Repurpose Your Career | Career Pivot | Careers For The 2nd Half Of Life | Career Change | Baby Boomer

In this episode, I am going to discuss the legal processes and issues my wife and I have been experiencing in becoming an ex-pat in Mexico. This includes getting a resident visa, the various identification numbers you need to acquire, getting an apostille for your marriage certificate, having new wills created, acquiring a Mexican driver's license, and a few other tidbits of information. This will not be legal advice as I am not a lawyer but it will give you some things to think about. This will be specifically about Mexico but you will run into the same issues no matter where you choose to go. For those new to this podcast, my wife and I moved to Ajijic Mexico in 2018. My wife retired and I moved my business south of the border. At that point, I periodically started blogging and podcasting about our experiences. Much to my surprise those episodes have been very popular. We have crossed a number of legal thresholds like both of us are now permanent residents, and we both have Mexican driver's licenses. We bou

In this episode, I am speaking with Joanne Lipman who is the author of the book Next!: The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work. If you would like to know the details about what it takes to reinvent yourself in life and work, this is a great book. Joanne details the stories of lots of people who have reinvented themselves and how they did it. Here is Joanne’s bio: Joanne Lipman is the bestselling author of NEXT! The Power of Reinvention in Life and Work and the No. 1 bestseller That's What She Said. A pioneering journalist, she has served as Editor-in-Chief of USA Today, USA Today Network, Conde Nast Portfolio, and The Wall Street Journal's Weekend Journal, leading those organizations to six Pulitzer Prizes. A frequent speaker and television commentator, she is an on-air contributor at CNBC and journalism lecturer at Yale University. She was also named the inaugural Distinguished Journalism Fellow at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study. Dubbed "star editor" by CNN and "innovator in chief" by The New Yor

Description: In this episode, I am speaking with Kurt Schmidt who is the author of the book The Little Book of Networking: How to Grow Your Career One Conversation at a Time. I like Kurt’s book because it is an easy 1 to 2-hour read and it is very actionable. It is very worth your time to get this book if you are reluctant to get back into networking. Here is Kurt’s bio: Kurt Schmidt is the president of Foundry, a pioneering software design agency that serves B2B industries. He is also the host of Schmidt List—a podcast with over two hundred episodes connecting him with prominent leadership minds for over five years. With twenty-plus years of leadership and business experience, Kurt has learned the best-kept secrets for career and business success. In "The Little Book of Networking", Kurt penned the networking handbook "The Little Book Of Networking" to empower individuals seeking professional growth. I will be publishing several episodes about networking in the next month. In a couple of weeks, I will be spe

Description: In this episode, I am speaking with Howard Waldstreicher. He is the author of Facebook's Oldest Intern: How a 60-year-old fitness trainer reinvented himself with the most unlikely of companies. This is a fascinating story of how Howard, who was totally screwed in the pandemic as a gym owner and fitness trainer, picked himself up and revived a previous career, and got hired at Facebook at the age of 60. Here is how Howard describes himself on his Amazon author page. Call him what you will - a gadfly, a shortie, or a squeaky-voiced Texas cowboy. But I had a blast working for Ross Perot. At age 26, this Queens-born boy got his first real job as a computer programmer for Perot’s Electronic Data Systems in Plano, Texas. I liked the structure and the dress code: wingtip shoes, blue and grey suits, short haircuts, and conservative ties. In fact, if you dared to visit the bathroom without your jacket it was grounds for termination. These days, things are a little bit different. At 60 (61 now), I stumble

Description: In this episode, I am speaking with Polly Allen. Polly is an expert in artificial intelligence, and I will be speaking with her about ChatGPT. This is a topic you need to learn more about. I think you will have a better understanding of what ChatGPT can do and how you can take advantage of it in your career. Polly Allen has over 20 years of experience developing software, building and leading software teams, and most recently leading data science and engineering teams as a Principal Product Manager for Alexa AI at Amazon. At Alexa, she led generative artificial intelligence projects (using technology similar to ChatGPT). As a leader in the application of Machine Learning, she is passionate about DEI in the space and empowering more people to understand, leverage and participate in the field. She founded AI Career Boost, an AI education company, in November 2022, aiming to increase diversity in the AI industry. Polly is an experienced angel investor, a board member at the Center for Workforce Incl

