Iconic television personality Fred Rogers could have been referring to any transition when he said, "Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else." But do people
If they have made specific plans for the post-career chapter of their lives, there's a much better chance the answer is yes. MyNextSeason, a career transition support company, works with
"We see [life] as a series of next seasons that get defined initially by choices and discernment and activities, but as we age, [it] becomes more defined by life events," says Leslie W. Braksick, a veteran executive, entrepreneur and CEO coach, who co-founded MyNextSeason with Mark Linsz in 2014. "Our goal was to help people think of their lives more in that way: bringing one season of life to a close, but that gives birth to a whole other set of possibilities."
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Retirement can be a jarring experience. People often feel sad, lonely and disoriented when they leave their career behind, according to the University of Washington Retirement Association. Studies have found that as many as one-third of retirees report being depressed, citing a variety of reasons, including loss of structure, social interaction, sense of purpose and financial concerns.
Braksick notes that the transition is especially difficult when leaders are phased out to make way for new talent versus leaving on their own terms. She recalls a retirement party for a friend who was in this position, and while people around them were celebrating, he confided in her that it was the worst day of his life. Having a strong sense of personal identity as well as post-career plans gives people a sense of direction and more power over their exit, she says.
Linsz, a former Bank of America executive, saw leaders around him go through similar negative experiences — sometimes being unhappy in retirement, and sometimes hanging on to their roles too long despite being burned out for fear that retirement would be worse.
"Someone told us it's as if during your whole career, you're going across monkey bars, and when you get to the last one, there's nothing there," Linsz says. "You don't know what to do, so you hang by one arm, and it's miserable for you and miserable for everyone else."
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Braksick, Linsz and their team of consultants at MyNextSeason work with clients to lay out their passions, priorities, activities and anything else that should be included in their post-career plan. They take a holistic approach, looking at a person's family and social life, health and well-being, professional skills and experiences they find rewarding. If these are limited or nonexistent because someone's life has been consumed by work, the mission becomes to discover them.
It's important for people to see who they are beyond their job title and how their skills can be combined with what brings them joy, Braksick says. She and Linsz are both examples of this, running MyNextSeason and also sitting on multiple boards for institutions and causes that are dear to them.
"One of the most important steps that we engage people in is widening their aperture [to see] who they are and what their superpowers are," says Braksick. "People think, "[I'm] a reporter, I'm a writer, I'm a tax accountant, or I am a person who specializes in supply chain. But in fact, you're a person who pulls ideas out of other people, or you're strong with numbers, or you're a problem solver. Those are gifts that not everyone has, and they are needed in figuring out [things like] food security issues, or helping to decrease our homeless population or helping the next generation of people interested in financial services consider the possibilities of a career."
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Organizations also have a positive part to play in their employees' retirement process and have much to gain from helping them finish well, adds Linsz. Braksick points out that this should be a priority, as former employees are representatives of a company's brand long after they're off the payroll. She also notes that leadership development doesn't need to end just because they're getting ready to leave.
"We are seeing that when you reach a certain level in your career, you may not see another promotion or a significant pay raise, but the company wants to retain you; they don't want a competitor to pluck you off," she says. "Some progressive companies are saying, 'Part of how we can continue to develop you and help you develop your skills is by engaging in things outside of work, [such as] leadership opportunities [and] becoming a thought leader in our space.'"
With more people planning to find new jobs after retirement — one in eight in 2025, according to Resume Builder — and countless opportunities for older people to stay socially and professionally connected, a satisfying retirement routine is more possible than ever. Braksick and Linsz remind leaders to network, think about how to rebrand themselves if they plan on seeking future work and be discerning about what commitments they make during their retirement.
"We spend almost our entire career thinking about our retirement from a financial perspective — we meet with financial planners, we invest in a 401(k) — but most people don't think about what to do next because they're going 100 miles per hour," Linsz says. "Taking the time to think about it allows you to start trying things and seeing what you like and don't like. That ability to try, and try early, is incredibly important."
