{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"140: Don't You Dare Call Me Retired: Amy Bernstein on Creativity, Doubt, and Uncoupling Your Worth From Your Paycheck","description":"\u201cYou need to uncouple your self-worth from your income.\u201d Amy Bernstein does not like the word \u201cretired\u201d. Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, aren\u2019t too fond of the word either. A former journalist and federal government communications veteran, she didn\u2019t quit anything cold. She shortened her commute first, then went part-time, then, when the pandemic made her last part-time job untenable, took the final step. What followed was less a plan than experiments guided by whatever sparked joy. These \u201cexperiments\u201d included playwriting classes, a first novel written on the train, and a book-coach certification that flipped a switch. Six novels and a nonfiction guide for doubting creatives later, Amy has built a life that pays in confidence and craft more than dollars, and insists that trade is no downgrade. She believes that culture rewards money, title, and productivity so completely that anything creative reads as indulgence, something to feel guilty about squeezing in around "real" obligations. Reading a book, listening to music, mastering a souffl\u00e9. These are creative acts whether or not monetized, and treating unmonetized creativity as worthless has it backwards. Her book, Wrangling the Doubt Monster, does not promise to cure self-doubt; it normalizes it, insisting doubt can ride along without driving the car. Stephanie and Kevin are all about the idea that retirement rarely trips people up financially. It is the identity vacuum of \u201cwho am I once the job title disappears\u201d that catches people off guard, and creativity is where many will find their answer!   Key Topics: From "Have To" to "Want To": Redefining Retirement (04:28) Overcoming the Guilt of Taking Time for Yourself (10:08) Normalizing Creative Self-Doubt (12:42) Permission to Experiment (and Fail) Without a Master Plan (22:02) Creativity as Therapy (28:38) Stephanie and Kevin's Wrap Up (31:28)   Resources: https:\/\/amywrites.live\/ Take Back Retirement Episode 87: Cultivating Creative Connections for Lifelong Wellness with Claire Waite Brown   If you like what you\u2019ve been hearing, we invite you to subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Tell us what you love about this episode! Or better yet, tell us what you want to hear more of in the future. stephanie@sofiafinancial.com   You can find the transcript and more information about this episode at www.takebackretirement.com.   Follow Stephanie on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.  Follow Kevin on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. ","author_name":"Take Back Retirement","author_url":"http:\/\/takebackretirement.com\/","html":"