Send us a text

Travel in retirement is about far more than sightseeing — it’s about staying mentally sharp, physically active, and deeply engaged with life. In this Five Minute Friday episode of The Retired Mindset, host Bobby P records on location from Munich, Germany, in the Marienplatz in front of the world-famous Glockenspiel, sharing insights on the mental, physical, and personal development benefits of traveling in retirement.

From cognitive stimulation and natural movement to lifelong learning and expanded perspective, this episode encourages retirees to view travel as a powerful tool for growth, curiosity, and connection.

KEY TOPICS DISCUSSED:

• Travel in retirement
• Benefits of international travel for seniors
• Mental health and cognitive benefits of travel
• Physical activity through travel and walking
• Lifelong learning in retirement
• Personal growth after retirement
• Retirement lifestyle design
• Expanding worldview in retirement
• Active and engaged retirement

CORE THEMES COVERED:

• Mental Benefits of Travel in Retirement
• Experiencing new languages, cultures, and environments activates the brain, improves cognitive flexibility, and keeps the mind engaged well into retirement.
• Physical Health Through Active Travel
• Walking cities, exploring neighborhoods, and moving naturally throughout the day supports balance, endurance, and overall vitality without the pressure of formal exercise.
• Continued Learning and Personal Development
• Travel becomes a living classroom, offering lessons in history, culture, humility, and curiosity through real-world experience rather than structured education.
• Expanding Perspective and Worldview

Exposure to different ways of living fosters empathy, gratitude, and the understanding that fulfillment in retirement doesn’t follow a single formula.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Retirement travel supports both mental sharpness and physical vitality
• Learning and growth continue long after leaving the workforce
• Travel encourages curiosity, adaptability, and openness
• You don’t have to travel far — intention matters more than distance

CALL TO ACTION THIS WEEKEND!

• Plan One Intentional Trip
• Choose a destination that offers cultural, historical, or personal growth opportunities.
• Walk when possible, explore on foot, and allow movement to be part of daily discovery.
• Engage With Curiosity
• Try local foods, learn simple phrases, and observe how others live their daily lives.
• *Reflect and Integrate

After returning home, reflect on what the journey taught you about yourself and your approach to retirement.

Travel in retirement isn’t about escaping life — it’s about expanding it. When you challenge your mind, move your body, and open yourself to the world, retirement becomes a season of growth rather than retreat.

Because in retirement…

Soul Meets Body.

Join us as we post new episodes weekly!

Connect with Bob: BobbyP@theretiredmindset.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, TheRetiredMindset.com.

Send us a text

Hello Mindsetters! We took a short break during the holidays, but we're back and ready to bring you great new content for the New Year in 2026!

As we step into 2026, this Five Minute Friday is a moment to pause, reflect, and intentionally move forward. Bob looks back on 2025 as a transformative year—one defined by a shift into a new retired mindset grounded in intention, optimism, and creativity.

That shift led to the creation of The Retired Mindset podcast as a creative outlet and community space for sharing perspectives, lessons learned, and encouragement for those navigating retirement with purpose.

This episode invites listeners to honor the blessings and lessons of the past year while embracing 2026 as a season of fresh beginnings, new opportunities, and meaningful growth. With gratitude as a foundation and optimism as a guide, retirement becomes not an ending—but an intentional redesign of life.

Key Themes

• Reflection on a transformative year in retirement
• Gratitude for lessons learned and blessings received
• Embracing creativity and purpose after leaving traditional work
• Viewing retirement as a fresh chapter, not a finish line
• Setting goals rooted in intention rather than obligation
• Facing challenges with confidence and self-belief
• Living each day as a gift waiting to be unwrapped

Key Takeaways

• Retirement is a redesign, not a retreat. It’s an opportunity to reimagine how you live, create, and contribute.
• Looking back with gratitude brings clarity moving forward. Reflection helps guide better decisions in the future.
• Creativity fuels the soul in retirement. New outlets and ideas keep purpose alive.
• Optimism is a daily choice. It shapes how we approach both opportunity and adversity.
• Each day matters. Treat every day as a gift and an invitation to live fully.
• Challenges are part of the journey—but so is resilience. You’ve overcome obstacles before, and you will again.

Reflection Question for Mindsetters

As you begin 2026, what lessons from the past year do you want to carry forward—and what new dreams are you ready to pursue?

