Reimagining Retirement: Thriving Beyond Work
A workshop inspired by a moment that changed everything
In October 2025, I settled down for the evening and watched an episode of Dragon’s Den. Two sisters, Amelia and Lydia Miller, stepped confidently into the studio to pitch their idea: Ivee, a return-to-work recruitment platform for professionals, especially women re-entering the workforce after long career breaks. Their pitch was sharp and heartfelt, and it instantly resonated with the dragons. Within minutes, they secured investment from two of the dragons.
As I watched, something connected with me
Their idea was brilliant, but it also made me pause. We talk a lot about returning to work - rebuilding confidence, refreshing skills, reconnecting with our professional identity. But what about the other end of the journey? What support exists when we turn our attention to leaving the workforce?
The question that wouldn’t leave me
The episode ended, but the thought didn’t.
Should we semi-retire first, easing ourselves gently into a new rhythm? How do we maintain routine, stay connected, and safeguard our physical and emotional wellbeing? What happens to our identity when the structure of work - the colleagues, the friendships, the daily purpose - begins to fade?
For many of us, work has been more than a job. It has been community, belonging, stimulation, and meaning. So, what happens when that chapter closes?
Around that time, I was beginning to ask myself these very questions. I found myself in conversations with friends, colleagues, and acquaintances who were quietly wondering the same. There was a shared curiosity, and beneath it, a shared uncertainty.
And that’s when the idea arrived.
The birth of Reimagining Retirement - Thriving Beyond Work
Inspired by that moment on Dragon’s Den, and fuelled by the conversations that followed, I realised there was a gap - a wellbeing gap - in how we support people transitioning out of work.
Along with a colleague, we began designing a workshop to honour this life stage with the same care, reflection, and intentionality we give to career development, leadership growth, or returning to work.
Now, coming full circle, I’m delighted to say that Reimagining Retirement: Thriving Beyond Work has come to life. In September, we will deliver our first workshop.
This session is designed for anyone approaching retirement, considering semi-retirement, or already in the early stages of this transition. It offers space to explore identity, purpose, wellbeing, connection, and the emotional landscape of leaving work behind - not as an ending but as an evolution.
What you’ll gain from the workshop
- A clearer sense of who you are beyond your job title
- Tools to design a meaningful, energising daily rhythm
- Strategies to stay connected and socially fulfilled
- Space to reflect on purpose, joy, and what comes next
- A supportive community of people on the same journey
This is not a financial planning session. It’s a physical, wellbeing and identity workshop a chance to reimagine retirement as a chapter rich with possibility.
Join us for the first-ever session
Reimagining Retirement: Thriving Beyond Work 📅 Saturday 19 September ⏰ 10 AM – 12.30 PM 📍 Online workshop 🎟 Early Bird tickets now available 🔗 Eventbrite link below:
https://reimaginingretirement.eventbrite.co.uk/
If you’re ready to explore what your next chapter could look like - with intention, confidence, and wellbeing at the centre - we would love to welcome you.