Retirement is a modern invention, but your brain didn't get the upgrade. In this episode, I unpack why so many retirees feel restless, guilty, or underwhelmed, even when life looks "perfect on paper." It's not because something is wrong with you, it's because you're trying to run a 21st-century life on Stone Age wiring.

I explore the mismatch between modern retirement and ancient survival instincts, why you struggle to relax, why doing nothing feels uncomfortable, why spending feels risky, and why your brain craves purpose, progress and tribe. Most importantly, I share how to retrain your mind for this new chapter, without fighting your biology.

• Why retirement feels unsettling (and why it's not your fault)

• The clash between modern freedom and caveman brain wiring

• How dopamine, productivity and survival instincts mess with your retirement mindset

• Why your brain resists rest, spending and stillness

• Five ways to "upgrade the software" — from micro-missions to novelty, contribution and healthy discomfort

• How to feel useful, alive and excited again in retirement

👉 Pick one "Brain Upgrade" and try it for 7 days:

• Set a Micro Mission (e.g. walk 10k steps daily, plan a trip, finish a book)

• Add Novelty — try something new for 30 minutes a day

• Create Contribution — teach, help, give or mentor someone

• Introduce Healthy Discomfort — cold shower, tech-free evening, social challenge

At the end of the week ask:
How did it feel? What did it teach me about what my brain needs?

• Micro Missions, Contribution Loops & Novelty Windows — My behavioural retirement tools

Episode 11 — The Retirement Focus Ratio: Are You Solving the Wrong Problem?
Why most retirement plans are 90% about money… but most retiree worries are 90% about life. And how to fix the imbalance.

Retirement isn't a finish line; it's an emotional rollercoaster. In this episode, I break the myth of the "happily ever after" retirement and introduce The Retirement Reinvention Curve — an honest, human map of what really happens when the work stops and life after work begins.

From the initial shock and elation to the frustration, doubt, and eventual flourishing, I unpack the eight emotional stages we all go through when redefining identity, purpose, and meaning beyond the job title. This isn't about pensions or spreadsheets, it's about becoming who you are next.

• Why retirement isn't a single event but a psychological transformation

• The 3 phases and 8 stages of The Retirement Reinvention Curve

• How to recognise where you are, and why nothing is "wrong" with you

• The real reason traditional retirement advice skips the emotional work

• Practical ways to move through frustration and doubt toward purpose and joy

• Why rebuilding your identity takes time, curiosity, and compassion

👉 Draw your own Retirement Reinvention Curve.

Sketch a simple line from left to right — no artistic skills required.
Then mark:

• Where you've been

• Where you are now

• Where you want to go next

Write one sentence for each stage you've experienced:
"What did it feel like? What did it teach me?"
Then ask:
"What does my next phase need from me?"

Because awareness is the first step to reinvention.

• The Retirement Reinvention Curve — My framework for navigating the emotional journey after work.

Coming up in Episode 10:
Modern Software, Ancient Hardware

Why your brain wasn't built for retirement, and how to trick it into thriving in a world without structure, deadlines, or dopamine hits from work.

Tax. Death. Legacy. Three words that make most people squirm, but avoiding them doesn't make them go away. In this unapologetically bold and surprisingly uplifting episode, I turn the "taboo trifecta" into a conversation about freedom, meaning, and going out with style.

You'll learn how to make tax and inheritance planning feel less like a funeral march and more like an encore. Because facing the end isn't morbid, it's empowering. And when you deal with your legacy intentionally, you stop hoarding, start living, and find your encore energy.

• Why avoiding tax and death planning just creates chaos for the people you love

• Smart, simple ways to reduce tax without making life smaller

• Why trying to pay zero tax can actually limit your freedom

• The five essentials of facing mortality like a grown-up (and a rockstar)

• Why legacy is about memories, not just money

• How to turn your final chapter into something worth celebrating

👉 Complete one "Rock 'n' Roll Legacy Task."

Pick one:

• Update your will

• Create or add to your Death File (accounts, wishes, passwords, etc.)

• Book a review of your tax and inheritance plan

• Write a letter to your future heirs

• Plan a Memory Dividend event — a trip, gathering, or moment you'll fund with joy

You don't have to finish everything. Just start.