Closing Thought

Retirement is a journey best traveled with intention, gratitude, and an open heart.
In this next chapter, remember, in retirement:

Soul Meets Body.

Join us as we post new episodes weekly!

Connect with Bob: BobbyP@theretiredmindset.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, TheRetiredMindset.com.

Send us a text

In this soulful and scenic episode, recorded amidst mountain winds coming off of Lake McLeod in the Eastern Sierra, host Bob Preston sits down with longtime friend and nature photographer Alan Kassan. In retirement, Alan traded his career and office life for wide-open skies, rugged alpine trails, and a custom Sprinter van built for adventure.

Together, they explore what it means to retire with intention and purpose —not away from something, but boldly toward a life filled with passion, creativity, and connection to the natural world. From the Sierra Nevada to Yosemite to the eastern edge of Highway 395, Alan shares how the road became his teacher, his retreat, photography studio, and his canvas.

Episode Sponsor: Find The Good

In retirement, there is a need for a shift in all of our mindsets, so we built an apparel brand to do just that. We're here to focus on the good and build a community of people looking to encourage others to do the same. Shop today for hats, hoodies, shirts, and the like. Use the promo code: BOBPRESTON for exclusive discounts on merchandise! https://www.findthegoodbrand.com

Themes:
1. Retiring Toward Something Meaningful
Alan’s journey illustrates the mindset shift that makes retirement transformative: choosing purpose over pause, exploration over stagnation, and curiosity over comfort.

2. Roaming with a Purpose:
Alan dives into nature while traveling in his customized Sprinter van—off-grid camping, favorite routes along Highway 395, the challenges behind the scenic Instagram moments, and the incredible payoff of waking up exactly where inspiration strikes.

4. Photography as a Passion
Photography became more than a hobby—it became a new identity that gave Alan structure, creativity, and personal meaning in retirement. He shares how being behind the camera helped him slow down, pay attention, and live more mindfully.

5. Beginning a Creative Journey at Any Age:
For listeners dreaming about writing, painting, photographing, or building something new, Alan offers grounded, heartfelt advice: Start small. Start messy. Just start.

Key Takeaway:
Retirement Is a Beginning, Not an Ending:
Letting go of a career opens space for reinvention, self-discovery, and ambitious personal adventures.

Call to Action:
If this episode inspires you, take an intentional step toward something that sparks curiosity or joy. Whether it’s a creative pursuit, a new outdoor habit, or simply exploring a passion you’ve put off—start today.

👉 Check out Alan’s photography:
https://www.aklightplay.com

👉 Join The Retired Mindset Community:

• Like the video
• Subscribe to the channel
• Leave a comment sharing your biggest insight
• Share this episode with a friend who needs to hear it

Join us as we post new episodes weekly!

Connect with Bob: BobbyP@theretiredmindset.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, TheRetiredMindset.com.

Send us a text

In this Five Minute Friday, Bob is exploring why retirement isn’t the end of personal growth and development — it’s the beginning of an entirely new, more intentional chapter. Personal development becomes not just optional, but essential, as we navigate the blank canvas of this phase of life. From identity shifts to curiosity, creativity, and building new habits, this episode reframes personal growth and development as a powerful fuel for happiness, meaning, and fulfillment in retirement.

I am so happy to have met our new sponsor, a cool clothing line called Find The Good. They epitomize this personal growth and development we are discussing today! Receive a 10% discount by using my coupon code, BOBPRESTON: Click here to shop Find The Good clothing online.

Key Talking Points:

1. A New Beginning, Not a Slowdown

Retirement frees us from the constant deadlines, deliverables, and identity tied to a career. But that freedom can feel unsettling without structure or purpose. Personal development becomes the bridge from “What now?” to “What’s next?”

2. The Retired Mindset Shift:

Growth doesn’t end at 60, 70, or 80 — unless we decide it does. Curiosity is one of the most youthful energies we have. I've learned along my retirement journey that personal development at this stage is less about climbing ladders and more about exploring:

* New skills

* New passions

* New communities

* New challenges

3. Identity Beyond the Job Title:

Many retirees discover how much of their identity was linked to their career. My goal in retirement has been to create a sense of self-worth and direction. Personal growth and development become the work of rediscovering who you are — and who you want to be now. It can include:

* Journaling

* Fun classes or new certifications

* Creative passions and pursuits

* Physical or mental training

* Spiritual grounding

4. The Power of Small, Daily Habits:

Small commitments such as these will create consistency — and consistency creates momentum.

