The Retirement Wisdom Podcast

Walking is one of the most effective forms of exercise - and it offers many other benefits beyond physical fitness. But how do you develop a regular habit of walking that works for you and keeps it interesting? Our guest knows how. He's found ways to keep walking consistently and he shares his advice on the best ways to start - and how to keep it going.

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Bio

Dave Paul has spent his life working in radio, mostly on-air. Most recently, Dave was part of a morning program getting up at 3:30 AM. Even though Dave and his wife Ava recently moved from Maryland to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, he continues to work for the station in a different capacity from home.

Dave has been walking for fitness since 2013, averaging just under 21,000 steps a day. Dave hosts the daily podcast, Walking is Fitness…a podcast he records while walking. Dave is also passionate about helping others turn their walking from merely functional to a fitness activity which is why he started the podcast last year. At the same time, Dave is using his daily walks to help him prepare for his own upcoming retirement.

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For More on Dave Paul

Walking is Fitness

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Move: The New Science of Body Over Mind – Caroline Williams

Tiny Habits Can Lead to Big Changes – BJ Fogg

The Joy Choice – Dr. Michelle Segar

The Joy of Movement – Kelly McGonigal

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Wise Quotes

On Walking and Fitness

"There are four things that make walking a great fitness solution. One is it's effective as exercise. The CDC recommends that we get between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate level physical activity every week. Walking fits that bill. If you're going three to four miles an hour you're in that moderate zone. Three to four miles an hour is not super fast, but it's not what I call grocery store pace. Walking is also flexible. You don't need a gym. All you need is a front door that opens and you can walk at any time of day, in any kind of weather. Not all weather is is equally comfortable, but if you got the right gear, you can head out and and walk. Walking is sustainable. I'm probably 3 years from retirement now... and I want a physical activity exercise that I can keep doing as I age. And for me the best part of walking that makes it a great fitness solution: It's fun! It's just a lot of fun. You can change it up. You can walk in cities. You can go walk in the woods. You can walk in the neighborhood. You can walk with people. You can walk without people and listen to podcasts. It's just a ton of fun."

On Getting Started & Keeping It Going

"There's been research that indicates 92% of all goals are not accomplished and I would imagine that the bulk of those unreached goals happened around first weeks of January. Often there's something about our lives that we don't like and we want to change - and the goal represents transformation. So we'll get real specific here about fitness and even walking. It represents a transformation that we want to accomplish and those goals almost always start with a tank filled with emotion. There is so much emotion and emotional motivation. You could go out and you can just go from 3,500 steps a day to 10,000 steps a day and probably not even bat an eyelash in the first two or three days of setting a goal because it just feels so great. But the problem is that any time that you're dealing with health and fitness, the results that you ultimately want to see take a lot longer than the emotional motivation lasts. So after a week or so, you're not seeing the results that you wanted to. In fact, at this point, you're probably feeling worse because you jumped into the deep end of the pool.

Does your retirement planning include how you think? Positive views and negative views on aging matter. Yale professor Dr. Becca Levy’s ground-breaking research shows how age beliefs can benefit the aging process, including the extension of life expectancy by 7.5 years. Today's culture brings a steady stream of negative messages on aging, but you can challenge those messages and cultivate positive age beliefs.

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Bio

Dr. Becca Levy, the leading authority on how beliefs about aging influence aging health, is Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health and Professor of Psychology at Yale University. Her pathfinding studies have changed the way we think about aging and have received awards from the American Psychological Association, the Gerontological Society of America, and the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics. Dr. Levy has given invited testimony before the US Senate on the adverse effects of ageism and has contributed to US Supreme Court briefs to fight age-discrimination. She serves as a scientific advisor to the World Health Organization’s Campaign to Combat Ageism.

