​​​​​​​Host Carl prides himself on finding people that have interesting and different kinds of careers. It took Episode #110 but he finally found his first ex-cop. It's a fun one to listen to and an extra bonus is you can enjoy the banter live from Carl's Tiki Bar. After decades in law enforcement, including high-stress work in narcotics investigation and hostage negotiations, Jim Beezley the former Police Captain is now realizing a childhood dream by working with Major League Baseball.

Jim grew up in Sacramento and sports were the main activity in his neighborhood. He says he was a stubborn and independent child. “I was self-sufficient fairly young.” He attended CSU, Sacramento and earned a master's degree in criminal justice. Jim also graduated from the FBI National Academy.

He joined the Sacramento police force and eventually worked his way up to Captain. He talks about the challenging transition from being “one of the guys” to management. There’s hiring, firing, big budgets and more. “90% of police work is communication,” Jim adds. “It’s also a great, rewarding job that you can be proud of after 35 years.”

Jim retired from the police force and went on to serve as Senior Director of Protective Services at Sutter Health, where he specialized in healthcare investigations, workplace violence prevention and systemwide security strategy. He retired from his second act in 2025. 

For Jim’s third act, he has combined his investigative background with his lifelong passion for sports—and more specifically the Oakland A’s. “When I was a kid in the early 1980’s, the A’s were MY team. It took another 45 years for this opportunity to present itself. What a great job!" It turns out the A’s left Oakland and are playing in Sacramento for three years. When Jim heard the team was coming to town, he started making calls to the right people and landed the position as an authenticator for Major League Baseball.

Jim loves being an authenticator. “It’s multi-tasking and negotiating with lots of people," he says. He gets to interact with his sports heroes all season and he's even traveled to Japan for the World Baseball Classic. Working with the A's is a dream come true for him. When not in the dugout, Jim is totally obsessed with pickleball. He plays almost everyday!

Jim's (Un) retirement advice:

• Financial planning: "I'm fairly frugal and (decades ago) I put together a big spreadsheet and tried to be as financially literate as possible. I look at all the trends, making sure it all pencils out and makes sense. I do it myself. I taught a class on financial planning for new recruits to set them up for success. I'm very proud of that."

• Health and Routine: "For me, I want to live as long and healthy as possible. See a doctor. Find something you like to do that's healthy. I guarantee there are days you don't want to get up and do it. But I say, 'Just 5 minutes.' And then you do another 5, and another 5, and soon you've got a workout." 

• More about Jim Beezley​​​​​​​

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage​​​​​​​

• Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.

Tags:    Blog   Jim Beezley   Police Captain   Carl Landau   MLB   Baseball   second act   third act   unretirement   careers   sports   carl's tiki bar  

​​​​​​​This month’s guest has harnessed the power of reinvention quite literally. Anne Del Core was an experienced TV Exec before decided to pivot to an entirely new path. She is now an innovative and award-winning artist, specializing in glass mosaics. “It’s really a metaphor for life—I love the process of breaking something and putting it back together in a whole new way,” she says.

Anne grew up in small town in Western Maryland with her parents and four brothers. Her father and mother were college professors. Anne knew she always wanted to be a television reporter and landed the job while still in college. After college, Anne started her career as a reporter and quickly realized it was more lucrative to become a salesperson for a television station. She worked her way to a General Sales Manager position with WTKR-TV in Norfolk, VA as part of a larger network owned by the New York Times. “I was appreciative of the career I did have and was afforded lots of opportunities and training,” she says.

She had her first retirement when she stayed home to raise her three children. Her husband was a Radio Exec and the family moved quite a bit, including from Austin to Atlanta to Sacramento. As her kids grew older, she started delving into her own interests. Some neighbors invited her to make mosaics in their garage and took her to a glass store. “It (the art) just sparked something in me. I fell in love with the material.” Then a photographer friend encouraged her further so she started making and selling pieces, which led to a website and commissioned work. Now well-connected within her art community, Anne’s pieces often sell for high price tags. “It was a slow build-up….I gained confidence….these touchpoints changed my life.”

Anne now says she embraces the title of “Artist” full-on. Her work is featured in galleries and auctions and she's about to introduce a new themed series of work. “I found something that gives me joy, even keeps me up at night—sometimes I’m thinking about what I want to do the next day, I think how fortunate I am that I found something that I can do for the rest of my life, that I want to do, and I’m producing something!”

Anne’s (Un)Retirement Tips:

• Creativity zone: "Often my husband comes home after work and I'm still in the studio and I'm really in the mode of cutting this piece the right way and get these last pieces in before dinner. I have embraced a new "Dinner Can Wait" philosophy. He's very supportive and I appreciate that."

• You don’t have to do everything yourself: “It’s about being resourceful. We’ve all had experiences in this life that have brought us to this moment and using resources is key at this point (in life) so you’re doing what you want to do.”

• Expect the unexpected: “So in trying something, you don’t have to be good at it or excel right away, but I think if you try something and it leads you down a path in a certain direction, follow that. If it doesn’t work out, you can try something else. I love the concept of reinventing!”

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• More about Anne Del Core​​​​​​​

• More about Storyglass Mosaics

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage

• Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.

