Unretirement: When Your Money Retires Before You Do

Let’s Run the Damn Numbers (Before They Run You) Melanie Cooper* thought she had her grand exit all planned out. At 65, the divorced mother of two packed up her New York life, kissed the dental office finance desk goodbye, and headed for sunny Delray Beach, FL. Her plan? Work part time until she hit […]

Smart Women are Going Fractional After 50—and Taking Control 

Fractional leadership isn’t a consolation prize. It’s how women over 50 are finally making work work for them. There’s a new F-word in the workplace: Fractional. And for a rising number of women in their 50s and 60s, that means freedom, not failure. Sick and tired of being passed over, aged out, or overworked for […]

SCHOOLED: What Happens When Your Midlife Purpose Project Goes Sideways

At 50+, I thought teaching creative writing to teens would be my reinvention moment. Instead, I found blank stares, slammed phones, and a harsh lesson in what really matters. Here it comes, another verbal assault from a skinny, snarly 14 year old. “I’m not f*cking doing this sh*t!” he declared, tearing up his paper, scattering […]

Finding Purpose After Retirement: Is It as Hard as You Think?

Can you reinvent yourself if you don’t know what you’re reinventing for? Can you find purpose after retirement? Purpose has been called life’s compass—the thing that guides us and pulls us forward. But for many women, finding purpose after retirement feels more like drifting into the Bermuda Triangle. Grandma Moses, who discovered her purpose at […]

All In: What Playing Professional Poker Taught Me About Life

Winter, Moscow, 2001. The room is smoky and cold. I push my chips all in. After knocking out nearly 100 professional poker players, I’ve made it to the final table. I’ve been patiently waiting for the right hand to make my move, watching my chip stack dwindle to almost nothing. It’s now or never. I […]

Is Retirement the End or the Beginning? The Ecstasy and Angst

Preface: There’s a lot to unpack about redefining retirement and I know you’ve got important experiences and insights to share. This is the first piece in a series on this topic. Consider this post an introduction to the psychological groundwork—we’ll dig deeper into the practical and tactical over the coming months. ********** Consider this: 10,000 […]