Retirement Coaches Association Conference

Joseph Coughlin, Ph.d., MIT Age Lab

Joseph F. Coughlin, PhD is Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology AgeLab. He teaches in MIT's Department of Urban Studies & Planning and the Sloan School's Advanced Management Program. Coughlin conducts research on the impact of global demographic change and technology trends on consumer behavior and business strategy. He advises a wide variety of global firms in financial services, healthcare, leisure and travel, luxury goods, real estate, retail, technology, and transportation.. A Behavioral Sciences Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and a Fellow of Switzerland’s World Demographics & Ageing Forum, Coughlin is a Senior Contributor to Forbes and writes regularly for MarketWatch and the Wall Street Journal. He was named by Fast Company Magazine as one the ‘100 Most Creative in Business’ and by the Wall Street Journal as inventing the future of retirement. His recent book, The Longevity Economy: Inside the World's Fastest Growing, Most Misunderstood Market (Public Affairs, 2017), is one of CEO READ’s Business Bestsellers. Follow him on Twitter @josephcoughlin

Richard Leider, Purpose Company

“Why do you get up in the morning?” Internationally bestselling author and coach, Richard is founder of Inventure – The Purpose Company, where the mission is to help people to “unlock the power of purpose” and answer that question. He is ranked by Forbes as one the “Top 5” most respected coaches. Along the way, Richard has written eleven books including three best-sellers which have sold over one million copies. The Power of Purpose and Repacking Your Bags are considered classics in the personal growth field. His latest book, Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Old? is a defining book on the power of purposeful aging. Widely viewed as a pioneer of the global purpose movement, his work has been featured in many media sources, and his PBS Special – “The Power of Purpose” – was viewed by millions of people. He has taken his purpose message to all 50 states, Canada, and 4 continents, and he has advised everyone from AARP to the National Football League to the U.S. State Department. During his career, Richard has addressed more than two million people worldwide in his speeches to corporate, association, and social service groups.

Kerry Hannon, Author, Speaker, & Retirement Personality

Kerry Hannon is a nationally recognized strategist on career transitions, entrepreneurship, personal finance and retirement. She is a frequent keynote speaker and TV and radio commentator. Kerry is the author of 14 books, including the forthcoming Great Pajama Jobs: How to Land a Job Without the Commute, Never Too Old To Get Rich: The Entrepreneurs Guide To Starting a Business Mid-Life, Great Jobs for Everyone 50+, Money Confidence, Getting the Job You Want After 50 and Love Your Job: The New Rules for Career Happiness. She is an expert columnist and regular contributor to The New York Times, MarketWatch, Forbes and the PBS website Next Avenue.org.

Robert Laura, Retirement Pioneer, Author & Speaker

Robert Laura literally wrote the book on Retirement Coaching. He is a pioneer in the psychology and social science of retirement planning. He is a four-time best-selling author, nationally syndicated columnist and recognized presenter at retirement conferences across the country. His work has reached millions of retirement readers through seven books, twelve guides, and over 800 articles. In addition to his own writings, he frequently appears in major business media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNBC, MarketWatch, the New York Times, and more. As a former social worker turned money manager and author, he has found that retirement is among the most fascinating, yet least understood, phases of life. As a result, he has developed a powerful message to tackle the mental, social, physical, spiritual, and financial aspects of retirement. All of his work reflects his ground-breaking efforts to challenge the status quo of traditional retirement planning and help people create a No-Regrets Retirement Plan! He has a garnered a unique look at wealth and retirement by not only working closely with his own clients for the last twenty years, but also by interviewing numerous celebrities, entertainers, and athletes including Pastor Rick Warren, Deion Sanders, Gymnast Shannon Miller, HGTV’s the Property Brothers, Pawn Star Rick Harrison, Cheech & Chong, and more.

Richard Eisenberg, Next Avenue

Richard Eisenberg knows money and career topics can be stressful for Next Avenue readers. That's why he has made it his mission to write and edit stories which are practical and useful to hopefully relieve their stress and put setbacks (whether personal, national or global) into perspective. As the Managing Editor of Next Avenue and the editor of its Money and Work & Purpose channels, Eisenberg, also a frequent blogger for the site, aims to help people manage their personal finances, find jobs, switch fields, volunteer and find purpose in their lives. He is also the author of two books: How to Avoid a Midlife Financial Crisis and The Money Book of Personal Finance.

Chris Farrell, Journalist, Author & Speaker

Chris Farrell is senior economics contributor at Minnesota Public Radio and Marketplace, American Public Media’s nationally syndicated public radio business and economic programs. He is co-host of the MPR/APM podcast, small change: Money Stories from the Neighborhood. Chris is a columnist for PBS Next Avenue and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He has written for Bloomberg Businessweek, New York Times, Kiplinger’s and other publications. His most recent book is Purpose and a Paycheck: Finding Meaning, Money and Happiness in the Second Half of Life.