Tags:    Blog   Anne Del Core   TV Exec   Artist   Second Act   Creative Spark   Glass Mosaics   Carl Landau   Storyglass  

It’s more about re"wiring” than retiring, Carl’s guest tells us. Appearing on CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, Fox Business and other major network’s, Mitch Slater is the host and producer of UBS-TV, where he interviews advisors, industry leaders and innovators helping to shape the future of the financial advisory biz. In his first career, Mitch hosted popular radio shows, and eventually became a producer for the Larry King Show. Larry urged Mitch to go to LA, and he worked on shows like Love Connection, Love Boat and others. (You'll have to listen to the episode to hear more—Mitch has stories!)  Mitch then pivoted to success in the financial world for decades. And now, he’s combined all his skills and experience for an impressive third act.

Mitch grew up in Springfield, NJ not far from NYC. He loved acting and piano from an early age and grew up always wanting to be on the stage. As a teen he attended a theater program that included notable actors as teachers including Charlton Heston. “It taught us to be serious about acting and the craft,” Mitch says. In college he performed, DJ’d and interned wherever he could. “I’m an ‘out there’ person—I’m more comfortable on stage then off.”

Before graduating college, Mitch found the school's radio station and called it his home. While interning for another radio show, a twist of fate resulted in getting the chance to work on the air with Howard Stern. And while working on the Charlie Rose show, Mitch jumped at an opportunity to have a brief moment with Larry King and ask for career advice. They ended up having a 4-hour lunch which led to Mitch becoming a producer for Larry’s show. “I put myself into opportunities that never really would have happened but I took the risks.” Mitch says. “Overnight I was getting to work with childhood heroes like astronauts, Frank Sinatra, baseball stars, you name it.”

In the late 1980’s, he got engaged and looked for a more lucrative career. At his father’s urging he shifted to becoming a financial advisor and built a decades-long successful career. “It gave me a lifestyle I never would have dreamed. The financial business is really about relationships and I loved that part of it.”

Today, Mitch as truly come full-circle, combining his passions for radio and television with his experience in the financial world. He is the Executive Director of Digital Communications for UBS National Sales. He helps thousands master the art of telling their story on-camera, on podcasts and social media. He hosts and produces programs across UBS-TV, including UBS Front and Center. Mitch has been married for 38 years to his wife, Leslie, an editor at TIME and they have two children. Mitch says, “I’ve never been happier!”

Mitch Slater’s (un)retirement advice on reinventing yourself:

• Career choices: “Be different, Don’t do what everyone else is doing. Humanize it. Stay open to learning!”

• Reinvention: “It wasn’t so much about starting over, but reapplying all these decades of experience into a new format that kinda fits who I am today. I didn't abandon my last 35 years, I just translated it.”

• Tech/Media: “You don't have to choose the trends, you just have to be open to hearing about them. And that’s going to keep you relevant.”

• Support: “Just like in sports, everybody needs a coach. Seek those coaches out!”

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• More about Mitch Slater

• Mitch's YouTube Page

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die

• I Used to be Somebody World Tour Croatia

• Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.

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Tags:    Blog   Mitch Slater   Unretirement   Digital Creator   Carl Landau   Broadcasting   Second Act   Reinventing yourself  

​​​​​​​Carl is amazed when he interviews the one and only Kevin Blake. Kevin is different from most of our podcast guests in that he is only in his 30’s. But he definitely took a big risk to dive into his very successful second act and he shares what he learned with the rest of us. Kevin is a former marketing exec who left a successful career to follow his dream of becoming a magician/illusionist/mentalist. He now has a wildly popular show in San Francisco at the Palace Theater.

Kevin grew up in suburban Sacramento, CA. A big part of his childhood was spent going to swim practice and becoming a star swimmer in high school and the collegiate level (He would later go on to swim in the Trials for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics!)

After college and a degree in Psychological and Brain Science,  Kevin landed at Wells Fargo and pretty quickly felt he wanted something different. Walking around one day in SF he saw a sign for a “Creative Agency” and knew he would rather be following a much more creative path. As a marketing exec, he created brand identities through digital, print, motion and video for big brands such as Lagunitas Brewing Company, Duraflame, JanSport Backpacks, Intel, and more.

While Kevin enjoyed that career, he always had a passion for magic and performing shows. He developed a side gig of online magic shows for companies all the while honing his craft. The pandemic actually became a big new opportunity for him. “I was making more (money) in two months than I was making for my yearly salary.” (You'll have to listen to the podcast to learn more about that!) “It gave me the freedom to be able to quit,” he tells us. He decided to go for it and work in magic full-time. His family and friends were nervous for him and supportive. “Nervous? Yes. But I was confident.”

Kevin has performed and has competed on a national level -- America's Got Talent and Penn & Teller: Fool Us. Now he performs for sold-out, live magic shows at the Palace Theater as well as for corporate business events. “I’m lucky I have a marketing background so I can sell tickets and promote my business,” he adds. When not performing, Kevin is constantly working on his show, and also spending time with his family. And yes, he’s still swimming.

Kevin Blake, on beginning a Second Act:​​​​​​​

• ​​​​​​​“Your time is open. What do you do with that time? We all have to fill our time with things that create meaning for us.”

• “If you've always had a passion sitting in the back of your mind, try it as a side gig. Go for it, try it, experiment and see what you find. The only thing that can happen is that you'll learn a lot.”

