I retired from my corporate job on March 31, 2024.
The chickens said: “You won’t have anything to do. You need to stay put in your comfortable job.”
As always, the chickens were wrong.
Here’s what actually happened in my first year of “retirement”:
- I gave multiple keynotes across the U.S. and Europe.
- I taught public speaking to scouts (rubber chickens were involved).
- I vacationed with my family in Orlando, Scotland, and Isle of Palms, SC.
- I won a storytelling contest.
- And most importantly, I watched my son get married.
Not bad for someone who was supposedly slowing down.
🔥 Month-by-Month: The Retirement Victory Lap
April
- 🧠 Mastermind in Las Vegas. What happens there becomes keynote material.
- 🌒 Full eclipse in Indiana with Beth and Tom. Once-in-a-lifetime wonder.
- ☀️ Keynote at PMBA Orlando + family fun with Beth, Tom, and our niece Sarah and her amazing family.
May
- ⚾️ Guardians beat the Mets in Cleveland. Great game with my great friend Chris Malfara.
June
- 🇫🇪 Keynote at BA & Beyond in Belgium.
- 🇨🇦 Spoke at APC Canada in Toronto.
- 🌍 Family vacation in Scotland. Edinburgh, St. Andrews, Loch Ness… and haggis.
July
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- 🏟️ Summer camp with our Boy Scout troop. Campfires, laughs, no cell reception.
August
- 🎤 Opening keynote for Child Focus in Cincinnati.
- 🏖️ Beach trip with the extended family in South Carolina.
September
- 🧵 Hernia surgery. Couch time = 2025 planning time.
October
- 🏟️ Chaired communications at Peterloon: 5,000+ scouts, rubber chickens, and SNL alum Luke Null.
- 💍 My son got married! My mom was there. It was perfect.
- 🌏 Keynote at the PMBA conference in Boston.
November
- 🎧 Keynote + AI session in Vancouver.
- 🏋️ Stress Management keynote at St. Elizabeth in Kentucky.
December
- 🥚 Keynote + final chicken dance of the year in Chicago.
- 📌 Virtual PMBA Global keynote.
- 🏢 Final in-person keynote in Cincinnati.
- 🎄 Family Christmas. Love, laughter, and labs.
January
- 🇨🇦 Virtual AI presentation for IIBA New Brunswick.
- 🧠 AI session for i-HTM. Still no Skynet.
February
- 🏫 Taught public speaking to scouts at Merit Badge Challenge. Badge = rubber chicken.
March
- 🏆 Won the NSA Ohio Last Story Standing contest.
- 🎩 East Fork District dinner. Brought the laughs, and got my son to do the chicken dance.
- 🏔️ Quick getaway with Beth and Tom. Hiking, shopping, and finishing the book.
April (again)
- 🌟 Mastermind in New Orleans. Big ideas, beignets, and a few chickens fried (figuratively).
🧠 What I Learned
Retirement doesn’t mean idle. It means intentional.
This year was full—of laughter, purpose, family, and fried chickens (the metaphorical kind).
I learned that joy multiplies when shared. That the best stress relief is doing what you love. That there’s no such thing as too many rubber chickens if they make someone smile.
So here’s to Year Two of retirement: more travel, more laughter, and more moments that matter.
Let’s keep flying and frying!
AND BECAUSE A PICTURE IS WORTH 1000 WORDS – HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS IN PICTURES:
