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Envision Your Healthy Retirement a conversation with Nancy Schwartz.
16 Plays5 months ago
Nancy Schwartz is a Health, Life and Retirement adviser who thinks that everyone should be thinking more about how we want to live in retirement before we retire. Too many people, she says, wait until they don’t have to go to work anymore to decide how they want to live in retirement.
In this episode of Fit For My Age Nancy explains to host Michael Millward how anyone can build a plan for retirement that goes beyond the financial to create a real blueprint for living a fulfilled retirement.
Nancy can be contacted at Envision Healthy Retirement.
Fit For My Age is made on Zencastr.
Zencastr is the all-in-one podcasting platform, on which you can create your podcast in one place and then distribute it to the major platforms like Spotify, Apple, and Google. It really does make creating content so easy.
If you would like to try podcasting using Zencastr visit zencastr.com/pricing and use our offer code ABECEDER.
Find out more about both Michael Millward and Nancy Schwartz at Abeceder.co.uk.
Visiting New York, New York, USA
Nancy is based in the New York City metropolitan area USA
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Matchmaker.fm
Thank you to the team at Matchmaker.fm for introducing us to Nancy.
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Being a Guest
If you would like to be a guest on Fit For My Age, please contact using the link at Abeceder.co.uk.
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Transcript
Introduction and Podcast Promotion
00:00:05
Speaker
Made on Zencaster. Hello and welcome to Fit For My Age, the health and wellbeing podcast from Abisida. I'm your host, Michael Millward, the managing director of Abisida. As the jingle at the start of this podcast says, the independent minds is made on Zencaster. Zencaster is the all-in-one podcasting platform on which you can make your podcast in one place and then distribute it to the major platforms like Spotify, Apple, um Amazon and YouTube Music.
00:00:43
Speaker
It really does make making content so easy. If you would like to try podcasting using Zencaster, visit zencaster dot.com forward slash pricing and use my offer code ABACEDA. All the details are in the description. Now that I have told you how wonderful Sancaster is for making podcasts, we should make one. One that will be well worth listening to, liking, downloading, and subscribing to.
Guest Introduction: Nancy Schwartz
00:01:14
Speaker
In this episode of Fit For My Age, my guest is Nancy Schwartz, who is the founder and principal of Envision Healthy Retirement. Hello, Nancy. Hello. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here, Michael.
00:01:30
Speaker
I'm excited to have you here, Nancy, because I think this is one of those sorts of areas that lots of people sort of treat as the last thing that they do when they deal with with retirement. But please, could we start with you telling us a little bit about your history and what Envision Healthy Retirement does?
Nancy's Career Transition
00:01:50
Speaker
Absolutely. And thank you for that great question. so um I always feel that as an entrepreneur, I have to be the brand. So I'm a living piece of the brand of this company. And so my story is very simple. I'm that 40 year old corporate executive. I worked in routine executive search and I loved it. I was very good at it. Great clients, great
00:02:21
Speaker
candidates. I love the business piece, the solution and fact finding for the clients and the education piece. But there came a time when I just said, you know, search is, is search. And I really feel that I want to impact the world more, but how do I do it? And so I closed that company. um half after having been a partner at Corn Ferry, which is the best global firm in the world. And... I'm going to interrupt you there for one second and just tell you a little story about Corn Ferry. Oh good, okay, tell me.
00:03:03
Speaker
but Yep, I have spent my life, my career as an HR person. And every so, you reach a point in your career where you get telephone calls from headhunters. And they're all, it's always great to receive one of those telephone calls, whether the job is something that interests you or not. But when I had the telephone call from Corn Ferry, it was like a great big feather in my cap. It was so great to know that this organization that is all around the world that is used by organizations to fill the the top jobs that someone at Corn Ferry knew about me was like, yes, I have made it. You have made it. i yeah Corn Ferry know about me, so I have made it. Back to your
Redefining Retirement: Beyond Finances
00:03:57
Speaker
story now. No, I love i love that. and
00:04:00
Speaker
so that that that global reach was also so, so interesting to me. So when I really started to come into my early sixties, I started thinking about, okay, well, I have this very successful company, but I want to go do something bigger, better, bolder. But what could that be? So after struggling and educating myself from top global experts, I was looking for support in the marketplace. How do I do this thing retirement? my My dad was so elegant and it was so easy for him. But my dad's retirement today doesn't exist.