Because the ultimate act of love isn't what you leave behind, it's the clarity you leave people with.

• The Death File — Dan's "love on paper" concept for legacy admin

• Memory Dividends — Inspired by Bill Perkins' Die With Zero

Coming up in Episode 9:
The Retirement Reinvention Curve: The Emotional Sh*tstorm You Didn't See Coming

We'll unpack the real emotional rollercoaster of retirement, from the initial high to the inevitable dip, and explore how to rebuild and reignite your sense of purpose, identity, and joy.

Most people treat retirement planning like an Olympic sport, building spreadsheets, forecasting returns, and trying to engineer certainty in a world that's anything but certain. But here's the truth: no plan survives contact with real life.

In this episode, I unpack why traditional retirement plans often do more harm than good, creating false security, stifling adaptability, and ignoring the human side of money. You'll learn why the best retirement plan isn't a fixed prediction, but a living process that evolves with you. Because the plan isn't the point... You are.

• Why most traditional retirement plans fail (and how they create false security)

• The difference between planning and plans, and why adaptability wins every time

• The 5 elements of a Living Plan that actually work in the real world

• How to balance numbers with meaning and flexibility with confidence

• The question every retiree should ask: "Is my plan protecting me, or preventing me from living?"

👉 Audit your plan — or your mindset about planning.

Ask yourself:

• Is my plan giving me clarity, confidence, and control, or just false certainty?

• Where am I clinging to a version of the future that no longer fits?

• What's one thing I could loosen, update, or rethink to make my plan feel more alive and aligned with who I am today?

You don't need to tear it up. Just tune it up, so it becomes a compass, not a cage.

• Quote: James Clear — "You don't rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems."

• The Living Plan Framework: values-led, flexible, regularly refreshed, guardrails-based, emotionally supportive

Coming up in Episode 8: Tax, Death, and Rock 'n' Roll

Yes, we're going there. I dive into tax planning, inheritance, and legacy design… but without the doom and gloom. Expect honesty, humour, and a fresh take on how to make your final chapter feel meaningful... not morbid.

Most retirees believe the key to a successful income strategy lies in the products — specifically, the right pension wrapper, withdrawal rate, or investment mix. But here's the truth: it's not about products at all. It's about permission.

In this episode, I challenge the obsession with spreadsheets and simulations, revealing why confidence to spend doesn't come from perfect plans — it comes from understanding, repetition, and emotional safety. You'll discover the Permission Pyramid, the secret behind guardrails-based freedom, and why your financial plan should feel like permission to live, not a restriction on joy.

• Why most retirees don't need better products — they need better permission

• The myth that spreadsheets create confidence

• The three levels of the Permission Pyramid: Numbers Clarity, Emotional Confidence, Behavioural Permission

• How guardrails create freedom (not restriction) in your income strategy

• The real role of a retirement plan — to give you permission to live well

• Three key questions to help you feel confident spending your income

👉 Write your own Retirement Spending Permission Slip.

Literally. Write it down and make it visible.

"I, [your name], give myself permission to spend money in retirement that:

• aligns with my values

• fits within my plan

• creates joy, meaning, and memories

• honours the work I did to earn it

• and supports the life I want now — not just a future I might never meet."

Stick it on the fridge. Make it your phone background. Repeat it until it feels real.

• The Permission Pyramid — My 3-level model for income confidence

• Guardrails-Based Spending — freedom within boundaries

Coming up in Episode 7: Your Retirement Plan Is a Lie (But You Still Need One)

We'll explore why traditional financial plans often give false security, what happens when life refuses to behave, and how to design a living, breathing plan that adapts as you do.

You've worked hard. Saved smart. Invested wisely. You've built a life where money is no longer the problem. But here's the awkward truth: spending it freely, without guilt, hesitation, or second-guessing, is the part no one prepared you for.

In this episode, I unpack why so many retirees struggle to permit themselves to spend, where that scarcity mindset comes from, and how to start using money to create joy, connection, and memory dividends. Saving was your superpower. Spending is your next skill.

