I Retired at 64. I Wasn't Done.

My husband thought I was crazy.

We had been planning retirement for years. He retired first—two years ahead of me—and when I finally retired after 37 years at Full Sail University, I think he imagined we were going to sail off into the sunset together.

And we did take a trip.

Then I came home and said:

“I'm starting a business.”

He looked at me like, What?!

I understood his reaction. After all, I had just finished a long and fulfilling career. I had accomplished more professionally than I could have imagined when I first walked through the doors of Full Sail 37 years earlier.

By most definitions, I had earned the right to slow down.

But something inside me wasn't ready to slow down.

I knew there was another chapter in me.

Not because the chapter I had just finished wasn't meaningful. It was extraordinarily meaningful.

But I had changed.

And I had more to give.

Retirement gave me a choice

For the first time in decades, I wasn't defined by a title, a department, a calendar filled with meetings, or the responsibilities that came with being a senior leader.

I had space.

And with that space came a question:

What do I want to do with everything I've learned?

I didn't have the entire answer.

I simply knew I didn't want fear to answer the question for me.

Because I knew fear was going to show up.

I've learned something about fear.

Fear doesn't always mean stop.

Sometimes it means:

This matters.

Throughout my career, some of my most meaningful decisions required me to move before I felt completely ready.

I've come to think of it as showing up anyway.

Not waiting until I'm certain.

Not waiting until the fear disappears.

Not requiring myself to have the entire path mapped out before taking the first step.

Just showing up anyway.

And that mindset has led me toward some of the most meaningful experiences of my life.

Starting Life & Leadership Essentials has been one of them.

Maybe you're not done either.

You don't have to be retiring to recognize this feeling.

Maybe you've built a successful career but the work that once energized you doesn't feel quite the same anymore.

Maybe you're wondering whether there's another role, another career, a business, a creative pursuit, or simply a different way you want to spend this season of your life.

You don't know exactly what it is.

You just know there's more in you.

I understand that feeling because I've lived it.

And here's what I'd tell you from the other side:

You don't need to know exactly what the next chapter looks like before you begin.

You need enough space to listen to what's emerging.

Enough trust in yourself to take the next step.

And enough courage to show up anyway.

I'm very glad I did.