Welcome to retirement in the 21st century!
Now that we are living longer and healthier lives, it’s normal to experience a full and thriving 20 to 30 years after retirement. You may spend this “next chapter” engaged in a second or third career, developing a passion, in service to the community, traveling around the world, connecting more deeply with family and friends, maintaining or creating a more healthy lifestyle, or growing your spiritual side!
While the opportunities in retirement are endless, so too are the anxiety and questioning if you don’t have a plan in place. Perhaps you thought just hanging out, resting, and engaging in your favorite recreation would be enough. Or you may have worked out all the financial pieces but didn’t think about any potential family tensions, loss of purpose, or sense of isolation that now cause emotional pain.
HOW CAN COACHING HELP?
Enter the retirement coach, a trained professional, who can make the journey from work to retirement a smooth ride!
After working with me, you can expect to have
• a clearer vision of your retirement
• an assessment of where you are now on this journey
• a process for moving forward
• lifestyle changes you want to implement along the way
• resources to support you
• confidence and peace of mind that you will make this transition with ease
WHY DOES RETIREMENT COACHING WORK?
I work in partnership with you to come up with a realistic and action-based plan to move you toward your ideal retirement.
As your explore options , set long and short-term goals, and try on new skills, habits, and ways of thinking, I’m there as your coach to encourage you, provide resources, give feedback, and hold you accountable.
HOW CAN YOU WORK WITH ME AS YOUR COACH?
One-on-one hour-long coaching sessions - in person in the San Diego area, or by phone or virtually anywhere in the US or Canada. Group coaching with 6-8 participants interested in exploring the same topic or book .
The Energy Leadership Assessment and Debrief is the perfect first step for most clients. This online assessment shows how you respond energetically to situations, both under normal circumstances and when under stress. When you have this valuable information, you can choose how you want to respond to life’s circumstances as you move into retirement and aging.
Group Coaching - Would you like to explore a challenge or opportunity with a group of people who may be experiencing something similar? Would you be open to sharing your problems with the group and to being coached by me and perhaps other group members? AND/OR
Is the cost of one-on-one coaching stopping you from trying it?
Group Coaching may be perfect for you. If you already have a group in mind, I’d be happy to have a conversation to see if I’d be the right person to coach you. If you’re looking for a group, we can collaborate to create one.
RETIREMENT PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS I OFFER TO GROUPS
Having spent over thirty years as an educator, I love to give presentations and lead workshops. You may have been part of one of my classes at Oasis or The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at SDSU. I have spoken at churches and other organizations as well. To see an annotated list of some of my presentations and workshops, please click here.
Virginia is a terrific listener and excellent at helping her clients get clarity.
When I started working with Virginia, I had been retired for over three years from a long career in teaching and was still dabbling in real estate. I felt stuck and wanted to double check that I wasn’t missing out on any major or obvious themes around retirement. She helped me see my areas of strengths and weaknesses and develop a purpose for my retirement. My retirement goals in all areas of my life became more crystallized. As Virginia listened and asked clarifying questions, I was able to think through my daydreams and spontaneous itches, putting some aside to consider later and moving forward with others.
Because she specializes in working with retirees, Virginia could understand the transition I was going through and confirm that I was on the right wavelength. By sharing her own and other retirees’ stories she validated my experiences and made me feel less isolated. I was encouraged not to overdo and to savor this time to try new things and enjoy my leisure.
Virginia is a terrific listener and excellent at helping her clients get clarity. I recommend that recent retirees get a checkup with her to assess if they are on track for a balanced, meaningful life. Through the coaching process they can put their dreams on the table, learn resources for accomplishing them, and be held accountable for acting on them.
Lucy Abernathy
Realtor, Educator, Corporate Trainer
San Diego, CA
If you go to Virginia for coaching, you will have an informed, caring, and “with it” advocate steering you through your process of retirement…
When Virginia began coaching me, I was working for a large corporation at a job where I was under a lot of stress. I knew I had to retire, but I was concerned, even fearful about it. Moving forward on my own was difficult given the retirement stereotypes I had inherited. I actually worried about having a lot of free time. What I needed was guidance to plan for retirement and accountability to follow through. Virginia provided me with exactly that.
Virginia’s coaching revealed new possibilities for my retirement . After taking the retirement assessment, I had a clearer picture of where I was. By setting goals in different areas and looking at how to use my time effectively, I had a retirement roadmap. My fears subsided, and I had the courage to retire without feeling panicked.
Now that I’m retired, I have a compass to navigate this new phase of my life. Meeting with Virginia through the first months of retirement helped me ease into my new life style–I have fine-tuned my schedule and dealt with those feelings of loss that come with any transition. I’m much more relaxed, get enough rest, enjoy life more, and have just enough to do. I recently joined a retirement discussion/support group that Virginia leads through Oasis to share my successes.
If you go to Virginia for coaching, you will have an informed, caring, and “with it” advocate steering you through your process of retirement, because she is retired herself and specializes in coaching retirees. She will provide you with the tools you need on your retirement journey through an organized coaching experience. It’s one of the most valuable things I have done – the right thing at the right time. Contact Virginia Berger.
Sandra C. Phillips
Staff Technical Writer
San Diego, CA