The Retired Teacher Coach Podcast

I used to quip that we all have a shelf life. But we don't age in a vacuum. Our cherished loved ones are vulnerable too. If you live long enough, you're going to be confronted with catastrophic loss. This loss could be from the natural attrition of old age, or could be the result of unanticipated accidents or illness. Potential targets could be a spouse, a sibling, a friend, a cherished pet, or even your children and grandchildren. It might not be a death. It could be a divorce or an estranged relationship. If you're a retired educator, you probably will experience loss. I have two dear friends both of whom have experienced catastrophic loss. Carol Weiss lost her husband three and half years ago. Roger Roberts lost his wife just seven months ago. Both of these wonderful folks had been married for roughly fifty years. In this episode, Roger and Carol bravely and transparently discuss their ordeals. This is a heavy episode. It might not be for everyone. I also want to put out a disclaimer. Roger and Carol are people of faith. It becomes obvious early in the interview that faith is a primary coping mechanism for both. I am cognizant that some audience members might not be so inclined. I respect this. I can tell you that if I pass before my wife, she will rely heavily on her faith. If she passes before me, I will take a more secular approach to grieving. Regardless of your religious disposition, the authentic emotions expressed by both Roger and Carol are universal and beautiful. Oh and one other caveat, both Roger and Carol make a number of local references that I'm certain will mean nothing to most listeners of this podcast. We all live in Eastern Delaware County in Central Ohio. When you hear certain towns or schools that sound unfamiliar, no worries—familiarity to these places is not germane to their stories. If you've experienced catastrophic loss, perhaps this episode will help you. If you haven't, you probably will. Just maybe, you'll be inspired to take inventory of the amazing living and breathing people in your life. What you can do About it: Reach out to a friend who is grieving. If you're grieving, seek a grief counseling group. Share this episode with someone whom it might help. Congratulations on completing this episode. It was an intense one. Please go and enjoy the wonderful people in your life.

The Problem: Some educators fail to inventory everything they like about teaching before they retire. In my last episode, I interviewed Penny Sturtevant, an educator who's on the verge of retirement. In this episode I'll interview Michael Brilla, a middle school Social Studies teacher from Eastern Pennsylvania. Michael is in his early 40s and is mid-way through his career. At first blush he would not seem like a relevant guest for a podcast geared toward older and retired educators. But I solicited Michael because he experienced a mini retirement and now he's back in the classroom. From 2019 to 2021, Michael was a technology coach in his district. He had the option to stay in that role or return to the classroom. He obviously chose the latter and this episode is why he opted to return, everything he missed in exile, and what his triumphant renaissance has been like. This is an important episode for two segments of my audience: teachers who are debating whether or not they're ready to retire retired educators who are missing the students and the experience Even if you're not in one of these two camps, I'll bet you know someone who fits one of those descriptions. Share this episode with them. If you're a retired educator and are missing teaching, please make certain to listen to the What you can do About it section at the end of the episode. I toss out some ideas. What you can do About it: This will be an usual offering in this section because I really had to create two lists based on audience needs. If you're an educator trying to figure out whether it's time to retire, you've probably done a lot of evaluation. But, how much have you interviewed others who know you? Make certain to interrogate family, friends, colleagues, administrators, and even trusted students. Ask them what they think of you retiring and then be prepared to listen. You may learn interesting things about yourself. And if you fall into the category of a retired educator who misses teaching, consider ways that you teach again but with far less demand. Consider these options: Assistant coaching Volunteering Teach a hobby Learn a skill and then teach it to others Become an adjunct instructor Start a book club Don't be in a rush to retire if you're not ready. And if you are retired, there's no reason you can't still teach. Investigate a new venue. I did and I love it.

