Fritz Gilbert Interview: Mr. Retirement -- Author of "The Retirement Manifesto"
Diana Landau | October 21, 2025
Ok, this is a BIG DEAL! Carl interviews a retirement legend in this 100th EPISODE!
Carl chose retirement expert/book author/speaker/do-gooder Fritz Gilbert as his 100th podcast guest. Fritz's award-winning blog, The Retirement Manifesto, is focused on helping people achieve a great retirement. Since 2015, Fritz has written 441 articles and 1 million words about how to live your best life in retirement. Fritz retired after more than three decades in corporate America, where he progressed through the various levels of a multinational corporation serving the global aluminum industry. He's still changing lives, read on!
Fritz grew up in the small town of Hillsdale, MI with his parents and two older sisters. His father was a college professor and his mother a teacher. This meant their summers were free to explore the great outdoors, one of Fritz's true passions. It's no surprise that Fritz was a curious, hi-energy kid. He says he wanted to be an NFL punter growing up, then to be a doctor. He attended Wittenberg University in Ohio. He says, "My father always told me I could be whatever I wanted to be." On a whim as a senior, he interviewed with an aluminum industry exec that evolved into a highly successful 33-year career.
Tired of the corporate world's politics, he retired in 2018. But, three years before retirement and this is important, he started thinking and strategizing about what his ideal retirement life would look like in 2015. "I got out at 55," he tells us. He started a blog, which he had never done before and kept on writing. He wrote the 10 Commandments of Retirement, which focuses on attributes to keep in mind daily in retirement, such as; have a great attitude, pursue your passions, stay flexible to change, try new things and more. "I would have never dreamed that 10 years later the blog would become so successful with over 16,000 followers. I was curious and I took that first step!"
He wrote and wrote about not just the financial parts of retirement, but the equally (if not more so) purpose parts of retirement. "I love the relationships I've had too. It's a deep subject, I'm still writing. It's turned into something I love to do." Recently Fritz decided not to do a full-time blog after 10 years so he has time to pursue other passions. He loves to mountain-bike in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, spend time with family, work in the garden, and lots more.
Fritz is also helping his wife with her passion, Freedom for Fido, a community group that builds fencing for low-income families that have dogs chained in the yards. They've built 187 fences in 6 years with the coordination of several hundred volunteers. "It's created this incredible network, we're getting exercise building fences, and I can't even begin to tell you about the impact we're making on the community." Just like that little kid in Hillsdale, Fritz is still high-energy, loving the outdoors and still curious!
Fritz Gilbert's (Un)Retirement advice:
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"Learn to listen and follow your curiosity. Look for things that might interest you and take that step."
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"The path to fulfillment and enjoyment is to just try new things. Do as many as you can. Some will hit and some will miss. But enjoy the ones you like and keep going!"
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The 90-10 Rule: People focus 90% on the financial part before retirement. It's amazing--once you're in retirement, you spend about 10% thinking about the financial part and 90% thinking about what you are going to do now. It's the purpose side of retirement that people need to think about before they retire."
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.
David Johnson Interview: The King of Pickleball Industry Begins His Second Act
Diana Landau | August 12, 2025
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:
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"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."
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"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."
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"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."
• I Used to be Somebody World Tour: Croatia
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
Carl's Top 6 NOT Retirement Tips
Carl Landau | February 13, 2025
1. **Retire earlier than you think you should.**
I've interviewed over 90 guests on "I Used to be Somebody" and almost all say they wished they had ended their careers earlier. This includes me. Honestly, think about your Sunday nights or Monday mornings. Do you have the same enthusiasm to get to work that you used to have? My last 3 or 4 years of work, it felt more like a grind, but I ignored it. I wish I had listened to my "Monday gut" and I would have created an exit strategy earlier.
2. **Stop calling it retirement!**
I hate that "R" word. To me that means "You're done, you have nothing else relevant to contribute to the world." Which is why I call the phase after your primary career (un)retirement. It's a time of brand new possibility and personal reinvention! It's a time to explore new interests and fulfill new dreams.
3. **Figure out the money thing.**
Figuring out if you have enough money to stop working full- time is pretty important. I talked to my financial advisor 5 years in advance. Don't be afraid to start figuring out your new life ahead of time. And although I know you're super-smart and everything, hire a certified pro. Plus, you can go into most financial planners and get an initial financial evaluation for free.
4. **Think about your future.**
If you retire in your 60's and you're in reasonable health, chances are you're going to live for decades more. Give some deep thought in ADVANCE about what you want to do next. Most people spend more time planning a 10-day vacation than how they want to live for the next 20+ years.
5. **Don't jump off a cliff.**
One of the worst things you can do is have this hard-driving career for 25++ years and then just stop one day into the retirement abyss, telling yourself you'll be able to figure it all out when you have more time. DISASTER ALERT! It truly takes some serious commitment to figure out who you are outside of your career. But you're worth it!
6. **Try the gentle slope idea.**
If you're in the corporate world, maybe discuss with management about working into a part-time or consulting position. If you're an entrepreneur, go ahead and start off-loading responsibilities to staff. Or hire a consultant to figure out what part of your operation is more profitable and get rid of the part of the company that isn't successful. Do more mentoring and less "working."
I know my tips probably seem like added work when you're contemplating retirement. It's a big decision to end a career you've had for a long time. It might even feel kinda scary. But these tips are inspired by my discussions with over 90 successful people who have taken the time to do (un)retirement right!
