Insights from our facilitators and clients.
Designing a Life After Retirement That Energizes You
Retirement can bring a wave of mixed emotions: relief, possibility, and also uncertainty.
You might feel ready for a change — more purpose, more energy, more you in your life — but unsure how to begin.
You may even feel self-critical, thinking: “I should have figured this out by now.”
But here’s the truth:
Most people don’t have it all figured out. And you don’t have to.
You just need a method that works — one that helps you move forward with less pressure and more self-trust.
What If There’s More Than One Right Path?
When we think about the future, we often fall into the trap of believing there’s one correct direction — one “right” decision we need to find, commit to, and follow.
But life isn’t a multiple-choice test. It’s more like a design project.
In Designing Your Life, we explore a tool called Odyssey Planning — a way to map out three completely different versions of your future. Not to decide on one, but to open your imagination and see that you are full of possibilities.
Click here to continue reading and download an Odyssey Planning worksheet.
How to Use Energy Awareness to Design a Better Week
Many of us are moving through our days feeling stretched thin, overwhelmed, or just off. We might be doing “all the right things,” but still not feeling fulfilled or energized.
What if your energy—not your time—was your most valuable resource?
In the Designing Your Life process, one of the first things we look at is your energy and engagement. When you understand what fuels you—and what drains you—you can start to design your days with more intention and balance.
Click here to continue reading and download a free Energy Map worksheet
You Don’t Need to Have It All Figured Out
We all hit those moments — something’s shifting, but you’re not sure what comes next. Maybe it’s a career transition, a lifestyle change, or just a quiet restlessness that’s hard to name.
Uncertainty can feel like a stop sign. But it doesn’t have to be.
You don’t need a master plan. You need one small, meaningful step.
That’s where Designing Your Life offers a powerful shift. This approach invites you to treat your life as something to prototype — not perfect. You try things. You explore. You gather real-world feedback instead of waiting for absolute clarity.
And it works.
Designing a Life That’s Truly Yours: Why Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Matter
– Heather Shaughnessy-Cato
If you’re reading this, you likely already understand the value of life design: using tools like curiosity, reframing, and bias to action to build a life that aligns with who you are and what matters most.
But there’s a quieter part of the process that often gets overlooked—something that shapes whether all that thoughtful designing actually feels good and sustainable:
It’s how you relate to yourself along the way.
As someone who works at the intersection of life design, mindfulness, and self-compassion, I’ve seen how transformative it can be to blend practical tools with presence and care. Because real change doesn’t come from pushing harder—it comes from clarity, kindness, and the willingness to begin right where you are.
A PATH TOWARD CLARITY: MY JOURNEY WITH DESIGNING YOUR LIFE
– Kristen Donnino
Life has a way of presenting us with unexpected twists and turns, challenging us to redefine our paths and priorities. For me, this journey of introspection began earlier this year, two months after I left my job. I found myself at a crossroads, navigating the roles of spouse, mother to two elementary school-aged daughters and a daughter to a mother battling a terrible disease. It was a time of deep reflection, where I pondered what my next chapter should look like. In fact, this would be the first time I have not ‘worked’ since I was 15 years old! Is NOW the time for me to explore a professional career that is different from what I had done for the past 18 years?
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A ROBUST FRAMEWORK FOR GOOD PRACTICAL WISDOM
– Seth Adelman
Having recently retired from medical practice, I was eager to plan my future and wanted to see if there was a way to integrate the various interests I’ve acquired over the years. I read the book ‘Range’ by David Epstein (about the value of being a generalist in a world of specialists) and came across these pearls: “…we are each made up of numerous possibilities.” “We discover the possibilities… by trying new activities….” “Rather than a grand plan, find experiments that can be undertaken quickly.”
When I then heard a podcast interview with Prof. Evans introducing me to the Designing Your Life methodology, I was immediately intrigued. Here were the same ideas framed within a fully developed system for implementing them. And I soon discovered that there was an online DYL workshop starting in just a few weeks!
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How I Learned to Re-frame Dysfunctional Beliefs and Love the Coaching Process
– Megan Takagi
I’ve always considered myself a fairly reasonable, forgiving, and open-minded person. I try my best not to jump to conclusions, generalize situations, or get offended when I encounter rude strangers because everyone is going through something difficult, at any given moment. What was particularly eye-opening about my Designing Your Life (DYL) Digital Journey facilitated by Fieldbrook Advising, however, was the realization that I don’t often give myself the same grace or benefit of the doubt that I quickly bestow upon others.
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And Suddenly There Is Clarity
– Maxi Fleischmann
Before the Designing Your Life (DYL) Digital Journey workshop series, facilitated by Fieldbrook Advising, I was feeling stuck, professionally and privately. I felt limited in living my life to its fullest potential, I felt imprisoned – in a golden cage with my mind stuck in it, unable to get out despite its doors being open. I came to the workshop wishing to gain bravery. I wanted to focus on my truest self when engaging with others as opposed to me trying to impress others. I wanted to live life to the fullest! But all those aspirations were exactly that – a vision rather than reality.
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Finding My Way
– Gretchen D.
What should the next chapter look like? I’m 5 years from retiring, but I’m not ready to sit in a rocker. I knew I had something more to give, but I couldn’t get traction on any ideas. I’m interested in addressing some of the challenges in my community, but how do I translate volunteer work into something more?
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