* Five minutes of stretching.

* Five minutes of early morning meditation.

* Reading 10 pages or listening to a Blinkist audio.

* One mindful walk.

* One new conversation.

6. Real-Life Example From Bobby P:

For me, personal development in retirement is ongoing, energizing, and deeply fulfilling. I like the early morning before the world wakes up. I'm in the 5am club, rising before everyone, to meditate, listen to my Blinkist library, journal, or just watch the sunrise. Starting the day right helps me maintain my retired mindset for the rest of the day.

Key Takeaways:

* Personal development doesn’t have an age limit. Growth keeps us energized and emotionally healthy.

* Retirement is an opportunity to design who we want to become next.

* Progress beats perfection. Small daily improvements create massive long-term transformation.

* You’re allowed

Join us as we post new episodes weekly!

Connect with Bob: BobbyP@theretiredmindset.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, TheRetiredMindset.com.

Send us a text

As we head into Thanksgiving week, today’s Five Minute Friday is all about one of the most grounding and transformative practices we have in retirement: gratitude.

I am grateful for our new sponsor, a cool clothing line called Find The Good. Here is a link to their website, where you will receive a 10% discount by using my coupon code, BOBPRESTON: Click here to shop Find The Good clothing online.

The Emotional Shift Into Retirement

Retirement isn’t just a logistical change — it’s an emotional one. The routines fade, the job titles disappear, and the calendar opens up. That newfound space can feel freeing… but also a little unsettling.

Practicing gratitude helps anchor us through this transition. It reminds us of what’s constant, what’s meaningful, and what we often overlook.

Why Gratitude Matters Even More Now

For the first time in decades, retirement gives us time — time to slow down, reflect, and actually notice our lives. When the deadlines and noise drop away, what remains?

• The people who shaped us
• The friends who supported us
• The family who lifted us up
• The moments we rushed through on the way to somewhere else

Retirement lets us finally see those things clearly — if we choose to look.

A Thanksgiving Reminder

Thanksgiving isn’t just about food (though no complaints there).
It’s a built-in pause button — a moment to look around the table, literal or symbolic, and think: “Wow. I’m lucky.”

And here’s the truth: In retirement, every day can be Thanksgiving. It’s not about the holiday — it’s about the mindset.

Your Weekend Gratitude Challenge

Before Monday arrives, try this simple exercise:

1. Write down three things you’re grateful for — anything, big or small.
2. Share one of them with someone you care about.

Gratitude multiplies when it’s expressed. Gratitude isn’t just a feeling —
It’s a practice, an expression, and a powerful tool for shaping this stage of life.

Wishing you a warm, connected, and grateful Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

Join us as we post new episodes weekly!

Connect with Bob: BobbyP@theretiredmindset.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, TheRetiredMindset.com.

Send us a text

In this episode of The Retired Mindset, Bob sits down with Dr. Jaimie Arona Krems, Associate Professor of Psychology at UCLA and Co-Founder/Director of the UCLA Center for Friendship Research—the first academic hub dedicated to decoding and strengthening human social connection. This conversation is filled with warmth, science, humor, and wisdom you can put into practice today.

Retirement is often described as a “new chapter,” but no one hands us the roadmap for rebuilding community, belonging, and close friendships once the workplace's structure disappears. As Dr. Krems explains, friendship isn’t just a bonus in our later years… It’s biological medicine. It supports longevity, mental health, resilience, and our sense of identity.

Together, we explore why friendships matter more than ever in retirement, why so many people struggle to build or maintain meaningful connections, and how the emerging science of friendship can help us create what Dr. Krems calls “anti-lonely brains.”

Key Takeaways:

• Why friendship is the “silver bullet” for health and happiness

Dr. Krems breaks down the research showing that strong friendships can improve physical health, support mental well-being, reduce stress, and even lengthen our lifespan.

• The Loneliness Epidemic + the Friendship Recession

We discuss why so many retirees experience deep loneliness—even when life looks “full”—and how cultural shifts, mobility, and workplace retirement contribute to shrinking social circles.

• What friendship evolved to do

Dr. Krems explains, through an evolutionary psychology lens, why our brains are wired for close bonds… and why modern society makes achieving them harder than ever.

• Why many retirees struggle to rebuild friendships

From lost routines to geographic distance, we explore the emotional and logistical reasons why connection becomes more challenging later in life.