• “If it (second act) was really, really comfortable I wouldn't have that same fire to hustle!”

• “Finding or creating your own small network of people who do what you do is critical.”

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• More about Kevin Blake​​​​​​​

• Kevin's Show: The Illusionist at the Palace Theater

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage

• Sponsored by How to Retire and Not Die

• I Used to be Somebody World Tour Croatia and New England Baseball and Brew

• Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog.

Tags:    Blog   Kevin Blake   Carl Landau   Second Act   Magic   Illusionist   Unretirement   Podcast Interview   I Used To Be Somebody  

​​​​​​​Carl is excited to interview David Johnson, an internationally recognized pioneer and leader in the pickleball industry. He co-founded Pickleball Central in 2006 with his wife Anna Copley at the dawn of the modern day pickleball renaissance. He built the company into the largest pickleball retailer and led the acquisition of Pickleball Tournaments and Pickleball Inc. while leading Pickleball Central to tens millions of dollars in sales annually before selling the company to Dundan Capital, owner and operator of the PPA Tour, Major League Pickleball, Pickleball Brackets and other related companies. And David has found new ways to give back to the industry in his (un)retirement.

David had an adventure-filled childhood, born in North Dakota and then living in Copenhagen, Denmark for 4 years. His father was a Lutheran pastor and his family traveled extensively while David was growing up. Right after graduating college in Seattle, David formed a software consulting business with partner and then launched Pinnacle Publishing in the early 1980's. (Seeing a serial-entrepreneur pattern yet?) 

David has launched at least 7 different companies, everything from software to publishing to online funeral planning. But he saw a BIG opportunity with Pickleball. He and his wife, Anna, first started with a website selling t-shirts and merchandise, then pickleball equipment and the business took off. Sales soared to $40 million annually at Pickleball Central and eventually David and Anna decided to sell the company.

Carl asks about the stress of the transition. "When we sold, Anna retired immediately. I stayed on for a year and then retired. I took a full 8 months where I didn't do anything pickleball-related. But I started feeling a little antsy."  So, David decided to do some consulting involving developing pickleball facilities, which led to him forming the International Association of Pickleball Facilities (IAPF). His team advises businesses and cities on building facilities. They've created a conference and trade show and also publish a magazine, "The Business of Pickleball" and more.  David says they help their clients understand building requirements, develop programming, avoid mistakes and take that next important step--build a sense of community within a pickleball facility. "So when people come to play, they have a great time!" he emphasizes. When David isn't working in his new pickleball (ad)ventures, he spends time with his family in Seattle and yes, plays some pickleball.

David Johnson's (un)retirement advice:

• "I think (un)retirement can be more successful if you make sure you have some accountability that you apply to what you're doing. I found in the 8 months when I wasn't doing anything that I got bored. I didn't feel like I was accountable to do anything useful. Give yourself some structure, some accountability."

• "Focus on the things you enjoy and just look for opportunities. It might be advising smaller businesses that are just getting started as a way to expose yourself to other opportunities out there. On LinkedIn you can get some really good intel on an industry you're interested in."

• "I was sort of a behind-the-scenes guy. I am not fond of listening to my own voice. To get out of my comfort zone, I've really tried to work on in the last years or so, to be more public and forward-facing. I've moderated a number of panels in the industry and we're doing videos.  I've got to push myself. Practice is the way to do that and get comfortable."​​​​​​​

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• More about David Johnson​​​​​​​

• More about International Association of Pickleball Facilities (IAPF) 

• Sponsored by: Capital Advantage

• Sponsored by: How to Retire and Not Die

• I Used to be Somebody World Tour: Croatia

• Subscribe to the I Used to be Somebody Newsletter

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the "I Used to be Somebody" blog

Tags:    Blog   Podcast   David Johnson   King of Pickleball   Unretirement   Second Act   I Used To Be Somebody  

I'm currently starting my 4th year of what we call (Un)Retirement. And maybe I've learned a thing or two I can share to help you...

Actually do it and retire! I thought about it many times. Exactly when should I cut the cord and stop working the crazy hours and dealing with the pressure of running my own business for 40+ years? The best advice I give people about (Un)Retirement is do it sooner rather than later. I wish I had sold/quit 5 years earlier. The last couple of work years were a drag on my mind, body and spirit. And I didn't realize it until I stopped.

Hire a pro to create a financial plan. The reason I felt comfortable in stopping the job/career is that I had been working with a great financial planner for several years in anticipation of the change. That person is Ian Castille at Capital Advantage and I consider him a good friend at this point.

I talk to so many people that have/had successful careers and have created wealth that they manage themselves. Or at least they try. This is crazy. What do you truly know about the financial market? I'd rather pay someone that studies the market all day to make my decisions. I sleep so much better at night because of this.

Avoid the temptation to go back! You are an expert with experience and it's so tempting to go back. I was in the live event biz for the past 20 years. I know that business back and forth and have seen so many opportunities to return. But, every time I return to my senses (also with the wise counsel of my wife Diana who had to put up with my totally-consumed-working-self for many years). Now I focus on where I'm going!

Do something new. Use the skills you already have, except in a new way. After working for decades, we all have developed incredible insights into organization, management, writing or whatever. Just use that toolbox in some new and cool endeavor.

