Retirement Rebel: One woman, one motorhome, one great big adventure

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The DARE Method™ is a must-do gem. Now, I am newly inspired to begin the journey of chronicling my life with the purposeful aspiration of touching the hearts of others. George Jerjian helped me reach this point, with his warm and compassionate teaching style. He is skilled and experienced in guiding fledgling retirees along the road to a deeply satisfying and fulfilling future.” If you’re looking for a deep intensive read with overly detailed instructions on what to do to make your retirement life work this book probably isn’t for you. But if you need a light read that can nudge you in the right direction to finding YOUR path, the one that you design around what lights your fire than grab a copy and enjoy a what feels more like a chat with a good friend. I spent years worrying what other people thought and now I just want to be loud and take up space and be totally myself,” she says. She sees a similar sentiment in many women in her age group, for whom the confidence of later life is combining with a desire to set boundaries around one’s time and efforts, whether that’s rejecting grandparental childcare or being the go-to event caterer out of a materfamilias sense of duty. “We’re exiting relationships that no longer serve us, we’re saying no to things we don’t want to do; we’re cutting people out of our lives who don’t make us feel good,” she adds. “There’s a new mood and that mood is about grabbing life by the wotsits.” Like most of us, I’d been led to believe that it was the only option. I’d accepted it as the path I would take, and I didn’t question it. That all changed when I became semi-retired at the age of 52, after being diagnosed with a bone tumour. Visit the Club on stand 7.12 where you will be greeted with a warm welcome and given inspiration for planning your next holiday.

Approaching retirement and frustrated with her job, Siobhan Daniels made a BIG decision: to start living life on her own terms. Maff’s best story though is setting up a homeless shelter in the World’s biggest building for Christmas, the millennium dome, for charity Crisis. Today, she has nine children and stepkids, aged between from 18 and 31, she also has two grandchildren, aged seven and two, and a younger female partner. She is, for her part, very happy to be a punk grandma. But Cutter dislikes it when people tell her they “used to be” a punk. “It’s not about the hair colour and the piercings you once had, it’s about an attitude: thinking for yourself and not accepting authority.” It’s an inward rebellion, Cutter says, that surely applies at any age. Definitely not retired. I stepped down from my job as an actuary this year after 30 years. I loved that role, but life is short and I wanted to take on some other challenges before the opportunity to do that slipped away. The key, Siobhan insists, is to face ageing with a positive attitude. “I’m not saying to be as crazy as me and get rid of all your possessions and your home. But think outside the box and try to age in a way where you’re living, not just existing,” Siobhan advises. “A couple of women I know have made pacts with their daughters to go on an adventure together twice a year, and I thought that was a great idea to bring generations together.”

I do some voluntary work with the charity Pancreatic Cancer UK, supporting their social media campaign for 15 minutes a day. I also hope to work with the students in Southampton University. I have just been appointed a Professor of Practice there and I hope to be able to use my experience to inspire the next generation. On Club Day, 17th October, TV presenters, campervanners and Club Members, Matt Alwright and Annabel Croft will be at the show talking about their touring adventures, Bake Off star and caravanner Karen Wright will be sharing memories of her summer European tour and author of 'Retirement Rebel', Siobhan Daniels, will be talking about her travels as a solo motorhomer. There's a point in this deep and compelling story where Rosen says he felt as if he were observing the conversation he's describing from the third person perspective. And that's how reading this superbly written tome hit me; I felt as if I were in every scene with him, a silent and invisible, yet viscerally present witness to the depths of darkness and depravity of a life of crime and addiction, but also right alongside Rosen as he experiences a sublime spiritual awakening and begins the lifelong journey of accepting, understanding, and loving himself. This is one man's story of adventure, misadventure, suffering, redemption, and ultimately, finding meaning in the sometimes painfully ugly, sometimes divinely beautiful, but always interesting and exciting world which he (and indeed, we) inhabit. I'm looking forward to reading more from this talented, insightful, and wise gentleman. Bravo, Mr. Rosen, BRAVO!!! - Martin Munro - Artist New York

The ‘honeymoon period’ lasted about a year. All that freedom! But then I felt like my life was starting to slow down. Time dragged, and I ceased to flourish, both mentally and physically. And that’s when I realised the idea that retirement is good for us might just be a myth. So, I decided to investigate further. As a mindset coach and mentor, George has studied retirement, lived it, and been given an insight into the lives of over 20,000 retirees across the globe. All of this means he has a unique perspective and understanding of what retirement is, and what it is not. How do your thoughts on retirement differ from most people – in other words, what makes you a retirement rebel? Maff and his colleagues set up Camerados in 2015 to work with and support people who the existing system have failed. With a global reach from the UK to the USA, Camerados is working in locations as diverse as colleges, prisons, hospitals, libraries, football stadia.

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Mental Health Nurse John-Barry Waldron is our guest on this week's Reach Out PodcastJohn-Barry works in a secure hospital, supporting people experiencing mental illness and helping them return home to their communities.He's also capturing the stories of staff and patients through the On The Ward Podcast which you can also get wherever you get your podcasts.Also in the conversation - We discuss access to mental health services, and how stigma still bring issues for patients and their families.

Last year, over 10 million people trusted us to help them with some of the biggest issues in their lives. Learn more about how we help. How your support helps Here's how, with your support, Age UK is supporting older people through the cost of living crisis. Maff has also worked front line and ran the largest homeless services in the country for The Salvation Army as well as being CEO of award winning organization “People Can” which used asset based methods across homelessness, criminal justice, domestic violence and addiction services. Using my own experiences, and my research, I created the D.A.R.E. Method, which is the basis of my 8-module online program Dare to Discover Your Purpose . The method was my way of helping people to do what I had done: find out that there is a new path you can take, however close you are to retirement age – and even if you’ve reached it already.

What are your aspirations for retirement – how would you like to see the way the world thinks about life over 50 change? An unconventional retirement wasn’t always on the cards for Siobhan. After working as a nurse for 9 years, in the 1980s she decided to retrain as a journalist after hearing an advert for a trainee reporters’ scheme run by the BBC. This opportunity led to a successful career as a reporter, presenter and producer on various programmes across regional BBC radio and TV. But above all, Siobhan’s experiences on the road have taught her new life lessons – and reminded her of some of the older ones. “I do miss catching up with friends, but I don’t get lonely,” she says. “I’ve learned to live in the moment again – taking time to listen to the birds and watch the clouds. That’s something we all do when we’re young, but I hadn’t done it for 40 years.” Rather than hiding from life's challenges, she bought a motorhome and drove off to find them. Retirement Rebel is Siobhan's honest and uplifting story of how one woman stepped off the merry-go-round of life, slowed down and started enjoying the journey. It’s about an attitude, thinking for yourself and not accepting authority’: Frank Cutter. Photograph: Perou/The Observer