Rock Your Retirement Show

Henry interviews Di and Ross Lawrence who run a business selling deer antler velvet in their retirement.

Before Di and Ross retired, they ran a deer farm. Di worked part-time as a bookkeeper and Ross ran the farm. As they got older, they knew they would have to leave their farm as it became too much work for them to maintain. Ross even got pretty seriously injured. In 2014, they decided it was time to sell.

Henry talks with them about the transition from farm life to life in the suburbs. It was an easy transition for them. They bought their home before they sold their farm.  Ross and Di downsized their belongings.  They were prepared for it. It was, however, difficult for Ross to leaving the animals he had taken care of for so long.

Ross knew he wanted to stay in touch with the deer industry after he retired. He already had a small online business selling deer antler velvet products and he decided he would continue that business in his retirement.

 What is Deer Antler Velvet?

Deer antler velvet is the entire immature antler. It is harvested before it calcified to its normal state. Once they remove the antlers they do grow back each year. It has been used for thousands of years as a food product. It is also used in Chinese medicine to promote good health and is used as a natural remedy for a wide variety of things. Henry talks with Di and Ross about their business and the various uses for their product.

Di and Ross haven't only been “working” in their retirement. Di has been enjoying getting her new home together. She has been able to catch up on sewing, reading, and she has been able to start doing more walking. Ross has plans to start golfing and they have been doing some traveling. All of those things we don't usually have time to do before we retire.

If you would like to contact the Lawrence’s, you can email them at [email protected]. Find them on the internet at www.deerfarm.com.au.  You can also find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/deervelvetantler

This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com

If you are like me, your animals are a big part of your family. In this episode, I talk with Von Braschler about dealing with pet loss and grief. 

Von is the author of the book Natural Pet Healing and the e-book Healing with Your Pet: Our Psychic Spiritual Connection, which is based in part on his 4-year popular podcast which was called “Healing with your Pet.” He rescues cats and has volunteered as a dog walker and groomer for the Humane Society. He is also a certified pet massage therapist. 

There are steps that you really need to go through in dealing with pet loss

The most popular names in the US for pets are no longer Fluffy or Spot. Instead, they are names such as Max, Sam, Ginger, Misty, Jake, and Samantha. These are like children's names and they become our family. According to Von, the bond we have with our pets these days is stronger than ever before. Pets are not spending as much time outside, they live in the house with us, therefore, our bond with them gets stronger.

Most of us will go through many… many pets and will sadly lose them and go through grief. Unless someone has lived with an animal or had a pet that is close to them, they do not feel the bond and they can't truly empathize with the grief you go through.

What are the steps for dealing with pet loss?

* Take lots of photos and make a book out of them

* Keep collars, tags (keepsakes)

* Celebrate their life

* Surround yourself with sympathetic people

* Allow yourself to grieve

* If you have another pet, you can comfort each other and grieve together

* Have a small ceremony

* Join a pet loss support group either online or in person

* Have age appropriate animal (someone who is elderly may not want to get a parrot who will live a very long time)

Books: 

Natural Pet Healing: Our Psychic, Spiritual Connection

Healing with your Pet: Our Psychic, Spiritual Connection (Kindle Edition)

Contact Information: If you would like to reach out to Von you can go to facebook.com/vbraschler

 Websites we mentioned in our interview:

 AARP

* The Humane Society

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes!

* Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays

* YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes

This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com

Judith French is breeding dogs in her retirement.

In this episode, Henry speaks with Judith French.  Judy was in nursing before she retired.  She has also been married for 54 years!  She was looking forward to her retirement so she would have more time to do things such as gardening and reading.

Judith truly loves breeding dogs.  She spends a lot of her free time doing this and she loves her dogs.  Judith began breeding animals even before she retired. In fact. she grew up in a family which bred and showed animals, so she is no stranger to the show arena.

Judith initially started with cats, but then switched to breeding dogs.  She and Henry discuss the many breeds she has raised and loved throughout the years.

Mentioned in the show:   https://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/member.asp?name=WATERMILL

*Please note: We realize that dog breeding is a sensitive subject for some of our listeners and readers.  The Rock Your Retirement show does not endorse… nor does it condemn breeding dogs.   Kathe currently enjoys two rescue dogs and a bird.  She believes that pets can keep you healthy and help you live longer.   Each person must decide on his or her own whether to get a pedigreed dog, show dog, or a rescue dog.

