9 minute read
Retirement
Veering Away From Full-Time Work
The Great Transition
What if retirement doesn’t feel like freedom? What if it looks more like a great loss of something you love? We started this conversation with Cathy Zion, owner and publisher of this magazine, who just last year sold off a big part of her business. She’s had a lot of feelings, but overall, she is discovering that she is finding her path along with the others we feature on the following pages. “As you will see from several of those featured in this issue, growing older can mean growing greater,” she says.
When did your work life change start? In 2020, as I considered selling Today’s Woman magazine, the sister magazine of Today’s Transitions, I was filled with a myriad of emotions. Letting go of the magazine I had owned and nurtured for nearly 25 years was daunting. And having to tell my staff was devastating. But more than all that, it was forcing me to look at my own life transition, and it was terrifying.
How would this change your full-time work role? To be honest, I really hadn’t let myself think beyond selling Today’s Woman. It scared me too much. Like others, I felt my identity and my worth were tied to Today’s Woman. While I was glad to still be owner of Today’s Media which publishes Today’s Transitions, I couldn’t visualize what my role would be.
What did you do to cope with the feelings? An unplanned 10-month stint as co-interim CEO of Hosparus Health helped preoccupy my life, but as that gig came to an end in October, the reality set in. What was the next chapter of my life going to look like? I spent one week in panic mode, signing up for Ancestry.com, considering a part-time job, starting a paint-by-number craft.
What do you feel you get from your job/work that makes it important to you? I want/need to know that I’m making a difference in my community whatever that looks like.
Cathy Zion bought Today’s Woman magazine in 1996 and started Today’s Transitions in 2004. Both were part of Today’s Media, which works to help businesses tell stories. She maintains ownership of Today’s Transitions and Today’s Media.
Photo by Melissa Donald
Do you think what you felt was normal? I’m not alone as I’ve learned from several of my friends who are also considering semi-retirement or retirement. They are struggling with the same emotions and concerns. While it sounds heavenly to sit around with no schedule and no to-do list, it’s not the lifestyle for everyone.
What does the word retirement mean to you (before and after)? Retirement before meant kicking back, traveling, relaxing. Many of my friends kept telling me I was going to love being retired. Deep down I knew I wouldn’t… couldn’t…stop working. I think I must be channeling my late mother who still owned her own business when she passed away at 79.
Why do you think the idea of retirement (from one thing to another) was so terrifying to you? I’ve worked every day since I graduated from college. For the most part, I’ve enjoyed working. And I’ve loved owning my own business and feeling like our magazines are making a difference in people’s lives.
What have you discovered about yourself/your life as you change your weekly schedule? I’m realizing that this is a time of reflection and reinvention. I’m spending more time working with the nonprofits I love, reading more books, and taking longer walks with my dog while trying to limit my office time to three days a week. I’m reimagining my life and rejoicing in each new day.
What kinds of goals are you setting for yourself? As I turn 74 this year, I find myself setting fewer goals and just staying fluid. I want to be spontaneous to the opportunities that await me.
Favorite Nonprofits? I’ve been on the Hosparus Health Board for nearly 17 years, since my mother passed away in their care. It’s an amazing organization serving those at the latter stages of life. I’m also chair of the Friends of Metro Animal Services Board and vice chair of the regional Midwest Board of the American Lung Association.
For these retirees who we met through Leadership Louisville Center’s Encore program, retirement has led to a renewed sense of purpose. They shared their retirement stories with Today’s Transitions.
A Plan and Purpose in Retirement
– CHRIS HERMANN
Chris Hermann spending time with his grandsons as they learn to work the cheese grater.
FIND THE GREATEST REASONS TO GET UP IN THE MORNING
Before Chris Hermann retired, he decided he would find the greatest and best reasons to get up in the morning. “I wasn’t going to be someone who sat around,” Chris begins, “I was going to find things to do that energized me or took advantage of my skills.” So, Chris envisioned a retirement plan that would keep him busy and interacting with people. Chris says initially he didn’t know how this would come about, but it was this mindset that guided him.
