Nearly 30 million Americans are expected to retire in the next decade, according to University of New Mexico School of Law Professor Nathalie Martin. Martin has released a new book, The Inspired Retirement: Purpose and Passion in Your Next Adventure, which aims to guide individuals through the transition from work to retirement.
The book offers a step-by-step approach for improving life after retirement, focusing on each person’s values, skills, and interests. Martin highlights the importance of planning ahead for retirement by considering what kind of daily life one wants after leaving the workforce.
“Some of us will feel a huge void in our lives when we finally leave that workplace for the last time. We may need to establish new social connections to become part of new communities after leaving our full-time jobs,” Martin said. “My book includes stories from interviews I did for this project, and one features how my colleague, author, and law professor Sherri Burr did this by becoming part of various literary communities before she left full-time teaching.”
Martin began exploring these ideas in 2018 with her earlier book Lawyering from the Inside Out, published by Cambridge Press. That work focused on mindfulness practices for lawyers at the start of their careers. She notes that similar personal reflection can help those nearing retirement find meaning beyond their professional identities.
“That book was about purpose at the beginning of a career, but I realized that this sort of personal inquiry can also help near the end of a career,” Martin said. “Many people define themselves by their work, and most of us derive a lot of meaning and purpose from what we do. Our social circles also often revolve around work, though we may not realize this until we leave our workplaces for good.”
The Inspired Retirement addresses setting objectives and prioritizing them in later life. It references Dr. Atul Gawande’s research on aging, which identifies dependence, boredom, and loneliness as major challenges faced by retirees. While many focus on financial planning for retirement—an area covered extensively in other books—Martin argues that non-financial aspects such as identity and purpose are equally important.
“For many in the UNM community who are faculty members, you can, of course, just keep doing exactly what you are doing now, forever. I know many people who have done this, worked until their last breath. This certainly solves the problem of ‘who will I be when I no longer define myself by my work,’ but is it possible that there might be other things you want to do before you die? Other interests? Other pursuits, other dreams? These are some of the questions we pursue in my book,” she said.
Since its release in July, The Inspired Retirement has received endorsements from two #1 New York Times bestselling authors and reached #1 bestseller status on Amazon in several categories. Media coverage has included news articles, blogs, and podcasts discussing Martin’s approach to purposeful retirement planning.
The book is available at local Albuquerque bookstores including Page One, Books on the Bosque, Bookworks as well as online through Amazon.
“I am really excited, I always had a desire to write something for the general audience, rather than another academic book,” Martin said. “To me, independent bookstores are the lifeblood of our community, so having my book sold in brick and mortar bookstores was one of my dreams, and thankfully it is starting to happen.”
For those seeking further resources on preparing for retirement beyond financial planning or reading material alone, Martin recommends The Modern Elder Academy’s retreat center near Santa Fe as an option for additional support.