Jordan (Doc G) Grumet Interview: Former Doc Shares How to Live a Regret-Free Life
Diana Landau | December 10, 2024
Want to hear wisdom and insight on finding purpose from a former internal medicine doc who is now a writer, speaker, and podcast host? This week Carl interviews Jordan (Doc G) Grumet has made many significant pivots in his life. After becoming a doctor of internal medicine and practicing for 15 years, Jordan had an "aha" moment where he realized that although his medical career had served him well, he wanted something new, something different, something more meaningful.
Jordan grew up in Evanston, Illinois. His doctor father died suddenly when Jordan was only 7 years old. "I came to this cosmic conclusion that the way to make up for this horrible thing that happened to all of us was for me to become a doctor." Despite learning disabilities, Jordan met obstacles head on and learned to persevere. (Qualities that have helped him throughout his life.) His mother became a CPA and successful in business and remarried. He says both his parents modeled responsible saving.
After 15 years of practicing medicine, he felt totally burnt out. "Medicine served me well financially and gave me a purpose and identity. It worked until it didn't," he tells us. In 2018 he stopped everything and became depressed. The years of building walls around himself to deal with the stress and tragic situations as a doctor took their toll. He realized he had co-opted his father's dream of being a doctor for his own.
Jordan looked at the parts of his life he wanted to keep doing, like hospice care. In addition, he had an "AHA" moment when he attended a conference for writers, bloggers and podcasters. "I immediately felt more connected to them than the doctors I had worked with for years." He read the book "The White Coat Investor" and discovered he could be financially independent enough to pursue other paths that excited him.
Now Jordan is the podcast host of the award-winning "Earn & Invest" podcast, he's a speaker and also the author of two books. His first book, "Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor's Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life" is about Jordan's journey, intertwining medical insight and financial wisdom and resonates deeply with those seeing a balanced, meaningful life.
His second book, "The Purpose Code" will be published in January 2025 by Harriman House Press. Jordan also continues to serve as an associate medical director at Unity Hospice. He lives with his family back in Evanston, Illinois where he grew up. Doc G says, "You don't have to change the whole world. You just have to change yourself. Grow and learn!" Wise advice for all of us.
Doc G's (un)retirement tips for self-reflection:
• "It's much easier staying at a job rather than exploring your purpose. I think that's a mistake. We need to re-imagine what purpose is for us, take the time and space to learn what it really looks like."
• "Don't be afraid of (finding a new) purpose. Purpose is abundant. It doesn't have to be difficult to find your "anchors" and build a life of purpose around them. Find a lot of stuff you like and just start doing it."
• "Most of the things that light us up have nothing to do with money.......How do we build a better life without waiting for some financial benchmark?"
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
Mary-Lou Nash Interview: Moves to South Africa and becomes a Winemaster!
Diana Landau | July 01, 2024
What a fascinating story about Mary-Lou Nash who arrived in South Africa with just a backpack and eventually becomes a winemaster. Her Black Pearl winery is in the Paarl valley, near Cape Town. Her story is one of curiosity for the world, taking chances, a lot of hard work and dogged perseverance. In 1995 she had been a teacher traveling the world and decided on a whim to take her backpack and meet her dad in South Africa. She had no idea then that choosing to go to South Africa would set her life on a completely new course.
Mary-Lou was born in England and grew up in Canada and Maine. Both of her parents were doctors and she was one of 4 children. "Everywhere I've lived in my life was in the countryside." As a teen, Mary-Lou says she partied hard, played hard at sports and studied hard. (Even at an early age, her passions were her driving force.) She graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in Anthropology, summa cum laude and then taught English in Japan, traveling the world in her spare time.
Her father had remarried, went to South Africa for a honeymoon and then purchased a farm, not realizing it had 40 acres of Chenin Blanc. Mary-Lou visited him there. "I knew nothing about grapes," she tells us. They had no laborers and decided to harvest the grapes themselves. They picked 3 tons on a Friday and with an aching back recruited more workers and finished the harvest. Mary-Lou was hooked. She told her dad she would stay on as the manager. In 1997, they planted grapes for red wines.
Always determined, she is a self-taught winemaker that faced real discrimination in the 1990's male-dominated wine industry. She worked hard and never gave up, always reaching out and befriending other winemakers to continually learn more. She received her Cape Wine Masters degree in 2011 from the University in Stellenbosch. In 2001 she created her first vintage herself. "I had bottled, created a label and had never given a thought to selling it!" Today, Mary-Lou's winery produces 7,300 barrels of red in addition to white wine.
Fun Fact: Mary-Lou met a wine distributor along the way that helped her get her label into Disney. Turns out Jack Sparrow's pirate ship (Pirates of the Caribbean) is also named "Black Pearl." Her Cabernet is the #1-selling South African red in Disney World.
Unfortunately, Mary-Lou was involved in a harrowing experience being robbed at knifepoint in her home at the winery and she decided to move to a home in Stellenbosch recently. "Everything happens for a reason. I was isolated at Black Pearl. Now I have moved into town, I have a whole new group of friends, I can walk everywhere, I take a yoga class on the beach and I've joined a sailing club. I love my life now!"
Mary-Lou's life advice:
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"Don't always take the easy route. Don't be scared of taking chances."
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"Put yourself first and do what makes you happy. We can't waste any time at our age!"
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"Always accept invitations--get out there! You never know who you might meet." (Her dad told her this one but she firmly lives it.)
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"It's all about the F-Word, as in FUN!"
• (Un)Retirement Travel with the Pro Allan Wright, Zephyr Adventures
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