I retired from k-12 teaching in May of 2019. In February of 2019, I was teaching away and not yet planning on drifting off into the sunset. Everything changed that month when our school board announced that they were offering a buyout to veteran teachers to ease labor costs. Suddenly, I was presented with a lucrative option that I wasn't anticipating. I took my school board up on their offer and I only had three months left in the school year to second-guess myself. Penny Sturtevant, my lovely wife, will retire in three months. We recorded this episode in February of 2022. It's a time capsule. My objective is to record another episode with her next fall or winter where we can check back in with her. But the focus of this episode will be her mindset now. Penny became a mom in 1981. She's had a kid under roof or a job since then. We're now empty-nesters and in three months she'll be retired. This will be a massive transition for her and comes with a degree of anxiety. The Problem: Retirement is a major life change and some anxiety is expected. Hear Penny articulate her concerns and hopes. I'll wager that you relate to her message. What you can do About it: List all of the things that make you anxious about retirement (liabilities). List all of the things that excite you about retirement (assets). See if you can utilize any of your assets to solve your liabilities. Please reach out to me at theretiredteachercoach.com. It'll be fun to check back with Penny next fall or winter and see how retirement is treating her.

I sometimes watch my grandchildren move, and bend, and squat and I get nostalgic. My grandson effortlessly plops down into a full sumo squat and he can remain there indefinitely. My granddaughter sits comfortably with both legs fully contacting the floor and bent back towards her so her ankles rest right beside her hips. It's easy to witness such youthful displays of mobility and get discouraged, but please don't. They're just young people doing what comes naturally. You used to have the same capabilities, but now as a seasoned adult you probably can't perform such feats. And this dear listener, teases the problem. Mobility is important, but when it comes to the ability to move freely and easily, many older adults become discouraged by their advancing stiffness and just stop trying. This exacerbates everything. It doesn't have to be this way. And this is where Tiffany Wilmot, who's a 58-year-old educator and entrepreneur from Nashville, makes a dramatic appearance. Tiffany started teaching group fitness classes at age 16! What I love so much about this interview is Tiffany's transparency in terms of coping with aging and declining abilities. This is an accomplished woman, but she's humble and real and goes through the same struggles as you and I. But Tiffany is all about mobility. Her passion shines through and she wants you to keep trying, keep experimenting, and not to give up. As I describe in the interview I'm committed to mobility, but I got tired of doing yoga. I love and respect yoga, but I got bored doing sun salutations and down dogs. So, I created my own mobility routine. So can you! Now, six days out of seven, I do a diverse ten-minute mobility routine soon after waking. I didn't dream up these routines, I found them on YouTube. I love variety. Here's a link to one that I do frequently which is great for those of us who do a lot of work at a computer. What you can do About it: Check out the book Movement by Gray Cook. Conduct a 10-minute mobility routine hunt on YouTube. Try a yoga class. Take an inventory of how you feel after a mobility routine. Take at least one walk today. It's easy to look at young supple folks and get discouraged. But you need to consider how wonderful you feel after practicing some mobility. That's your body telling you, “Please keep doing this.”

Back when I was teaching, I can vividly remember dark winter mornings being jolted awake at 6 AM by my alarm. I can also remember fumbling away at my clothes and mindlessly shaving and then packing up to head for school. I also remember feeling something similar when I was a student, but being a teacher is higher stakes. You're the show, and if you're off your game, it's miserable for everyone. I can particularly remember one bleak morning many moons ago. I was getting ready to walk out the door and before I left, I patted the heads of my two dogs. They were both comfortably ensconced on their shared dog bed. I always felt bad when I left them each morning. They really loved me, but not this morning. They looked too darned comfortable and stared up at me with indifference. It was particularly annoying because they were spooning, which was understandable because the temperature outside was frigid. Their contentment was annoying. I thought, Dang—I would actually trade places with my dog today. When I retire, I'm going to sleep in as late as I want. I didn't used to be a morning person. Well, as I explained in Episode 4, my post-employment sleepfest hasn't materialized. But, although one wouldn't guess this from the first paragraph of this narrative, now I am a morning person. I like mornings. It's quiet. I feel energized. I get my best ideas in the morning. I like to workout in the morning. I'm productive in the morning. But even though my mornings were pretty solid, they lacked structure. Routine is important for a retired person. And this is the problem for this episode: Retired folks still needed some routine. To help solve this problem, I'm going to utilize an unlikely resource. Russell Doup is only 29, he's wise beyond his years. He and I have an informal book club and we frequently share ideas and workouts, as well as books. In this episode we evaluate Robin Sharma's fascinating book The 5AM Club. And what's a book club without wine? Russell and I decided to have a glass or two while we yakked about this book. This is a great read for a retired person. Russell played on the 2014 National Championship football team at Ohio State. He's a certified financial planner at Maxwell Financial Management in New Albany, Ohio. Oh, and full disclosure, he's also my nephew. What you can do About it: Create a book club of retired friends. Read Robin Sharma's book The 5AM Club. Buy a great bottle of wine. Russell brought Dueling Pistols. I highly recommend it! Sip some wine and discuss how you could apply his ideas to your mornings. If you're like me and you can't sleep-in much, you may as well capitalize on this magic part of the day by creating an awesome morning routine.

