Rock Your Retirement Show

Podcasting in retirement? Let's take a look at how Frances ended up doing podcasts after retirement. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/podcasting-in-retirement Would podcasting in retirement be a good way for you to Rock your Retirement? Frances McGrogan was born in Ottawa, Ontario Canada and moved to England for 4 years in her early 20s. She got married to a Brit and then returned to Canada.  After a number of service industry jobs, in 1985, she joined the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and worked there for 30 years. She learned to speak French when she was around 48 years old and became bilingual.  Frances was a senior HQ manager until she retired in January 2016 at age 55. She loves computers and tells us the story about how she became involved in that, but also has other activities that help her Rock her Retirement. SOCIAL AND FAMILY She enjoys playing darts with friends and even created a website for their dart games to keep track of players and stats. VOLUNTEER AND

What's a Senior Real Estate Specialist? Patti Phillips talks about being a Senior Real Estate Specialist. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/the-senior-real-estate-specialist What does a Senior Real Estate Specialist do? Patti Phillips never thought she would become a Senior Real Estate Specialist.   When Patti was younger, she always thought she would be a mom and a housewife.  That didn't work out the way she planned, and she decided to become a real estate agent in the year 2000. She was one of the first agents in San Diego to obtain the Senior Real Estate Specialist Designation. She prides herself in taking care of seniors in what can be an overwhelming and complicated process. It's a different process to work mainly with seniors than Millennials because seniors typically want a face-to-face process. Seniors don't necessarily go online and look at the house before they go to see it.  They want a more personalized approach.  That's where a Senior Real Estate Specialist can c

Bobby Erdrich talks about Acting in Retirement. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/acting-in-retirement-episode-019 Have you ever thought about acting in retirement? Bobby Erdrich and I met at The Hearing Experience’s symposium, and I was very impressed with how outgoing and friendly she was.  She was born in New York in 1925 and started acting when she was four years old.  She was “discovered” on a subway. Ever since then she’s been acting, writing, directing and producing, and is acting in retirement in her one woman show. She loves her Senior Apartment at Woodland Village and said that there is so much to do there that no one could ever be bored if they wanted to get out and meet people.  She loves putting on shows and displaying her acting in retirement skills at the Woodland Village. SOCIAL AND FAMILY When her husband retired as a firefighter, they moved to Oregon and started a farm raising sheep.  She learned to buck hay, birth babies and shovel, well, you know….  They li

Death of a friend or a loved one of the toughest things we have to face in the future. Samantha Betten is our guest in today's episode to talk about the gift of grief. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/the-gift-of-grief The Gift of Grief You can give a gift to your family, the gift of grief.  We cannot escape death but we can embrace the process. Samantha Betten helps people give one of the greatest gifts they can give to their family, the gift of grief, or pre-planned funerals. When someone has pre-planned their funeral, they give the gift of grief to their family members. If the funeral is not pre-planned, then instead of being able to grieve, someone has to make all the arrangements and not everyone is able to do. that. Her motto is as follows: * Protecting the people you love, the businesses you build, and the causes you care about. * When life hits those lows, use that opportunity to convert sadness into strength. At speaking engagements her goals are to: “Rock t

What to do after retirement? Tom McGurn will talk to us about finding our passion. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/what-do-you-do-after-a-career-at-bmw What do you do after a career at BMW? Tom McGurn earned his first paycheck as a journalist writing sports for a daily newspaper while still in high school. He continued to work as a part-time journalist during college and then pursued a career in public relations after graduation. In 1975, at age 28, and with about 5 years of experience, he got a huge break. He was hired as part of the start-up management team at BMW of North America. The sales and marketing arm for Bavarian Motor Works. He didn’t leave until he retired at the end of 2007. During his career, Tom was responsible for public relations, industry affairs, dealer relations, and a host of communication responsibilities, including: speech writing, corporate meetings and training.  When he retired he had to ask himself the question, “What do you do after a caree

