At 55, I decided to hang up my corporate career. I alone made the decision to retire, but in truth, I was also corralled that way by circumstance. It was a reactionary call that felt good at the time, but not good long term. Over years of self reflection, I questioned it all. 

Probably for anyone looking in from the outside, I had a dream job. The truth though, it was not going well and I was continually frustrated.  The bureaucratic machine was relentless and discouraging.  Being forever beholden to the powers that be, I felt that I wasn’t growing or learning.  I became dissatisfied with what my work was giving me.   At my age and stage of career, I wanted more of a voice and more control over my trajectory and I simply wasn't getting it. So when unexpected management changes emerged, I chose to exit. It was time to reclaim myself. 

So yes, I felt a disconnect in my work environment and I didn’t fully appreciate the toll of this until I left. Friends and family noted the change in me with that world behind me.  But somehow, I failed to tease apart my gleeful liberation from all this, from the notion of leaving the working world entirely. Sure, I applied to a few positions, met with headhunters, and hit the predictable ageism wall — you’ll be so bored in this role (read old).  You’re overqualified (read expensive).  Feeling fragile and battered, I soon paused my search. And in the years following, without the security of my corporate identity, I fumbled along for way too long thinking, where was my incisiveness, that confident, unshakeable sense of purpose that I'd always counted on.

After a series of  false starts and soul searching, I began finally to  ask the right questions.  Financial planning and health are two big obvious things to envision in magic hour years. But what about defining my purpose?  Who would I be without my corporate identity?  What would my days, weeks, months look like?  And who would be my community? What did I want from life? I wish I’d  wrestled with all these big questions before jumping into this next phase.  It took a while to put it all together, but then I realized what I’d been missing:  A plan.

So I’ve come to realize -  I am just not done. It’s not about career building at this stage.  It’s about life learning, evolving, continuing to grow and maybe most of all, contributing.  I wondered how I could be a role model for my two daughters now in their 20’s.  What could I do to help the world they’ll age into be more inclusive and engaging for everyone.   And that’s such a big one.  Both Cynthia and I wanted our ‘what’s next’  to set an example, to help rewrite what aging can look like.

For me, this was the foundation of Twinagers.  I began imagining with Cynthia a community of diverse magic-hour people like me who support the best of generations coming together in and out of the workforce.  I pondered the impact of drawing on the eclectic experiences of others who’d found their “what’s next”. And I wanted to learn from those leaders who are reshaping companies, organizations and communities to be more fully inclusive, to consider everyone’s needs and contributions, both young and old.   

And it’s oddly liberating to realize that rising to the potential of my magic hour years is bigger than myself. I can be part of a vanguard of change that tackles arguably that final sanctioned “ism” in a world grappling with true inclusivity like never before.

Like Cynthia, that’s my big blue-sky hope for Twinagers —  to inspire everyone, all generations, to embrace the journey of aging.  And how empowering — achieving all this is in each of our hands.

So much to talk about, so many opportunities to explore, so many challenges to tackle.  It's a thrill to get the conversation started, to begin changing the narrative on aging together. 

As always, connect with us in whatever way works best for you — Twin-agers.com, Instagram: @twinagers, TikTok: @twinagers and on LinkedIn: Twinagers.

Can’t wait to hear from you!