Have a comment?  Post it below.  And if you've been listening to our retirement lifestyle show, reviewing the show on iTunes really helps others find us.

This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com

Our guest for today is Sue Goldstein, BA, CCRC, AASECT-CSE, IF (That is a ton of credentials isn't that?!) and she's here to talk about Sexual Medicine.

In 2007, Sue and her husband moved from Boston to San Diego to open up San Diego Sexual Medicine.

She educates people on sex, sexual dysfunction, sexual functionality, basically everything that has to do with sexual medicine.

She also recently co-authored a book called “When Sex Isn't Good”.

You're never too old for sex

According to Sue, you are never too old for sex and it's never too late to regain sexual health. Research tells us that being sexually active actually decreases your stress level. There are a lot of benefits!

* It is good for your health and your relationship.

* It improves self-esteem

* There is more fun in relationships and

* There is more of a playful ease in relationships.

The oldest man they treated for erectile dysfunction was 91. So, as the saying goes “where there's a will there's a way!”

“The man with the young woman on his arm is not looking for a trophy wife, he's looking for a lubricated vagina”

We went over so many enlightening and fascinating things. Here is a short list of some of them:

* Menopause (Sex doesn't have to hurt!)

* HSDD (Hypoactive sexual desire disorder)

* Erectile dysfunction

* Injection therapy (Can't be as bad as it sounds can it?)

* Prostate cancer and treatments to help with getting an erection

* Implants for men

* Hormone treatments

* Laser therapy

* Testosterone

* The “G” Spot

I learned so much from conducting this interview on sexual medicine. If you would like to comment or have any information on treatments you have used (or want to learn more about), feel free to join the conversation and comment below.

Contact Information: Phone: 619-265-8865 * Email: [email protected] * Website: http://www.SanDiegoSexualMedicine.com

Book: When Sex Isn't Good: Stories & Solutions of Women With Sexual Dysfunction

 Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes!

* Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays

* YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes

This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com

David Mickle has had a passion for steam trains for 50 years.

Before David he retired at the young age of 70, he worked as an electrician. He looked forward to retiring so he would have more time to pursue his passion for steam trains.

When David was a young child he was fascinated with steam trains. His passion for steam trains only grew as he got older.

Henry and David discuss his volunteer work on the on the Puffing Billy which is a voluntary Railway group that operates a steam train in Australia. David was a volunteer laborer and helped to restore the cars and railways after a landslide.

They also discuss David's involvement with the Melbourne Steam Traction Engine Club.

David was one of the very first members of this club and was also involved in the club for over 50 years.

Dave also restored a steam engine with the help of his friend. It was manufactured by the Yorkshire Steam Wagon Company and has a horizontal boiler on the front with Ackermann steering. There is nothing automatic about this steam wagon either. You have to stop to change gears. Henry and Dave talk about the restoration process and it really is amazing.

In listening to Henry's interview David, you can really tell how important this hobby is to David. He is a man with some fascinating stories who is more than happy to share them. There is some amazing history and heritage behind steam trains.

Do you have a passion for steam trains?

You don't have to actually own a steam train if you are interested in them. There are steam engine organizations where you can volunteer doing things such as working on the trains or driving the trains.

What is David advice for retirees? Find a hobby and keep your body active and your mind active. Sounds like great advice!

Websites Mentioned in this interview:

* Melbourne Steam Traction Engine Club

* Puffing Billy

Have you ever ridden on a steam train?  Leave a comment below to tell us about your experience.

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes!

* Les Briney, my husband, who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays

* YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes

This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com

I am talking poop with Melissa Ramos!

Melissa is a Nutritionist focusing on Chinese Nutrition Therapy and owner of Sexy Food Therapy Inc. She helps people feel sexy from the inside out with a focus on digestion and hormone imbalances.

Melissa's journey began when she got sick. She started to see a nutritionist and discovered she had digestive issues. Melissa went and studied nutrition and from there, she studied Chinese Medicine right afterward. She began a blog basically just for fun. In the beginning, she was blogging about how she emotionally ate the right way and was documenting a lot of dating stories. To her surprise, a bunch of people started reading it and the business focus changed. A lot of it changed based on her personal struggle with digestion and a near death experience that she discusses in the interview.

The Poop Whisperer

People get nervous about talking openly about poop. They will go to an entirely different floor of an office building to poop just so that no one knows they are going.

Talking poop is important as it can tell a lot about your health.

