Leslie Mizerak - Leadership & Life After Work

Visiting at the hospital and they are having conversations up and down the hallway with patients.

They asked one person in a neighboring ‘room’ if they have allergies they said loudly “I’m allergic to mean people.”

Everyone in this part of the hallway giggled. It was so wholesome.

Every executive we coach arrives with a to-do list a mile long.

Almost none arrive with a stop-doing list.

That's the gap. Retirement planning keeps adding (new hobbies, new goals, new calendars) on top of habits built for a role that no longer exists.

The 6 a.m. status check. The decisive tone at the dinner table. The board seat held for relevance, not contribution.

These follow you home whether you invite them or not.

Inside our Executive Retirement Strategy Intensive, the first thing we build isn't a vision board. It's the Strategic Stop-Doing List. Subtraction before addition. You can't design what comes next while the old chapter is still writing itself in the margins.

What's one thing you'd put on your stop-doing list before you build anything new?

Retirement can feel like freedom.

It can also feel like grief, uncertainty, quiet, and a sudden loss of structure.
In this episode of Shaping Your Retirement, Leslie talks with Robin Lezotte, who recently retired after 26 years at Central Piedmont Community College.

Robin shares what her first month of retirement has really felt like, from the joy of being celebrated on her last day to the moment she woke up and wondered, “Now what do I do?”

This conversation is warm, honest, and deeply relatable for anyone preparing for retirement, newly retired, or reimagining life after work.

One of Robin’s reflections says it beautifully:
“Retirement is not the end of the road. It is the beginning of the open highway.”

Listen to the full episode of Shaping Your Retirement.
https://ShapingYourRetirement.podbean.com/e/the_first_month_of_retirement

"I never let my title define me."

We hear it in nearly every first session with senior executives. Confident, self-aware, decades of leadership behind them.

Then retirement arrives. And that's the first belief that falls apart.

Three decades of building a career doesn't just fill a calendar. It fuses with how you introduce yourself, how you measure a good week, how you know you matter. That fusion stays invisible while the role is intact.

The day the role disappears, it becomes the only thing you can see.

One executive described it to us as less like freedom and more like freefall. Same person who, six months earlier, was certain the logistics would be the hardest part of leaving.

The logistics rarely are.

Identity Reset is a core focus of our work with C-suite clients for exactly this reason. Not because these leaders lack self-awareness, but because self-awareness about a title isn't the same as having an answer to the question underneath it:

Who are you when the role is gone?

That question deserves a real answer. Ideally, one you start shaping before the badge comes off, not after.

You spent 40 years building a career. Why does everyone expect you to replace it in 40 days?

The pressure to walk out of your final meeting with a five-year plan, a passion project, and a calendar that looks suspiciously like the one you just left isn't wisdom. It's a career culture that taught you busyness equals worth.

When the calendar suddenly opens, it can feel like freefall. Research in The Gerontologist found 41% of retirees experience moderate to severe identity disruption in the first year. Rushing to fill the void only deepens it.

So here's the permission you may not have given yourself to say out loud:

"I'm still figuring out what this chapter looks like."
"I'm not ready to fill every day yet, and that's intentional."
"I don't have a five-year plan right now, and I'm okay with that."
"I'm choosing to rest before I decide what's next."

Intentional design takes time. The clarity you want about purpose, relationships, and how you spend your days doesn't arrive on day one. It arrives through reflection.

You spent decades earning the right to choose. Choosing to take your time is a valid first choice.

Who has been to The Hague or Leiden Netherlands? I am quite in love with this area. Do I see a second home in this area? Maybe! Let's see what 2027 brings. 🤩

This pic is from Leiden, the sweetest town with an amazing university!

So many people are retiring to The Netherlands - Can you see yourself loving in another country?

One in six retirees considers going back to work. Not for the money. For the structure, connection, and purpose work provided.

That gap doesn't mean retirement failed. It means the transition wasn't planned beyond finances.