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For More on Dr. Becca Levy

Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long and Well You Live

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Ageism Unmasked – Dr. Tracey Gendron

The Second Curve of Life – Arthur C. Brooks

The Mind-Body Connection and The Rabbit Effect – Kelli Harding

The Expectation Effect – David Robson

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Wise Quotes

On Positive Age Beliefs

"People who took in more positive age beliefs at the start of the study they had a median survival advantage over those who took in more negative age beliefs. They had a median survival advantage of seven and a half years."

On Role Models

"It can be really important to increase awareness of some of the negative messaging and challenge it. But also I think it's important to find ways to strengthen some of the positive older role models or positive images of aging that are around us. And so something that we found that can be effective is to record what I call a portfolio of diverse and positive images of aging. What that involves is writing down say five or so positive older role models. And some of them can be from your own life, It  could be a great aunt, a great uncle and some of them could be from the general world at large or from current events,  a great scientist that you know about. It would be good to come up with somebody that you admire for a different reason so that's where the diversity of images come up. So if you list one person you may admire because they have a great sense of humor, and another one could be because they've got a great work ethic, or a great sense of social justice. So for each person it's good to think about a quality that you really admire about that person that you would like to strengthen in yourself. And we found that actively engaging in these different older role models can also start to strengthen some of our our positive age beliefs."

From Declining to Thriving

"The most important message is that even though we know that these age beliefs are taken in at a very young age from the culture and they can be reinforced over time, we also know that they're not set in stone. So they're malleable. We can change them. And I think that has implications for us as a society that we could actively try to promote an age liberation movement that reduces or eliminates ageism and promotes and celebrates aging, and finds opportunities for people across generations. It also suggests that on an individual level, there are things that we can do to shift the negative age messa...

How can science help you develop and maintain strong relationships? Eric Barker shares counterintuitive insights he's gleaned from the research that can help you build better friendships and get closer to others.

Eric Barker joins us from Los Angeles.

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Bio

Eric Barker is the creator of the blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree, which presents science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awesome at life. His work has been mentioned in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, TIME magazine, The Week, and Business Insider. He is a former Hollywood screenwriter, having worked on projects for Walt Disney Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, and Revolution Studios. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and holds an MBA from Boston College and a Master of Fine Arts from UCLA

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For More on Eric Barker

Plays Well with Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships Is (Mostly) Wrong

 Newsletter (Insightful and practical research-based takeaways)

Website: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Chatter & Your Inner Voice – Ethan Kross

How’s Your Network? – Kelly Hoey

The Skill Set for Life’s Transitions – Bruce Feiler

Move: The New Science of Body Over Mind – Caroline Williams

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Wise Quotes

On Being Vulnerable

"The second one, which I'm also also trying, is being vulnerable and opening up. Because talking about your fears, your concerns, your weaknesses, this is something that you don't do with people you don't trust. You only do that with people you do trust. And to express your weaknesses, your concerns, your fears, that shows someone that you feel safe around them. That's you trusting them with information potentially that could be used against you. And for you to do that, you're telling them you feel safe with them. And usually, people are likely to reciprocate and they'll open up. And that gives you a 3-D portrait of the other person that tells them you trust them. Not only that, but vulnerability is also correlated with health metrics. University of Pennsylvania research has shown not opening up, not making yourself vulnerable to people close to you, is correlated with prolonged illness. It's correlated with a first heart attack and with not surviving that heart attack. So it's really important. I'm spending more time with my friends and I'm making an effort to be more vulnerable because that's one of the biggest things I've learned from the book."

On Networking

"The literature shows that most people have a number of super connectors in their life.  And how you can find your super connectors, if you go through your contact list, you're going to  find that a disproportionate number of the people were introduced to you by a handful of people. There's that super social person who introduced you to most of your friends or that person at work that knows everybody. There are these kind of hubs in the network. So a really good first step is to reconnect with people and just simply ask them: Hey, I'm trying to get to know more people in this arena, or maybe I moved, or I'm career shifting, who would you recommend I speak to?  For a lot of people, this would be difficult. But for the super connectors, this is kind of what they do - either professionally or for fun. So, going through your contact list and finding your super connectors, and reaching out to them for assistance, is a fantastic way to network. And then once you get together with these people again, don't think about contacts, think about making a friend."

