You've saved for decades. The spreadsheet says you're fine. So why can't you book that trip to Italy? Why does buying nice coffee feel wrong? This isn't a financial problem—it's an emotional one. And it's incredibly common.

Money Scripts: The Invisible Backpack

• "There will never be enough"
• "Money is shameful / Rich people are bad"
• "I don't deserve nice things"

The challenge: You've trained for 40 years to accumulate. Now you need to distribute. Your brain hasn't caught up.

The Big Three Emotional Blocks

1. Scarcity Mindset - Tom has £1.8M but won't spend more than £45K/year. The fear isn't rational—it's hardwired.

2. Guilt & Permission - Margaret: retired teacher, £1M saved, felt physically sick before her dream cruise. Guilt steals joy.

3. Identity Loss - David: "I don't know what the money is for anymore." When money was proof you mattered, retirement is existential.

1. Name it, trace it - Where did this belief come from? Does it serve you now?

2. Practice spending - Start small. Buy the nicer coffee. Try a "guilt-free spending account." Retrain your brain.

3. Reframe it - You're not spending down savings. You're converting savings into life.

4. Separate worth from wallet - Your value isn't your net worth. Would you judge your loved ones for enjoying retirement?

5. Talk about it - Money emotions thrive in silence. Get help if you need it.

The difference between anxious wealthy retirees and fulfilled modest ones? Not the account balance. The internal relationship with money.

You're not broken. You're carrying old programming that doesn't fit your new reality.

Share your story: What money emotions are you carrying into retirement?

Humans vs Retirement Podcast - The messy, human side of retirement your financial advisor isn't covering.

Your brain has spent decades as a corporate drug addict, getting its dopamine fix from deadlines, presentations, and feeling important. But when you retire, the dealer cuts you off—cold turkey. This episode explores the neuroscience behind why retirement can feel so devastating, and what you can actually do about it before you clock out for the last time.

The Great Retirement Myth

• Why the "golden ticket" narrative sets us up for disappointment
• The deafening silence after the leaving party
• Understanding retirement as a form of grief

The Science Behind the Emptiness

• Dopamine withdrawal: When the "pings" stop coming
• Cognitive decline after retirement (Whitehall II study findings)
• Loss of identity and social tribe
• Why your brain is "use it or lose it"

The Five-Act Drama of Quitting Work

1. The Run-Up: Excitement mixed with anxiety
2. The Honeymoon: The world's longest bank holiday
3. The 'Oh, Bugger' Phase: When freedom feels empty
4. The Re-Build: The hard graft of reinvention
5. The New Normal: Finding your rhythm

Rewiring Your Brain for a Decent Retirement

Three essential pillars to build before you retire:

Pillar One: Stop Being a Noun, Start Doing Some Verbs

• Redefining yourself beyond your job title
• The "I am..." exercise (10 non-work identities)
• Setting achievable goals for dopamine hits

Pillar Two: Build Yourself a Tribe

• Finding your "Third Place" (beyond home and work)
• Scheduling social connections like board meetings
• Why social connection predicts longevity

Pillar Three: Find a New Rhythm

• Creating a keystone routine to anchor your day
• The art of tinkering: trying things without pressure
• Finding purpose through engagement, not grand passion

• Retirement isn't just a lifestyle change—it's a neurological shock to your system
• The psychological adjustment is as important as financial planning, yet we ignore it completely
• Feeling lost or irrelevant after retirement isn't a personal failing—it's a predictable human reaction
• Your brain needs structure, achievement, and social connection to thrive
• Retirement is a "lifequake" that can clear the ground for a stronger, more authentic version of yourself

• Whitehall II study on cognitive decline and retirement
• The "use it or lose it" principle of brain function
• Cognitive reserve theory
• The concept of "Third Places" in sociology

1. Complete the "I am..." exercise (10 non-work identities)
2. Identify your potential "Third Place"
3. Create one keystone routine to anchor your day
4. Schedule social connections deliberately
5. Start "tinkering" with new activities and interests

Share in the comments: What's one thing you're planning for—or anxious about—for your own retirement?

Humans vs Retirement Podcast Subscribe for more deep dives into the psychology of life's biggest transitions.

You did everything right.
Saved hard. Invested well. Ticked every box.

So why does retirement feel… off?

In this episode, I unpack the uncomfortable truth nobody talks about: retirement can feel psychologically harder than work, even when the money's sorted. Not because you failed, but because you were never given the emotional or mental roadmap for what comes next.

We dig into the five hidden psychological traps that quietly derail retirement, and more importantly, what actually helps you navigate them.

• Why losing your job title can feel like losing yourself

• What happens when a problem-solving brain suddenly has nothing meaningful to solve

• Why the "endless holiday" version of retirement wears thin fast

• The silent pressure to perform a perfect retirement, and why it's exhausting

• How a lifetime of saving can make spending feel terrifying, even when you're financially secure

• How to rebuild your identity around who you are, not what you used to do

• Why your brain needs purpose, not just rest

• How to design a flexible routine that gives freedom without drift

• How to let go of guilt, busyness, and comparison

• And how to create real permission to spend without anxiety or second-guessing

This episode isn't about fixing retirement.

It's about understanding it, so you stop wondering "What's wrong with me?" and start building a life that actually fits.

If this episode hit a nerve, I've created a free one-page Purpose Finder guide to help you get clarity on what you want this next chapter to be about.

👉 Download it here