Hire someone to do the shit you don't like to do or aren't good at. When I first was launching our podcast and newsletter I was going to hire an assistant. But my friend Bekah said I should consider hiring a virtual assistant company. I did that 3+ years ago. I hired a company Monkey Creative. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. No employees for me to worry about and I only pay for what I need done. I get to do the writing and they handle the graphics, e-marketing and all the other stuff I don't want to do/not good at.

Just start and see what happens. I didn't have a plan beyond starting the I Used to be Somebody podcast and newsletter. Then I took a leap of faith. Perhaps it would lead to something else? It lead to me interviewing 80 incredible people that I would never have met in a million years. Many I now consider my friends. The podcast and some pickleball talk led to Diana and I co-authoring (with our instructor and friends Mo and Reine) the Amazon best-seller, Pickleball for dummies. Most recently, my new path has led to leading vacation tours around the world for our podcast audience. You never know...

Tags:    the carl diary   unretirement   pickleball   Best decisions   second act   pickleball book   I Used To Be Somebody   Podcast  

I just went past my 3-year mark of what we like to call (Un)Retirement. It's about no longer having the big job and now you have the time to freestyle and figure out what you want to do with the remainder of your life. There are just a few times in your life that you can naturally reinvent yourself. The biggest opportunities for that are; 1) after you graduate from high school or embark on a career path, and 2) life after the big job, aka NOW (for some of us).
 

The normal benchmarks for success previously come to us as annual reviews at work or if you're an entrepreneur, it's a profit/loss company statement. At this post-career stage of life, those metrics don't apply anymore. Not a all! It's a total self-examination that's completely wide open and even a bit challenging. Don't compare yourself at this point in time to your friends and peers. You can be totally subjective and it's all up to you if you want to evaluate how you're doing.

The one universal thread that rings true (and I know it might sound obvious) is we all need purpose when we wake up in the morning to get out of bed. It doesn't matter what that purpose is-- whether it's spending time with a grandchild, starting a new company, volunteering for a cause you are passionate about or playing a sport like pickleball. You've got to have that drive. And for extra credit, if you create a diverse set of passions, all the better!

What I've learned
It takes time to figure out this (Un)Retirement thing. Like most people, it's not so easy in the beginning. Getting used to this sort of wide open yet vague new world is weird! I spent the first year worrying that I should be doing more things and in the back of my mind, I felt like I was forgetting something from my work. I was so used to running a business for my entire adult life that it was ingrained in me that I always had to be super busy.

 

Work PTSD
Once I slowed down, I realized that I actually suffered from some sort of PTSD from the event business I ran for 20 years. For years I would have bad nightmares about the event I was working on. I think it was from the pressure of getting enough attendees to sign up for the events. And my recurring nightmare was that we aren't ready for attendees, lots of scrambling. It makes no sense because we were always ready. But, it took me two full years until the nightmares finally faded away. 

New Stuff
What I really enjoy doing is creating new projects and businesses. I started my (Un)Retirement during the pandemic. I love listening to podcasts and I decided to start working hard to create a new podcast business with me as the host. On a whim, I called my new company Pickleball Media (because l also love pickleball) and our target audience is Baby Boomers who are at the forefront of the (Un)Retirement AND pickleball wave! 

When I started researching the pickleball industry, I realized that there were incredible business opportunities. There were no real business-to-business conferences or a tradeshow in this emerging sport. Maybe I could seize the opportunity and make a ton of money and get that high from creating another new event. But, instead.......

Learning to say NO 
I said "no" to the pickleball opportunity because it would have taken me right back to where I already had been. I decided to move forward into the new with my life and not go back to the stress and anxiety of the event business (remember the nightmares). So now I have a new rule for my (Un)Retirement. "If it sounds like so much work, I don't want to do it." I'm not afraid to work hard. But I don't want to be consumed by work ever again. I've moved past that now.

 

Changing course
During the first year of (Un)Retirement I started the I Used to be Somebody podcast and newsletter every week. I truly love doing it. But after 10 months I realized that this weekly schedule felt like real work again (see above rule #1). I used to fill out my Google calendar with all the interviews and deadlines for the podcast and newsletter and if I had any extra time available, I'd play some pickleball.
 

Once I noticed this trend, I reversed my work / play agenda. I went to a monthly podcast and newsletter and would first fill my calendar with pickleball 4 times a week, and then fill in the fun things with friends and family and what was left over time-wise went to work. I reversed my priorities......and I'm so much happier!

Getting out of your comfort zone
Probably the most difficult yet satisfying thing I've done so far in (Un)Retirement is to take a stand up comedy class and perform before 100 people. I've always been interested in stand up and saw a new class taught by a very talented comedian Jack Gallagher, here in Sacramento. I saw an ad on Facebook and signed up immediately for the workshop without even discussing it with my wife or anyone else. I was afraid if I told someone and thought more about it, I'd chicken out.

We've all seen stand up comedians. It looks easy. Trust me, it's not easy! Not only do you write your own material but you need to deliver it as well. (Which are entirely different skills, btw.) I have so much respect for comedians now. We only had five classes, two hours a week and then on the sixth one, we performed live before a big audience. The last thing I wanted to do was embarrass myself and bomb. I took the whole thing very seriously. I probably practiced my set 80 times. (Just ask my wife.)