Why wait until the end of the year to recap the best episodes of this retirement podcast? In 2022, it'll be quarterly. I know you're busy and can't catch all the conversations. But you won't want to miss any of these.

A lot of ground was covered in the first quarter of the year, including:

How cognitive bias goes beyond financial matters - and why you'll want to think big about your future

Why conventional thinking on retirement planning can get in the way of your future

The best way to begin working on your worthy goals

How to turn the stress of retiring into strength

Why the second half of life can be the best half - if you get ahead of the second curve

Listen to the full episodes from these links:

5. Think Big – Dr. Grace Lordan

4. An Economist’s Take on Retirement Planning – Larry Kotlikoff

3. How to Begin – Michael Bungay Stanier

2. Everyday Vitality – Dr. Samantha Boardman

1.  The Second Curve of Life – Arthur C. Brooks

Interested in more wisdom? Scan all of the conversations in this retirement podcast here

Miss the aBest of 2021? Listen here

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About Retirement Wisdom

A 20+ year retirement is a terrible thing to waste. How will you invest your time after you leave the world of full-time work?

Working with an experienced coach and a proven process can help you explore new options, test opportunities and create a portfolio of rewarding activities and interests.

Beware of quick fix solutions.

Schedule a call to find how how the Designing Your Life process (developed by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans at Stanford) can help you unlock a new direction.  One and One and small group programs are available. Take the first step toward your new life today.

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About Your Host 

Joe Casey is an executive coach who also helps people design their next life after their primary career. He created his own next chapter after a twenty-six-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking.

Today, in addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, which thanks to his guests and loyal listeners, ranks in the top 1.5 % globally in popularity by Listen Notes. Business Insider has recognized him as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference.

He’s the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy coming this summer.

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Intro and Outro voiceovers by Ross Huguet.

What did you once love to do that you put aside as you advanced your career? Is retirement a second chance to pursue those dreams? Your interests and your talents may be different from my guest today, but his story may inspire you to reconnect with your earlier interests. My guest today is John P. Weiss. He's a fine artist, cartoonist, photographer and author of two books. A former police chief and 26 year law enforcement veteran, John retired early to pursue his creative life.

His Saturday Letter is something I look forward to reading every weekend.

John P. Weiss joins us from Nevada.

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Bio

John P. Weiss is a full-time artist, writer, and photographer. He paints tonalist landscapes, draws whimsical cartoons, writes poignant essays about life, and shoots artful, black & white photos. He is the author of "An Artful Life: Inspirational Stories and Essays for the Artist in Everyone" and "The Cartoon Art of John P. Weiss." Over 48K followers enjoy John's weekly essays.

John used to be a police chief  for the Scotts Valley Police Department in Northern California. He holds a master's degree in criminal justice administration and enjoyed a 26-year career in law enforcement, serving the last ten as chief of police. John retired early in order to pursue his creative life full-time.

In his police career, John served as a detective, sergeant, lieutenant, operations and services commander, composite sketch artist, hostage negotiator, impact weapons instructor, peer counselor, DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer, training manager, police chief, and acting city manager. He is the recipient of the "Medal of Merit" for his work with children and related programs.

Cartoonist

During John’s police career, he moonlighted as an editorial cartoonist for several newspapers. His cartoons appear in various editions of Charles Brooks's Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year.

 For several years, John published articles and a popular comic strip, The Life of Art , on the art and marketing website Fine Art Views.

John hand draws his cartoons in pen, ink and watercolor. He also crafts cartoons digitally on his iPad Pro. Here’s a video of John sketching one of his cartoons. Influences include the cartoonists Pat Oliphant, Jeff MacNelly, Richard Thompson, Berke Breathed, Bill Watterson, and George Herriman.