As you get older your digestion declines. 70% of women will get fibroids by the age of 50. So what do YOU need to know about your poop? What should you be looking for? (And according to Melissa, yes, you should be looking)

* Frequency

* Shape

* Pellet poop

* Loose Poop

* Color

* How many wipes

* Proper bowel elimination

Don't poop enough? Melissa gives us some great tips in the interview on what we can do to increase the frequency and improve our bowel movements.

Happy Pooping!

Contact information: http://sexyfoodtherapy.com

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes!

* Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays

* YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes

This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com

Henry interviews me and we talk about how money isn't everything.

I actually was hesitant to release this episode since it seems a little self-serving, but my “deal” with Henry was to release his episodes one at a time so that they would live on in the Rock Your Retirement feed.

So here goes….

We started off the interview talking about my treadmill desk. You may have heard me talk about my treadmill desk on other episodes. I love my treadmill desk! If you haven't seen it, join my private Facebook group so you can see a picture of it. It's a great tool for staying healthy.

Henry and I also discussed my previous career as a Financial Advisor and how and why I walked away from most of my business. We also talked about why I began selling Medicare Supplement Insurance.

However, the main focus of the interview, and why Henry invited me on his show was to talk about the Rock Your Retirement show and how money isn't everything. This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart.

I started this show with a set of certain topics I would be discussing with people. Those were:

*

Social and Family

*

Adventure and Travel

*

Volunteer and Philanthropy

*

Spiritual/Soul

*

Sex

*

Helping your parents/sandwich generation issues

Over time, that list of topics has grown and I have learned a lot!

We also talked about all of the mechanics of starting and maintaining a podcast such as

*

Technical

*

Equipment

*

hosting

*

questions for guests

*

editing

I had no experience in podcasting when I began, and it has been a wonderful learning experience. I am also so grateful for my “tech guru”, my husband, Les.

Henry and I also talked about a retirement community Les and I were considering in Buckeye, AZ but we decided the extremely hot temps were not for us! So it's still sunny (and cooler) San Diego for us right now.

Sites we mentioned in this interview:

* Dave Jackson's, School of Podcasting

* Libsyn

I had a great time talking with Henry Shapiro and I hope you enjoy listening!

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes!

* Les Briney, my husband, who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays

* YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes

This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com

 

Melissa Davey, who is in her 60's, retired at the end of 2015, to pursue her second act and dream of becoming a filmmaker. She is currently making a Documentary about women over sixty. Her film is The Beyond Sixty Project.

Melissa used to sit in restaurants and watch everyone. She has this infinite need to understand people.

Melissa had no experience in the film industry. She always had an interest in film and the process of making a film. In 2014 she got to spend the day on set with M. Night Shyamalan who is a famous film director. He asked her what she did, and after explaining her high-powered job as a Vice President she said: “But that's not what I really want to do.”

She told him that she wanted his job. After this day, Melissa knew she was going to make a film, and she knew it would be a documentary about women over sixty. She went into work the next day, talked to her CEO about retiring, and the process of her new career began!

I feel like I am still growing and learning, and that's an awesome thing to be feeling when you're this age.

Melissa went online and googled women doing interesting things.  She began building the list of women who are now in the documentary about women over sixty. Melissa wasn't looking for famous women.  She wanted “everyday” women who are resilient, relevant and have an amazing story to tell. Even before she quit working, Melissa began learning the process, scheduling meetings, and networking with people who could help her. We also talked about the process of selecting the women who are going to be in the film (which is a very tough decision to make sometimes). Melissa says that “mostly it is just a gut feeling”.

She also tells us the story of Paula who is in her 60's and is a veterinarian in Vermont. This is a very low-key, unassuming lady who just last year, swam the English Channel! She is the oldest woman from the United States to complete the English Channel swim.

You can watch the “teaser” on Paula and the other women on Melissa's website at http://www.beyondsixtyproject.com/ or if you would like to contact Melissa you can email her at [email protected]

Her documentary documentary about women over sixty is still a work in progress.

And at the time of the interview, Melissa said they were probably about half way finished. I personally cannot wait to see the finished product and, perhaps, be Melissa's date to the Oscar's someday! What a great way to Rock Your Retirement!

Some of the websites mentioned in the interview

* Sundance Film Festival

* United Healthcare

This was great fun!  If you’d like to join in the conversation with Melissa and me, leave a comment below!.

