The Internal Changemaker
In most careers, we’re rewarded for being strategic, composed, and efficient. Feelings? Often viewed as distractions.
But in retirement, that script no longer serves. In fact, it can keep us from finding the clarity and ownership this chapter invites, both of which are essential to building a life that feels aligned, fulfilling, and driven by purpose.
That’s where retirement coaching, especially the non-financial kind, can make all the difference. It helps you lead this transition with more awareness, intention, and agency.
I often talk about the importance of becoming the CEO of You and of stepping into this next chapter with thoughtfulness and self-leadership. And recently, a conversation on Michael Bungay Stanier’s Change Signal podcast got me thinking more deeply about what that really means.
His guest, Cassandra Worthy, shared a powerful lens on what it takes to be an internal changemaker, someone who doesn’t just react to change, but leads from within, grounded in values, emotional fluency, and self-awareness. That idea resonated deeply.
In the podcast, they shared that we’re finally seeing a shift in business, as more leaders recognize that emotions have a place and a positive impact. Cassandra Worthy calls the old belief that emotions should be left at the door “antiquated” and says it doesn’t belong in business anymore.
But the change is slow, and for many, those patterns are deeply embedded, carried with them as they step into life after their careers.
And yet, this belief system doesn’t belong in retirement either.
That mindset keeps us operating on the surface—busy, productive, constantly doing—but disconnected from what actually makes those actions feel fulfilling. When we don’t pause to ask why we’re doing something or what it truly means to us, we risk staying busy while bypassing what matters most. We risk missing what brings us joy, connection, and meaning—not what society says should matter, but what feels true for us.
Retirement invites a different approach. One where your doing flows from your being—from your values, your strengths, your sense of purpose.
And that shift is at the heart of becoming the CEO of You.
Why This Matters in Retirement. Enter: the internal changemaker.
This isn’t about changing the world. It’s about changing the way you meet the world, especially when the structure, status, and signals that used to guide you are gone.
Being an internal changemaker means:
Listening to your own thoughts and feelings before rushing into action
Creating space to slow down, reflect, and redefine what success now looks like
Setting your own non-negotiables based on values, not others’ expectations
Choosing agency over abdication; design over default
From “Leave it at the Door” to Leading with Humanity
Cassandra Worthy noted, “When we leave emotion at the door of business, we leave humanity at the door of business.” The long-held belief that emotions slow us down or cloud judgment doesn’t just live in the workplace. It shows up in how we approach personal transitions, too.
We’ve been told that inviting feelings into the conversation will slow us down. But in retirement, slowing down isn’t a liability, it’s a chance to recalibrate. To process. To reimagine. As Worthy reminds us, “Everyone wears change differently.” So the slowing down, tuning in and reflecting is different for each of us. But regardless of the pace, emotional fluency isn’t weakness. It’s wisdom.
Stanier put it simply: “Don’t deny your feelings. It seems like it would make things clean and neat and spreadsheeted, but it just doesn’t work out that way.”
From KPIs to Inner Compass: Two Stories that bring the message home
One client told me, “I feel like I’ll fail at retirement.” Why? Because she was still measuring her success against productivity metrics. Key Performance Indicators she no longer needed to meet. She hadn’t yet created her own measures of what felt meaningful. Her inner compass was uncalibrated.
Another client felt pressure to retire simply because everyone in her family had done so early. It wasn’t her choice to leave career, but she felt swayed by comparison, guilt, and outside expectation. She hadn’t claimed the role of internal changemaker—yet.
This Is the New Leadership
Retirement isn’t about stepping away from leadership. It’s about stepping into a new kind of leadership. One that begins with you.
The internal changemaker leads with clarity, emotional insight, and alignment.
The CEO of You chooses agency over abdication. Design over default.
The opportunity? It’s yours. The role? Already open and yours for the taking . The next step? Entirely up to you.
Conflux Retirement Coaching is about merging the best of who you are with who you want to become. As you step into the role of CEO of You, I invite you to consider what might be stopping you from embracing this concept of internal changemaker? And to move you in the direction of your aspirations and your potential, think about what’s one move, however small, you can make today to take the lead in your own life and start shaping what’s next with intention?