I've coached dozens of executives through retirement transitions. The pattern is consistent: those who struggle didn't plan for what their career gave them beyond the paycheck. Those who thrive did the courageous work of reimagining their identity before they left.

Three areas to plan for before you retire:

1. Redefine Your Purpose
Your professional identity has shaped who you are for decades. One client spent 30 years as a CFO. Six months into retirement, he felt lost. We worked through what genuinely excited him now—not what impressed others. He discovered woodworking and started teaching financial literacy to high school students. That took courageous clarity about letting go of who he was to discover who he wanted to become.

2. Build New Routines
The structure of a workday disappears overnight. Design your daily rhythms intentionally. Morning walks, hobby blocks, social commitments. A clear framework prevents the drift into boredom. Another client created a weekly schedule that included volunteering Tuesday mornings and art classes Thursday afternoons. Structure without rigidity. Studies show retirees with structured routines report 40 percent higher life satisfaction than those without.

3. Cultivate Social Connection
Work provides an instant network. Research shows that social isolation in retirement significantly impacts mental and physical health. Plan how you'll maintain friendships and build new ones. Join clubs, take classes, engage with your community. Connection requires the same courage and intentionality you brought to networking in your career.

The emotional shift of retirement demands as much planning as the financial one. Being courageous enough to address these areas proactively means creating a retirement aligned with your values instead of returning to work to fill the void.

Many leaders find their most courageous work begins *after* their career ends.

Based on 25 years of guiding professionals through major transitions, we've identified five critical areas for building a balanced and thriving retirement:

1. Define Purpose Beyond Work. Actively seek ways to contribute your unique skills, mentor others, or dive into creative passions. Filling the void left by a career with new, meaningful engagement is essential for sustained growth and satisfaction.

2. Prioritize Holistic Wellness. Make a committed investment in both your physical and emotional health. Regular exercise, mindfulness practices, and proactive mental well-being form the vital foundation for a vibrant and energetic retirement.

3. Cultivate Strong Social Connections. Intentionally build and nurture relationships with family, friends, and new communities. As work no longer serves as your primary social hub, developing a rich external social life ensures continued connection and reduces isolation.

4. Embrace Leisure and Hobbies. Schedule time for activities that bring genuine joy and mental stimulation. Whether it's travel, gardening, learning a new skill, or painting, these pursuits are crucial for maintaining an engaged and satisfied mind.

5. Engage in Community Involvement. Explore volunteer opportunities that align with your deepest values and passions. Giving back provides a powerful sense of purpose and connection, enriching both your life and the community around you.

Building a life rich in purpose, health, connection, and contribution is the foundation of a truly fulfilling retirement. This requires thoughtful planning and courageous action, well before the farewell party.

Three retirement challenges no one talks about until it's too late:

A Stanford Center on Longevity study found 67% of recent retirees report feeling lost in the first year. After 30+ years coaching professionals through major transitions, I see the same three issues derail people who thought they had it all planned:

1. Loss of Routine Creates Aimlessness
Without the structure of work, days blur together. You wake up with nowhere to be and nothing urgent to do. This isn't freedom—it's disorientation. The fix: Design a new daily rhythm intentionally. Morning walks, skill-building, passion projects. Structure that excites you, not obligates you.

2. Your Professional Network Disappears
The colleagues you saw daily, the industry connections you built over decades—gone. Social isolation hits harder than expected. The fix: Be courageous about building new communities. Join groups, volunteer, pursue shared interests. New connections require intentional effort.

3. Identity Crisis Without a Job Title
"Tell me about yourself" suddenly has no easy answer. When your career defined you for 30+ years, who are you without it? The fix: Reflect on core values and what energizes you now. Not what you did, but who you want to become.

The shift from "What do I do?" to "Who am I?" requires courageous clarity.

Those who thrive in retirement don't stumble into it. They courageously redesign it.