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For accomplished women in their 50s and 60s

Finding purpose after retirement, when your career was part of who you are

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Finding purpose after retirement starts with separating who you are from what you did for a living, then choosing on purpose how you spend your days.

Purpose After Work focuses on Preferment, the approach from Rarified Life: a live, 8-week course by Anne van Leynseele that moves through identity, motivation, alignment, accountability and launch, so the years after your career feel chosen instead of leftover. The easiest first step is the free webinar.

See the free webinarWhat is Preferment?

How do I start finding a purpose after retirement?

Start before the calendar empties. Most retirement planning stops at money, so the questions that actually decide how your days feel (who am I now, what moves me, what is my week for) arrive unplanned, often months after the farewell party.

Finding your purpose after retirement is less about discovering one grand mission and more about rebuilding three things work used to supply for free: identity, structure and people. When you name your strengths apart from your title, give each week a shape and choose one project worth your energy, purpose usually follows.

That is the order Preferment follows. Rarified Life describes it as an active, purpose-driven alternative to retirement, built for driven people who are done treating retirement like an ending. You can start even if your last day at work is still years away.

Cover artwork for Preferment, Anne van Leynseele's live course for life after career
Preferment is taught live by Anne van Leynseele and built on her book of the same name.

Finding purpose in life after retirement: the short version

What is Preferment?

Preferment is Rarified Life’s alternative to traditional retirement. Instead of treating the end of a career as a withdrawal from life, it treats it as a next chapter you design. The live course runs eight weeks with Anne van Leynseele, working through her book Preferment chapter by chapter, with homework built into the book.

It has six modules: Introduction, Identity, Motivation, Alignment, Accountability and Launch. The final module ends with naming your mission for this next chapter and stepping into it.

Preferment by the numbers

Course length
8 weeks, live
Live sessions with Anne
8, one per week
Modules
6, identity to launch
Action planner
30-day planner
Welcome package
Within 24 hours
Intro webinar
Free, instant access

Old-style retirement or Preferment: what changes?

How the Preferment approach from Rarified Life differs from treating retirement as a finish line.
Preferment (Rarified Life)Retirement as a finish line
Starting questionWho am I beyond my work, and what is this chapter for?When can I stop, and is the money enough?
IdentitySeparated from your job title in a dedicated moduleOften still tied to "I used to..."
Structure8 weekly live sessions, homework and a 30-day plannerUnplanned; days fill with errands and appointments
TimingCan begin years before your last day at workUsually begins on the last day
End pointA named mission for the next chapterNo defined end point

Five steps to finding your purpose after retirement

  1. Identity

    Separate who you are from what you did for a living. List the qualities that made you good at your work and that did not retire with the title.

  2. Motivation

    Find what actually moves you now that a paycheck is not the reason. Notice what you lose track of time doing.

  3. Alignment

    Match your values and strengths to how you will actually spend your days, week by week.

  4. Accountability

    Build the structure that turns intention into a lived routine, with commitments other people count on.

  5. Launch

    Name your mission for this next chapter, and step into it with a first 30-day plan.

These steps mirror the modules of Preferment. The free webinar walks through the 5-step plan in more detail.

Who am I after retirement?

You are still the person who built that career. The judgment, standards, curiosity and care that made you good at your work are yours, not your employer’s. The hard part is that nobody asks about them; people ask what you do.

One Preferment participant put it this way on the Rarified Life website: “I thought work defined me, but I discovered I am so much more. I learned to ‘be’ rather than just ‘do’ on autopilot.”

Read the full guide to who you are after retirement

How to enjoy life after retirement

Enjoying life after retirement comes from designing your days rather than filling them. Keep a weekly rhythm, stay active in body and mind, grow friendships beyond work, and pick one meaningful project. Preferment’s 30-day planner turns your wondering into specific actions and activities, so good intentions become a routine.

See how to enjoy life after retirement, step by step or learn how to reinvent yourself at 60, 70 and beyond.

Why women’s retirement transitions need their own plan

Caregiving falls more on women

In the Employee Benefit Research Institute’s 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey, 61% of caregivers were female, compared with 47% of non-caregivers. Read EBRI’s findings.

Caregiving can strain savings

The same EBRI survey found 34% of caregivers had less than $10,000 in savings and investments, compared with 25% of non-caregivers. A plan for your time and purpose has to leave room for the people who depend on you.

Start with the free presentation

Rarified Life’s free presentation is made for accomplished women in their 50s and 60s who are nearing or in retirement, even if your entire identity has been wrapped up in your work. Register and get instant access.

Register for the free webinar (opens in a new tab)What the webinar covers

Common questions

How do I start finding purpose after retirement?

Start by separating who you are from what you did for a living. Then name what still moves you, match your values and strengths to how you spend your days, and build a simple weekly structure. Preferment, the 8-week live course, follows that exact order: identity, motivation, alignment, accountability and launch.

More answers in the FAQ

Why do so many people feel lost after retirement?

Many people feel lost after retirement because work supplied their structure, status, social circle and sense of usefulness all at once. When the job ends, all four can disappear in the same week. Planning usually focuses on money, not on identity or time, so the emotional side arrives unplanned. Working on identity before your last day can soften that drop.

More answers in the FAQ

Who am I after retirement if my career was my identity?

You are still the person who built that career: your judgment, curiosity, standards and care for others did not retire with the title. The work is to name those qualities apart from the job. The Identity module in Preferment focuses on exactly this, separating who you are from what you did for a living.

More answers in the FAQ

How to enjoy life after retirement?

Enjoy life after retirement by designing your days around what matters to you instead of filling them with errands. Keep a weekly rhythm, stay physically and mentally active, invest in friendships beyond work and choose one meaningful project. Preferment includes a 30-day planner that turns your wondering into specific actions and activities.

More answers in the FAQ

What is Preferment?

Preferment is an active, purpose-driven alternative to retirement. It is taught as a live 8-week course by Anne van Leynseele, based on her book Preferment. Instead of treating retirement as an ending, it helps you shape a meaningful next chapter through six modules, from identity to launching your mission.

More answers in the FAQ

Is the Rarified Life webinar free?

Yes. The presentation is free. You register on rarifiedlife.com and get instant access to the training. It walks through the 5-step plan behind Preferment and how to replace the "What now?" feeling of retirement with a clear next chapter.

More answers in the FAQ

How much does Preferment cost?

As of November 2026, the Preferment course page on rarifiedlife.com shows a store price of $6,000 and an investment line of $3,000 for eight weekly live sessions, the book and guided homework. Confirm the current price on the course page or by contacting support. The introductory webinar is free.

More answers in the FAQ

Ready for your next chapter? Talk to Rarified Life.

Questions about the free webinar or the Preferment course go straight to the Rarified Life team, with phone support answered as soon as possible.

Contact Rarified Life (opens in a new tab)Register for the free webinar (opens in a new tab)