Writer

During John's law enforcement career he frequently contributed articles to various newspapers and publications. A life long reader and writer, he started blogging and publishing work online in early 2014.

John studied writing and blogging with the author Jeff Goins in Franklin, Tennessee. John also hired copywriting expert Demian Farnworth to learn the art of writing compelling content.

John is a top writer on the website Medium and his work also appears on the following sites:

The Guardian, Medium.com, NBC News, Becoming Minimalist, Mr. Feelgood, The Unmistakable Creative, Austin Art Talk, Elephant Journal, Fine Art Views, Goins Writer, Good Men Project, Your Creative Push Podcast, Thrive Global, The Ladders, and more.

Photography

John enjoys shooting artful, monochromatic photographs with his Sony A6600 camera and Sigma prime lenses. He prefers the contrast, simplicity, and elegance of black and white film and photography. John sometimes enjoys creating post-production vintage effects in his photographs, to give them a timeless look.

Fine artist

John took vacations to study landscape painting with renowned artist Scott L. Christensen, among other artists. John supplemented his art education with museum visits, books, videos, regular practice, and experimentation.

John paints landscapes in various mediums, including oils, gouache, watercolor and pen & ink. He employs a limited palette and strives for painterly realism ...

If you're still working, you may be pondering a few questions. Should I work longer? Can working remotely help me retire later? Should I create a second act career? If you're retired, you may also be contemplating a few questions. Should I unretire and jump back in? Can I get work doing something different on a part-time basis? Can I retire happy without some version of "work" in my life? Author and expert Kerry Hannon has insights  that can help you with these questions - and many more. We discuss Kerry's new book In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in The New World of Work published on April 26th.

Kerry joins us from Washington DC.

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Bio

Amazon bestselling author Kerry Hannon is a workplace futurist and nationally recognized expert, spokesperson and strategist on career transitions, entrepreneurship, personal finance and retirement. Kerry's new book is In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in The New World of Work published by McGraw Hill.

She is a frequent TV, podcast and radio commentator and is a sought-after keynote speaker and moderator at conferences across the country. Kerry focuses on empowering yourself to do more with your career and personal finances – now and for the future.

Her work also focuses on advising women of all ages on how to take charge of their own financial planning. Her work explores what women need to do, at all stages of their lives, to prepare themselves for a financially secure future.

She has covered all aspects of careers, business and personal finance as a columnist, editor, and writer for the nation’s leading media companies, including The New York Times, Forbes, Money, U.S. News & World Report, and USA Today. Kerry’s work has also appeared in BusinessWeek, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, and The Wall Street Journal, among other national publications.

She has appeared as a career and financial expert on The Dr. Phil Show ABC, CBS, CNBC, NBC Nightly News, NPR, and PBS.

Kerry is currently a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a former columnist and regular contributor to The New York Times, MarketWatch, Forbes, and the PBS website NextAvenue.org.

Kerry is the award-winning author of 14 books, including Great Pajama Jobs: Your Complete Guide to Working from Home(Wiley), Never Too Old To Get Rich: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting a Business Mid-Life; the national bestselling Great Jobs for Everyone 50+ (Wiley) . #1 New release on Amazon and bestseller in Job Hunting; Money Confidence: Really Smart Financial Moves for Newly Single Women (Post Hill Press) Getting the Job You Want After 50 (Wiley, 2015) #1 New Release on Amazon and job hunting guide bestseller; the award-winning Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness (Wiley, 2015); the GOLD Living Now Book Award for Personal Growth/Motivation winner, What’s Next? Finding Your Passion and Your Dream Job in Your Forties, Fifties and Beyond (Berkley Trade, 2014).

Kerry is a former fellow of the Columbia Journalism School and the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center’s Age Boom Academy. She is a former Metlife Foundation and New America Media fellow on aging.

She has testified before Congress about the importance of older workers.

Kerry graduated from Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where she serves on the Board of Visitors. She received a bachelor’s degree from Duke University. Kerry lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, documentary producer and editor Cliff Hackel, and her Labrador Retriever, Elly. She is also horse-crazy and loves the Winston Churchill quotation: "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man."

