Have you ever wondered how to become a filmmaker? As your second-act career? Melissa Davey knows how - she's done it and she returns to our retirement podcast to share her lessons learned. Her story is about smart risk-taking and the value of a growth mindset. But it's also about the courage to walk away from a career to follow her dream when the opportunity presented itself. She took it and her story is one that's sure to inspire people.

Risk-taking Can Lead to New Avenues

When people think of a calling they think of people like Steve Javie and his compelling story. But many have other types of callings they carry inside. These are dreams deferred, often from passions developed early in life and interests put to the side during working lives. But later life can serve up opportunities to do what you really want to do.

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We discuss with Melissa:

The story of how she became a documentary filmmaker

The lessons she learned from the people in The Beyond Sixty Project film

What she learned from the experience of making it

The stories from the film that resonate with her even more today

How her life has changed since the release of The Beyond Sixty Project

The benefits – and the challenges - of working with an intergenerational creative team

What’s it been like to be a grandparent during COVID

Her advice for people who may want to pursue a Second Act career

And what's next for her

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Bio 

Melissa Davey is a documentary filmmaker who lives in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. She is a wife, a mother and a grandmother to three young boys. She is a world traveler and curious about everything unknown. She recently retired after more than two decades from GENEX Services Inc., the largest Managed Care case management organization in the U.S, where she was recruited to build and operate the company's Social Security representation division. Prior to GENEX, Melissa had almost twenty years of diversified experience in the field of disability. She held senior leadership and management positions throughout her career. Melissa's second act is fueled by a lifelong passion for film and story-telling.

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Wise Quotes

On Second Acts

"What I have found is that there are huge numbers of people in their sixties and seventies who are finishing careers, or maybe even already a second career and are saying, Okay, I'm done with that. I don't want to work at that pace. I don't want to work possibly for another individual or a big corporation or whatever it might be. I want to do something meaningful for me that will also benefit others. That's what I'm hearing all the time. What can I do to keep going, but improve upon myself? And one of the greatest things we can do is try something new and something that might impact others in a positive way."

On Dreams (and Deadlines)

"I think people need to not discount dreams. And I think a lot of times messaging when we were growing up was, Oh, that doesn't, that doesn't make sense. You go to college, you get a job, and you build a career. And that's what you do. People might have other artistic dreams or, any type of dream, that might be pooh-poohed by either family members or society in general. I think that we should not ignore that. And I think that we should - especially - not ignore that as we get older because of the calendar, because we only have so much time left."

On Taking Calculated Risks

"Taking risks is one of the most important ingredients in life. If we don't take risks to step out of the boxes that we construct for ourselves, we don't experience new things that may challenge us - and may change the way we view life, people, ourselves,