Yes! Sex is not just for young people. Dr. Susan Writer is going to talk to us about how we can have a vibrant, exciting sex life. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/sex-isnt-just-for-young-people-episode-016 Sex is not just for young people! Dr. Susan Writer has her Ph.D. in clinical psychology and has been working in the field for over 15 years in the San Diego area.  She works full time for Aurora Behavioral Health Care, doing community outreach and clinical education; and part time for HELP see individuals, couples and families in her therapy practice.  Dr. Writer sees a wide range of individuals. but has specialized training in sexuality and gender and expertise working with older adults. HEALTH & SEX Susan is passionate about making sure that people have the vibrant, exciting sex lives throughout the entirety of their lives. In this episode we discuss the following: * Learn what a sex therapist does and how it differs from a sex surrogate. * The health and mental benefit

Debbie Brown will talk to us about how you can become a full-time social director in your own church. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/full-time-social-director-episode-015 How did Debbie Brown Become a Full-Time Social Director of her church? Debbie Brown started her career as a banker teaching computers to other bankers.  After 14 years, her husband, who was the principal of a private school, asked her to come work at his school as a teacher. Debbie was a schoolteacher for students from 6th grade up through 12th grade in private and public schools. After 30 years of teaching Debbie retired in 2015.  That's when she became a full-time Social Director for the church.  Now she spends time visiting church members and spreading happiness and joy.  What a great way to spend retirement! SOCIAL AND FAMILY * Now that Debbie is retired, she loves being able to spend time with her family and watch her grand kids. * As a retiree, she can spend time planning meals and cooking. * She r

Thinking about the best gift to your grandchild? Enjoy today's podcast episode as Mira Simon gives an advice on what's the best gift you can give to your grandchild/ren. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/the-best-gift-to-your-grandchild-ever-episode-14 The Best Gift to your Grandchild Mira Simon can help you give the best gift to your grandchild EVER. She is a professionally trained coach from the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), and an independent educational consultant who specializes in helping High School Students to go through the college planning, preparation and application process without overwhelm, so that they feel excited and confident that they have what they need to choose a college that is best for them.  How is her service the best gift to your grandchild?  Mira’s coach training provides the unique foundation that helps students to explore their talents, strengths and passions, discover their purpose and use that to develop their vision

Did you ever think about taking care of Alpacas? Julie Roy talks about it in this podcast episode.  You can listen to the show at the bottom of the page or on your smartphone. Rocking Retirement by Raising Alpacas! In 2004, Julie and her husband left their corporate jobs in San Diego to live on 10 acres. At the time, she was still the president of the San Diego Professional Coaching Alliance, which had 200 members.  She drove 90 miles every month to lead the meetings. She still coached some time, yet yearned for more. Enter raising alpacas! They converted 2.5 acres into what is now Alpacas of Anza Valley. SOCIAL AND FAMILY * Julie spends time with children who want to see the animals. * She enjoys writing and talking to people about them. * Don and Julie have been married for 25 years. * They are both enjoying their retirement doing something they love and are passionate about! ADVENTURE AND TRAVEL * Julie and her husband raise show quality alpacas. * They board, breed, and assist other newcomers to the in

People have been searching for the fountain of youth for a long time. In this podcast, Christine Burke will talk to us about the fountain of youth. You can listen to the show at the bottom of the page or on your smartphone. Christine Burke is a fitness trainer and coach at San Diego Premier Training in Carlsbad, CA, which is in San Diego, California's North County. As an un-athletic child and overweight young adult, Christine understands first hand the obstacles in losing weight, learning to exercise and making the time for healthy habits. Her customized fitness programs are designed to find the fun in your journey for good health. Are you looking for a fountain of youth? Try exercise * Christine is an expert in different types of training. She does not cater to one specific type of person. She has clients ranging in age from 20s all the way up to their 90s with varying levels of abilities. * Older adults need to be trained differently than younger adults. * Exercise can increase your mobility, quality of l