Jania Bailey, CEO FranNet

Jania Bailey is the CEO of FranNet, the most respected voice in the franchise consultant industry in North America. Bailey has more than 30 years of experience in the banking and franchise industries. Bailey served for 6 years on the Executive Board of Directors for the International Franchise Association (IFA) and currently serves as Chair of the IFA Membership Committee. She has been a keynote speaker at several national events for organizations such as Skill-Path Seminars and Risk Management Associates. Bailey is the author of “Thriving – The Journey to Success in the Business World. She also has received numerous industry awards and recognitions including “Woman of Achievement,” “Forty Under Forty Business Leaders,” and “Outstanding Volunteerism in the Workplace.

Mike Drak, Retirement Heaven or Hell

After a thirty-eight year career within the financial services industry, Mike Drak experienced what he has now termed “retirement shock”. As a result, Mike spent the next xxx years doing research about retirement which resulted in his best selling book “Victory Lap Retirement” based on his realization that full stop retirement doesn’t work for most people.He most recently released “Retirement Heaven or Hell: Which Will You Choose?” which shares some of Mike’s personal experiences in retirement and highlights how people can design and transition to their own unique retirement lifestyle. This book also outlines the valuable retirement lessons learned from the pandemic and introduces nine retirement principles that can support creating a long, healthy and fulfilling life. Along with being a best-selling author, Mike is also a public speaker and retirement lifestyle designer. He has received awards for his writing and you can find his articles at Booming Encore.

Kyrié Carpenter, Ageism Activist

Kyrié Carpenter trained as a therapist and works as a coach and educator, specializing in ageism and dementia. She brings deep experience and knowledge of human development and transformation to each offering. She is the co-founder of the anti-ageism clearinghouse OldSchool.info and the editor of the ChangingAging blog. Kyrie’s book, Healing Dementia, has been endorsed by renowned geriatricians Dr. Bill Thomas and Dr. Al Power. Kyrié splits her time between San Francisco and vagabonding in her Sprinter camper van. In 2015 she traveled to all 50 states via van the culmination of which was founding a wellness center, Prosper.

Ryan Backer, Ageism Activist

Ryan Backer is an age activist striving to undo ageism within an intersectional framework. They aim to eradicate ageism, along with white supremacy, gender bias, ableism, body shaming, homophobia, classism and all other forms of oppression. They have facilitated anti-ageism and anti-racism workshops at an array of international conferences and online forums.

Julie Halpert, Award-Wining Journalist & Speaker

Julie Halpert Julie Halpert is an award-winning journalist who regularly covers aging, retirement and the parenting of older adults. She has been a freelance journalist for over 20 years. Her work has appeared in dozens of the nation’s most widely read publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, CNBC, AARP and Good Housekeeping. She writes the "Second Acts" stories for The Wall Street Journal about those who have switched to new types of careers and passions in retirement. She is the co-author of Making Up With Mom, which focuses on inter-generational differences between women and their mothers and how to resolve them. Additionally, for over 20 years, she has been co-teaching an environmental journalism class at the University of Michigan.

Dorian Mintzer M.S.W., Ph.D., BCC, CPRC

Dr. Dorian Mintzer is an experienced therapist; retirement, money, relationship, and executive coach; consultant; speaker; and writer. She has been weaving adult development, holistic life planning and positive psychology into programs that tap and shape clients’ energies into roadmaps for wiser, more enhanced living. She hosts the popular monthly Revolutionize Your Retirement Interview with Expert’s Series on the 4th Tuesday of each month. She provides presentations and facilitates workshops for professional and community groups. Dori is co-author of the award winning, The Couples Retirement Puzzle: The 10 Must-Have Conversations for Creating an Amazing New Life Together, co-producer of The Career Playbook: Second Half Plays and has contributed to many other books such as Live Smart After 50!, Not your Mother’s Retirement, 65 Things to do when you Retire, 70 Things to do When you Turn 70, 80 Things To Do When you Turn 80, Out of The Box Retirement and Right Sourcing Retirement. She has been featured in national media such as the NY Times, WSJ, USA Today, CNN Money, Forbes, Next Avenue, The Financial Times, NPR, ABC Evening News and the Today Show and has given a Ted X talk: “Embracing your Bonus Years: A Time to Learn, Grow and Evolve.” Learn more about her at RevolutionizeRetirement.com