When it came to creating an episode on entrepreneurship, which means starting your own business, for a retired educator, I knew exactly whom I had to talk to. Steve Comstock was a public educator for over 3 decades. For most of those years, he was a head basketball coach. In retirement, Steve mobilized the diverse and extensive skill set that he cultivated in his years in education to become a successful entrepreneur. And this last statement teases the problem for this episode and for many retired educators. Our valuable skill sets, the ones we developed as teachers, go underutilized in retirement. Now some listeners may have zero interest in becoming an entrepreneur and be inclined to stop listening to this episode. NOT SO FAST! I would've absolutely fallen into that category just 9 months ago. And yet here I am, not even a year after holding such a disposition, running my own business. How in the world did this happen? Steve went through a similar discovery journey. Be open-minded while you listen to this fascinating guy. Be cognizant of your thoughts during the episode, and in its aftermath. A paradigm-shifting eureka moment may be just over the horizon. Maybe you'll start a business and maybe you won't, but I'm confident this interview will change your outlook. Here's Steve's website: stevecomstockhomes.com What you can do About it: Make a list of all of the skills that you utilized daily in the classroom. Take this list and circle all the ones that you did well. Take this list and underline the ones that you enjoyed. Make a new list comprised of the skills that you circled and the skills that you underlined. Once you know what you're great at and what you enjoy doing you can start searching for, or start creating, opportunities. Here were my motivations to become the Retired Teacher Coach: I loved to… work with students 1 on 1 create lessons share my passions simplify complex ideas utilize technology produce virtual presentations I realized that I missed doing these things and becoming the Retired Teacher Coach evolved from crafting this skills inventory. Please give this activity a try and be open about where your list could take you.

The Problem: Many retired educators suffer from a loss of identity and a lack of purpose. My guest today is awesome. Robert Trocchia is 88-years-old. Let that sink in. You'd never know it if you met him. I met Robert when he was 45. He honestly doesn't seem that different. Since I've known him, the power of his voice and the power of his handshake haven't changed a lick. He is a vibrant man and a role model and mentor. Robert is still a local icon, but in his heyday, he was foundational to both his school and his community. This man taught for 49 years. He started teaching at age 20. Some of his first students have reached the tender age of 85. After retirement, Robert was a bit lost. So, he took action. He leveraged the skills he'd honed during his 49 years in the classroom. He held the following positions during this extended tenure: Director of Music, Fairfield Union Schools Director of Choral Activities, Ohio University Lancaster Artistic Director, Lancaster Chorale He built off these rich experiences in retirement: National Board of Directors, Creative Arts Workshops Music Advisory Board Ohio Arts Council (two terms) Robert emphasizes the freedom he now experiences. That freedom comes in the form of being liberated from tedious expectations, but also creative freedom. That is perhaps retirement's greatest gift. Here's a link to Robert's marvelous book: Mountaintop Moments: Sixty Years of Music Education in Story and Practice What you can do About it: In the episode, we spoke about all the important skills teachers possess: organizational skills leadership skills motivational skills management skills But these are general. I'll bet that you could expand significantly on this list. Robert encourages you to do just that inventory. I want every listener to be as happy and vibrant as Robert at age 88.