Description: In this episode, I am rebroadcasting one of the most popular episodes from 2020. This is episode 181 Thriving at 50+: How to Reinvent and Rebrand Yourself. I spoke with Wendy Marx in this episode, who is the author of Thriving at 50+: The 7 Principles to Reinvent and Rebrand Yourself. I spoke with Wendy at the very beginning of the pandemic but I think what she had to say is even more relevant today than it was then. Let me read you her bio: Wendy Marx is a marketing and branding authority sought after for her ability to turn virtually unknown people into brands of distinction. As founder and president of Thriving at 50 Plus, her proprietary coaching program is designed to help Baby Boomers discover their point of differentiation, then rebrand and retool themselves while finding more purpose and meaning in life toward a more rewarding “Second Act.” Drawing on Wendy’s over 30 year’s experience in marketing, journalism, public relations, and counseling— her programs provide a unique mix of marketin

In this episode, I want to discuss how I have utilized The Power of Stretching: mental, emotional, and physical fitness. Yes, I know that sounds a little out there. What I have been experiencing, though, has happened somewhat by chance. It has stretched me in so many ways. As a 66-year-old guy, I have not expected to feel this way. If you are a first-time listener, my wife and I moved to Ajijic, Mexico in 2018. Ajijic is a village on Lake Chapala, and is roughly an hour drive from Guadalajara. Guadalajara is Mexico’s 2nd largest city. Since the first of the year, my wife and I received our Jalisco Mexican driver’s licenses. This required that we take a 10-question test, which was in English, and pass a parallel parking test. My wife and I have been married for 42 years but this set off so many emotional triggers and I want to discuss how my wife and I handled them very differently. Secondly, besides continuing to learn to speak and understand Spanish, I started to work with ChatGPT, an AI chatbot that has gon

Description: In this episode, I am speaking with Solène Oudet from Blisson.io and she runs the Kickstart Your Business at 50+ bootcamp. I learned about what Solène was doing from Vicki Soll, who is a former community member and was on the podcast in Episode 260. Vicki is now one of Solène’s instructional designers and instructors. Solène Oudet is one of several people I have found that are running entrepreneurial bootcamps for the 50+ audience around the US. As you will hear some of these are coaching or consulting businesses, others are brick and mortar restaurants, others are building online market places and a lot more. Solène is a fascinating person with a fascinating background. Let me read you her bio: Solène is the founder of Blissen, a social enterprise on a mission to help older adults (50+), especially women and people of color, find economic independence and purpose through entrepreneurship. Their flagship program, Kickstart Your Business @50+, is a 10-week cohort-based training program that guide

Description: In this episode, I am speaking with David Lee from Soul Satisfying Work and we are going to discuss how to Apply the Hero’s Journey Model to your everyday life. I think you will find this is a quite thought-provoking episode. David is a colleague of Scott Woodard who was on the podcast with his wife Camille in episode 305 when they told their story of becoming ex-pats in Mexico. David reached out to me via LinkedIn after that episode had been published. David had been a guest on a variety of podcasts lately and I asked him to pitch me a podcast episode idea. His pitch was the following: How to Use the Hero's Journey model as a tool for navigating this chapter and bringing more thoughtfulness/intentionality, wisdom, and fascination to life. I remember David Whyte saying how John Keats said poetry made all of life more interesting. I've found that applying the Hero's Journey to everyday life makes everyday life more fascinating as well as how we view our journey as an earthling. We did not have a p

escription: In this episode, I am speaking with Brenda Bernstein who is the author of How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn® Profile ...and 18 Mistakes to Avoid. This is a rebroadcast of episode 160 from January 2020, which was right before the beginning of the pandemic. This is one of the most downloaded episodes of all time for this podcast. I thought now would be a good time to rebroadcast it as the topics Brenda discusses are timeless. Read her bio: Brenda Bernstein, award-winning Certified Executive Resume Master, Certified Master Resume Writer, and accomplished editor and LinkedIn trainer, holds an English degree from Yale University and a J.D. from the NYU School of Law. Her signature presentations on How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile have been attended by thousands of job seekers and other professionals seeking to establish a professional image on LinkedIn. Over her 15 years as Senior Editor at The Essay Expert, Brenda has coached hundreds of professionals and companies to write resumes, essays, and oth

