The season is changing. The signs are all around us and it is a wonderful time to work with metaphor. Pause and look outside. The leaves are turning. Kids are back to school. The days are shorter and darkness comes faster.

  • What do you notice about the season? How does that impact you?

This fall also marks one year since Krakauer Coaching introduced a new coaching program: Re-Imagining Retirement, supporting leaders and professionals who are navigating one of the most significant life changes – retirement.  Read more here >>

As a part of this program, we are launching a new resource: Retirement Roadmap: A Guide to Navigating the Next Chapter. The Roadmap is designed to provide clients with a deeper experience as they reflect, learn and plan for a meaningful and successful transition.

I developed the Roadmap from a variety of sources, including books, podcasts and articles on the changing demographics and mindsets around retirement. I learned how retirement is nothing like what it was in the last generation. Even the concept of “retiring” doesn’t work for many people who expect to be engaged in something purposeful for much longer than the average retirement age.

Recognizing that there are many different paths to explore, the Roadmap also draws on the unique experiences of my clients, friends and colleagues who have successfully navigated this stage of life.

Today, I am proud to introduce a special contributor, my mother Renate Krakauer, whose journey has been an inspiration to me and many others.

Second Chances, by Renate Krakauer BScPhm, MES, DHSt (Hon), EdD

Throughout my career there has always been one constant – change. It was, therefore, no big challenge for me to consider retirement. While facing life without the structure of a job didn’t faze me, I did worry about how I would choose from many different options something that was enjoyable as well as meaningful.

I grew up in an era where many of my female contemporaries made marriage and motherhood their priority, even if they had pursued professional education such as teaching, nursing, or physio and occupational therapy (favourite choices for women in the sixties). They put off entering the workforce until their children were older. Those who graduated from general arts, humanities, or social sciences did the same but often pursued volunteer work instead of paid employment.

As the immigrant daughter of European-trained professionals, I was expected to go to university to get a professional education so that I could support myself. Since my mother was a pharmacist and I liked chemistry, I opted for pharmacy.

After working part-time as a pharmacist while my children were young, I didn’t find it find it satisfying, so I went to see a career counsellor. Then I enrolled in a Master’s in Environmental Studies program and, upon graduating, worked in a series of jobs that met my need for variety: director of a community college Women’s Centre, adult educator, Human Resources professional, senior executive in the provincial government, and finally, as the CEO of a postsecondary institution. Along the way, I also got a doctorate in adult education.

When I retired at age sixty-two, I was ready to try something new. I had no qualms about leaving the workforce. I had left each of my previous jobs, feeling that I had mastered the skills of that position. This was true for my last job, too. Still, I hadn’t foreseen that I would also be leaving behind the professional status and respect that went with the role. If I was going to try something new, I would not be starting at the top!

Since my school days, one of my secret desires was to be a writer. To my parents, a university program in English Language and Literature would only be acceptable if it led to teaching. But I didn’t want to be a teacher; I wanted to be a writer. “You can write in your spare time,” they said. So I set aside, but didn’t forget, those early dreams.

I decided to spend the first couple of years of retirement enjoying myself: taking writing courses, joining an acting program for people over 50, and singing. Eventually, however, I missed the sense of achievement and recognition that had been central during my career. I dropped out of acting school to focus on writing, although I continued to sing in a choir.

I was thrilled when several of my short stories and personal essays were published in literary magazines and anthologies; and a couple even found their way into the Globe and Mail. A memoir and a novel followed.

In my later senior years, I added volunteer work to my activities: serving on committees at my congregation, at my alma mater, OISE (the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) and on my condo Board of Directors. I am also involved with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for Holocaust Studies, making presentations to students of all ages and diverse audiences about my family’s story of survival during the Holocaust.

I have never regretted leaving my professional life behind early, even though colleagues recommended that I pursue a consulting career (and make a lot of money!). After over thirty years in the workforce and raising three children, some of the time on my own, retirement was the chance to do things I enjoyed without responsibility to or for anyone but myself. I was lucky to pick up something I had loved early in life, try it out, and do so with moderate success.

My family – three grown children and three grandchildren – add joy to my life. These days, I enjoy reading, walking, knitting and visiting with friends. My volunteer activities give my life meaning and purpose – something that has always been important to me. Retirement has been so much more than just a second chance to pursue my passion; it has also been a continuation and opportunity to follow new interests and live my values every day.

Re-Imagining Retirement Coaching provides a confidential and collaborative experience to express your hopes and fears about retirement, clarify what is most important to you, and co-design a transition plan. Receive a copy of the Retirement Roadmap when you sign up.

For HR Professionals and Talent Leaders, check out our recorded webinar, Navigating the Next Chapter, where we explore the changing demographics, mindsets and opportunities around retirement. Held in partnership with Vision Coaching and Chantelle Courtney, this workshop is designed to help HR leaders and organizations support their leaders as they look to life beyond work. Contact us to find out more.

To learn more about turning the next chapter into a time of growth and purpose:

  • From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, Arthur Brooks
  • Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, James Hollis
  • Learning to Love Mid-Life: 12 Reasons Why Life Gets Better with Age, Chip Conley
  • From the Globe & Mail, a first-person reflection on how retirement brought unexpected gifts, Sept 5, 2024 https://globe2go.pressreader.com/article/281548001254225

To book your complimentary consultation click here or contact Beth at info@krakauer.ca.

Our team of coaches is available to provide support. Read about the KCI team here.

As the leaves change, so do the opportunities. Stay cozy, stay inspired, and enjoy all that fall has to offer!

Lianne