TRANSCRIPT
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#79 - Creating Your Encore Chapter with Joy Levin
In this episode, Eric Blake talks with retirement coach Joy Levin about how Gen X women can design a meaningful “encore chapter” after a long professional career. They discuss identity shifts, navigating ageism, adapting after COVID, creating purpose in retirement, and Joy’s five-part framework for building an intentional next chapter.
Introduction
Eric Blake: What if retirement was not about stepping away, but stepping into something new? For many Gen X women, the next chapter is not about slowing down — it is about creating an encore filled with purpose, passion, and possibility. Welcome to another episode of the Simply Retirement Podcast, where we want to empower and educate women to live your retirement on your terms.
I am your host, Eric Blake, practicing retirement planner with over 25 years of experience, founder of Blake Wealth Management, and I would not be the man I am today without the women in my life. If you have ever wondered how to move on from a successful career into a purpose-driven encore, this episode is for you.
You are going to walk away with insights and strategies to help you feel confident, strategic, and supported as you plan your next chapter. Joining me today is Joy Levin, President and Certified Professional Retirement Coach at Gen X Exec Encore. Joy is passionate about helping high-achieving Gen X professionals reimagine what is next — not just retiring.
Creating an encore life that blends purpose, passion, and new opportunities. With nearly three decades as a market-research consultant and entrepreneur, she brings both professional insight and personal experience to guiding clients through one of life’s biggest transitions. Joy Levin, welcome to the Simply Retirement Podcast.
Joy Levin: Thank you so much for having me. I’m really excited to be here.
Eric Blake: Awesome. So before we dive in, I have to say there is a statement that I read on your website as I was preparing for our conversation today. It says, “Life after building a successful, high-achieving career or profitable business is not about slowing down — it is about finding what lights you up.”
I thought that was such a powerful message, and I would love to start there. What inspired that message? How does it reflect your approach to helping Gen X find that next step into the next phase of life and working with them on that next chapter?
Listener Question / Opening Discussion
Joy Levin: Yeah, it is a great question. You know, so there are a number of—let me unpack my answer to that, because there are a couple of different pieces to it.
So I will start with: for 30 years I have been a sole proprietor — and not in retirement coaching, in a market-research consulting business. And during that time, I was finding that… so first of all, I did it for almost 30 years. And so I started to think, what else is next? Like, what else is out there? Because I feel like there is just so much people have left to do and to create.
So that was part of it. And then I started having conversations with my clients where they would say, “You know, I am thinking of retiring, but I cannot because I just do not know what else I would do.” You know? And so it was all these things coming together.
And so I was on my own journey and I heard theirs, and I came upon retirement coaching and thought, this is perfect. This is the answer. It is really about helping people figure out — or empowering them to figure out — what is going to be their purpose after their full-time career.
You know, one of the things I just kind of said is we conceivably have 10 or 15,000 more days ahead of us. And to think of just doing one thing, or just being on the golf course, or whatever, for all that time… it is just not going to do it.
Even people I talk to will say, “I love being retired. I found things I like, but I still feel like something is missing — that purpose and that relevance is just not there. I like spending time with my grandkids or doing hobbies.” And so I realized there is this space, especially for Gen X — who I identify so closely with since I am a member of Gen X.
Yes. And so I get it. I totally get where they are coming from. And so it is really a matter of working with them in a variety of ways to figure out what is going to be that purpose for them.
Identity in Retirement
Eric Blake: Well, I am trying to figure out how we got to this point. I mean, you are talking about Gen X and I am Gen X — I am like, how can I already be in that? How did that happen?
Joy Levin: It is crazy. I know. It happened so fast. And I think especially for Gen X — you know, we have always been called the “forgotten generation,” and so it is almost like we forgot ourselves that we are… oh. We are getting older. Wait. That happened?
Eric Blake: Well, I think it is funny. I am sure you have seen those posts on social media about Gen X and, “Did you really have to drink from the water hose?” All that stuff. I love those. But one of the things that is interesting — and I know I feel this as well — is that many high-achieving professionals and business owners struggle with that identity after leaving a long career.
Can you talk about that? What are some of the most common challenges you see people facing when they are trying to make that transition?
Joy Levin: Yeah. I mean, you know, they have spent decades — when people say to them, or ask them, “So what do you do?” — they have spent decades answering that in a certain way. Or sometimes they have pivoted or made some career changes, but they have always had this thing that identified them in terms of what they do.
And now they are faced with identifying themselves as who they are. It is a big difference.
