Circumvent the tired and conventional approaches of finding purpose, passion, or happiness to discover a path of fulfillment after 60 by pursuing desires, mastering risk-taking, and expanding horizons with confidence.

The crisis of unfulfilled lives unfolds gradually, often with acquiesced boredom and a flimsy search for purpose. Our relevancy comes into question, or we succumb to the idea that the future will be one of slow-moving ambition and then an even slower glide into comfort as the flush of freedom fades. We can change this outcome if we want to. We should want to.

The 60-Something Crisis: How to Live an Extraordinary Life in Retirement (a 2023 Nautilus Book Award winner) is the first book to circumvent the tired and conventional approaches of finding purpose, passion, or happiness, or using reinvention to discover a path of fulfillment after 60. It presents a clear, practical framework through four portals—geography of place, yield, kinship, and freedom—to navigate and support future well-being and happiness. Readers will learn how to pursue desires, not roadmaps, to increase self-confidence and master risk-taking, and will discover the power and potential of investing in themselves at this time of life.

Barbara L. Pagano provides the foundation for taking on or taking back late-stage growth and shifts the conversation from “What’s next?” to “What do I need to know, what do I need to do now, and how soon can I get started?” This book is more than happy talk. Pre-retirees on the brink of a major life transition or retirees who want more from life will find themselves pulled toward a higher target of well-being that endures. Mature adults, now novices in an unfamiliar, uncharted landscape, will welcome a smart, well-written, practical, and poignant guide to hustle them forward, anchored in an award-winning author’s deeply personal experience, well-researched content, and over 200 interviews with retirees and pre-retires. The 60-Something Crisis offers a powerful message for the last third of life.

Barbara L. Pagano is a former executive coach and seasoned speaker, who has motivated thousands of senior leaders and middle managers to higher levels of performance in work and life. Her previous book, The Transparency Edge: How Credibility Can Make or Break You in Business, was chosen by Fast Company magazine as a "Book of the Month." A fierce advocate for the sabbatical movement, Barbara is co-founder of YourSABBATICAL.com. Barbara is co-author of The Ultimate Toolkit for Writing and Presenting a Killer Sabbatical Proposal Your Boss Cant Refuse and The Comprehensive Sabbatical Program Toolkit: A How-To Guide for Implementing Your Companys Sabbatical Strategy. When not speaking, coaching, or writing, Barbara takes tap dancing classes and will trade in her ten-year-old bike for an electric bike to ascend those hills on the Natchez Trace Parkway near her home in Nashville, TN.

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Introduction

Part I: The New Defining Moment

Chapter 1. What Happens When You Don’t Give Life Your Best Shot?

Chapter 2. When Did You Leave Mid-Life Behind?

Chapter 3. Where Did the Truth in Your Life Go?

Chapter 4. Redefining Work in Retirement

Chapter 5. Crisis Craziness: Navigating a String of Transitions

Part II: A Future That is Truly Your Own

Chapter 6. The First Portal: Geography of Place

Chapter 7. The Second Portal: Yield

Chapter 8. The Third Portal: Freedom

Chapter 9. The Fourth Portal: Kinship

Part III. Your New 25-Year Life

Chapter 10. How Not to Squander Your Next Decades

Chapter 11. There Will Be Winners

Bibliography

Notes

Index

About the Author

Circumvent the tired and conventional approaches of finding purpose, passion, or happiness to discover a path of fulfillment after 60by pursuing desires, master risk-taking, and expanding horizons with confidence.

