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Hi Reader
How's your week been? What have you been up to? Let's end it on a high with the best retirement newsletter on the planet*
It's a cracker of an edition... Lots of stuff for you to consume, think about and action!
*self-proclaimed but probably true!
FEATURED ARTICLE
Apprentice Again: The Most Fun You’ve Had Since You Were 12
Retirement isn’t a finish line. It’s a licence.
A licence to be gloriously new at things again, to be curious, clumsy, wide-eyed, and alive.
The happiest retirees I meet aren’t ex-professionals collecting hobbies like fridge magnets. They’re apprentices... people who pick one meaningful craft, find guides and mates, and learn in public. They don’t chase “busy", they chase becoming.
Why becoming beats being retired
- Novel, demanding learning sharpens the mind. In one study, older adults who spent weeks learning complex new skills (think photography + quilting from scratch) showed meaningful memory gains versus social or easy activities. Translation: hard-fun beats easy-nice.
- Belonging keeps you thriving. A landmark meta-analysis found people with stronger social relationships had about a 50% higher likelihood of survival over time. Learning together isn’t just more enjoyable, it’s protective.
- Purpose powers resilience. A strong sense of purpose is linked with lower mortality in older adults and brand-new research suggests it may also reduce risk of cognitive impairment by ~28%. Apprenticeship tends to come bundled with purpose, goals, growth, and contribution.
- Your brain can still remodel. Even in later life, training that blends movement + coordination + memory (like dance) can spark measurable changes in brain areas tied to learning and balance. (“Left foot, right foot” is sneakily sophisticated.)
The Apprentice Again blueprint (12 joyful weeks)
1) Pick one craft for this season
Choose something that makes you a little nervous and very curious: ceramics, jazz piano, improv comedy, birdwatching, open-water swimming, Italian, carpentry, ballroom.
The rule: it should require practice, not just attendance.
2) Form your triangle: Mentor, Mate, Milestone
- Mentor: a class, coach, or online course with real feedback.
- Mate: one learning buddy for accountability and coffee debriefs.
- Milestone: a public “demo day” in Week 12 (a recital, a small show, a tiny gallery wall at home, a 5-minute talk for friends).
3) Build your “apprentice week”
- Three 45-minute practice blocks (Mon/Wed/Fri).
- One 90-minute community block (class/club/jam).
- Two 10-minute micro-reps (metronome scales, sketch drills, vocab flashcards). Small + consistent beats heroic + sporadic.
4) Learn out loud
Keep a one-line daily log: What did I try? What did I notice? What will I tweak? Share occasional progress pics or 30-second clips. Public crumbs create private momentum.
5) Make it physical when you can
If your craft can involve movement (dance, choir breathing, pottery wheel), your brain says thank you twice, body and mind.
6) Protect the joy
Adopt a “three wins” target each week: one skill win, one social win, one small-courage win (email the tutor, book the stage, join the club).
What this looks like in real life
- The hesitant pianist who chooses 12 weeks to learn one piece, plays it (wobbly but proud) at a family dinner.
- The camera-shy retiree who takes a beginners’ improv class, rediscovers belly laughter, and makes three new friends.
- The “two left feet” couple who book a basic ballroom course and end up with better balance, better date nights, and a new Friday ritual.
None of this is about being “good.” It’s about being in motion, toward mastery, toward community, toward a life with more stories.
Start this Monday (five tiny steps)
- Write “Apprentice Season #1: [Your Craft]” at the top of a page.
- Message one potential mentor and one mate. Hit send.
- Block three 45-minute practice slots in your calendar for the next four weeks.
- Choose a Week-12 demo you can’t wriggle out of.
- Put a post-it where you’ll see it: “Better > Perfect. Show > Hide.”
The real retirement flex
It’s not golfing single-digit handicaps, owning a motorhome, or nailing the perfect sundowner. It’s this: staying a beginner on purpose.
Because beginners have something the world can’t buy... fresh eyes, fresh energy, fresh hope.
If you’re ready to design your first 12-week Apprentice Season, and you want a simple planner plus a cheeky nudge to make it real, check out this weeks retirement resource below!
RETIREMENT RESOURCE
Apprentice Again: Start Your Season
Retirement isn’t a finish line; it’s a licence to be a joyful beginner. This one-page Starter Worksheet helps you pick one craft, add a mentor + a mate, sketch a keystone week, and lock a tiny Demo Day.
It’s built for momentum: Try • Notice • Tweak. Download it, print it, and let’s begin.
Apprentice_Again_Starter_Worksheet.pdf
PODCAST
Ep 88 - The Past Built You. Your Future Needs You
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For decades, we’ve answered the question “Who are you?” with a job title. Director. Manager. Teacher. Lawyer. And then retirement hits — and suddenly, the title is gone. What’s left is often a quiet identity crisis no one warned us about.
This episode, The Past Built You. Your Future Needs You explores why losing a role feels like losing yourself and how to begin rebuilding an identity that’s deeper, freer, and far more authentic than anything you had before.
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SKETCH OF THE WEEK
The Three Season of Retirement Capacity
Your left axis is capacity... your time, energy and money. Early on you’re fullest, so you’re out Exploring; then life steps down into Nesting, fewer big trips, more home. Later comes Reflecting, the pace softens and you spend less of all three. It’s a guide, not a rule: do more while you can, simplify as you go.
IN OTHER NEWS
What I've Read This Week
Media Appearances
- I was thrilled to be a guest on Bec Wilson's podcast Prime Time. Bec is one of Australia's leading voices in retirement - Listen in here
- I sat down with Dr Tom Mather on his podcast Money:Mindshift and our conversation and thoughts on spending money in retirement made it into the This Is Money section of The Daily Mail - Read it here
- I was delighted to be a guest on The Informed Decisions Podcast with Paddy Delaney where we talked about the most dangerous day in retirement! - Listen in here
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