Let's talk about SCORE with Sally Broff. You can listen to the show at the bottom of this page or on your smartphone. Raised in the Pittsburgh area, she left for college in 1967 attending Brandeis University. She followed that with a master’s degree at Boston University. Sally lived in Boston until 1993, working for some very small manufacturing companies. In 1986, she and her partner founded a manufacturer's representative company specializing in selling power sources to manufacturers. Then in 1993 she sold her portion of the business to her partner and moved to Southern California where she and her life partner founded a company. They ran that company for 10 years and sold it in 2007.  This is where her retirement began.  After that, Sally joined SCORE, a national organization that serves small businesses. Score San Diego: SOCIAL AND FAMILY * Sally and her partner Bob have a 12-year age difference and age has not been an issue for them. * Sally does a variety of activities with friends in the community s

Downsizing may be hard for some people and in this episode, Susi Vine will give us tips on how to downsize and de-clutter. You can listen to the show at by clicking the link at the bottom of this page or by subscribing on your smartphone. Susi Vine began helping others downsize in November 2010 Since then, she has led crews as Team Leader, and she provides consultations for new clients who are considering their move. Her crews pack and unpack and help people downsize. Susi earned a BFA and studied Residential Design.  The company looks for people with her experience in design space planning and universal accessibility.  That experience supports the needs of their clients looking to de-clutter, downsize, and relocate to a new home or age in place. They not only help people with downsizing and moves, but they also build lasting bonds with them. Did you know that this kind of service existed to help others downsize?   Neither did I. Senior Move Masters helps their clients go from a 3000 square foot house into a

Want to retire at 40? Find out how Wendy Holt did it. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/wendy-holt Do you want to retire at Age Forty?  Wendy Holt did it! Wendy Holt picked up everything and was able to retire at age 40. She downsized, moved to Costa Rica and is enjoying the retirement of her dreams. So I guess that you could say that she is completely rocking it in the adventure area of retirement! Wendy is from Los Angeles, CA, and she went from the hustle and bustle of the big city life, working over 2000 hours a year in a high-stress job to living in a 500 square foot home in the rural jungles of Costa Rica. Wendy and her husband at the time, always wanted to retire early, but didn’t know that they could retire at age 40. They had traveled a lot over the years, but they really loved Costa Rica. They decided to visit Costa Rica to just do research on the housing market with no intention of buying a home. During that trip, they ended up finding their perfect home and bought

Brenda Geiger talks about things we didn't know about estate planning. You can listen to the show by subscribing on your iPhone or Android or scrolling to the bottom of this page and hitting the little arrow play button. Brenda Geiger helps save headaches and money problems for her clients and their families! She wanted to be a figure skater when she was little, but instead she grew up to be an estate planning attorney. Brenda has been helping her clients for over 12 years. In California, if you have done no planning, your family could wind up paying up to 8% of your gross estate! The GROSS estate is the value of your property, without subtracting what you owe on it.  This causes headaches and money problems for your family! Brenda’s practice focuses on trusts, estate planning, trust administration, business, and Elder Law. Brenda Teaches us how to save headaches and money by explaining: • The difference between a Trust and Probate, and how choosing the wrong one can cost your family thousands of dollars. •

What to do after retirement? Teri Lippert gives advice on what to do after retirement based on her experience. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/get-out-and-do-something-episode-007 Get out and Do Something! Why is Teri's advice to get out and do something?  Before Teri Lippert retired always had a volunteer spirit.  She worked for the Girl Scouts program and had planned on working for a few more years before retirement.  However, after working 14 hour days and dealing with some difficult work situations, she decided to retire early while she was still young enough to travel and do other things that she wanted to do. Luckily, she had planned well financially and was able to do this.  But what was she going to do with her time?  When she was working, she had NO HOBBIES.  Her work was her entire life.  After a year, she started feeling depressed and figured that she’d better figure it out, so used her work skills to find out how to Rock her Retirement.   She knew that she had t