For Chris, the catalyst for saying goodbye to a career in the utility industry was spending time with his baby grandson. “I didn’t want to miss any of that. I just wanted to be a part of his life,” he says. Chris retired at 66 years old and is now the proud grandfather to two grandsons. He loves to cook meals for his grandkids who are 7 and 9 years old and even tackles household projects for his daughter. “I offer to help if there’s a project that needs to be done, and we’ll have family time at the same time,” he reveals.
Chris is staying true to his retirement plan by keeping a packed schedule. He’s very active in his church community operating an emergency food pantry while also serving on the church governance council. He says those activities occupy a great deal of time, but Chris doesn’t stop there. As a mechanical engineer, Chris works closely with his alma mater, the University of Louisville, on their board of advisors assisting with engineering education and development needs. Then he still finds time to provide knowledge and expertise to community organizations like Metro United Way and the Leadership Louisville Center’s Encore program.
“There’s a lot of great things that can happen in your retirement because you have this lifelong set of experiences that you can use to help someone,” Chris says.
MOVING AND ADAPTING SKILLS
– GINGER WALLACE
Ginger Wallace and the newest member of the family enjoying the evening air.
When Ginger Wallace retired, there were elements she needed to make the transition go smoothly, and one was moving home. “I grew up in Western Kentucky,” Ginger begins, “I wanted to come back to Kentucky because this is home for me as a state, and I’m back, which is what I always wanted.” Planting roots back home supports Ginger in meeting her retirement expectations — which is to serve in her local community.
After a successful 30-year career in the Air Force, and retiring as a colonel, Ginger is following her passions and one way she’s accomplishing this is by doing nonprofit work. Ginger holds a part-time job with a nonprofit which also allows her time to volunteer with organizations and causes that interest her. Programs like Encore and serving as an advisory member on Louisville Metro Councilwoman Cassie Chambers Armstrong’s District 8 Advisory Council are two ways she invests her time. Ginger says she’s feeling lucky in her retirement because she’s able to participate in projects that inspire her.
For Ginger, stepping into retirement was bittersweet. She loved her time in the Air Force and has missed the camaraderie she shared with her co-workers. Ginger believes the hardest part of retiring was learning how to translate the life experience she acquired in the military into different areas. “Getting involved in the community is a different type of leadership,” Ginger says. Once she came to understand the balance required, she says, “I’ve been almost five years retired, and I’m very much enjoying what I’m doing now.” Ginger and her wife love traveling and are planning trips for their future, but while at home they’re enjoying taking care of the newest addition to their family: their beloved dog. Ginger does have a tip for that immediate time between waving goodbye to your workday and saying hello to your free time — and it’s taking a little break. “Take some time off and some downtime! You’ve earned it,” she encourages.
RETIREMENT GOALS
– KEVIN WARDELL
Kevin Wardell keeps his schedule full, making sure there is something on his calendar every day.
Kevin Wardell had retirement goals. At 65 years old, Kevin retired from his career as a healthcare executive with a vision to guide him. “I had some lessons from grandparents and my parents who stayed busy during their retirement,” Kevin says. His goal of staying active has helped him move easily into this life phase and he says, “I have something on my calendar every day.”
Kevin’s calendar lists activities such as volunteering with organizations like the Encore program, Rotary Club, and Hosparus Health. Giving back to the community is a belief that his family passed down through the generations. “I was taught by my grandfather and father to become involved in organizations that you think make a difference,” Kevin says. Upholding this outlook keeps Kevin inspired and engaged as he collaborates with friends past and present in the community.
One retirement goal that stays on the top of his list is creating time for family. “Having grandchildren around is a big deal and that’s a big part of my life right now,” says Kevin. There are three grandkids all under the age of 9 in Kevin’s life, and two live locally. Kevin sees all his grandkids as much as possible, “Those are times I really look forward to,” he says. Kevin and his wife also sneak in some travel time, but Kevin advises not waiting until you retire to begin your travel adventures.
By Tonilyn Hornung | Photos by Erika Doll
Spring 2022 / TodaysTransitions.com
