There are so many well-meaning people full of advice for you on what to do in retirement. We say don’t retire! Consider doing something new and more meaningful. (Maybe not work 40 hours a week either.) Here’s some wise advice from our I Used to Be Somebody guests on taking the steps toward the (Un)Retirement of your dreams:

 

“It’s essential to find your new tribe, whether it’s a new organization, golf, etc. You have to get out there. Do not isolate. We need connection, we are social beings.” - Joan Ryan, Sports Journalist and Best-Selling Author

 

 

 

“Your career was your identity. How do you want to redefine your identity now, for yourself and to others? ….Remember that you have a lot to give AND have a lot of experience. You have value!” - Deborah McColloch, Philadelphia’s Former Housing Chief 

 

 

“Keep your goals realistic and attainable. Think about what talents and skills you have honed throughout the years that could be an advantage in some new way.” - Moira McGarvey Black, Best-Selling Author

 

 

 

"I knew I wanted to retire to something, not from something." - Mark Shaiken, Award-Winning Photographer

 

 

 

 

 

"You will have other goals now and they will be very different. If you’ve been driving hard in your work life for 30-40 years, it’s hard to suddenly slow down. Creating a work life with more fun and less grind takes practice." - Joe Pulizzi, Godfather of Content Marketing

 

 

“Do something meaningful that has an impact for people-- that will in turn accelerate their success too.” -  Jim Roddy, Publisher, Author, Speaker

 

 

 

 

“When you do something new, you have to have a certain amount of patience.” - Barry Pincus, Former COO for NY Yankees, Martha Stewart and others 

 

 

 

 

“YOU choose what “balance” is and what work you take on. There’s so much to get involved in, you have to decide what you really want for you—first." - Michela O’Connor Abrams, CEO

 

 

 

“We get caught up in the troubles of life—the world, politics, family, etc. Life is short. Make an effort to enjoy it and be fulfilled.” - Richard Turner, Photographer, Poet and Author

 

 

 

 

“Take any door that opens and walk through it. If you work hard, people will help you to succeed.” - Bob Tuschman, Former Food Network Exec

 

 

 

“Don’t EVER retire! What’s so wonderful about life is that there are so many new surprises; you just have to look for them. “ - Mike Krukow, SF Giants Sports Broadcaster

 

 

 

 

 

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   retirement   advice   quotes   joan ryan   debb mccolloch   moira mcgarvey black   mark shaiken   joe pulizzi   jim roddy   bary pincus   michaela oconnor abrams   richard turner   bob tuschman   mike krukow  

The best words to describe what Joan Ryan has done throughout her life is………..”Ground breaking.” She is an award-winning journalist and author of five books. Joan has been a pioneer in sports journalism, becoming one of the first female sports columnists in the country. She has covered every major sporting event from the Super Bowl and the World Series to the Olympics. 

 

Joan overcame the challenges of being a female in a male dominated world. She notes “I was competitive, so the more hassle I got, the more determined I got.” She started her career as a sports reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, then became an editor and eventually the first female sports columnist.

 

Carl talks with Joan about making the transition from decades in sports journalism to becoming a book author and writing for herself.  It’s no surprise that her first book, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes: The Making and Breaking of the Elite Gymnasts and Figure Skaters (1995, Doubleday), was a controversial, ground-breaking expose that Sports Illustrated named one of the Top 100 Sports Books of All Time. The book and Joan were featured on Oprah, The Today Show, The New Yorker, New York Times and People Magazine among others.

 

Three successful books later, Joan again tried something new. Realizing that there was no one really “telling the story” of the then (2008) struggling SF Giants team, she set out to create a media consulting position for herself as an “in-house” journalist—a new concept at the time. She had lunch with CEO Larry Baer… and the rest is history.

 

Joan’s long experience in clubhouses and locker rooms and then with the SF Giants team made her realize that successful teams, in any type of organization, cannot only be driven by analytics, but that culture makes the difference. It's not an either/or question. “Culture is the bedrock of team chemistry and high performance,” she says. So you know what happened next. Joan’s latest book, Intangibles: Unlocking the Science and Soul of Team Chemistry (Little Brown, 2020), is out now. 

 

Advice on career changes and life from Joan Ryan:

 

1. “Ask yourself, how can I apply this skill set that I worked so hard for to something new?”

 

2. “Anytime you pitch a new idea to someone, you better connect the dots on how it’s going to put money in their pocket.”

 

3. “It’s essential to find your new tribe, whether it’s a new organization, golf, etc. You have to get out there. Do not isolate. We need connection, we are social beings.”

 

For the full interview, listen to I Used to be Somebody, Episode #4 with Joan Ryan. For listening details go to our website.

To learn more about Joan's work check out her website. 

 

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   podcast   Joan Ryan   Giants   bestselling