351: Retirement Is Not the End of Your Career with Rich Lucey

What's in this episode

Send us Fan Mail What happens when you stop seeing retirement as an escape plan and start treating it like a leadership decision? In this episode of The Mid-Career GPS Podcast, I sit down with my friend Rich Lucey to talk about retirement planning, professional identity, consulting, networking as an introvert, and what it really means to create a purposeful next chapter after mid-career. Rich spent more than two decades leading alcohol and drug misuse prevention efforts across state and federal government. But instead of waiting until burnout forced a decision, he chose retirement at 62 with intention, strategy, and clarity about how he wanted to spend his time moving forward. If you are a mid-career professional thinking about retirement, considering a second career, exploring consulting, or wondering how to maintain purpose after leaving a long-term role, this conversation will help you think differently about your next move. We also dive into one of the biggest challenges many mid-career professionals face today: visibility. Rich openly shares why networking feels exhausting for introverts, how “forced socialization” drains energy, and why meaningful professional relationships a