Mid-life Men: the mental health podcast

Why Do Men Lose Themselves In Retirement? with George Jerjian

George Jerjian · July 4, 2026

Life Coach · Authorin

Interview with George Jerjian

Why Do Men Lose Themselves In Retirement? with George Jerjian

Podcast: Mid-life Men: the mental health podcast

July 4, 2026 · 46 min

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Why Do Men Lose Themselves In Retirement? with George Jerjian

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Key topicsEmployee wellbeing should not end the day someone retiresMany organisations talk seriously about employee wellbeing while people are in the business, but that care often stops at the exact moment someone faces one of the biggest identity shifts of their life. George challenges HR leaders to see retirement not as the end of the employee relationship, but as the final stage of the employee lifecycle - one that can affect emotional health, confidence, purpose and long-term wellbeing. Through his DARE Method, he helps people prepare for the psychological transition from work to life after work, so they are not left trying to rebuild identity, meaning and direction after they have already stepped away. This gives HR podcasts a timely conversation about how employers can support people to leave well, protect their wellbeing beyond the payroll, and show the wider workforce that care does not disappear at the exit door. The question retirees won’t ask their financial advisor but can’t stop thinking aboutRetirees rarely say “I’m scared I won’t know who I am,” but it shows up as second-guessing, impulsive decisions, and a nagging emptiness. The default belief is “once I’m secure, I’ll be fine,” yet security doesn’t automatically create direction. George gives language for the inner shift-identity loss to identity expansion-so people can make calmer decisions from a grounded place and find a new purpose. Hosts get a practical episode because George translates the psychology into clear, usable steps. Retirement support is a culture signal your younger employees are watchingWhen an employee retires, the people still inside the business notice how that exit is handled. If retirement support is purely transactional, it can quietly signal that loyalty ends when productivity ends; if it is thoughtful, it reinforces trust, care, and long-term employer credibility. George is passionate about helping people prepare for the non-financial realities of retirement does not need to be expensive or complicated, but it can create lasting goodwill among retirees, colleagues, and future leaders. This conversation helps HR professionals reframe retirement transition support as both a human responsibility and a visible culture moment that strengthens the organisation’s reputation from the inside out. View all topics →

About George Jerjian

Retirement Mindset Mentor, Creator of The DARE Method® Author and Speaker

12 Award-winning books authored30 days Silent retreat that sparked his reinvention52 Age when a diagnosis led him to semi-retireDARE Method® Reinvention framework created

George Jerjian is a retirement mindset mentor who helps people rebuild meaning and direction after full-time work ends. Early in his work with retirees, he noticed a pattern. Most people prepare hard for the financial side of retirement, then get blindsided by what money cannot organise. There is instability when a job title disappears, and there is opportunity in the space it leaves behind. George calls that turning point the Identity Renaissance, and it sits at the heart of everything he teaches.

George did not arrive at this work from theory. At 52, he received a life-threatening diagnosis that led him to semi-retire. When the diagnosis proved wrong, he expected life to snap back into place. Instead, he spent years drifting, restless and uncertain, and surprised by how disorienting freedom can feel when identity has been tied to a role. A 30-day silent retreat became the reset. It gave him the pause to listen, follow his intuition, and eventually unretire, choosing a more intentional second act.

That lived experience became a framework. George created the DARE Method® to guide people through reinvention in later life, moving from confusion to clarity with practical steps and grounded self-inquiry.

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About this episode

For most of our lives, we're known by what we do. Our work shapes our identity, gives us purpose and often becomes the measure of our self-worth. But what happens when that chapter ends? When the career finishes, the business is sold or retirement finally arrives, many men are left asking a question they never expected: Who am I now?

George Jerjianhas spent years helping people answer that question. But his own journey began after being told he had what doctors believed was a terminal bone tumour - a life-changing moment that forced him to confront his own mortality and rethink what a meaningful life really looks like. Thankfully, the diagnosis proved wrong, but the experience changed the course of his life forever.

In this conversation, George explains why so many men drift into retirement believing they'll finally be happy, only to discover they've lost far more than a job. They lose routine, purpose, confidence and, most importantly, a sense of who they are.

Drawing on his own experiences, his work with thousands of retirees and insights from more than 20,000 survey responses, George shares why this doesn't have to be the final chapter; it can become the most rewarding one.

In this episode you'll learn:

Why so many men tie their identity to work without realising it. What really causes loneliness, aimlessness and loss of purpose after retirement. How a near-death experience transformed George's outlook on life. Why curiosity - not comfort - is often the key to a fulfilling second half of life. Practical ways to start redefining your purpose long before retirement arrives. Whether retirement is twenty years away or you're already there, this conversation is really about one thing: building a life that's defined by who you are and not just what you do.

If you'd like to learn more about George and his work, visit georgejerjian.com, where you'll find articles, podcasts and information about his DARE Method. You can also connect with George on social media by searching for George Jerjian or Retirement Rebellion.

Guest: George Jerjian