Jack's goal was for each of us to do a five minute set. My set ended up being 12 minutes and I fully expected Jack to cut it down at the end. At our dress rehearsal one week before the show, I asked Jack what I needed to cut out. He said, "No cuts. It's great! You're going to do it all."  At the show, I nailed it. It was one of the highlights of my life! Carl's 12 minutes of Comedy Gold. 

Taking risks reaps rewards
So the decisions I've made so far in (Un)Retirement have given me a new perspective on what matters most: 

• Sleep matters. With less stress in my life, I sleep so much better. I used to sleep on average about 5 1/2 or 6 hours a night. Now I get my full 8 hours of sleep plus a short afternoon nap sometimes. Sleep is so important for  overall health.

• Exercise matters. I play pickleball 4 days a week now. And I walk 10,000 steps a day on the non-pickleball days. I've lost about 8 lbs. this past year. I stretch / meditate (with my cat Felix) 20 minutes every day and love it!  I feel much better physically and mentally.

• Friends matter. I've reconnected with several friends from my childhood and 20's and visited them. Since my career took me out of town a lot, I didn't have much time to meet people locally. Now I've got more local friends than I've ever had. Just joining a pickleball club gave me a dozen new friends that I see all the time. As you get older, an active social life makes a huge difference in your state of mind.

• You matter. Learn how to say NO. I simply avoid negative people and things I don't want to do. No more endless zoom calls and I've stopped doing online presentations. (Do people really want to watch 3 talking heads on a Youtube video?) I spoke at a live, in-person conference last month in New Orleans and loved it. I don't want to live in an only-virtual world. I want to make real connections with inspiring people and I don't need to do it only online.

I think the biggest thing I've learned so far is not to worry so much about stuff.  Most of our worries aren't something that we can control or influence in any way. Somehow I've developed a new mindset that allows my worry quotient to go down. 

Of course, I don't have all the answers to my life all figured out yet. But, after 3 years of (Un)Retirement, I feel like I know some of the questions and I like the newly reinvented me.

Tags:    the carl diary   unretirement   comfort zone   pickleball   stand up comedy   second act   reinvention  

In this last episode of 2021, we flip the podcast-- and Diana, Carl’s wife/content wrangler/blogger interviews the host. As she interviews Carl, they do a bit deeper dive into his childhood, his parent's divorce, the family barrel business started by his grandfather, his late-blooming teens, and his college years.

After a few marketing jobs post-college, Carl moved out to San Francisco in his early 20’s, landing a sales position with Miller Freeman, a B-to-B publishing giant (at the time). While working with exciting magazine titles like “World Coal”, Carl realized he could launch a magazine of his own. It also happened to be the early 1980’s in the Bay area, as coding and computers took off. At 26, he launched his first magazine, “Computer Language.” He then launched a magazine a little ahead of its time, “AI Expert.” (Artificial Intelligence)

After selling those magazines and taking a couple of years off in his first (un)retirement, Carl identified the craft beer and wine homemaking trends and launched “Brew Your Own”, “Brew Pub” and “Winemaker” magazines. After selling those magazines in the early 2000s, Carl saw that the magazine industry conferences seemed to be only for the big titles, when 95% of the magazine market was smaller, niche titles. (Think Concrete Today, VegNews, Backyard Poultry)

Carl launched the Niche Magazine Conference in 2007 producing hundreds of niche magazine seminars and conferences nationwide. He sold that company in 2019. As our audience knows, Carl started a podcast in 2020 during the pandemic, making himself the guinea pig for a show about people who had big-time jobs and now wanted to do something new in their Second (or Third or Fourth) acts of life. He also offers some insights into what it was like to launch the podcast and some news about the new future of the I Used to be Somebody show. Listen in to find out!

Carlism Trivia:

What question does Carl NOT ask podcast guests?

1. What was the worst job you ever had?

2. Can you summarize your (un)retirement in four of five words?

3. What is your pickleball experience?

4. How much did you weigh as a baby?

5. What was your childhood like?

Email your answer to podcast@pickleballmediahq.com for a chance to win a free Pickleball Media hat.

• More about Carl Landau and the Pickleball Media Team

• Sponsored by Capital Advantage

• Sponsored by LoveMyHeartStudy.com

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the “I Used to Be Somebody” weekly blog.

Tags:    blog   interview   unretirement   carl landau   anniversary   second act   podcast  

We started our company Pickleball Media at the beginning of the pandemic. A weird time to start anything. But, I decided that I had to do something since I had just sold my business and came up with the idea of creating a podcast about Second Acts. I would be the guinea pig for this second act idea. To complicate the idea more, we wanted to incorporate our new love for the game of pickleball into the show. It all made no sense whatsoever but amazingly has worked out.

I enlisted my pickleball instructors Mo Nard and Reine Steel to help. Which one does???

Mo co-hosts my episode segment "Pickleball Life Lessons with Mo" and Reine created an amazing website for us (which she does in her real life).

Our segment "Pickleball Life Lessons with Mo" has been a huge hit. The funny thing is that people that don't know anything or care about pickleball love this part of the show. I just wanted to share 10 great segments. It's a fun listen. You can hear the friendship between Mo and I grow from week to week. Keep in mind it all began during the pandemic. We'd be 15 feet from each other on the end of the tiki bar each week. Oh, and we finally figured out how to use the microphones / recorder after about 20 episodes.

