Since I retired in 2010, retirement coaching and heading up Encore Palm Beach County have filled my life. Yes, I still make time for my daily swim, fund with friends, attendance at plays, films, operas, dance performances, and a steady stream of books on my Kindle from the local library.

The real excitement is with Encore. In the course of providing workshops, Meetups and special events, my volunteer staff and I have met many people over 50 looking to be engaged with new work and volunteer opportunities. This has led Encore in many new directions and to many collaborations in the community. Encore’s focus on helping people find new work led me to add coaching and workshops on creating new work after 50. What we have discovered is that people are not successful in finding new work with online job boards. The algorithims used by them routinely screen out older workers. The personal connection is missing. I teach people the forgotten art of networking to find the hidden opportunities. In a county of 1.4 million people, 40% of whom are over 50, and more moving here every day, it is hard for people new to the area to have the personal connections that can lead to new work.