The Unretirement

People 55+ are reinventing life post-retirement, from its traditional image to a time for exploring second chapters and, especially, opportunities that bring meaning, purpose, and community. What does this new phase of the work experience look like and how can more of us find inspiration as we work longer?

People 55+ are remaking what it means to "retire" without following the traditional roadmap. Instead of rest and relaxation, they are pursuing new channels to build on their skills, grow their experiences and contribute to their communities in a meaningful way. In this episode of Century Lives: The 60-Year Career, we examine how this generation - one that's living longer, staying active and determined to ignore the old roadmap - is redefining this phase of life. We talk with people who have thought about and are living post-retirement careers including an art gallery director who found a second calling as a letter writer for people at end of life and the founder of a nonprofit supporting “encore careers.” Guests are: Aaron Benanav, Postdoctoral Researcher at Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin; Frish Brandt, President and Partner at the Fraenkel Gallery; David Blustein, Professor of Counseling Psychology at Boston College; Marc Freedman, Founder and CEO of Encore.org; and Sandra Harris, President of AARP Massachusetts.