Fritz Gilbert

Fritz Gilbert is the author of Keys to a Successful Retirement and founder of The Retirement Manifesto, winner of the Plutus award for "Best Retirement Blog". The focus of his writing is "helping people achieve a great retirement", with an emphasis on the non-financial aspects that contribute to a successful retirement. In 2018, after 33 years in Corporate America, Fritz retired at age 55 and relocated with his wife to a cabin in the Appalachian Mountains, where he enjoys outdoor activities, charitable work and RV travel. He can be found at www.theretirementmanifesto.com, or on various social media channels (Twitter @retiremanifesto, Facebook @TheRetirementManifesto)

Mary Morency, Retirement Coach

After a long career in Human Resources Management and Organizational Development in Canada and abroad, Mary continues her passion of helping people grow and bounce back from professional and personal change. This active "retiree" has been offering retirement coaching and workshops with her colleague, Jeannette Lalonde, since 2015. An accredited coach with the International Coach Federation, Mary has also completed certificates in Positive Applied Psychology and holds a bachelor's degree in Language and Education from Fontbonne University, an MBA from McGill University, and certifications in Change Management, Solution-Oriented Coaching and Neuro Linguistic Programming. Our mission is to help present and future retirees to reflect, explore and plan a flourishing retirement life and to support companies with the transition of the baby boomer population into retirement. Our services include virtual and in-person coaching sessions and workshops in both English and French. Mary and Jeannette will be publishing their first book, Rethinking Retirement, towards the end of 2021.

Jeanetter LaLonde, Retirement Coach

Following a 43-year career in human resources management including 10 years as manager of her own strategic HR consulting firm, Jeannette Lalonde started a retirement coaching practice with Mary Morency dealing with the psychosocial aspects of life after work. Jeannette has completed a Certificates in Applied Positive Psychology and Resilience and holds the ICD Certificate (Institute of Corporate Directors) and the Graduate Diploma in Management (MBA I) from McGill University in Montreal and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Carleton University in Ottawa. Our mission is to help present and future retirees to reflect, explore and plan a flourishing retirement life and to support companies with the transition of the baby boomer population into retirement while ensuring the knowledge transfer. Our services include virtual and in-person coaching sessions and workshops in both English and French. Jeannette and Mary will be publishing their first book, Rethinking Retirement towards the end of 2021.

Susan Williams

Susan Williams is the Founder of Booming Encore. Susan’s professional career spans over 28 years and includes working in senior leadership and executive positions within a number of corporations along with leading a consulting firm. Being a baby boomer herself, Susan was interested in doing something that really made a difference. As she started her search she discovered that there were limited dedicated resources and information to support this unique time of life for baby boomers.So she thought, if she couldn’t find it – then she would create it. With that in mind, Susan launched Booming Encore in 2013.Fast forward to today and through the development of original content coupled with sharing information from across the globe through multiple social media channels, Booming Encore has grown to become a globally recognized social media influencer and expert for baby boomers, retirement and aging and also ranked as one of the top baby boomer blogs worldwide

Babs Plunkett

Babs Plunkettis a catalyst for choosing joy from empty nest to retirement. She is a Certified Retirement Coach and a Certified Life Coach since 1998. As the best-selling author of Choose Joy: Three Keys to Investing Your Time in Retirement, she interviewed over 100 people across the country, gaining their inspiration and insights on positive aging. Babs is the Founder of the Choose Joy Method to Rediscover Your Purpose, a 12-week signature course that offers a step-by-step process to renew your purpose from empty nest to retirement. To contact Babs or to get the free resources that go along with her book and course, go to BabsPlunkett.com.

Beau Henderson

Beau Henderson is the Bestselling Author of several books including The RichLife: Ten Investments for True Wealth, The Roadmap to a RichLife, The 5 Thieves That Will Steal Your RichLife, The RichLife Stewardship Principle and Masterful Communication For Success With Business and Life with Dr. Bill Lampton. He holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Georgia as well as the designations of Retirement Income Certified Planner, National Social Security Advisor, Certified Long-Term Care, Master Certified Success Coach and Certified Master Behavioral Analyst, in addition to his role as CEO of The RichLife Advisors. As a media contributor, Beau’s message of the RichLife has been featured in media outlets including The Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, CNBC, and MarketWatch.

Dr. Gill is a corporate trainer specializing in health and wellness seminars and workshops. She is best known for her pre-retirement workshops which help prepare people for the emotional transition from work to retirement. When she is not facilitating seminars, she teaches in the faculty of management at the John Molson School of Business and the Goodman Institute for Investment Management at Concordia University.Gillian has facilitated programs for organizations such as Bell Canada, Air Canada, Investors Group, Combined Jewish Appeal, Federal Express, Novartis, the RCMP, Telus and Exxon Mobil. She also works with private enterprise, universities, hospitals and entrepreneurs. Her website is RewireToRetire.com