“So… Now What? Starting the Retirement Journey”

In this debut episode of Transitioning to Retirement, host Shaun Emerson sits down with Tom Rocco to kick off a thoughtful and practical conversation about what it really means to move from a full working life into retirement.Tom shares his personal story—retiring after a long career as a marketing executive, navigating life two years into retirement, and building a new rhythm that includes family, fitness, music, and more. Along the way, we learn what inspired this podcast in the first place: real conversations with people who feel uncertain, unprepared, or even a bit lost when thinking about retirement.Together, Shaun and Tom explore why this stage of life can be so challenging, not just financially, but emotionally and socially. What happens to your sense of purpose? Your daily structure? Your relationships?This episode sets the foundation for the series, introducing Tom’s journey and the bigger questions the podcast will tackle: how to approach retirement with intention, how to stay engaged, and how to build a meaningful next chapter.If you’re approaching retirement—or already there—this conversation offers an honest, relatable starting point.