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For More on Kerry Hannon

In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of W...

What if there was an approach to behavior change on exercise and healthy eating that fit the realities of day-to-day life? Good intentions and a sound plan don't always stand up to the inevitable changes that pop up and get in your way. Sustainable-behavior-change researcher and lifestyle coach Dr. Michelle Segar discusses her new book The Joy Choice, which introduces a new brain-based solution that's flexible - and fun. Her behavior change approach positions you to make the practical choice in the moment that's sustainable in the long run.

Michelle Segar joins us from Michigan.

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Bio

Michelle Segar, PhD, MPH, MS, bestselling author of No Sweat and author of the new book, The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise,  sustainable behavior change scientist, directs the University of Michigan’s Sport, Health, and Activity Research and Policy Center. She has translated science into sustainable behavior change messages and programming for decades and is a recognized pioneer and leading authority in this field. See featured peer-reviewed publications and national media.

Her comprehensive, science-based, and tailored approach to creating sustainable behavior change related to healthy lifestyles and well-being has made her a sought-after speaker, sustainable-behavior-change trainer, consultant, and learning/intervention expert for global organizations seeking to accelerate and sustain positive change. Her clients include Adidas, Anytime Fitness, Beaumont Health System, EXL, Google, Harvard Medical School, Kaiser Permanente, The Permanente Medical Group, National Business Group on Health, PepsiCo, and Walmart.

Dr. Segar is a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded researcher and she holds a doctorate in Psychology (PhD), a master’s degree in Health Behavior/Health Education (MPH), and a master’s degree in Kinesiology (MS) from the University of Michigan.

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For More on Dr. Michelle Segar

The Joy Choice: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise 

Take Her Quiz on Your Hidden Eating & Exercise  Traps

Michelle Segar's Website

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Move: The New Science of Body Over Mind – Caroline Williams

The Joy of Movement – Kelly McGonigal

Take Charge of Your Well-Being – John La Puma, MD

How to Get Stronger After 50 – Dave Durell

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Wise Quotes

On Moving Away from All-or-Nothing Thinking

"And so people need to]break away from the part of all or nothing thinking when it comes to physical activity that it has to feel punishing, it has to be intense, like the kinds of marathons that you might run, or you have to sweat for it to be worth doing. And the research absolutely shows that something is better than nothing. So that's the formula, for creating a more positive experience with physical activity."

On Slicing & Dicing

"...things always get in the way in every area of our life. When we're parents with our jobs, as children helping aging parents, as people aging ourselves, things always get in the way. But, in general, all or nothing thinking can plague us in other life areas too. In general, we've learned to do what I call slicing and dicing. When you thought you were going to be able to leave to do this for your job at this time, but you got an urgent call and you had to leave 15 minutes later, it's no sweat. You just shrug your shoulders and move on. Or you're working on something and a child needs to be picked up early from school because they're sick, or an aging parent got an early eye doctor's appointment a...

Planning for retirement is essential. But what if your retirement planning is upended by events beyond your control? Imagine if one day you lost your job as an executive after almost thirty years at a multibillion-dollar company. How would you react? When it happened to my guest today, he decided to walk - more than twenty miles home. He shares the experience in his book The Long Walk Home: How I Lost My Job as a Corporate Remora Fish and Rediscovered My Life’s Purpose. That day was a catalyst for a more fulfilling life and a return to what he truly wanted to do.

Jim Kerr joins us from Pennsylvania.

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Bio

James Brian Kerr led global communications and public relations for Fortune 500 technology firms before leaving the corporate world in late 2021 to pursue his passion for writing and storytelling. He blogs on financial freedom, fatherhood, men’s health and the pursuit of an authentic life at peaceableman.com. His articles have appeared in HumbleDollar, MarketWatch, Elephant Journal and elsewhere. His fiction and poetry have appeared in the Sewanee Review, Red River Review, The Poet, Short Story Town and other journals. The Long Walk Home (Blydyn Square Books) is his first published book.