Did you know that technology is not just for young people? Toby Cohantz developed a technology that can help us take care of our parents. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/technology-can-help-your-parents-stay-in-their-home Technology can help your parents stay in their home. Toby Cohantz's technology can help your parents stay in their home longer.  How does he do this?  He works with several organizations that work with seniors, particularly, Fall Prevention.  These organizations include: * Life Support Medical, a research and development company where he is the director of the Mobile Fall Risk Assessment Lab * San Diego Fall Prevention Task Force * Aging and Independent Services * Electronic Caregiver Company All of these companies can help your parents stay in their home longer than if they were trying to do everything on their own. The reason why many people need to leave their home is because it is no longer safe to live there. Toby runs the first mobile gait lab in t

Keeping physically active is a great foundation in aging well. Let's take a look at how Ed Elliott discovered that playing softball can not only keep you young, but can also help you meet and make a lot of friends. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/playing-softball-to-keep-young-episode-005 Today I spoke with Ed Elliott, who wanted to be a singing cowboy when he grew up, changed his mind to become a “cementing cowboy”, and then became a teacher.  He is now retired and is playing softball to keep young. Ed retired from teaching severely handicapped children and then became a principal, hearing officer, and director of Special Education Programs. He worked in the industry after 40 years. He and I have something in common as I worked for Harborview Developmental Center in Valdez Alaska right after high school, which was an institution for severely mentally disabled adults.  Harborview has since closed, and there are no more institutions such as that in the United States. H

What are the things we need to consider in finding a safe place for our parents to live? Mitch Au will be talking about this in today's podcast. You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/help-your-parents-find-a-safe-place-to-live-episode-004 Mitch Au is very close to his family.  His own grandmother had Alzheimer's disease, and he watched her suffer for 20 years.  His family is most important to him, so when his aunt and uncle needed a break, additional family intervention was needed.  Because of this, he moved to help with the caregiving and to give his aunt and uncle some respite care when they needed a break.  During this time he learned a great deal about caring for the elderly.  His aunt had a 24 hour care giver and was able to stay in her own home. This was when he first learned about how to help your parents find a safe place to live (or grandparents as the case was here). Mitch and I discussed the differences between having a 24 hour caregiver and having more social interacti

Dealing with pain is one of the toughest thing to do. But did you know that you can make it easier to deal with pain through hugs and laughter? You can listen to the show at http://rockyourretirement.libsyn.com/deal-with-pain-through-hugs-and-laughter-episode-003 Joyce Leverich was working as a Legal Secretary for the corporate department of a large law firm.  Her friends were met at work.  Gradually she found that her back problems caused her to retire in her early 60s.   The pain was so great that she found it difficult to do anything.  Because of the pain she became depressed and wasn't sure what she was going to do to get out of her slump.  Not only that, but all of her friends were working, and she was home alone.  She went through a pain management clinic who taught her how to cope with the pain and how “getting out” is the most important thing to deal with depression.  She still deals with chronic pain, but she learned how to deal with pain through hugs and laughter. Socializing is a great

Do you care about your parents' safety? Of course we all do. Let's take a look at how one family managed to get their dad a stair lift. The family was very nervous and wanted to make sure he wasn't going to fall down the stairs.  They wanted him to be safe at home.  Dad was stubborn and didn't want to admit that he was getting older, and they were nervous knowing that he could fall down the stairs at any moment. How did they do it? What did they say to him to get him to ride the stair-lift to find out that it was safe for him and his beloved dog?  How were they able to make him safe at home?  You'll have to listen to the podcast to find out. Kindra at 101 mobility makes it easy for her clients to keep their parents' homes safe.  101 Mobility is a national franchise that assists elders in the area of: * Aging Safe at home * Stair lifts * Ramps * Auto Lifts * Platform Lifts * Everything but Face Lifts! Her company does a free home assessment to let you know where the dangers lie in your parent's home.  In my