What does retirement mean to you? Let's redefine it.

Retirement isn’t about fading away—it’s about rising into something greater. I left the old behind to create, build, and thrive.

A couple of years ago, I declared "retirement." I was fortunate enough to be in a position where I could pay off all my debt and be financially free to do whatever I wanted. Travel the world first class, with no expectations. It was a vision I had when I was 23 years old, and I only shared  this goal with two people over the next 20 years. Finally, I made it happen.

I got off LinkedIn, made my announcement, and started doing everything a retired person would: taking naps, going on extended trips, gardening, reading, mentoring, volunteering—you name it. But something was missing. My sense of fulfillment started to fade. The best way to describe it is that I felt like I was slowly dying. My fire was going out. And I was only 43 years old.

That’s when I realized I was living according to the traditional definition of retirement. The idea that after working for over 40 years, you can finally do all the things you always wanted to do, with no responsibilities or concerns. But in many ways, traditional retirement feels like the end of life. Studies even show that many men die within three years of retiring because they lose their purpose—their "Ikigai" (a Japanese word for life’s purpose).

We spend so much time on the hamster wheel of life—working, raising kids, chasing success—that we rarely stop to ask, "What is my true purpose?" Then, one day, the job ends, the kids move out, and we’re left wondering, "Now what?" That’s exactly where I was.

In the spirit of redefining, I began exploring what truly lit me up. I listened, observed, and allowed my purpose to reveal itself. Slowly, opportunities to create, collaborate, and help others started to appear. I realized that retirement wasn’t the end of my story—it was the beginning of a new book.

Some of my friends call this a sabbatical, but I disagree. A sabbatical is a break with the intention of returning to the same path. Retirement, for me, was not a break. It was a transformation—a shedding of my old way of looking at work, life, family, and an expansion into something new. I retired as an "operator." I retired as a non-present mom, daughter, and wife. I retired as an "A-type" career woman. I became a creator. That simple shift in mindset gave me a renewed sense of meaning.

Today, my north star is clear: I want to help as many women as possible create impact, rebuild, and redefine a culture that no longer serves us. Retirement gave me clarity, purpose, fire, passion, and alignment. It reignited my love for life.

Seed Question:

How do you define retirement today? And how would you choose to redefine it in a way that truly serves you?