The Problem: The title of this podcast sums it up perfectly. My sleep sucks. Does your sleep suck? I'll wager that if you read the title and decided to listen that it probably does. As I recount in this episode, a good night's sleep is like the fountain of youth. And unlike diet or exercise, there is scientific consensus on sleep's importance and the many things one can do to improve it. I'll talk about solutions in the What you can do About it Section. In the meantime, I'm going to interview a friend. Mark Barnes is a contemporary. We've created a little health-based professional learning community which has only 2 members. One topic that we delve into frequently is sleep. We are fellow travelers in regard to desiring more and better sleep. We talk about our frustrations and efforts to improve in this episode. This topic is a wonderful one for a retired educator. I'm frequently asked how I like retirement by former colleagues who are still teaching. I often respond that I now love Sunday night. The implication is that I no longer have an alarm clock so I can sleep in as late as I want. If only that were the reality! I'm not satisfied with my sleep. I think you're going to love my conversation with Mark about our elusive quest for consistent sleep. I wouldn't be at all surprised if you reach out and say, “I'm dealing with the same issues!” Enjoy our insomnia-induced crabfest and I'll check back in the What you can do About it Section with solutions. What you can do About it: In the intro I stated that there's scientific consensus on sleep. I know this because of the research that I've done and personal experience. I'm a patient of the Ohio State University Sleep Disorders Center. I was thrilled to learn that my sleep doctor's advice confirmed what I'd learned through investigation. Here are my suggestions: Learn about the importance of sleep and how you can improve it from Matt Walker, a renowned sleep expert. Here's a link to his popular TedTALK Why Sleep is Your Superpower. Schedule a visit with a sleep doctor. Improve your sleep hygiene. Here's a list of directives from the CDC. Download the Insomnia Coach App from the Veterans Administration. If you're in bed and not asleep for 15 minutes, get up! Don't nap. If you start sleeping better, you'll start feeling better. It's one of the best things you can do for your health. And you'll look a lot fresher each morning.

The Problem: The problem addressed in this episode is compound. You have this fear of missing out (FOMO), but you're afraid to try things. This fear may be age-based, ability-based, embarrassment-based, or fear of failure-based. Regardless of the reason, something is holding you back. Hopefully this episode will give you some mojo. My brother-in-law's brother-in-law is Anthony Mireles from Beaumont, Texas. Tony is 67-years-old, he's a former Marine, and he's a friendly guy. He's a family favorite and he's an extreme athlete. He's run countless marathons and ultra-marathons. He loves adventure and he has an incredible pain threshold. I've always admired Anthony. About a year ago, I was pursuing one of his Facebook posts. He was recounting a recent adventure. There were images of him dirty and fatigued doing something darned impressive. In many of his posts he's surrounded by fellow adventurers who look young, fit, and supportive. I thought, I need to be more like Tony. I need to go on an adventure. I want to meet and bond with like-minded people. I reached out to him with a private message. I quipped that I would love to join him on one of his endeavors. I had a classic case of FOMO—the adventure, the mastery, the comradery, I wanted that. In September of 2021, Tony called to invite me on an epic fitness challenge with 6 of his friends. The Rim-2-Rim-2-Rim Hike in the Grand Canyon is 42 miles long with 11,000 feet of climbing. You start at the South Rim, walk down the South Kaibab Trail to the Colorado River and then you climb 6,000 feet up the North Kaibab Trail to the North Rim. Then you reverse course and end back where you started. Tony, however, was proposing doing this non-stop. Most R2R2R hikers sleep the night after making it to the North Rim before the return journey, but not Anthony's band of brothers. After a day of vacillating, I committed. A couple of days later, I bought my plane tickets. That was my Burn the Ships Moment. I spent the money so now I had to actually do this thing. During the last part of September and the first part of October, I walked, walked, and walked some more. But I had no confidence that my training was adequately preparing me. I was anxious. On Sunday morning October 16, 2021 at 5am, 6 Texans and 1 Ohioan ranging in age from 36 to 67 started walking down the South Kaibab Trail. At 10am the next day, I finished what I'd started 29 hours and 42 miles earlier. Here's a link to my Facebook post if you'd like to see some great pictures and read the particulars. But there are more characters to this story. After I posted my accomplishment on Facebook, I noticed that an old friend, Marie Miller Bird, and a new friend, Sue Markovitch, enthusiastically commented and mentioned that they too had done the R2R2R Hike. This podcast was fated! In this episode Marie and Sue talk about their fascinating motivations for this epic quest. We also discuss our experiences during the hike and how this effort impacted us. These women have a wonderful story to tell. I desperately want to go on a future hiking adventure with them. What you can do About it: You have this fear of missing out (FOMO), but you're afraid to try things. Here are some suggestions: Seize opportunities when they present themselves. Don't let age hold you back. Don't let fear of failure hold you back. Burn your ships! End FOMO by simply taking action.