10 "Life Lessons with Mo"

• We're here to confuse you

• Mo wants to bring recess back in our lives

• Are you feeling lucky?

• Partner Up!

• The life and times of Mo Nard

• Mo'see up to the Line

• Unwanted Advice!!!

• Mo is Drunk!

• Under the Lights!

• Mo Likes to Hit People

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Carl Landau is the Creative Genius here at Pickleball Media. He is the former Grand Poobah at Niche Media. 

Tags:    blog   interview   mo nard   pickleball   life lessons   website   second acts  

When you meet Susan Stewart, you think right away that you must be friends. She really cares about people. A former golf prodigy then pro, a colleague along the way saw her promise and helped her build her resort merchandising career. Then in 2017, tired of corporate life, she risked it all (her wife was very supportive) and started her own retail store in 2017. Strapping sells funky, kitschy, relevant, irrelevant, unusual items and it’s been a big hit with two stores and a thriving online business.

Susan has a successful business in a neighborhood in a transition with a long history but no surprise--she has become a community leader and advocate. She's advocate for everyone! She just opened in her second store during a pandemic—and she’s excited about it! (You’ll see in the podcast episode.) She is inspiring and inspires others with her infectious energy.

This budding yet savvy entrepreneur grew up in Hudson Valley in New York. Her parents were chefs and eventually the family moved to Palm Springs. As a child, Susan loved golf. After high school she had a job with Paramount Studios as a runner, meeting Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and one of her golf heroes, Arnold Palmer.

A couple of careers later, Susan decided to go for it. “In January I had the idea, in February I found the space, in March I got the key and in April I opened!” she says. “I’m a doer. I think most entrepreneurs are. You jump in with both feet!” Now she is a successful shop owner who really views her business as a way to be an integral part of the community. Susan is hoping to hire some extra management and play a little more golf, looking for that sustainable life balance.

Susan’s advice on becoming an entrepreneur in your Second Act:

• “Failure is okay, it brings you to where you are.”

• “People always ask me; how did you pay for this? Be prepared that banks aren't going to loan you the money.”

• “Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of heart. You have to be adaptable. You have to really see your failures and grow from it.”

• “You don't know that you don't know something until you (eventually) know something!”

• More about Susan Stewart and Strapping Store: https://www.strappingstore.com/

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the “I Used to Be Somebody” weekly blog.

Tags:    blog   susan stewart   interview   unretirement   golf   retailer   lgbtq   second act   third act   entrepreneur  

Carl interviews Cinde Dolphin this week live in the Landau Tiki Bar. She had a big-time career in Marketing for Coors for 28 years, then transitioned into public relations and social media in California. Along the way, Cinde had four battles with cancer—that spurred her on to become a first-time entrepreneur in her 50’s to invent a medical equipment product to make her life and those around her better. (It’s a common theme with Cinde, you’ll see.)

Cinde mostly grew up on the sunny beaches of Southern California and despite some challenges at home became determined at a young age to be a positive person and an agent for change. After college in San Diego, she was hired by United Way to work in public relations. “It was worthwhile and so inspiring,” Cinde tells us. She was eventually hired away by Coors and had a great career in Marketing for them. She worked all over the country. “I had a lot of fun!” Cinde says of that time.

When Coors was merging with Miller, she knew it was time to do something new but wasn’t ready to be "done" with working. Cinde decided to make a change after 28 years and moved to Sacramento, California. She squeezed in a fun "gap" year and then worked her industry contacts and started up a PR and social media agency for California winemakers. 

While still at Coors, Cinde fought her first battle with cancer. After the third cancer diagnosis many years later, she saw a void in the medical supply industry. At the time, patients after surgery had external drains attached to them—by safety pins! (A 50-year-old practice.) Cinde invented a special "apron” of sorts that is much more convenient and comfortable for patients. It’s been tested at University California, Davis Medical Center and launched Cinde’s new career as an entrepreneur/inventor. She's also been in remission now for eight years.

In Cinde’s spare time, (she enjoys hang gliding and rock-climbing too), she has made three trips to Africa in the last five years to work with women in Kenya and Tanzania to start their own small businesses, so they can support their families and pay school tuition. “It was a life-changing experience,” Cinde says of her first 3-month trip to Africa. “Now these women are entrepreneurs. I am still close to those women.” Cinde loves volunteering and is doing as much as she can. “When you volunteer you have to learn how to be a team player, not the boss, not micro-managing—and it brought a lot to me personally to be just someone who helps. It’s a great life lesson and I’ve made some great friends along the way.”

Cinde’s advice on starting a business as a Boomer:

• “Find a tribe to help you get through it. I found a co-working space with other startups, we help each other. It’s a good kind of camaraderie.”

• “Contact a Small Business Development Center. They had so many resources to help me get started.”

Her life advice:

• “Identify something that is not already being done and make that your signature in the world. I have found a way to distinguish and make it a legacy. It’s rewarding!”

•  “The shoe can fall at any time, so maybe that’s what makes me a little risk-involved, I can afford to take chances. It makes me appreciate making every day special.”

• More about Cinde Dolphin: https://medicaldraincarrier.com/news/

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the “I Used to Be Somebody” weekly blog.

