry for thirty-eight years, Mike Drak was exhausted. With high blood pressure and low motivation, he searched for an exit. To his surprise, the bank showed him the door. Instead of quitting for free, he was now flush with freedom and a severance at fifty-nine years old.

The retirement honeymoon didn’t last.

After a few weeks, he was miserable. His wife and friends were all still working. He had the free time he’d been dreaming of but no longer felt the desire to pursue his favorite activities. He was experiencing what he now calls retirement shock. After an arduous journey of self-discovery, he found his way to the other side. He’s authored two best-selling retirement books, is a Senior Contributor at Booming Encore, and dedicates his time to helping other retirees avoid the mistakes he made. In other words, he’s happy.

00:00-Start

02:08–“let me start at the beginning…”

05:06–Miserable?

06:58–The money is important, but…

07:20–The Ikigai Process

10:21–Giving is living

12:29–What makes a happy retiree?

16:35–Tiers of retirement

20:00–Finding purpose with pets

22:00–Core pursuit finder

27:32–The Iron Man

31:29–Retirement rulebreakers

32:50–Mike’s perfect day

35:00–Travel!

38:34–Find your tribes

40:46–“The Mexican Fisherman”

42:22–Recreating your identity

45:35–Redefining retirement

47:10–Where to find Mike

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