The Transition Bridge Podcast

“Retiring TO Something and Not Just FROM Something” with Chris Maduri, CEO of Vibrant Retirement

Chris Maduri · May 25, 2026

Finance · Life Coach · Wellnessin

Interview with Chris Maduri

“Retiring TO Something and Not Just FROM Something” with Chris Maduri, CEO of Vibrant Retirement

Podcast: The Transition Bridge Podcast

May 25, 2026 · 42 min

Today, we are going to have a thoughtful conversation around retirement. How to understand it, gain a new perspective, and ultimately do it well. Retirement is one of life’s biggest transitions. My guest today, Chris Maduri, shares that people need the mindset and preparation…

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“Retiring TO Something and Not Just FROM Something” with Chris Maduri, CEO of Vibrant Retirement

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The Transition Bridge Podcast

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Key topicsWould You Live Differently If Your Family Depended on You?Most people would say they'd do anything for their family. But Chris challenges listeners to consider a harder question: are you actually living in a way that protects them? That means looking at health, longevity, financial decisions and the choices we make today that could affect our families decades from now. We all say we'd die for our families. But would we change how we live for them? Chris connects the emotional idea of family responsibility with practical financial and lifestyle decisions. His perspective is that protecting your family isn't only about what happens after you're gone - it's also about taking care of yourself while you're here.Nothing Coming In — The Fear That Arrives With the First Retirement WithdrawalChris Maduri has spent nearly two decades walking people from earning money to living off it, and he finds the anxiety starts with the first withdrawal, long before markets do anything. Most preparation treats retirement as a maths problem, when the harder change is that after 30 years of watching a balance grow, people now have to watch it fall on purpose. He explains how that feeling drives real decisions, from cutting spending they could comfortably afford to reaching for returns they do not need. Across 15 years and work with about 70 insurance companies, he has seen which plans hold up once people start drawing on them and which only ever worked on paper. Listeners leave able to name what is actually making them uneasy, and knowing which decisions to make before the feeling makes them.Which Retirement Plans Survived 2008, and Which Quietly Broke?Chris Maduri began his career just before the 2008 financial crisis, and spent his first years watching plans that looked solid on paper come apart under pressure. That start shaped how he judges risk: not by what a projection promises in a good year, but by what a plan still delivers in a bad one. He walks through what actually broke in 2008 for people close to retirement, why the damage landed hardest on those drawing income rather than still saving, and what the survivors had in common. Nearly two decades and about 70 insurance companies later, he can show which structures earned their place and which were sold on optimism. Listeners leave with a way to stress test their own plan against the year nobody plans for.View all topics →

About Chris Maduri

Retirement & Life Transitions Expert

Nearly 20 years Helping people prepare for retirement4 Pillars of sustainable retirement planning3 Buckets in his wealth-building approachSales Director Named by Financial Marketing Group in 2013

Chris Maduri has spent nearly two decades helping people prepare for more than retirement - he helps them prepare for the life that comes after work.

Because retirement isn't simply the day the pay cheque stops.

It can change your identity, your marriage, your relationship with your time, your health, your family and your sense of purpose. And Chris believes that's the part of retirement planning most people don't talk about.

Chris began his career just before the 2008 Financial Crisis, an experience that fundamentally shaped how he thinks about risk. Watching carefully constructed plans come under pressure taught him that assumptions can fail - and that a retirement plan needs to work in the real world, not just on paper.

But after nearly two decades in the industry, Chris has come to see that financial preparation is only one part of the equation.

The bigger question is: What are you actually retiring to?

Chris describes retirement as the "fourth quarter of life" - and, if you've done things right, a little overtime.His work explores what it takes to make that chapter meaningful: having financial confidence, maintaining your health, protecting the people you love, staying connected to a sense of purpose and knowing how you want to spend the years you've worked so hard to create.

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About this episode

Today, we are going to have a thoughtful conversation around retirement.

How to understand it, gain a new perspective, and ultimately do it well.

Retirement is one of life’s biggest transitions.

My guest today,Chris Maduri, shares that people need the mindset and preparation to retire to something and not just from something.

Chris Maduri has spent nearly two decades working in retirement and investment planning, helping people prepare for one of life’s biggest transitions: Retirement - the moment work stops defining the structure of their days.

Today, Chris works at the intersection of financial clarity and personal clarity, helping people navigate retirement and life’s transitions with steadiness, confidence, and a renewed sense of purpose.

In today’s episode, Chris shares:

“What tends to surprise people the most emotionally when they start slowing down or stepping away from work?”

“How can someone begin discovering purpose before they retire instead of scrambling after?”

“What questions should people be asking themselves 3–5 years before retirement?”

“What becomes possible when someone approaches retirement with intention instead of fear?”

“What are some non-financial habits or rhythms people should start building now?”

“How important is structure in retirement, and what happens when it’s missing?”

CONNECT WITH CHRIS MADURI:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-maduri-69a1032/

X: https://x.com/CoverYrAssets

Website: https://vibrantretirement.com/

CONNECT WITH DEBI

Website – https://www.debironca.com

Instagram - @debironca

Email – info@debironca.com

Free Group Coaching - https://debi.sequoiatransitioncoaching.com/group-coaching

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@DebiRoncaOfficial

Amy Throw | Stylist & Image CoachI style women in clothes they love & build opportunities they believe in https://www.cabionline.com/?pws=styledwithsoul

Check out my online course!

Your Story’s Changing, Finding Purpose in Life’s Transitionshttps://course.sequoiatransitioncoaching.com/8-week-program

The Family Letter by Debi Ronca – International Best Sellerhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SSJFXBD

Free Clarity Call: https://calendly.com/debironca/free-clarity-call

Guest: Chris Maduri