Description: In this episode, I am speaking with Sheila Ohlsson and James Loehr who are the authors of Wise Decisions: A Science-Based Approach to Making Better Choices. This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. The approach they take in training our brains so that we make better decisions is both easy to understand and easy to apply. Read their bios: JIM LOEHR, the co-author of WISE DECISIONS, is a world-renowned performance psychologist, Co-Founder of the Human Performance Institute, and author of eighteen books including The Only Way to Win. He also co-authored the national bestseller The Power of Full Engagement. Dr. Loehr is well known for his work with top-flight athletes and Olympians. He holds a master's and doctorate in psychology, serves on several scientific boards, is a full member of the American Psychological Association, and has been inducted into three Halls of Fame. You can learn more at: www.jim-loehr.com/ SHEILA OHLSSON, the co-author of WISE DECISIONS, is a behavioral gene

Description: In this episode, I am speaking with Beth Steinhorn, co-author and editor of the book Transforming Disruption to Impact: Rethinking Volunteer Engagement for a Rapidly Changing World. She is also the President of VQ Volunteer Strategies. I was introduced to Beth when she presented to Encore Network on the topic Rethinking Volunteerism: Transforming Disruption to Impact, where she discussed how the volunteer world was disrupted by the pandemic. Volunteering is a great way to find an encore career and I thought this would be a great topic. Read Beth’s bio: As President of VQ Volunteer Strategies, Beth partners with organizations and their leadership to increase their impact through strategic and innovative engagement. As a thought leader, Beth regularly participates in the national dialogue about volunteerism and engagement and is co-editor of the new book, Transforming Disruption to Impact: Rethinking Volunteer Engagement for a Rapidly Changing World. She provides consulting and training to organiza

Description: In this episode, I am speaking with my fellow expats and good friends Camille and Scott Woodard. They have lived in Mexico for over a year, and I wanted you to hear the story of their journey in becoming expats. Camille is retired but Scott continues to work as a career coach. They took a slightly different approach than my wife and I did in becoming an expat. Camille and Scott mention needing to get an RFC #. The current president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, also known as A.M.L.O. or AMLO for short, vowed to reform the immigration and tax systems when he was elected in 2018. The RFC # is the equivalent of a Social Security #. Early in 2022, the federal government required everyone to have an RFC # including foreign residents and that was to be complete by July of 2022. That was extended to the end of 2022 and many of us still do not have them because it requires making an appointment at an SAT office to apply. SAT is the equivalent of the IRS. It is still difficult to get one of those appointme

Description: In this episode, I am speaking Linda Sivilich. Linda was a GetSetUp Startup Accelerator Program for 55+ winner. Linda has a real interesting story where she became disabled from her job in the airline industry and now has a successful and more importantly fulfilling business teaching people to sew. I think you will be able to hear the joy in her voice as she tells her story. This episode is sponsored by Magic Mind. I have a 20% off code to share with you guys, it’s RYC. To use it, you can go to magicmind.co/RYC and enter the code RYC at checkout. The best part is that they have a money-back guarantee. If you get the subscription, it’s 40% off. My 40% off code only lasts 10 days, so hurry up. Linda worked for a major airline for 35 years and loved her job. However, in her mid-50s she lost eyesight in one of her eyes and was forced to retire. She has been teaching people for 20 years, but it was the GetSetUp that changed her course. Read the About Us section from the GetSetUp website: GetSetUp is o

Description: In this episode, I am speaking with my good friend John Tarnoff. This will be our third annual Career Reality Check-In for the 50+ Crowd. This has historically been one of the most popular episodes of the year as John and I have a frank discussion about what we think the year will look like. This episode is sponsored by Magic Mind. I have a 20% off code to share with you guys, it’s RYC. To use it, you can go to magicmind.co/RYC and enter the code RYC at checkout. The best part is that they have a money-back guarantee. If you get the subscription, it’s 40% off. My 40% off code only lasts 10 days, so hurry up. I have had John on the podcast many times before including the following: Episode 251 - 2022 Career Reality Check-In for the 50+ Crowd Episode 232 - How to Adopt a Career Mindset in the 2nd Half of Life Episode 208 - d2021 Reality Check-In for the 50+ Crowd Episode 154 - John Tarnoff Teaches How to Work for a Millennial Episode 120 - Boomer Reinvention Revisited Episode 19 - Boomer Rein

