I’m an African-American male, and I’m also one of nine siblings, all of us retired. In a recent conversation with my three sisters, each of whom is retired successfully, I was reminded of a truth that, as a guy, they (robustly) re-emphasized to me – women experience retirement in some profoundly different ways than us guys. First, a Few Data Points Hiding in Plain Sight Women live longer than men, with an average life expectancy of 79 years for women vs. 73 for men in the U.S

" Find your passion." It may be the least helpful advice ever given to someone approaching retirement. It sounds inspiring. It also sounds impossible. For most of us, work has occupied center stage for 30 or 40 years. Careers dictated schedules, relationships, status, challenges, and goals. Then one day the conversation shifts to: “What am I going to do in retirement?" As if there is a hidden answer sitting in a drawer somewhere waiting to be discovered. There usually isn't.

The retirement industry has a blind spot. Billions of dollars and countless hours are spent helping people prepare financially for retirement. Almost no one helps them prepare for the rest of it. The loss of identity. The loss of purpose. The loss of structure. The changing relationships. The question that quietly follows many retirees into their first months and years after leaving work: "Now what?" For decades, our careers have answered a lot of questions for us. Who am I?

Are you reconsidering your next career move? If so, you’re not alone. For decades, professionals were taught to think about careers in a straight line: Pick a profession. Build expertise. Make money. Climb steadily. Retire. Success meant more income, responsibility, influence, and prestige. I see this so often in my coaching practice. But that model is quietly collapsing. Today, many professionals will reinvent themselves multiple times over the course of their working lives.