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For More on James Kerr

The Long Walk Home: How I Lost My Job as a Corporate Remora Fish and Rediscovered My Life’s Purpose

Blog: PeaceableMan.com

Website

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Navigating An Unexpected Career Change – Maggie Craddock

A Tapas Life – Andy Robin

Are You Ready to Shift Gears?- Richard Haiduck

With the Freedom to Retire, Where Will You Plant Your New Tree? – Don Ezra

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Wise Quotes

On Having a Challenge List Instead of a Bucket List

"That term bucket list is obviously is tongue in cheek, but it it's kind of dark. So I like a challenge list. I don't look at whatever number of years that I have ahead of me as walking toward the bucket. I'd rather I'll be challenging myself with new things. I think it's important to stay active, to continue to challenge ourselves both physically and mentally after we leave the full-time working  world. We don't want to atrophy - at least we don't want to atrophy early. The things that are important to me are on my list. And I got a long list. I love to write and I want to get some books and articles published. I have a new one out. That's my first one. So I'm excited about that. I've got a bunch of articles published. I want to get more articles out - and it's not about just getting pieces out there, but it's about really trying to inspire and move people. That's my mission in the second part of my life."

On Repassioning Instead of Retiring 

"I resist the word retirement. There are some people who love the word retirement. I don't. Retirement to me means you're stepping away from life in many ways and from work or purpose. And that's not really what I do. Repassion is the word that I use, because it's about really devoting myself to my passions. I've spent a lot of time getting my financial house in order so that I can focus on my passions."

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About Retirement Wisdom

A 20+ year retirement is a terrible thing to waste. How will you invest your time after you leave the world of full-time work?

Working with an experienced coach and a proven process can help you explore new options, test opportunities and create a portfolio of rewarding activities and interests.

Beware of quick fix solutions.

The number of adults who live alone is growing. Even those who have children cannot count on their help. The number of older adults who live within 10 miles of a relative has fallen significantly. When my guest Carol Marak was working in technology she returned home to be a caregiver for her parents. And she got a wake-up call. Who, she wondered, would help to care for her when she grew older? The struggles Carol’s parents faced were warning signs of what she could expect. Divorced and childless, Carol lived alone in a suburb. Caregiving for her parents required a massive effort involving three siblings and numerous professionals. That care could someday be needed for her—only she would not have family nearby to step up to the challenge.

Carol's book Solo and Smart teaches people how to assess, discover, and plan—to gain control over how they want to live in the years ahead -  not only how to age well but how to live well—by shaping the future they want rather than reacting to it.

Carol Marak joins us from Dallas.

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Bio

Carol Marak is an Author, Speaker, Founder of the Elder Orphan Facebook Group, and former family caregiver. Her book, Solo and Smart, A Guided Roadmap for a Supportive and Secure Future is based on Carol’s own plan as a single senior facing aging alone. It was her caregiving experience that revealed what’s needed when looking ahead. Carol is a native Texan and lives alone in a highly active high rise in a Dallas urban area.

Carol has appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, PBS, NPR, AARP, US News & World Report, the American Society on Aging, local newspapers throughout the U.S. and radio shows.

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For More on Carol Marak

Solo and Smart, A Guided Roadmap for a Supportive and Secure Future on Amazon

Website CarolMarak.com

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Podcast Episodes You My Like