Description: In this episode, I am speaking with Mark Miller who is the author of Retirement Reboot: Commonsense Financial Strategies for Getting Back on Track. Mark is a good friend and colleague who has written a book that looks at retirement preparation from a holistic perspective. It is not just about finances. Read his bio below. Mark Miller is a journalist, author, and podcaster with a national reputation as a top expert on retirement and aging—and at age 68, he is asking many of the same questions facing millions of other older Americans. Mark has more than 15 years of experience covering the field. He contributes regularly to the New York Times “Retiring” column, which appears in the Sunday edition, where his articles are among the best-read personal finance stories in the paper. He also writes monthly national columns on retirement for Reuters, Morningstar, and Wealth Management magazine. Mark’s website, RetirementRevised.com, publishes a newsletter and podcast that features interviews with authorita

Description: In this episode, I am speaking with Siobhan Farr, who is the Spark Originator for Digital Nomads Beyond 50 Network. Siobhan is on a journey and she wants to take others along with her on that journey traveling the world all the while making a living. I was directed to Siobhan by one of the Career Pivot Community members. Siobhan manages the Digital Nomads Beyond 50 Network Facebook group, which is a thriving group of over 1000 members who either are digital nomads or want to become digital nomads. Read Siobhan’s bio: 2019 Siobhan started selling off 30 years of her Dallas, Texas life to begin her nomad years in March 2020. When her initial three weeks in Ecuador stretched to 13 months due to COVID lockdown, she pivoted her plans to market and manage her business remotely. The search for others who are older Location Independents, led her to become the Spark Originator of Digital Nomads Beyond 50. DNB50 is an online community for people in their late 40s+ who currently travel, work, plan to, or ar

Description: This will be a very special episode as we have crossed multiple milestones. This is episode 300, over a period of 6 years and over half a million downloads. This is quite an accomplishment as the audience for this podcast is those of you who are 55 years of age or older which is one of the smallest demographics that listen to podcasts. I want to give you a little history to the podcast and then play you 4 segments from episodes from the first 3 years of the podcast that I thought were particularly impactful. This episode is sponsored by Magic Mind. I have a 20% off code to share with you guys, it’s RYC. To use it, you can go to magicmind.co/RYC and enter the code RYC at checkout. The best part is that they have a money-back guarantee. If you get the subscription, it’s 40% off. My 40% off code only lasts 10 days, so hurry up. I published episode #1 of this podcast in late October of 2016. I started the podcast to help launch the 2nd edition of Repurpose Your Career – A Practical Guide to the 2nd H

Description: In this episode, I want to give you some insight into the health care that is available to you when you move to Mexico. I will discuss high-level health insurance options and decisions you will need to make about Medicare. When you get into health insurance and Medicare there are no RIGHT decisions but there are many shades of grey that you will need to sort out for yourself. Mexico has 2 healthcare systems, a public and a private. This in many ways is not different than the US where you have public healthcare groups run by the federal, state, or county governments, and you have private company healthcare groups. The difference is the cost. The US healthcare systems are the most expensive in the world and in my humble opinion are quite broken. There are 2 YouTube videos that I am going to reference and include in the show notes from QRoo Paul from 2 Expats in Mexico called Public Health Care Options in Mexico and A Look at Private Health Care in Mexico. I am not going to talk much about the publi

Description: This week is a rebroadcast of one of my favorite episodes from 2019. How Are You Planning for Your 100-Year Life with Andrew Scott? I am releasing this episode the week after the US Thanksgiving holiday. Rather than not publishing an episode, I thought I would dig back into the archives and rebroadcast one of the more impactful episodes of 2019. If you listened to this episode 3 years ago, I suggest you listen to it again. Andrew published The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity. He is also the author of the NextAvenue.org post titled Is 75 the New 65? How the Definition of Aging Is Changing. The book The 100-Year Life is about how our expectations of how life might look like when we regularly live to 100 years old. He does this by discussing 3 different scenarios: Jack born in 1945 had a typical 3 stage life, education, work, and retirement. He retired at 62 but passed away at the age of 70. He is married but his wife is a homemaker. Jimmy was born in 1971 and has a life ex