What Nobody Tells You About Success, Confidence and Retirement

What happens after you've built companies, made investments, helped shape a business community — and supposedly reached the point where you can retire? In Part 2 of our conversation with Paul Hirschbiel, we go beyond business and into what decades of success have taught him about confidence, relationships, purpose and what comes next. Paul opens up about the insecurity that existed behind a confident exterior, why getting older changed the way he thinks about relationships, and why he's admittedly "terrible" at retirement. We also dig into the future of Hampton Roads, what the region still needs to become known for, the rapid rise of AI — and why Paul believes humans will encounter life beyond Earth. 0:00 Will Hampton Roads produce a unicorn? 3:11 How the region has changed over the last decade 6:59 What Hampton Roads needs to become known for 10:13 Why regionalism remains such a challenge 13:23 Building a completely different kind of memory care center 18:58 The insecurity behind Paul's confidence 20:29 Why going deep beats going wide with relationships 22:23 Why Paul is terrible at retirement 23:20 Finding purpose beyond making money 26:11 What comes next for Hampton Roads 29:38 A belief most people disagree with him about 30:10 Why Paul believes we'll discover life beyond Earth 33:49 How AI changes everything 35:28 The food Paul misses when he leaves Virginia Beach 37:01 Looking back on the people who shaped the journey