Every once in a while, I’ll pick up a passenger where one of my “superpowers” (reading people) will kick in at an ultra-high level, and as soon as Rachel popped in and clicked her seatbelt, I could feel her extremely high level of positiveness.  Rachel immediately locked into my sign offering life coaching options to passengers and we soon connected in a conversation on being of service to others.

RACHEL

One of my options is for my passengers to tell me their story because let’s face it, we all have one and Rachel’s story inspired me. Rachel (who certainly looked nothing like her age), was retired from years of working in the Waltham, Massachusetts school district as a behavioral specialist for grades K-8.  Having taught elementary school myself, I can tell you her job had to be tough. The part of teaching elementary school that is the hardest is the “babysitter” role teachers must play in order to be able to actually teach.  Waltham, MA must be fairly progressive to have hired Rachel for this role as many districts have no role available like this.  So, Rachel mainly worked with disruptive students whose behavior needed to change.  After her years in this field, Rachel hit her retirement goal and was ready to leave her career… but for many who hit retirement the big question is… what now?

FOLLOWING A PASSION

Rachel decided to follow one of her passions and probably her biggest which is her love of cats. She thought, why not apply her skill set in behavior modification to the mysterious world of cats? So, Rachel went back to school and although she had already obtained a ED.D (similar to a PHD) in behavior modification, she needed a certification to apply her skills to cats. Rachel is currently certified as a: “Cat Behavior and Retention Specialist, Humane Education Specialist, Pet Chaplain®, Fear Free Shelter Specialist, American Association of Feline Practitioners Cat Friendly Veterinary Advocate and RedRover Reader. She is currently a cat behaviorist for cat/animal shelters all over the world, including working with adopters, training shelter volunteers and instituting surrender prevention programs. She also provides individual cat behavior help to cat parents. Rachel is the Founder and President of All Cats All the Time, Inc. which is a 501c3 nonprofit dedicated to promoting the adoption of cats and preventing their surrender and abandonment by helping cat/animal shelters – and cat owners who cannot otherwise afford to do so – access cat behavior counseling free of charge for the cats in their care*.”   Whew, and if that’s not enough, Rachel has presented for many animal welfare groups, her work has been recognized by numerous media outlets, she sits on many boards, an author, (Book- “Saving the World, One Cat at a Time”) and a speaker. Her website for Cat specific behavior modification is  https://drrachelcatbehavior.com/ .

A PLAN FOR RETIREMENT

I mean talk about passion… one can feel it oozing from her pours, Rachel’s excitement, and energy when she talks about what she does is thru the roof. What is even more impressive is that at her level of expertise she offers her services at no charge.  And as I do the same in most of my life-coaching, I immediately related to her passion for being of service to others. I talk to people every week who can’t wait to retire and when I ask what will they do in retirement? I often get answers stating they have no idea.  In reality, going from a life working 9-5, 5 days a week to full retirement can be quite the adjustment.  I often respond to these folks that if they have no plan then, they should work in their current job for as long as they can or until they know or in many cases they connect to one of their passions in life. Retirement gigs should be fun and excite you each day… and as a result it never feels like work!

Rachel’s inspiring story shows how one can thrive in retirement and in some cases can achieve your highest level of life satisfaction.  Retirement is the time to have fun and try new interests or expand on existing ones… and you never know where you will end up.  Having had my last cat for 21 years, I’ve kind of been stalled in getting my next one (for a few limiting beliefs).  I wonder if I might need some sort of human or cat behavioral consultation with Rachel myself?  In any case, Rachel shows how connecting with one’s passion and having a plan for retirement can be a total relaunch in your life’s purpose and a purrrfect retirement plan.

*  Taken from Rachel’s Bio on her website, https://drrachelcatbehavior.com/about-dr-rachel/

© Jim Stern Coaching 2024, All rights reserved.