[A]n invigorating take on how to best use one’s later years. The author urges readers to make the most of their retirement and encourages them to see themselves as “unfinished,” citing a study that found participants underestimated how much they would change in the future. Pagano recounts how she threw out her first childhood dance costume after finding it among her late mother’s belongings and emphasizes the importance of letting go of past identities so one can embrace new ones: “In our 60s, we can begin to reconfigure the full set of possibilities in our lives, but we will limit our creative powers if we cling to old, wonderful roles.” Recommending that readers consider the myriad opportunities afforded by retirement, including the ability to relocate, the author provides a questionnaire to help readers assess their priorities when looking for a place to live. Pagano’s achievement lies in the flexibility of her prescriptions, which inspire a sense of possibility by highlighting nontraditional options for growing old…. Retirees will find this revitalizing.
— Publishers Weekly

It takes courage to approach your life with no limits—and no age limits. As we increasingly lead long and healthy lives, Barbara Paganos new book shows us how to renew ourselves with curiosity, self-knowledge, and joy. A great read for those who want to make every second of their lives count.
— Dorie Clark, author, “The Long Game” and executive education faculty, Duke University Fuqua School of Business

Retirement can feel like trying to completely reinvent your life—but it doesnt have to! Filled with engaging stories, thoughtful introspection, and humor to keep the pages turning, Barbara will guide you in reflection of how you can plan and prepare for this chapter of life. A must read!
— Marshall Goldsmith, New York Times #1 bestselling author of "Triggers," "Mojo," and "What Got You Here Won’t Get You There"

Brilliant, simply brilliant! Just when it appears life as we know it is coming to a close, Barbara illuminates how to enhance our intention, courage, and playfulness for the next 25 years!
— C. Richard Weylman, CSP, CPAE international bestselling author and yes, over sixty!

In The 60-Something Crisis, Barbara Pagano has put her finger on the most crucial element anyone at any age needs for a rich, fulfilling life: a spirit of exploration. This book will honor your earned wisdom and life experience, guiding you to identify and celebrate the steps right in front of you, on your way to a deliberate and satisfying retirement.
— Sarah Hays Coomer, NBC-HWC, author of “The Habit Trip”, “Physical Disobedience”, and “Lightness of Body and Mind”

Boomers keep boomin! The generation who pioneered rock ‘n’ roll and created the internet is now inventing a new stage of life—the post-career flourish. Barbara Pagano shows us an array of possibilities for a dynamic "fourth quarter" of meaning and happiness—a welcome answer to "Whats next?" Well-researched, well-written, wise and inspiring, this book will open your eyes to a new view of the rest of your life, and show you how to find the paths to take you there.
— Marti Barletta, author of “Marketing to PrimeTime Women: How to Win the Hearts, Minds and Business of Boomer Big Spenders”

The awareness that came to me powerfully as I enjoyed The 60-Something Crisis is that this book is about more than strategic planning or defining a legacy. It’s a book about love; and stepping into a greater love of life and love of ourselves. I’m a 50-something, and Pagano’s loving wisdom has arrived just in time for me
— David Hutchins, author of “Story Dash”

Retirement today looks very different than it did when my mother and father retired. We will live and work longer than our parents did. Therefore, we have a lot more financial and life decisions to make. The 60-Something Crisis: How to Live an Extraordinary Life in Retirement lays out a framework on why, how, and when to approach those decisions intentionally.
— Marc Miller, author, “Repurpose Your Career–A Practical Guide to the 2nd Half of Life” and host, “Repurpose Your Career” podcast

This is the book so many of us need right now. Barbara Pagano provides a thoughtful, practical, and compelling approach to what truly matters as we stand on the threshold of the last third of life. Packed with actionable advice you’ll be able to apply immediately.
— Emma Seppälä, author, “The Happiness Track” and faculty director, Yale School of Management

If you’re considering “what’s next?” Barbara Paganos book, The 60-Something Crisis: How to Live an Extraordinary Life in Retirement, provides a thoughtful and compelling blueprint for creating a fulfilling last third of life. Its filled with her hard-earned wisdom and offers practical and actionable advice.
— Dorian Mintzer, MSW, PhD, BCC-certified professional retirement coach, coauthor of “The Couples Retirement Puzzle: 10 Must-Have Conversations for Creating an Amazing New Life Together”