The freebie for this episode is Secrets about retirement your broker won't tell you. You can get this by going to http://RockYourRetirement.com/Secrets

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes!

* Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays

* YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook.

This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on

Tim Stansmore went from cats to classic cars in his retirement.

Tim built a successful “Cattery” during his working career. What is a “Cattery”? Good question because I didn't know either until I listened to this interview. A Cattery is a boarding establishment for cats. Tim didn't just build any cat boarding facility, this was the Taj Maj Hal for cats. Ironically, Tim is allergic to cats.

Tim and Henry talk about some of the hilarious stories of the owners of the cats. Tim says in the interview, if he was to write a book, it would be on the cat's owners and not the cats themselves.

So how does Tim go from cats to classic cars?

After 10 years, Tim sold his business and bought a property on the east side of Melbourne Australia. The property came with a garage, a huge shed, and an aircraft hangar. This would end up being perfect for him to store his many classic cars and motorcycles.

This guy knows his stuff when it comes to cars and motorcycles!

Tim and Henry talk about they many cars and bikes he has collected including a 1926 Model T Ford, 1930 Model A Ford, 1971 Lancia Fulvia and many more. Tim likes to buy cars, restore them and then trade or sell them for a small profit. Unless he gets attached to a car and cannot bear to part with it once it is finished. However, for Tim, it's not really about the money. It's about saving the cars.

Old cars and motorcycles are Tim's passion. It is a lot of work but as Tim says “if you enjoy what you are doing, it's not really a job”.

Tim tells a story of a car he bought and sold the same day. He owned the car for a total of 15 minutes and made a decent profit from it.

So what's next for Tim?

He is going to sell off his fleet and buy more of course! His real passion is old English Motorcycles and that is what he plans on focusing on in the future.

Do you have a story about cars or bikes? Do you have a story about cats? Leave me a comment in the Reply box below.

Special Thanks for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes!

* Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays

* YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes

This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com

I spoke with Mary Fran Bontempo about bad words.

Mary Fran has a great sense of humor and you can tell by the name of her blog, “Not Ready for Granny Panties.” She is also the author of 3 books. Today we talked about her latest book, “The Woman's Book of Dirty Words”.

These bad words aren't what you might think they are.

Before we talked about Mary Fran’s book, I just had to go over an article on her website about “Shhssing your brain” Do you ever feel like you just can’t shut your brain off? This is called ‘brain chatter’, Mary Fran explains where she discovered this and what you can do to help yourself.

We also touched on Mary Fran's son and how she and her husband dealt with his heroin addiction. Her advice is to not think you're going to fix it. Get professional help!

Onto the dirty! The ‘bad words’ that Mary Fran goes over with us in this podcast:

* Fine

* Adventure

* Nice

* No (We even did a little role-playing on how to say no)

* Balance

The constraints that we put on ourselves to become spectacular…we treat ‘fine’ like it’s a dirty word like there’s something wrong with being okay and good enough

Mary Fran and I even did a little role-playing on the bad word “NO” and how to say it. Not sure if we will win any Grammy's for our performance but needless to say, it was a lot of fun!

I also asked Mary Fran to give us one of the eleven commandments to staying out of granny panties.

Thou Shalt Stop ‘Shoulding’ Thyself

Mary Fran says we are always filling our days up with things we should and shouldn't do. The word “should” very often equals obligation and the word “shouldn't” often equals denial. We need to change that language to change these to must and want. Sounds like good advice to me!

If you would like to check out Mary Fran's blog go to http://www.notreadyforgrannypanties.com/ and Mary Fran’s website is http://maryfranbontempo.com/.

Also, as I promised in the interview, here is a link to Mary's Blog post on Brain Chatter

Books

The Woman’s Book of Dirty Words,

Not Ready for Granny Panties—The 11 Commandments for Avoiding Granny Panties

Everyday Adventures: Or, As My Husband Says, “Lies, Lies and More Lies”

Special Thanks to:

* Angie Strehlow who helps us get great guests that help us with our retirement lifestyle while keeping everything on track…and helps with these show notes!

* Les Briney, my husband, and Danny Ozment of Emerald City Pro who edits the show and makes my guests and me sound terrific

* Henry Shapiro, host of Retired Excited that airs on Fridays

* YOU for telling your friends about the show, leaving comments below, and sharing episodes you really like on Facebook, and reviewing the show on iTunes

This post about retirement and Retirement Lifestyle first appeared on http://RockYourRetirement.com