Barbara L. Pagano - The 60-Something Crisis

I n her late 50s, Barbara, along with her daughter, Elizabeth, set out for a six-month sailing adventure on their 42-foot sailboat, Revival. Together they sailed alone for more than 2,000 miles.

Neither woman was an experienced sailor. Two weeks before departure, Barbara flunked out of navigation school (the test was difficult), and Elizabeth returned from Orlando with certification from a one-week sailing school. Pushing a little boat through water was hard work, especially for two inexperienced sailors. Barbara learned how by doing it.

Eight years later, that learn-by-doing approach yielded significant returns as Barbara faced the challenge of creating a postretirement life. The transition should not have been so hard.

Her story and motivation to help others inspired the launch of www.YourExtraordinaryLifeAfterRetirement.com, which gives post-50 individuals tools and strategies to design and live fulfilling lives in the last third of life. With graduate degrees in counseling and human behavior as a solid base, Barbara curates research and produces content on aging, retirement, un-retirement, productive longevity, well-being, and happiness.

Barbaras strong desire to engage in life fully is one of her extraordinary gifts. But it is her excellence as a teacher that impacts others. With groundbreaking clarity and a refreshing, experienced voice, people listen to her and they profit from it.

Formerly an executive coach and seasoned speaker, Barbara has motivated thousands of senior leaders and middle managers to higher levels of performance in work and life. Her previous book, The Transparency Edge: How Credibility Can Make or Break You in Business (2004), was chosen by Fast Company magazine as a Book of the Month. Written with her daughter, Elizabeth, an award-winning business journalist, the book was translated into four languages, including Spanish and Chinese, and was among Bookscans list of 50 best-selling new business books in America. Also, it hit #7 on Barnes & Nobles list of best-selling business ethics books.

A fierce advocate for the sabbatical movement, Barbara is cofounder of YourSABBATICAL.com, a research and strategy firm with tools and resources for assessing the value of existing or new sabbatical programs in corporations and that offers current trends and best practices in sabbatical initiatives. YourSABBATICAL.com was a 2009 winner of the Moving into the Future Award present by the Conference Board. Barbara is coauthor of The Ultimate Toolkit for Writing and Presenting a Killer Sabbatical Proposal Your Boss Cant Refuse and The Comprehensive Sabbatical Program Toolkit: A How-To Guide for Implementing Your Companys Sabbatical Strategy.

Articles by and about Barbara have been published in Fast Company, Investors Business Daily, Consulting to Management, the New York Times, and American Executive, among others. She is a highly rated speaker, is past president of the Georgia Speakers Association, and was previously named one of the top three speakers in Atlanta.

Barbaras personal practice of designing three-month or more solo work/life adventures in falling-down beautiful colonial cities in Latin and South America is indicative of how the last third of life can combine freedom, work, and joy. She has lived and worked in Nicaragua, Chile, Ecuador, Argentina, and Mxico.

When not speaking, coaching, or writing, Barbara takes tap-dancing classes and will trade in her ten-year-old bike for an electric bike to ascend those hills on the Natchez Trace Parkway near her home in Nashville.

W hat makes the jukebox play is lifes starts and stops, all kinds of people, a good story, and a little bit of heart. This venture is awash in all of these and supported by a troupe of individuals generous with time and truth, brimming with encouragement.

A friend is a friend, but what makes one darn special is when they listen to whats on your mind and never fail to ask, Hows the writing? Through inquiry and a poke or two, this project was enriched by a posse of smart individuals. My wholehearted thanks to Dee Dee Kincade, Deanna Berg, Julie Auton, Thelma Kidd, Carol Osborn, Susan Reece, and Sara Fountain.

A prolific and successful writer who encourages from afar is one of my lifes blessings. For her friendship and spirit, and for many years of encouragement, I am grateful to Casey Hawley. Gratitude to fellow writers Christy Emmanuel, ReAnn Scott, and Mona Pineda for giving their talents and resources. Philomena Maddens punctuation obsession makes her any writers dream friend, but she also graces my life with laughter and honesty. I owe her.

Long bicycle rides with Marny Needle were needed for exercise, as well as time to explore our experiences coaching leaders to higher performance, often returning me to the keyboard with a better way to express an idea. I appreciate her.

As COVID-19 raged and travel ceased, my expat community stayed in touch, sending poetry, emojis, and great articles I was bound to miss. With appreciation to Nora Weaver, Carol Jackson, and Marvin Berk. Shout out to Beverly Moor, who wanders through life with a skip in her step. As a creative artist of many-layered surfaces, her assurance that the muse would always return buoyed my spirit.

Writers have different environment requirements to enhance the flow and quality of their writing. I do best when the doors have handles, fans work, and my art is on the walls. With two moves in one year, John O. McGuire Jr. continuously showed up at my door, cheerfully asking, Wheres my list? No one could love and appreciate a son-in-law more than I do. My admiration for Teresa dos Santos knows no bounds. As the recipient of her design acumen, my space harbors harmony. I am indebted.

Thanks to Herb Ludwig II, my stepson, for cheerful invites to faraway places (Youve got to come to Iceland! You must see Croatia!) and for his charitable giving of Marriott Points that jog me into the big, wide world.

One thing I know for sure is having partners to dance with into the publishing world is invaluable. Vibrant, thoughtful, and smart, my agent April Eberhart smoothed the way with persistence and hard work. I am happy to have found her. My thanks to Suzanne Staszak-Silva, senior executive editor at Rowman & Littlefield Publishing, for her patience and guidance. I treasure Karen Sale, CEO, Essex River Consulting, who curates and aligns my online presence with professional expertise.

And lucky me, to have found gifted Janie Townsend, a crackerjack master of efficiency, to put the finishing touches to the manuscript.

Gather all the stars in the sky and none will outshine my pride in Elizabeth Pagano McGuire. Her talents lie at the tipping edge of a strong core of integrity, love, and generosity. My daughter read every word of this bookexcept thesethen descended with her award-winning journalism skill set. Together, we know I could never have done this without her.

Without Elvis none of us could have made it, said Buddy Holly. I owe a debt to writers and scholars who do and have done so much to elevate the importance and value of productive long lives. My thanks to: Chip Conley, Marc Freeman, Laura Carstensen, David Whyte, and Daniel Pink.

This book highlights a generation that is resourceful, unafraid of hard work, competitive, and in pursuit of excellence. Boomers are at the forefront of the longevity revolution. My sincere gratefulness to all those who gave time and transparency to interviews. Heroes all.

I am singularly fortunate to share life with a guy who puts up with my writing about him and defends my honor to the Liars Club at the Cigar Factory. Herb Ludwig, my husband, bookends my personal and professional life with freedom and love.

Barbara Pagano
Nashville, Tennessee