For the last couple of years that I was working, I felt like all I could think about was retirement. I dreamed about it. I couldn’t wait for the day.

I had been working since I was 16, so when I retired at 61, I had been working for 45 years. Some of those jobs I loved and truly enjoyed. Some were jobs I took simply to pay the rent and the bills. Others I stayed in because I was raising my daughter and needed the stability, the health benefits, and eventually, a pension.

In my mind, retirement was going to be a time of no stress, no obligations, and—finally—no alarm going off at 5:30 in the morning.

When I made the decision to retire, I was happy. I was excited. But then something happened that I wasn’t expecting.

I got scared.

It almost felt like I was having an existential crisis. So much of my identity had been wrapped up in my career. And in many ways, that’s how society conditions us, isn’t it? When we meet someone for the first time, one of the first questions we often ask is, “What do you do?” It makes sense, then, that somewhere along the way, we begin to confuse what we do with who we are.

Suddenly, I was facing a much bigger question: Who am I when I’m no longer defined by my work?

At the same time, I had the realization that I was closer to the finish line than the starting line of my life. This gave me a sense of urgency. If not now, when? I wanted this to be the best chapter of my life.

I started thinking about the times I had compromised, made myself small, held myself back, or worried too much about what other people thought. And I realized that if there was ever a time in my life to live in a way that truly reflected who I am, this was it.

I wanted to let go of fear. Let go of people-pleasing. To finally be able to say, “This is who I am. This is what I believe.” I wanted to do the things that bring me joy and peace and pursue the things I am genuinely passionate about.

So I started researching. I read books and articles about retirement, healthy aging, identity, and sociology. I listened to podcasts and learned from others who were navigating this transition. And as I did, I began noticing common threads that resonated with my own experience.

I started asking myself different questions.

What areas of my life do I want to focus on now? What parts of myself still need healing? Who do I want to become? How can I continue to grow while taking care of myself mentally, physically, and spiritually? What gives my life meaning now?

The more I explored those questions, the more I realized that retirement isn’t simply about leaving a career behind. It’s an opportunity to rediscover the person underneath all the roles, responsibilities, expectations, and obligations we’ve carried for so many years.

That realization changed the way I looked at retirement—and ultimately inspired me to create Becoming Authentic Retirement. I’m still on this journey myself, and I don’t have all the answers. But I believe there is tremendous value in asking the questions, sharing what we learn, and creating a community where we can figure out this next chapter together.

Because maybe retirement isn’t the end of who we were. Maybe it’s finally our opportunity to become more fully who we’ve always been.