00:04:52
Speaker
And so what I discovered once that I've gotten on this side of the platform is to say that it is an experience that you can only experience. You can't really envision it. You can't really plan for it, but you need to. until you really see the full effect of letting go of a 40-year career. And I was looking for science-based. I was looking for proven tools and techniques. And that's really how Envision Healthy Retirement came to be. While I don't package in the financial asset um
00:05:34
Speaker
wealth generation piece, which is it vitally needed because people need to live. And we need to think about not one year out as the financial services people talk about, but 30, 40 years out. But what is it that we do with ourselves? And so I talk about you, the person, the human, the Michael and Nancy in the world, how do we really rebrand ourselves. If we were in corporate, we'd use that word. But in this side of the house, it's really about identity change. And
Cultural Perceptions of Retirement
00:06:11
Speaker
with that comes mindset. And there's so many cultural negativity negativity and and words that are used
00:06:24
Speaker
packaged in the word retirement and I want to say on this side of the fence that it is up to that individual to really envision then plan and then go live that life that you are dreaming of and it is not about shutting down and withering away but from the point of view that it is about expanding, growing and learning and being curious and playing in the world. And it's to me right now in in in my world, it's the best possible life and lifestyles if you combine health and retirement
00:07:12
Speaker
together with what you want to do, that purpose, that impact statement, it's a gorgeous way of being. Yes, I can see what you mean. I know that in the United Kingdom, senior a citizens old age pensions are really only 110, 120 years old. in the 19th century retirement didn't exist. It was only um in the 20th century in the UK that we got retirement pensions and that was to get people who were unfit for work out of the work environment and to make way for younger people to go in and work so that we were dealing with an employment problem.
00:07:53
Speaker
But getting those the expectation wasn't was then that you weren't going to live much longer after retirement. Then as the 50s and 60s came along, and I think about my own grandparents' retirement and my parents' retirement, That is, they have all sorts of things that and made it possible to do but what people perceive retirement to be but what you you're saying is that retirement is changing just as work is changing and we need to be prepared for retirement in lots of different ways.
00:08:31
Speaker
my generation, our generation will not enjoy retirement in the same way as previous generations did. And future generations will again have a different experience of retirement.
Finding Identity and Purpose Post-Retirement
00:08:44
Speaker
And I think what you're saying is that we need to prepare ourselves for retirement in a way that retirement works for us rather than fitting into it a perception. Exactly. Exactly. That's beautifully put Michael and here in the US and other other global ah countries around the world. There are pensions um but many In performer, you know Employees or if you're you know running your own business Don't have a sufficient if you will pension if anything and also our our
00:09:28
Speaker
if you will, government pension um is very new. and And being fought over right now in the government, you know, do we want to fund this? It's too much funded. We've just gotten a huge basis point lift last year. So that's really not something that we can rely on from a financial point of view. But I ah but i say, wow, that's so important to get all the the financial pieces put together. it's more important to have your health, and I'm talking about mind, body, and soul, and your purpose, and your identity, and your and you were fitness. right So I include mental and physical fitness, and I say that in a broad sense of of wellness, and and that you're very active in pursuing
00:10:24
Speaker
and capturing better sleep, better nutrition, better movement. I mean, I could go on and on for days, but that it is about really exploring your life. And every day is an opportunity for growth. And I mean, we want to get get to this word that you had mentioned about mindset. And I think that and And you and I were talking about the beautiful Margaret Thatcher and ah just prior to going live here and she's a perfect example of someone
00:11:01
Speaker
who has this incredible mindset to navigate just because you retire doesn't mean that there aren't challenges that you go through and family problems, neighborhood problems, community problems. You know, we want to be part of the solution to a better environment around all of us. So to have that mindset of, you know, we're carrying all our skill sets, right? all our what we've been able to do and how can we contribute that, whether we impact our home, it's it's you know very important, or our community, or maybe it's much more on, as today you and I were also talking about, you know there's a lot of things going on in the world right now on ah and a broader scope. yeah So I think it's finding that passion, that that hunger and passion, you know I see something, I know I can contribute to this,
00:11:57
Speaker
And you know what is the most significant impact that I can make in this world? And and I just love the fact that here in the US, people retire to Florida. That's their destination go-to. And we're another generation, and we're thinking, we don't have to do that. We could do something else. so love to you know, keep redefining it. That's why I want to share that with your audience, that there's always that potential to to to grow and to change and to find space so that you do have your freedom and healthy retirement. Yes, I agree with you. And one of the things that you mentioned is about identity.