And so that is part of what I think makes the transition so difficult. Women are used to saying, “Well, I am a teacher, I am a doctor, I am a lawyer,” whatever it is. And now they are not prepared to think of who they are at their core — what their values are, and how what they do will align with those values.
And so that is a big part of it — making that switch in your mind to really thinking internally about what is it that lights you up.
When to Start Planning the Encore Chapter
Joy Levin: …and it takes some exploration and some time. And really, the best time to do that is a few years before you retire so that you have time to put things in place.
Eric Blake: Well, I always get asked this question in terms of retirement planning — “When’s the best time to start?” And usually the answer is: yesterday. So from your perspective, when you say, “Start well in advance of the transition,” what is your general guidance? When should we start thinking about putting that plan together?
Joy Levin: Yeah. You know, I work with people and sometimes a two-to-five-year timeframe is a really good sweet spot. Because by that point, you have some idea of when. You have some sense of what you have accomplished. You also have some sense of the skills you have used throughout your career that have made you successful and gotten you to a certain point.
But what you do not really realize is that some of those skills are not going to serve you well in retirement — things in terms of relationships, how you spent your time, what was powering you through.
And so that is a good amount of time for you to have a grasp on what those things are, and still have time to reincorporate how those might shift so that you are prepared when the time comes. So I usually tell people: two to five years.
But I work with people who have a shorter timeframe, and people who have already retired and — like I said — have found some things they enjoy, but are missing that piece.
Eric Blake: Well, I think that is interesting that you use that two-to-five-year timeframe, because it is very similar to what we do when you are in that window of time. That is when you really start thinking about your strategy around Social Security. Where are my income sources actually going to be coming from? Is one of those sources going to be work? Am I going to work part-time? What am I going to do?
And I think one of the things that is interesting about your process is your framework that you use for coaching. I would love to hear — can you walk through what your framework looks like, and how you feel it helps people design that encore life?
The “Mix Tapes to Meaning” Framework
Joy Levin: Yeah. No, I love talking about this because it involves this iconic imagery and cultural element of what we grew up with. I call it “From Mix Tapes to Meaning.”
Eric Blake: Only Gen X knows what a mix tape is though, right?
Joy Levin: I know, right? Who in Gen X did NOT make mix tapes? Whether they were themed, or you taped songs off the radio and said, “This is what I’m going to be listening to,” or you made them for friends.
So that is how I shape the framework:
1. Rewind
Reflect on your past — your values, what brought you fulfillment before.
What hobbies did you have?
What did you love doing that you may have left behind?
What patterns from the past might show what will fulfill you in the future?
2. Remix
Merge old skills with new ones.
How did you do things then?
How can you do them now?
How do your lifelong strengths blend with the abilities you developed in your career?
A common example:Someone discovers they loved connecting with friends growing up, and now they use that strength in consulting — stepping away from the full-time grind but still helping others using the skills they built.
3. Reset
Figure out how to carry everything forward.
Will it be consulting?
Volunteering?
A passion project?
How much time do you want to spend?
How do you want your days structured?
4. Reconnect
Rebuild relationships.A lot of women realize their friendships were tied to their kids’ schedules or colleagues. When you retire or shift to an encore career:
Who fills which roles in your life?
What social connections do you need to rebuild?
Where are the gaps?
5. Revive
Apply the whole package to your future.
Use your new skills.
Rebuild the friendships you want.
Live out your new plan.
Joy Levin: So that is the long explanation of how the framework works.
Eric Blake: Oh, that is awesome. Well, I think the important thing about any type of framework — or, you know, we talk about our Simply Retirement Roadmap process — is it helps people put the pieces together.
Because one of the things I would love your input on is: there is always going to be that fear of starting over, or self-doubt. You and I talked about ageism when we first spoke, and the worries about situations like that. These are real barriers. So how do you help clients shift that mindset to see what is possible?
Mindset Shifts, Self-Doubt, and Ageism
Joy Levin: Yeah. I love that framework you have — that roadmap. Because one of the things we talk about is that this truly is a journey, right? It is not — as I’m sure in your field also — a one-and-done.
You are probably always revisiting that financial plan.
Eric Blake: Absolutely.
Joy Levin: “What changes have happened? How can we tweak things?” And so it is very similar here. We say, “Okay, let’s take where we are now and build this around how life is going to look. Then revisit it every so often to make sure: Are you still on that road? Still on that pathway? Have things changed?”
And so I think of it that way.
