My Story
I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a teacher. I cajoled my siblings into playing “school” even when were were on summer vacation. I earned my PhD in Communication at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. After graduating, I spent over 25 years in higher education. I worked at various universities including Miami University, Bowling Green State University, University of Missouri, Ohio University, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I am the author or co-author of Telling the Success Story, Persuasion, and Readings in Argumentation and many academic articles.
Throughout my academic career, I was deeply committed to the creation of practical knowledge. My administrative work often centered on gaining a better understanding and using data to inform my decisions. These experiences have shaped my evidence-based approach to Retire Like a Pro. I read research literature and conducted my own interviews. My goal was to make this information accessible to any reader.
I retired in 2024 from the position of Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Provost at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. While my position was rewarding, it was stressful. Managing the academic enterprise at a large university during the pandemic took a major toll on my resilience. I agonized over the decision about when to retire. I had “officially” retired twice but immediately started new full-time jobs. I was determined to make this last retirement stick.
I wrote this book to help me retire like a pro and let go of work. There were so many questions. As I interviewed other retirees, I realized that others were grappling with these same questions. I needed to find answers and wanted to help others do the same.
As I was writing this book, I was reading Austin Kleon’s Steal Like an Artist. One of his pearls of wisdom was to write the book you want to read. This is it.
my bucket list
Before I retired, I created a bucket list of things I wanted to accomplish in retirement. There were 150 items on the list and I’ve been busily working on checking them off. I’m delighted to share my list and some highlights of my retirement journey. .
MY RETIREMENT JOURNEY
Baking
Baking can be deeply satisfying. It is relaxing and rewarding. There is a sense of accomplishment when the treat emerges from the oven and it tastes great! and I’ve learned that precision in measuring is critical to a successful outcome and have acquired some new equipment. Did you know there are baking strips? I chose Rose Levy Berenbaum’s The Baking Bible as my guide. I’ve included photos of blueberry buckle, raspberry upside down cake, and kouign amann. So far, my favorite is the blueberry buckle. I’ll make it again!
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
Choosing to invest time with family and friends during retirement was definitely on my bucket list. These connections enhance your well-being, preserve your physical and mental health, and create warm memories. Keeping these relationships close can prevent feelings of isolation. In retirement, I have more control over my own schedule and schedule visits with family every 3-4 months. Some of my family trips in retirement have been organized around holiday and birthday celebrations.
TRAVEL
Travel in retirement provides opportunities to learn and grow. I love exploring new places, cultures, and experiences. Traveling with family or friends can create amazing memories. I’ve included a couple of photos from my post-retirement trips to Florida, Grenada, and the Chicago Art Institute. Kayaking, swimming with the manatees, and spending time in the pool were highlights. Grenada included a close-up visit with the Mona monkeys at Grand Etang National Park in the rainforest, learning about the bean-to-bar process of making chocolate, and observing the large variety of tropical plants and flowers. I had the opportunity to view the Gustav Caillebotte exhibit at the Chicago Art Institute. Rainy Day is one of his most famous paintings but this was a chance to see the breadth of his work. Fabulous! I have an upcoming trip to Iceland with my daughter and an adventure in Belgium with a close friend.
What is your travel bucket list?
ART
I’ve always been creative but had little time to play and experiment while I was working. I made it a priority to create and teach art in retirement because it contributes to my well-being, facilitates social connections with other artists, and gives me a strong sense of purpose. I draw and paint every day. One of my early projects was a series of paintings that reconstructed my work notebooks into painted paper weavings. With these paintings I was working through my struggle with letting go of work.
I joined a local art association, took classes, participated in art shows, placed work in galleries, and taught watercolor classes at the Art Center. I’ve been very busy!