Where Will You Live Next? – Ryan Frederick

Who Will Take Care of You When You Are Older? – Joy Loverde

With the Freedom to Retire, Where Will You Plant Your New Tree? – Don Ezra

Retirement Planning Includes Getting Good at Getting Older – Rabbi Laura Geller

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Wise Quotes

On Lessons From Caregiving 

"My mother lived with several chronic illnesses and so their  needs were very demanding. They really expected us to help them out because they did that for their parents. My parents were farmers and we lived in a rural community. So we just helped each other out as a family. And we were a very large family. However, once we started moving off going to college, that put a real dent in how we could share in those responsibilities. We tried to hire help, but they just wouldn't have of it. So my sisters and I really ended up pitching in as best we could. And quite frankly, we did a pretty good job taking care of them. And my parents were very lucky to have three loving daughters. Unfortunately many of us don't have that. =. So, once they both passed, I was out on a walk one day and I was thinking about my parents. I was missing them. I was crying. And then I started reflecting back on that experience of elder care and the demands of growing older and what that means, what that looks like. And then all of a sudden I just stopped and I thought, Oh my gosh, what am I going to do? I'm single. I have no children here. I am. I'm close to 55 years old, what will I do? And Joe, I tell you I was walking and it just stopped me in my tracks. I thought, Holy Moly, what am I gonna do?  because it's,  it's filled with so many complexities growing older. So that was my wake up call. And it was more than a wake up call. It was really more like a slap in the face. It's like, get your act together.

Have you ever thought about retiring and writing a book? Bill Thompson did just that as a second act career and he's written 22 novels over 11 years and has won numerous awards. But caregiving taught him was was most important in life.

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Bio

Bill Thompson became a corporate entrepreneur early.  At age 12 he started a company to buy and sell coins.  By age 25 he had started an insurance agency that ultimately became one of the largest in Oklahoma.  Expanding that firm and adding more, Bill created a financial services holding company that operated in several states plus Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and England.

If variety is the spice of life, author Bill Thompson’s life so far has been spicy for sure! Over the years, and in no particular order, he’s been an international insurance broker, a mayor, a head of a state prison board, a stockbroker, a newspaper reporter, a Bourbon Street piano player, a corporate entrepreneur, an award-winning novelist, and many more...

Bill has always had a burning interest in archaeological finds, mysteries of the past, unexplained things in the jungle and stories of adventure in remote places.  Over the years he traveled extensively around the world and visited sites such as Machu Picchu, Stonehenge, Avebury, Egypt, Petra and many ancient Olmec, Aztec and Maya cities in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.

Bill and his wife live in Dallas, Texas with three dogs, travel a lot, eat and drink well and have fun living life.

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For More on Bill Thompson

Website

New Book: Serpent (Mysterious America Book 1) 

My Second Act: Bestselling Novelist (Next Avenue)

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Podcast Episodes You May Be Interested In

Think Big – Dr. Grace Lordan

Stupid Things I’ll Never Do When I Get Old – Steven Petrow

From Role to Soul – Connie Zweig

Retirement Stepping Stones – Tony Hixon

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Wise Quotes

On the Rewards of Writing

"Well, the one thing I realized right off the bat was I liked not working more than I liked working. So we sold the company and I started to write full time. And now 11 years later are about 22 books and two dozen national awards. So it's gratifying day to day at 75. I'm really glad my life's not what it used to be because I don't think I could keep up with the pace that I did before. I was a Type A, driven entrepreneur. I swore I would never stop working.  That last year with my wife showed me that life really is fragile and you really have to embrace the things that are important. I still work. And now I write and I write because I love it and it keeps my mind active. And the great side effect is that I also have readers who enjoy what I do and that's the most gratifying thing of all."

On Caregiving

"The most challenging thing...is the abrupt transition from being on top of the world to being a caregiver and feeling really helpless. A lot of the time that I couldn't change things, that things were going to happen the way they were. I was going to be an observer and a participant in a way, but I couldn't give orders anymore. That would change things. So at first I resented that and then I began to realize that it wasn't her or the disease that I was resenting. It was me. I couldn't do what I thought I should do. But once I realized that an unexpected change was going to change everything for me, I accepted it. And I learned that tragedy can teach important lessons. When thing it taught me is what's most important in life. And it certainly is not being a workaholic."

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About Retirement Wisdom

Are you ready to do what it takes to create a gre...