But the ageism part plays a huge role. Like I mentioned with consulting — many people realize, “Corporate life is not going to fit for me anymore. I’m not even going to do part-time. I’m going to build a consulting practice or do a passion project and show the wisdom I have accumulated.”
And a movement I am excited about is intergenerational workspaces. Some forward-thinking companies are realizing that if they lose all that experience, who replaces it?
And so employers are finding ways to incorporate seasoned professionals — part-time, consulting, mentoring — and it becomes a win-win.
Bridging Generational Communication
Eric Blake: But I think that is the difficult part — the different communication styles. How one generation communicates with another. Are there any specific exercises you use to improve that communication gap?
Joy Levin: Yeah. A lot of people are doing reverse mentoring, where younger people mentor older people on communication styles. “Here is how we communicate now.” And the more experienced person can say, “Okay, that helps me reframe how I communicate.”
We do exercises around:
Understanding communication styles
Understanding people’s experiences
Understanding the workplace shifts they’ve lived through
COVID is a great example — it changed everything for younger workers just entering the workforce. Navigating hybrid environments, remote work… it is a challenge.
So we do exercises that marry the skills from both sides — remote skills, hybrid skills, communication patterns — so both can succeed.
Post-COVID Changes in the Workplace
Eric Blake: And just out of curiosity — it kind of popped into my head — what have you seen differently in the last handful of years after COVID? We saw pretty significant changes. Pre-COVID vs. post-COVID, how did your work change? Did you see a significant difference in terms of how people were reacting to the coaching you were doing?
Joy Levin: Yeah, to some degree. For example, just using Zoom, right? I was not really using it. I mean, I have been a sole proprietor for many years, and so I worked from a remote environment for much of that time. But I realized people were not as comfortable with Zoom or similar tools, so helping them navigate that in a way where they could communicate well was important.
Just because you are working from home, you still have to have a professional appearance, and everything that comes with that. So that was one example.
And then again — that switch to the remote environment had major implications. I could tell it was not going to be just a COVID thing. It was going to change how we communicate, how we meet, how we schedule things.
Being mindful that when people have a half-hour or an hour, you have to stop. They probably have something immediately after the meeting, because they are not driving somewhere — it is happening right after this. So those were major shifts that impacted how people related to one another, how they communicated, and how they worked.
Adapting Your Own Skills After COVID
Eric Blake: Did you feel like your skill set had to change a little bit? Because one of the things I noticed is that after that period where we had everything remote — a lot of our clients are in their sixties — they liked the one-on-one, in-person meetings. But I also saw a shift where a lot of them said, “I’m actually okay with Zoom. I had to learn it. Now I can stay in my pajamas, do whatever I’m going to do. We can still talk about my retirement goals, tax planning, and everything else.”
And I had to make sure I was communicating effectively and using the tools available. Did you see some of that as a challenge, or because you had been doing remote work for a while, was it actually a benefit?
Joy Levin: Yeah, I think it helped. I still had to realize that in-person was just off the table for a little while. And I have always said that working remotely has been great for me because I am kind of an introvert. That does not mean I do not have good social skills, but I get my energy from being by myself.
But there are extroverts who love being around a lot of people. And what I found was: I was used to getting out. That was my way of getting out — in-person meetings, traveling, being outside these four walls on a regular basis.
So I had to find new ways to energize myself — to maintain the energy that getting out used to give me. Because it was a break. For solopreneurs, that is our water cooler — getting out and talking to people. So you really had to be mindful that you could not just shut that off.
How Remote Work Expanded Coaching Opportunities
Eric Blake: One of the things I think is interesting with the transition we saw as a result of COVID and more remote work is: we now have clients across the country. Over the last handful of years, we have clients in New Jersey, North Carolina, everywhere.
I’m curious how that impacted your business. Did it open up your audience? Expand who was reaching out to you? How did that impact things?
Joy Levin: Yeah, it definitely did. One of the things I was finding is that you really had to think in terms of time zone. I did not necessarily have to worry about that before, and all of a sudden, talking to people in California required flexibility.
And that is one of the things about Gen X — we are very adaptable and resilient. Because of everything we have been through culturally, we have learned how to bounce back, I think, in some ways better than other generations.
So that enabled me to quickly figure out, “Okay, sometimes I’m going to be having meetings at nine o’clock at night if it is six o’clock Pacific time.”
So in that way, it changed things for me — really relying on adaptability and flexibility.
What Working With Joy Looks Like
Eric Blake: Awesome. So what does a relationship with you look like? Somebody is interested in engaging your services — they reach out. Is there an introductory call? What is your process for someone wanting to explore that next chapter?
