Introduction
“What’s next?” If you are a professional woman in your late fifties to
late sixties, you have certainly either asked or heard this question. Like
you and thousands of other women, we also wondered what would
come next after we left our full-time careers. Women of our generation
vividly remember coming of age and getting our first jobs in a time
when everything seemed to be changing. We seized opportunities,
jumped in, and made our way, often entering fields previously domi-
nated by men. We learned what we were capable of; we took risks
and changed direction, and we grew. For decades now, we have
played an active role in reshaping the workplace. Our opportunities,
our drive, and our belief that we could take on anything have helped
create a professional culture where the roles and expectations for
women today are vastly different from what they were when we were
growing up. We have also given extraordinary amounts of time,
energy, and expertise to support, mentor, and expand opportunities
for other women and girls.
As we move into retirement, our cohort of professional women is
still carrying the values and innovative spirit that shaped our careers
and reshaped the workplace. During our careers, we were changing
at the same time our workplace was changing. We grew in experience
and confidence and knew instinctively that we were becoming women
who were very different from the women of our mothers’ generation.
Now, what’s next can best be described as a continuation of that pro-
cess. What’s next is the opportunity for each of us to shape a new sense
of identity. No longer defined by the professional positions we held,