The Problem: In my last year in a high school classroom, I taught 150 students each day. That was 150 daily interactions with kids whom I loved. I also interacted daily with a slew of treasured colleagues. And that's the problem with retirement. All of those favorable interactions are wiped out. When teachers retire it's imperative that they rebuild this shattered sense of belonging. And this dear listener is where Bronwyn Workman makes a dramatic appearance. Bronwyn retired from education in 2005. Over the past 16 years, she's done a remarkable job building a sense of community. I love this interview. She talks about how she did it and how it's benefitted her. Make sure to check out the What you can do About it Section. I'll bullet point Bronwyn's solutions and offer some helpful links. In the meantime, sit back and listen to this inspirational woman and speculate how you can emulate what she's done. What you can do About it: Blue Zones are small pockets of longevity situated in diverse places on the globe. Those who reside in these pockets have a vastly better chance to live to 100. Those who study Blue Zones point to a resident's sense of belonging as essential to their longevity. Perhaps, a retired educator can replace the sense of belonging that they used to get each day at school with volunteering. It's a path absolutely worth exploring. Here's what Bronwyn Workman would suggest: Wait for the right time to explore volunteering. Investigate opportunities with your passions and interests. Be open minded about opportunities. Evaluate each opportunity. Here's a link to Volunteer Match. Don't be afraid to create your own thing. Don't feel obligated. Practice mindfulness. Here's a link to Headspace. After you retire, It's up to you to rebuild a sense of belonging. Consider volunteering. Sure you'll help others, but you just may make it to 100-years-old because you did it.

I'm James Sturtevant. I taught for 34 years, I'm in my 60's, I'm in great shape and I feel fantastic. I'm a certified health coach and my objective is to help retired educators make awesome health and lifestyle choices. That's my mission in coaching and the mission of this podcast. Each episode will feature a topic that is highly relevant to retired teachers. I'll either interview an engaging and relevant guest, or I'll fly solo. Each episode will follow a template: I'll identify a problem I'll expose you to some solutions I'll encourage you to take action I want to keep this first episode brief, but before I leave, I'll give you a bit more background. I'm a husband, a father, a grandfather, a teacher, and a coach. I taught high school social studies for 34 years. My passion about education inspired me to author 4 books on student-teacher relationships, student engagement, and teacher well being. I coached football. I coached track and field. I was a strength coach. Outside of school, I taught group fitness classes. I'm a graduate of the Primal Health Institute. I'm still teaching, but now at the college level working with future and current educators. I'm also still coaching, but now with my tribe—fellow retired educators. As I previously mentioned, I feel fantastic. You deserve to feel fantastic too. I crafted this program with the retired educator in mind. And before I wrap-up this introductory episode, I'd like to invite you to navigate to theretiredteachercoach.com. This is where you'll find the pages for each episode which include a narrative, images, and helpful links. Hey…we've worked hard to get where we are right now. A lot of people envy us. But finding retirement bliss can be tricky. Let me help you learn to love being retired.