Joy Levin: Yeah, we do exploratory calls because I am a firm believer that it has to be a good match. Every coach is different. Every person is different. They have to feel comfortable with me — my style, the way I work.
So we do an introductory call — about 20 minutes — where we talk about the main things they want to think about or talk about. What are they looking for in a coach? Have they done coaching before? All those kinds of things.
If the fit feels right, we go into either a six-session or eight-session engagement. Sometimes weekly, sometimes biweekly. And we move through a series of exercises.
The very first thing I do is give them a checklist of probably over a hundred topics. That helps us really focus in on the main things they want to talk about — social aspects, relocating, struggles they are facing.
I also work with couples. And sometimes you have two very different ideas of what the future is going to look like — I’m sure you see that in your work as well. And it can be a challenge to merge those two visions and realize, “Oh, we actually have not talked about this.”
I had one couple: one wanted to retire and travel. The spouse said, “We have animals — that doesn’t make sense.” They realized that maybe traveling just one or two weeks a year did make sense. But until they talked about it, one person was imagining constant travel.
So we go over the hundred-topic checklist, then go through exercises about where they are now, what they imagine for themselves. We do Gen-X-tailored exercises like the Latchkey Legacy.
Eric Blake: I was one of those.
Joy Levin: You were? I was a latchkey kid, right? It created positive attributes — we became very independent. But it also had some unhelpful pieces, like, “I’m just going to go it on my own.” So how does that impact relationships? We tease apart all of that.
Usually it is six to eight sessions. And then at the end, there is a takeaway — either a spreadsheet or a vision board. After that, we can revisit once a year, twice a year, every couple of years — whatever makes sense.
But what I like is that it has a finite timeframe. People do not feel like they are signing up for something that goes on forever. It does not have to be that way. And I have structured it to make sure we hit all the main points in those sessions.
Transformation Stories
Eric Blake: That is awesome. Do you have an example of someone you worked with where it really made a significant difference? You do not have to mention names, of course, but maybe an example where someone really took off in the next phase?
Joy Levin: Yeah. A couple come to mind.
One attorney I worked with — very used to doing things a certain way — realized after our work together that she wanted to write a book. She had not thought of that before. That was exciting.
Another example: a couple where one spouse said, “I don’t socialize much outside of our relationship.” The wife said she felt guilty going off with a friend and leaving her spouse at home.
We worked together to help him rebuild his own social circle. He reached out virtually to friends he had not connected with in years. They started weekly or biweekly calls. That completely transformed his relationships and removed her guilt.
And those things seem small — but they make a huge difference.
Small First Steps Toward an Encore Life
Eric Blake: That is perfect. So someone out there is in this limbo stage — thinking about a transition or next phase — what are one or two actions they could take right now?
Joy Levin: It is the small things. Sit down with a pad of paper and think through:
What am I worried about in the next chapter?
What is one small thing I can do today or tomorrow?
If you do not want to work full-time but do not want to disconnect completely, brainstorm hobbies. If you love animals, maybe work in a pet store part-time. Small steps give you a new sense of freedom, connection, and fulfillment.
Sometimes I work with people for just three sessions — especially those who have retired and are happy in many ways but missing something. We can identify that in just a few sessions.
How Listeners Can Connect With Joy
Eric Blake: Perfect. Well, so then how can our listeners connect with you, learn more about your services, and potential coaching opportunities?
Joy Levin: Yeah. So, my website is www.genxencorelife.com.They can reach out to me by email at jlevin@genxencorelife.com.I am on LinkedIn. I would love to hear from them — just reach out and tell me what their thoughts were, if they have any ideas of what they might like to do. Yeah, that is the best way to connect.
Eric Blake: Well, that is perfect. We will be sure to include all of that in the show notes and the episode summary — the website, email, all that good stuff.
Joy, thank you so much for joining me. This has been an awesome conversation. As always, thank you to our listeners for tuning in. If Joy’s message resonated with you and you are curious about creating your own encore chapter, I definitely encourage you to reach out to her directly.
Joy works with Gen X professionals who want to be more than just “retired.” They want to discover what truly lights them up in the next phase of life. Again, we are going to share her website and LinkedIn in the show notes — highly recommend reaching out to her.
That is it for today’s episode. For all the links and resources mentioned today, you can go to thesimplyretirementpodcast.com. Please do not forget to like, follow, and share the show.
Until next time, please remember: retirement is not the end of the road — it is the start of a new journey.
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