00:12:43
Speaker
And I'm thinking that we spend our careers with an identity. We can always describe ourselves as a job title or someone who works in a particular place. And that is it is something that is given to us by other people. So our identity i is I work in this organization, I do this job, I am this type of professional. Whatever it is, we have an identity which is given to us and we accept. From what you're saying, that stops when somebody is no longer an employee or no longer a worker, no longer an entrepreneur and they become this retiree.
Challenges and Opportunities in Retirement
00:13:26
Speaker
And from what you're saying, it sounds like part of the, an important part of
00:13:34
Speaker
Being a successful retiree is finding your identity and your purpose, which will you will use as an individual to define successful retiree on your terms rather than having someone else or another an organization or a professional body define you in terms of the success of your career. Yeah, that's beautifully put, Michael. I i really love how how you're describing it. You know, here in the US, s and i'm I'm sure it is the same really around the world, that that that our identity comes from
00:14:14
Speaker
you know, initially our families and our schooling, then sort of our community, our experiences in life, and then of course topped off by our company. So are we that school teacher or professor? Are we that physician? Are we that entrepreneur in tech? Are we, I don't know, the CFO of the company? You know, what's the first thing when you go to a, a cocktail party or dinner with people that you don't know. The first question is, well, what do you do? And people say, well, I'm a this or that. right So when this when we come to this side, what do you do? And this this answer to this question is absolutely staggering. People feel like they're in freefall. And so how they answer it usually is in the past. Oh,
00:15:08
Speaker
I was that lawyer. I was that, I don't know, seed venture capitalist or whatever the situation is, but what's happening is then is that that person is living in the past. They're here in the present, but they're not living in the present. And so it's defining, you called it labels, and I think that that's really a great word to use, it's labeling and it's it's it's really blowing up those labels and letting them go and defining new labels. So for instance, for me, what are my labels? I want to make impact in the world. I want to change people's livelihoods in as much as
00:16:02
Speaker
their mindset, their identity. I want to support and guide them. Why? Because I never had that when this passage came from me. It's the most radical passage that a human will will go through um more than college, more than marriage, more than moving. I mean, it's scientifically the data behind that supports that Retirement can be really great ah for those who prepare and who are really thoughtful in their process. This is not something that you just click your fingers and oh, done, boom. It's constant adjustment. man But on the other side, and not to be negative, but on the other side, it can also go radically wrong very quickly.
00:16:59
Speaker
and so um having that curiosity of, okay, yeah I always ask the question, so who are you becoming, Michael, right? If you're in into that path, right? And it's a very difficult question to answer because yeah I would always say, I don't know. I have no clue. What am I? I don't know. So it's a real struggle And some people are very, very pointed toward an answer. They're pretty clear. They just don't know how to get from there to here. But other people are need to really sit with that and and figure that out. Yeah.
