Life Starts at Retirement

You’ve retired—but do you still eat quickly, squeeze too much into your day, or feel that you should be doing something productive whenever you sit down?After years of working, raising a family, and keeping everything moving, slowing down can take practice.In this video, I’m talking about what “less rushing, more living” can mean in everyday retirement: leaving breathing room between plans, giving conversations time, enjoying an interest without watching the clock, and allowing something to remain unfinished without letting it spoil your evening.We’ll also explore an important distinction: taking your time can help you enjoy today, while putting things off can mean missing the experiences and relationships you care about.A slower pace gives us room to ask whether the way we spend our days reflects what matters to us.Where do you notice yourself rushing—even when you don’t need to? I’d love to hear in the comments.Subscribe to Life Starts at Retirement for honest conversations and practical ideas about making your retirement remarkable.#RetirementLife #SlowLiving #LifeStartsAtRetirement

One of you wants to get out early and explore. The other wants a leisurely breakfast. One enjoys a busy itinerary; the other needs more downtime. How do you plan a holiday that feels good for both of you?In this video, I’m sharing seven practical ways to travel together and both enjoy it—especially in retirement, when we may have more time to travel but different interests, energy levels, and ideas about spending money.We’ll talk about discussing expectations before booking, agreeing on a budget, sharing the planning, respecting each other’s pace, and making room for separate interests. We’ll also look at how to speak up before small frustrations become arguments. A good trip gives both people a say in how they spend their time. Sometimes that means exploring together. Sometimes it means spending an afternoon apart and having something new to talk about over dinner.What do you and your travel partner do differently—and what helps you make it work? Share your experience in the comments.Subscribe to Life Starts at Retirement for honest conversations and practical ideas about making your retirement remarkable. #RetirementTravel #CouplesTravel #LifeStartsAtRetirement

Are you waiting for your next trip to do something different? You don’t have to go far—or spend a lot—to make retirement more interesting.In this video, I’m talking about adventures close to home and why they can matter more than we expect. A visit to a nearby town, a local history tour, a class you’ve been curious about, or a walk somewhere unfamiliar can give us something we may be missing: a chance to learn, meet people, and discover interests beyond our usual routine.I also talk about the things that can hold us back—cost, mobility, going alone, or feeling awkward as a beginner—and how to find an adventure that fits our circumstances.Retirement gives us an opportunity to make room for our own interests. We don’t have to save that opportunity for a holiday.What’s somewhere close to home you’ve always meant to explore? Tell me in the comments—or share a small adventure that turned out to mean more than you expected.Subscribe to Life Starts at Retirement for honest conversations and practical ideas about making your retirement remarkable.#RetirementLife #LocalAdventures #LifeStartsAtRetirement

Travelling in my 60s is teaching me more than the history of the places I visit. It’s helping me understand my energy, my priorities, and what makes an experience worthwhile.In this video, I share seven honest lessons about travelling after 60—from considering demanding journeys while they’re manageable to choosing comfort, asking for help, and deciding what I’m willing to miss.I also talk about changing plans when they no longer work, leaving time for the people we meet, and bringing something useful home into everyday retirement.Getting older doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. But thinking carefully about our health, mobility, budget, and interests can help us plan experiences we’ll actually enjoy.Whether you love overseas travel or prefer exploring closer to home, these lessons reach beyond the itinerary.What has travelling as you’ve grown older taught you? Have you changed your pace, your priorities, or the way you plan? Share your experience in the comments.I’m Maureen with Life Starts at Retirement, where we talk about making your retirement remarkable.Subscribe for thoughtful conversations about retirement, travel, relationships, and enjoying life after 60.#TravelAfter60 #RetirementTravel #LifeStartsAtRetirement

What have you been saving for “someday”? A trip, time with someone you love, a new interest—or something you’ve wanted to do for years?In retirement, we may finally have more freedom, but it can still be surprisingly easy to postpone the experiences that matter to us. There’s always another responsibility, another reason to wait, or the hope that a better time will come. In this video, I reflect on making retirement memories now, allowing our dreams to change with us, and taking practical steps that fit our lives today.This doesn’t have to mean an expensive holiday or a dramatic life change. It might begin with arranging a visit, exploring somewhere nearby, or giving an interest of your own a place on the calendar.What is one thing you’d like to stop putting off? Tell me in the comments—I’d love to hear it.I’m Maureen with Life Starts at Retirement, where we talk about making your retirement remarkable.Subscribe for thoughtful conversations about retirement, relationships, purpose, travel, and enjoying this stage of life.#RetirementLife #LifeStartsAtRetirement #RetirementTravel

