Embracing the Unknown: How My Mom Overcame Retirement Anxiety with Project Fearless

Hi GoodHuman! 😊

I'm so happy you're here! Today, I’m not sharing my own journey of Becoming a BetterHuman—but rather, my mom’s. Her story is one of growth, resilience, and transformation, and I can't wait for you to hear how she navigated one of the biggest changes in her life. I'm so frikin' proud of her!

Retirement can be scary!

It is often seen as a well-earned break after decades of hard work, but for many, it can also bring a wave of uncertainty and fear. The thought of leaving behind familiar routines and stepping into the unknown can feel overwhelming. Adjusting to a new norm—without the daily structure of a career—can be difficult, especially if you're someone who thrives on routine and stability.

For my mom, Nancy, this transition was anything but exciting. After dedicating her life to teaching, a career that provided her with purpose, structure, and deep connections, the idea of retirement left her feeling anxious and unsure about what lay ahead. Would she feel lost without her daily work schedule? Would she find new passions and a sense of purpose outside the classroom? These questions weighed heavily on her mind as she approached her final year in the classroom.

But instead of letting fear take over, Nancy decided to take control of her retirement journey with the help of Project Fearless—

a project I designed to help build confidence and use courage to try new things. Want to know more about Project Fearless? 👉 check out this blog post. 

In this blog post, I’ll be sharing her inspiring story of how she faced her retirement fears head-on, tackled the uncertainty, and found new meaning in this exciting stage of life. 

✨Here's her story 👏

"My daughter, Taryn, presented the idea of “Project Fearless” as her passion project to me, and I thought it was such a great idea! Immediately I thought that it had meaning and significance to my life too, because getting started at attempting new things and activities out of my comfort zone was a real challenge for me. I was imagining retirement and wasn’t sure what it was going to look like.

So alongside Taryn, we completed Project Fearless together.

Whenever I tried something new or different from what I was used to, I would say to Taryn “Guess what?! I did a Project Fearless!” With every completed Project, it gave me motivation and self-confidence! Here are just a few examples:

• I ventured outside my tennis club and went to a tennis drill other than the one I was used to.
• After 20 years of visiting my mother in Florida, I had only spent time in country club living and didn’t even know I was near a beautiful beach. So, I went to the beach on my own! Another Project Fearless! ✔️
• I took a chance and found the courage to ask a friend of mine to meet me for dinner if he didn’t have other plans. What did I have to lose?! It turns out he was available! Another Project Fearless! ✔️✔️

Project Fearless has allowed me to:

• Step out of my box
• Explore new adventures I normally wouldn’t do
• Push myself to become a better person
• Be more open-minded
• Build resilience and self-confidence
  

I use this concept and framework continually now to help myself grow! I owe it to my daughter Taryn, to walk in her footsteps, as we both venture into new paths." - Nancy

If you’re feeling anxious about what retirement might bring or struggling to adapt to a new routine, I hope Nancy’s journey can inspire you to use Project Fearless and Become a BetterHuman, tap into courage, and make this next chapter the most fulfilling one yet.

Thank you for being here with me this week. Let's Become Better together! 

🩷 Taryn