• Practical science-backed ways to build “anti-lonely brains”

Specific, actionable strategies for creating and maintaining friendships in retirement.

• Quality vs. quantity

Why the power of friendship isn’t about having dozens of contacts—but having a small circle of people you can trust.

• Navigating the emotional vulnerability of making new friends

Dr. Krems shares insights on overcoming the discomfort, self-doubt, and social hesitation that many retirees feel.

• How to strengthen existing friendships

Retirement gives us precious time—but intentional effort is still required. Dr. Krems offers evidence-based ways to rekindle, deepen, or repair meaningful relationships.

Connect with Dr. Jaimie Krems:

LinkedIn

UCLA Center for Friendship Research

UCLA Social Minds Lab

Join us as we post new episodes weekly!

Connect with Bob: BobbyP@theretiredmindset.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, TheRetiredMindset.com.

Send us a text

This week on Five Minute Friday, we’re taking on a big cultural myth — one that desperately needs a modern-day reboot.

You’ve heard the phrase “The Golden Years” your whole life, right? That overly sentimental term that sounds like it was pulled straight from a 1970s retirement brochure — smiling couple, pastel sweaters, beach walk, soft-focus camera lens… maybe a gentle flute solo in the background?

Yeah. That phrase.

Here’s the problem: “Golden Years” unintentionally suggests winding down. It paints retirement as a mellow, static stage meant for rocking chairs, sunset-watching, and slow-motion pancake flipping. Nice, but… not exactly inspiring.

And let’s be honest — gold doesn’t bend.
It’s inflexible.
Exactly the mindset we do not want heading into retirement.

In this episode, Bob challenges the whole idea and makes the case for a full-on rebrand:

• Retirement isn’t a final act — it’s an encore. And not a quiet one. Think pyrotechnics, laser lights, a guitar solo, and a crowd screaming for more.
• These aren’t years to coast — they’re years to level up.
• Instead of “Golden Years,” maybe it’s time to call them:
  • The Prime Time Years
  • The Bonus Round
  • The Heck Yeah Years

Bob shares his own journey — how he initially fell into the “slow down” mindset after retiring… before quickly realizing he wasn’t built for that. Launching this podcast, exploring new passions, learning new things — this stage of life didn’t shrink him. It expanded him.

And the invitation to listeners?

Define this era for yourself. Boldly. Loudly. Honestly.
If someone says, “Enjoy those Golden Years,” feel free to reply:
“Nope — these are my Shining Years. My Bold Years. My Heck-Yeah-I’m-Still-Here Years.”

Because retirement isn’t the end of the road.
It’s the off-ramp to everything you finally have time to do, pursue, build, and become.

Life doesn’t fade after 60 — it gets brighter. And remember, in retirement, Soul Meets Body.

Join us as we post new episodes weekly!

Connect with Bob: BobbyP@theretiredmindset.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, TheRetiredMindset.com.

Send us a text

In this week’s Five Minute Friday, host Bobby P reflects on one of the most significant emotional shifts in retirement: the loss — and rediscovery — of community. When we step away from full-time work, we don’t just give up tasks, meetings, and responsibilities; we lose the daily contact, camaraderie, and shared sense of purpose that quietly shaped our lives for decades.

Through his experiences in Mammoth’s Host Department and simple moments back home in Del Mar, Bob explores how community shows up in unexpected ways — and how essential it is for meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in retirement.

Key Takeaways

• Retirement ≠ Isolation: Stepping away from work often means stepping away from built-in social structure.
• Busy Isn’t Connected: Travel and projects fill time, but they don’t necessarily fill the connection gap.
• Community is Everywhere: Whether it’s a mountain crew swapping stories or neighbors chatting on a beach walk, community shows up in big and small ways.
• Purpose Doesn’t Retire: Staying engaged with others fuels curiosity, fulfillment, and emotional health.

Weekend Challenge

This weekend, try one of the following:

• Reach out to someone you’ve lost touch with.
• Say yes to an invitation you might normally skip.
• Join a group, club, or volunteer shift.
• Take a walk and strike up a conversation with a neighbor.

Small actions build strong communities — one conversation at a time.

Closing Thought

Stay connected.
Stay curious.
And keep building the community that makes retirement not just a phase… but a deeply meaningful journey.

Because in retirement — Soul Meets Body.

Join us as we post new episodes weekly!

Connect with Bob: BobbyP@theretiredmindset.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, TheRetiredMindset.com.