Andrew Motiwalla Interview: Mr. Travel - The Good Life Abroad
Diana Landau | April 14, 2026
Have you ever dreamt of living the good life abroad in your retirement? Carl's guest this month, Andrew Motiwalla, has created the perfect travel experience for those who want to spend a month or two in an European country while enjoying a built-in community for shared adventures. As a successful entrepreneur and CEO with 30 years of experience designing transformational programs, Andrew’s latest venture is The Good Life Abroad. This network of residential communities is designed specifically for active older adults who want to truly immerse themselves in European living.
Born in Chicago to Peruvian and Indian parents, Andrew’s passion for travel was ignited during a study abroad program in South America and later through his service in the Peace Corps. He founded an organization providing Peace Corps-like experiences for high school students, and he has since served as Chief Revenue Officer for several global groups. "They (the former students) have gone on to do amazing things. I'm very proud of the work I did there."
Now in his 50s, Andrew began reimagining his own "(un)retirement." He wanted to travel extensively without the burden of property ownership. "I wanted to go live somewhere and I wanted people to do stuff with," he explains. The Good Life Abroad offers exactly that: an immersive experience for active adults aged 55+ that provides both a local concierge service and a community of like-minded travelers.
"That process of immersion and then adaptation leads to growth that's super important as we get older," Andrew says.
Andrew Motiwalla's (Un) Retirement Tips:
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"Avoid "Tourist Mode": Don't try to pack everything in. Slow down to avoid burnout and leave space in your itinerary for serendipity".
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"Prioritize Friendships: As you age, focus on connections that give you energy rather than maintaining friendships that no longer serve you".
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"Push Your Comfort Zone: Continue to engage with new and different experiences. Pushing past your comfort zone is essential for continued growth".
• 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.
Alex Jeffery Interview: Director of The Power of Pickleball
Diana Landau | March 24, 2026
Bonus episode! Carl combined his two passions in this interview with Alex Jeffery -- Pickleball and Documentaries. Alex is an accomplished documentary filmmaker who recently released an in-depth documentary called the The Power of Pickleball. Alex co-owns the production company Bespoke Works with his friend and long-time collaborator, Paul Petersen. His first feature film, “A Chance Encounter,” won the audience choice award at the Heartland Film Festival in 2020 and then was released by Samuel Goldwyn Films.
His film “The Power of Pickleball” captures the essence and spirit of one of the country’s fastest-growing (and evolving) sports and it just was just released on Prime Video and Apple TV. Alex points out that although many people think pickleball just happened overnight, it has a history going back to the 1960’s.
A few years ago he was spending time with his Mom and Aunt, who are pickleball fanatics, and they said, “What if we made a documentary about Pickleball?” Not knowing much about it, Alex says they started reaching out to people to learn more. What struck him was how welcoming everyone was. “People opened their arms to us and started telling us their stories and wanted to share more about the sport.”
The documentary, which took several years to make, starts at the beginning of the sport in Bainbridge Island, WA, weaves very personal stories of how the sport has changed players’ lives, covers the controversies and also the growth of the professional circuit. “The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Alex adds. “It’s really cool to see people from all walks of life discover pickleball and it gives them purpose again.”
Alex originally wanted to be an actor and moved to LA after college. Realizing LA was not right for him, he created his second act as a low-budget, independent film director. Based in Shreveport, LA, Alex loves mentoring film and acting students of all ages and experience. He also strives to a life-long student of the world and an avid traveler.
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.
Kevin Blake Interview: Mystifying Second Act as an Illusionist
Diana Landau | December 09, 2025
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:
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“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.”
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“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.”
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“If it (second act) was really, really comfortable I wouldn't have that same fire to hustle!”
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“Finding or creating your own small network of people who do what you do is critical.”
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.
Anthony Napolitano Interview: Forced Into Early Retirement and Now a Renaissance Man
Diana Landau | November 11, 2025
Anthony Napolitano retired two years ago, at age 52. He and Carl sat down to talk about the highs, lows and great insights into creating your own personalized Life Retirement Plan. As a former VP of Product/Service Strategy for HP and GoPro, Anthony has fully embraced his new role as Chief Enjoyment Officer. He is a man of many talents, including as a prolific blogger, wine educator and a coach for high school girls' volleyball teams.
Born in Hoboken, NJ, Anthony's parents were Italian immigrants in search of the American Dream. His father was an artist and his mother stayed home with Anthony and his brother. When he was still in grade school, his family moved to California to realize that dream. Anthony played four years of college baseball for Loyola-Marymount College. "My baseball career ended when I graduated," he tells us. "Somehow I got a job at a really big company." (Hewlett-Packard)
Over the course of 24 years, Anthony held many positions within the corporation's divisions, including as VP & General Manager for consumer subscriptions, retail photo solutions and more. "I was always wanting to learn and gain new skills and there was so much opportunity in that corporate world." He talks about having a great career there and then at 47, he began thinking about not only the financial part of retirement, but also what his non-financial life was going to look like. He began to study retirement in earnest. Two years later, his company downsized and it took him a year to find new employment. That's when he got really serious about crafting an early retirement.
Anthony worked for GoPro and soon was part of another downsizing. "In a way they made the decision (to retire) for me. I'm really grateful. I was so relieved and joyful." He lived his Retirement Life Plan in that first year. He bases his plan on the four pillars of Health, Mindset, Purpose and Relationships. At the end of each year, Anthony holds himself accountable and actually grades himself on how he's doing in each of the four pillars. He is now as busy as he wants to be. "It's (retirement) isn't just a project to finish. I'm going to keep evolving," he says. "There is not one day, one hour that I wish I kept working!"
Anthony Napolitano's (Un)Retirement Insights:
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"Start making a list of the things you want to do in retirement and then hold yourself accountable."
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"Say 'No' more. It is really important to be intentional about your commitments. Try not to over-commit too soon."
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"Have time that is structured and also un-structured. It's a balance I'm trying to strike now."
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"Every week I make a point to reach out to an old friend or people who've been important in my life, to reconnect. It's so rewarding."
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.
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.