00:17:39
Speaker
Yeah. I remember as an HR person, going to retirement functions, for people for people who had worked extremely hard, would be the first one in the office, the last one to leave, all these sorts of things that go through with the retirement function. And when you say it does not always work for people within a year representing the organization, at their funeral because they had not made the adjustment to retirement. It was just too much of a challenge for them and they didn't they didn't make the like the change into a different mindset, a different way of living. All this sort of retirement was, from that perception, a negative
00:18:23
Speaker
I'm capable of so much more, but the law, the whatever, says I have to retire. yeah Bang. And they lose a lot of self-respect and a lot of self-worth and don't find something else, even though they have a lot to offer. you don't find something that will fill the void of work because that's the big challenge isn't it from what you're saying that is the big challenge it is you work five 40 hours a week five days a week or more you have success you have all of this ah recognition and credibility because of the work that you do and what you have achieved
00:19:00
Speaker
And this idea that instead of being a positive retiree with a range of things you're involved in, it's I was. right I was. it It reminds me of that film the um with Robert De Niro. I don't know, but there's the line, I used to be somebody. Yes, yes, that's a common line. Yes. yes I used to be somebody. yeah I used to be somebody and now I don't know who I am. and and And the thing that you're saying about I used to be somebody, we're feeding our mind. The more we say that and and i'm I'm back in school learning some really interesting things about the subconscious and
00:19:48
Speaker
um What I'm learning is that when we feed ourselves, that sort of looping, repetitive, I used to be, and and many other things that were, you know, I can't contribute the way I want to contribute. I don't, i don't as you said, self-war, self-esteem, you know, the support system of a company is not around this person. That really affects the body because the mind and the body are so connected. And we're learning more and more and more about the science of of this and you know what you feed yourself meaning in your mind um Then unfortunately when you were in HR and you would be experiencing a downward trend in someone that you who was a vital so important individual
00:20:43
Speaker
you know, probably a superstar in the company that you were with. Right. So it happens. It can happen. i'm
Top Tips for Retirement Preparation
00:20:51
Speaker
I'm saying very, very quickly. But the opposite. i I don't want to, you know, say such negative things, but also there's a possibility and an opportunity to reverse that thinking. And that's, again, from a science point of view, that there are are avenues forward. Very positive, very exciting, very challenging, very expansive.
00:21:16
Speaker
that are you know it's a um I personally think it's the most glorious time in someone's livelihood. I agree with you. But you know if someone is listening to this and thinking about, OK, I can see the point where I would like to retire. Say they're in their late 40s, early 50s, or any age, doesn't matter really. But what would you say would be the the top three things that someone should do in order to prepare for a positive retirement? Yeah, that's that's a great question. and
00:21:55
Speaker
I think there's there's side-by-side things that that are needed here. One, definitely, while I don't do it, I do some pieces of it, but not to the extent of the finance piece, because you can't have a retirement if you don't have the pennies in the bank. So to get that house in order, right? Where are we? What do we think? How much, you know, the budgeting, all of these things and and the growth factor, built in for inflation and there's a thousand other qualifiers that are needed there. The second, and that's the house of finance, right? Let's just define it like that. And, you know, insurance policies and and medical stuff and all that kind of good stuff. But that's also the house of you, the house of Nancy or Michael or
00:22:45
Speaker
or Brian or people like that, getting that house in order is equally so. And I declare that the third one is that it's of equal value, both the finance and the person. And if anything, I would spend more time on the person because without the person, you really can't have this retirement unless that house is in order. And that's, I think, what people miss. They focus so much on, oh my gosh, I need these pennies, which is, yes, we do. But we also need the House of View in order.
00:23:25
Speaker
Yeah. Make sure you're looking after you so that you can look after me other the people and you can actually look after yourself. I suppose it's one of the key messages. You know, Nancy has been really, very interesting. I think I'm learning a lot. I'm a few years off retirement, but I certainly have learned a lot. Thank you very much, Nancy, for taking the time to meet with me today and for helping me create such an interesting episode of Fit for My Age. Thank you. Thank you, Michael. And thank you to you for listening. I am Michael Millward, managing director of Abecedah, and I have been having a fit for my age conversation with Nancy Schwartz, the founder and principal of Envision Healthy Retirement.
00:24:10
Speaker
You can find out more about both of us at abbacida.co.uk. There is a link in the description, together with a link to Nancy's website. I must remember to thank the team at matchmaker dot.fm for introducing me to Nancy. If you are a podcaster looking for interesting guests, or if like Nancy you have something very interesting to say, matchmaker dot.fm is where matches of great hosts, that's me, and fabulous guests, like Nancy, are made.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:24:41
Speaker
There is a link to matchmaker so.fm and an offer code in the description. If you fancy visiting the United States where Nancy is based, the best way to plan your travel is with the Ultimate Travel Club. You'll find a link and a membership discount code in the description. The description is certainly worth reading.
00:25:02
Speaker
If you've liked this edition of For My Age, please give it a like and download it so that you can listen anytime, anywhere. To make sure you don't miss out on future editions, please subscribe. Remember, the aim of all the podcasts produced by Abersida is not to tell you what to think, but we do hope to make you think. Thank you.