Tags:    blog   cinde dolphin   interview   coors   executive   cancer   second act   entrepreneur   boomer   marketing  

In this episode, Carl talks with Chris Welles, the Founder and President of American Rhino, a successful apparel and home goods brand. The company is so much more than t-shirts, canvas totes and hand-painted trays depicting zebras, however. Thanks to Chris and his vision for the business, which donates 10% of every sale back to Kenya, American Rhino is the new business model for a purpose-driven fashion business that supports Kenyan land and wildlife conservation, as well as the local communities.

Chris founded the company a little over four years ago. Yet the seeds of this new entrepreneurship began with a family trip to Africa on a safari in 2008. Chris was an executive recruiter at the time, living in Boston. He says the trip was transformative for him and his family. In 2010, Chris and his oldest son returned to Kenya, as they were invited to participate in the Rhino Charge, an annual off-road motorsport competition raising funds for rhino and wildlife conservation. As the only American team in the race, they were known as the “American Rhinos” and he outfitted the team with hats and t-shirts emblazoned with a red, white and blue rhino logo designed by his son.

So how does a vacation inspiration turn into a business? “We didn't do well but we had a blast,” Chris told us. He said they never had a chance at winning the competition but the requests for hats and tees with their logo kept coming. “We had no clue on how to make it (apparel) or market it or any of that stuff. That was part of the fun, figuring all that out.” Rather than having the items made in the Far East, they made a decision that their goods would benefit East Africa. “Early on we thought, let’s find a way to make our goods in the areas of the world that we are supporting.”

Chris started knocking on doors, looking for opportunities. “I asked a lot of questions.” Meeting initial resistance, he kept going back and eventually made agreements with African companies to produce their goods. Pre-COVID, the company had 4 seasonal stores, a retail store in Boston plus online sales and has done pretty well. They are poised for growth.

The most meaningful part of this journey for Chris was creating the American Rhino foundation to raise funds to protect the endangered species. When he first met the “Rhino Rangers”, they had little in the way of gear and supplies to protect the black rhinos in the Masai Mara Reserve from poachers. The foundation has given several grants for uniforms, camping gear, vehicles, etc.

FACT: 25% of all new companies are started by Baby Boomers.*

Carl asked Chris if he had advice for Boomer entrepreneurs. “It’s been a blast. It is certainly daunting. As Boomers we’ve all figured out how much money we have left and it’s a little scary investing your money in a startup. But it’s so rewarding."

• "Make sure you are really enjoying it."

• "It’s important to have some kind of mission behind it, not just making as much money as possible."

• "There are so many reasons to say no. Find the one good reason to do it and go for it! "

*Guidant Financial Survey

• For more information about Chris Welles and American Rhino: https://americanrhino.com/

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the “I Used to Be Somebody” weekly blog.

Tags:    blog   interview   chris welles   rhinos   second act   unretirement   foundation  

Carl interviewed Podcast Host and CEO Andy Levine this week. Andy hosts the popular “Second Act Stories”, a podcast that shares the stories of people who have made major career changes to pursue more rewarding lives in a second act. He is also DCI’s Chairman, a highly specialized firm with expertise in economic development and tourism marketing. 

When Carl first started researching about developing his “I Used to Be Somebody” podcast, Andy was totally generous with advice and lessons learned. And now…..Andy is in the process of transitioning out of his career at DCI and into his own Second Act. (He's also run 14 marathons!)

Andy started with DCI in 1991, a firm founded by his father. Both of his parents worked there. His father approached him about working at DCI and told him he could change it any way he wanted. Andy seized the opportunity. Andy said, “Early on, you figure out a way to separate business and family.” His parents were open to change and Andy had an open canvas.

Now 30 years later, Andy is having fun producing his own inspirational, Public Radio-style podcast and thinking about his next steps. “I’ve always been fascinated by people who did something for 10, 15, 20, 30 years and then switched to something completely different.” 

When designing your own (un)retirement, Andy emphasized the importance of trial and error and giving yourself permission to be strategic for your own life. “Find out what feeds you. It’s less about making money and more about finding meaning. What do you find rewarding? You’re going to have to do some work to find out what that is.” He also pointed out that it’s rarely a straight line to your goals. You have to be flexible, make adjustments and it’s okay to pivot.

One of Andy’s favorite podcast guests has been an 81-year old man who had a career as an executive recruiter, with a dream of becoming a comedian. He told Andy the man now works frequently in stand-up and has been introduced to a whole new group of people, loving life.

Andy’s 3 Keys to (Un)retirement:

- Self-awareness: Recognize your accumulated knowledge and skill set, plus your strengths and weaknesses.

- Flexibility: You might have to change your approach to that dream or even change direction.

- Curiosity: Have a genuine interest in the world around you and in learning new things.

• For more information about Andy Levine: https://www.secondactstories.org/

• To subscribe to the "I Used to be Somebody" newsletter: https://pickleballmediahq.com

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the “I Used to Be Somebody” weekly blog.

Tags:    blog   andy levine   interview   unretirement   second act   marketing  

This week, Carl talked with finance wiz Barry Pincus about his long career as a CFO for dozens of very different organizations. His client list reads like a “Who’s Who” in America. He’s worked closely with The New York Yankees, Martha Stewart, Sportsrocket, IMG Artists, Dennis Publishing (Maxim Magazine) and more. Whether he’s readying an organization to go public, bringing cost centers into line, or building rock solid infrastructure for clients, Barry’s goal is always to identify the pain points, find solutions and improve the bottom line.