As we get older, some life lessons begin to mean more than they once did.In this video, I share nine reminders about protecting your peace, choosing kindness, caring for your health, taking chances, and deciding what success means to you now. These lessons made me pause and reflect on what deserves my time and energy in this chapter of life.I hope one of them speaks to you, too. Which lesson resonated with you most? And what lesson would you add from your own life? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.I’m Maureen, and this is Life Starts at Retirement—where we talk about making retirement healthy, meaningful, and remarkable. If you enjoy the conversation, please like, subscribe, and share this video with someone who might appreciate it.Chapters: 0:00 Introduction1:29 Live for peace, not approval3:06 Not every battle deserves your energy4:22 Choose a kind heart, not just a beautiful face5:40 If it costs your peace, it’s too expensive7:20 Most of today’s worries won’t matter in five years8:43 Your body is your most important investment10:18 We often regret not trying more than failing11:40 Time alone doesn’t heal everything13:13 Redefine what success means to you#LifeLessons #RetirementLife #LifeStartsAtRetirement

Happiness in retirement doesn’t always arrive automatically. Sometimes, it begins with the small things we choose to do every day.In Part 2 of my September series, we’re talking about **The Happiness Habit**—seven simple habits that can give your days more structure, connection, purpose and joy. These aren’t dramatic life changes. They’re small, realistic things you can begin doing today—even if retirement hasn’t felt quite as happy or fulfilling as you expected.In this video, we’ll explore seven happiness habits:00:00 – Introduction03:13 – 1. Give the day a beginning05:02 – 2. Put one thing on the calendar to look forward to06:18 – 3. Move your body to change the channel07:42 – 4. Notice one good thing while it’s happening09:38 – 5. Make one small human connection11:27 – 6. Do one thing that makes you feel useful12:58 – 7. End the day positivelyYou don’t need to completely reinvent your life. Choose just one habit and begin there. Because happiness isn’t always something we find—it’s often something we practice.Which of these seven habits could make the biggest difference in your life? Let me know in the comments. And if you know someone who could use a little more happiness in their retirement, please share this video with them. Subscribe to **Life Starts at Retirement** for honest conversations, encouragement and practical ideas to help make your retirement

Retirement can leave you wondering: Who am I now? Without the job, the routine, and the responsibilities that once defined your days, it’s easy to feel a little lost.But perhaps you’re not lost at all. Perhaps you’re becoming someone new.In this video, we’ll talk about the emotional side of retirement—the loss of identity, the uncertainty, and the opportunity to rediscover who you are beyond your working years. You don’t need to have everything figured out. This new chapter isn’t about finding your way back to the person you were. It’s about giving yourself permission to become the person you are now.If retirement hasn’t felt quite the way you expected, I hope this video reminds you that you’re not alone—and that there is still so much ahead of you.Please share your thoughts in the comments: What part of yourself are you rediscovering in retirement?Subscribe to Life Starts at Retirement for honest conversations, encouragement, and practical ideas for making your retirement remarkable.#Retirement #LifeAfterRetirement #RetirementMentalHealth

Last week, I didn’t make a video.It wasn’t because I had run out of ideas or because something terrible had happened. I was simply full.After six consecutive weeks at the trailer with different grandchildren, working on my speeches, continuing my work as a mortgage broker, and travelling to Edmonton to help my mom, I reached the point where I couldn’t summon the energy to do one more thing—even something I normally enjoy.Retirement is supposed to give us more time. But somehow, that time can quickly fill with family, responsibilities, projects, travel and the expectations we place on ourselves.In this video, I talk about recognizing when your life has become too full, why rest isn’t something we need to earn, and how taking care of yourself sometimes means allowing something to go undone.A full life can be a wonderful life—but even wonderful things can become heavy when there is no room left to breathe.Have you ever reached a point where you simply had nothing left to give? I would love to hear how you recognized it—and what helped you make room for yourself again.#Retirement #RetirementLife #SelfCare #LifeAfter60 #HealthyRetirement

Why do we keep so much stuff?This year I finally opened the storage room under our stairs — a space that hadn't been touched in years — and found everything from a box of my husband's forgotten beer can collection to baby shoes I could never part with.Here's what I found, what I kept, what I let go of, and the honest truth about why I'm still not finished.What's hiding in your storage room, closet, or garage?Tell me in the comments — I'd love to know I'm not alone. Join our community of 35,000+ retirees in the Life Starts at Retirement Facebook group:   / lifestartsatretirement