• Why spending in retirement isn't a maths problem, it's a psychological one

• The "permission gap" and why most retirees hesitate to enjoy what they've saved

• How money guilt shows up (and why you're not alone in feeling it)

• The hidden costs of under-spending... memories, experiences, and lost joy

• What "good spending" really looks like: values, memory dividends, and well-being

• Practical tools, from guardrails to pre-spending permission slips, to help you spend with confidence

👉 Plan one guilt-free spend, and do it.

• Not research it.

• Not think about it.

• Not ask five friends if it's sensible.

Just spend. Choose something that creates a memory, feels indulgent, and is true to you. Then, when that little voice says, "Should I really?" — answer, "Yes. Future Me will thank me."

• Schroders UK Retirement Study (2022): On retirees struggling to spend freely

• Bill Perkins, Die With Zero — The principle of converting money into meaningful life experiences

• Retirement planning tools like Guardrails, Bucket Planning, and Spending Statements

Coming up in Episode 6:
Retirement Income Isn't About Products — It's About Permission
We'll explore why true confidence to spend comes from psychology, not portfolio returns, and how your retirement income strategy should feel like freedom, not fear.

Retirement isn't about how much time you have; it's about how much time you feel. In this episode, I dive into one of the most misunderstood aspects of life after work: time perception. From brain science to everyday challenges, I uncover why retirement can sometimes feel like a blur and how you can make the most of your time, stretch it, and truly enrich it.

• Why your brain experiences time differently once work ends

• The science of time compression (and why some days vanish while others feel full)

• How "Memory Dividends" can transform your retirement years

• The three biggest retirement time traps, and how to avoid them

• Why time isn't linear but psychological, and how that changes everything

• How to redefine what "a good use of time" really means in retirement

👉 Design your Ideal Day

• Grab a notepad (or open Notes on your phone)

• Write out your perfect Tuesday in retirement: when you wake, who you're with, what you do, what you eat, where you are

• Then bring one small part of that ideal day into your life this week

• Dr. David Eagleman – Neuroscientist and author on time perception

• Bill Perkins, Die With Zero – Explore the idea of "Memory Dividends"

• Previous episodes of Humans vs Retirement on purpose, identity, and designing life after work

Stay tuned for Episode 5: The Skill No One Taught You — Spending Money.

I'll explore why retirees struggle to permit themselves to spend, how scarcity creeps in even when you have "enough," and what it takes to break free and truly enjoy your wealth.

Most people retire with a solid income plan but no plan for a life they actually want to live. In this episode, I discuss the five human pillars that make retirement feel meaningful, not just financially viable: Purpose, Identity, Relationships, Structure, and Well-being. Expect punchy stories, research-backed insights, and practical prompts to start building a life worth funding.

• Why money ≠ meaning in retirement, and how outcomes beat incomes.

• The Five Pillars framework (Purpose, Identity, Relationships, Structure, Well-being) and how each one stabilises your next chapter.

• The hidden risk of identity loss after the job title disappears, and two better questions to ask yourself now.

• Why too much unstructured time can feel like freedom that turns to fog, and simple ways to add rhythm without losing flexibility.

• The science bits (in plain English):

  • Only 27% of retirees report feeling very fulfilled day-to-day (Stanford Center on Longevity).

  • A strong sense of purpose links to a 15% lower risk of death (JAMA Psychiatry).

  • The Harvard Adult Development Study shows close relationships are the biggest predictor of long-term happiness.

  • 1 in 4 experience mild to moderate depression post-retirement—often due to lost meaning, routine, and social contact (NHS).

Score yourself 1–10 on each pillar: Purpose, Identity, Relationships, Structure, Well-being.
Pick the lowest score and do one tiny action this week to move it up by one point (e.g., book coffee with a friend, start a 15-minute morning walk, schedule a creative hour, message someone to mentor). Small moves → big momentum.

Mentioned research (as cited in the episode):

• Stanford Center on Longevity — fulfilment in retirement

• JAMA Psychiatry (2020) — purpose & mortality risk

• Harvard Study of Adult Development — relationships & happiness

• NHS guidance/statistics — mental health in later life

• Want more? Connect with me on LinkedIn and share your Challenge of the Week answers.

• Buy my book The Retirement You Didn't See Coming

• Book a time for us to chat about your retirement plans

"The Skill No One Taught You: Spending Money." We'll get into guilt, scarcity, freedom, joy, and why many retirees have more than enough yet still struggle to spend with confidence.