While working in Manhattan in his 20s, Barry would see rows and rows of accountants in office buildings, all working side-by-side in unison, and he thought… “Not for me!” Instead, he dove into the world of strategic operations and finance. “Sports is the world’s oldest reality show,” he told us, explaining that all the operations (such as concessions, hospitality, media rights, etc.) around the actual game drive revenue. Barry worked for the New York Yankees during the George Steinbrenner days. He’s got some great stories!

Barry loves working with creative people in diverse situations. He worked with Martha Stewart after she took back her company from Times Warner and Barry helped the organization get ready to go public. He says that Martha, in addition to being a brilliant creative, surrounded herself with the most creative team she could find. She insisted on new, creative ideas.

Flash forward to now: Companies shift and change, there are often buyouts and mergers and jobs get eliminated. Often Barry would go into an organization, turn it around and then move on. Barry’s “Aha!” moment came when he realized that at 67, he didn’t want to work full-time anymore and definitely didn’t want to work any longer at someone else’s whim. “I wanted to choose who, when and how I worked.”

So Barry created a business plan for his “second act.”. Through experience, Barry has the wisdom and knowledge to know what he is good at—storytelling and selling. “You are always doing those two things: to investors, the Board, everyone. I love helping companies with that.” He knew he wanted to work in a way that was less stressful, more diverse, without becoming bogged down in company politics.

Barry is now a “Interim & Fractional CFO, COO and Board Advisor”, specializing in finance and operations for TechCXO, a network of C-Suite level people who form teams based on the client's specific needs. “I get to come in and help people. It’s like sometimes companies need a grown-up in the room.” Barry started this venture recently and still gets the excited-anxious butterflies of beginning something new. (He most likely gets his work ethic from his accountant father, who at 99 years of age still has one client!)

Key takeaways from the interview with Barry Pincus:

1)   “When you do something new, you have to have a certain amount of patience.”

2)   “Figure out what makes you happy. Does this work fit with your personality, your lifestyle? Do you want to work more, or less?

3)   “Consider how a new venture will fit with your spouse during this stage of your life. Are you both still working and do you want to continue?

4)   “Anxiety is motivational. It keeps me going! “

P.S.  It so happens that superstar Barry Manilow’s birth name is Barry Pincus. “I’m still waiting for my royalties from “Mandy”! Barry laughed.

Learn more about Barry at Barry Pincus Tech CXO.

For the full interview, listen to I Used to be Somebody, Episode #8 with Barry Pincus.

To share this blog, copy and paste this link: https://pickleballmediahq.com/blog/barry-pincus-interview-from-toughest-bosses-in-america-to-working-on-his-own-terms

Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Pickleball Media. After 15 years in corporate marketing, in 2012 she pivoted to write and wrangle content for Niche Media's weekly blog. She now manages the I Used to Be Somebody weekly blog.

Tags:    blog   interview   barry pincus   CFO   second act  

“How are you going to deal with not being a big deal anymore?”

It’s been about 8 months since my wife Diana asked me that question over a happy hour glass of wine. I had sold my company a few months before and was working a part-time one-year stint with the new company to show them the ropes.

"What do you mean?"
 

"Once you leave your job, the emails and phone calls stop coming and no one really cares about your opinion any more".  And then she joked, (I think), "And I don't need you following me around the house, showing me the right way to make toast.”

It didn't take long for this information to worm its way into my brain. I knew she was right. This was the third company I’d started and sold. Way back "in the day" as they say (early 80's), I’d  launched a computer magazine for software developers; the 1st magazine about Artificial Intelligence; plus a national conference and tradeshow. Then in the 1990s I started a craft beer / wine publication and event during that first wave of microbreweries. 

After I sold those companies it all ended. Once you’re gone no one cares! Sure, you remain friends with a few of the people that you were close with but the company -- your “life’s work” -- moves on without you. It’s weird.

And now, after 20 years of being the Grand Poobah of my company Niche Media, creating hundreds of events for niche magazine publishers, it was all going to be ending—again.

So when you're an entrepreneur or corporate exec, a lot of your self worth is wound up in that job. I've always felt like I've been a pretty good dad, brother and husband. But, it's the work creation that I know I was good at. To me it came more naturally than the family stuff. 

Within a few days I realized what I wanted to do. I wanted to start a podcast for people like me.  Like anyone my age (63) I want to spend more time with my family and go on really great vacations, (which of course is sort of a bad joke for everyone now, but they will be back!) But I still want to do work in new ways!

I really get a lot of energy from the work and creating. I just don't want the day-to-day grind. I want to have more fun and control the pace. So I've made a deal with myself; Try all sorts of new things. So I’m sort of the guinea pig for this Second Act journey into (un)retirement. Join me for the ride...

Cheers, 

Carl

P.S. Why the Tiki diary? I have a fun Tiki bar instead of a garage —where I’ll be producing the podcast from! The "I Used to be Somebody" podcast debuts September 15th.

Tags:    the carl diary   podcast   entrepreneur   unretirement   second act