I Spent 40 Years Building a Career. At 60, Now What?

Turning 60 didn’t make me want to stop working. It made me question why I’d been working the way I had for so long. After decades of career momentum, I hit a pause point where the old motivators felt quieter, and the question got louder: what comes next when your title no longer tells the whole story?  I share the arc of a career that looked great on paper, steady advancement, bigger roles, more responsibility, and how it can still feel like you never had your hand on the rudder. When opportunity after opportunity simply appears, it is easy to drift into career autopilot. I also talk about the moments I tried to steer toward something different, and what it was like when that push met resistance. Eventually, one final “next door” showed up, and I knew I didn’t want to walk through it.  That choice led me to independent consulting, a move that felt freeing and scary at the same time. From there, the conversation widens into identity reinvention: why professional identity can crowd out other parts of life, and why the next chapter needs room for health, relationships, community, and contribution beyond your profession. This is not a retirement story. It’s a story about meaning, value, and building a life beyond expertise.  If any of this resonates, subscribe, share the show with a friend navigating a career transition, and leave a review so more professionals can find these conversations. What part of your identity are you ready to rebuild next? Send questions or comments (https://www.buzzsprout.com/2608606/fa...) For more information and insights from Beyond Expertise, visit https://podcast.ericdickmann.com/ Be sure to check out Eric's other show, The Virtual CMO (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...) podcast.