Dorian Mintzer, Retirement Coach

27/10/2026

Today I’m delighted to welcome Vicki Thomas to Revolutionize Your Retirement for a live conversation about her new book, From Woodstock to Wisdom: A Boomer’s Journey to 80.

Vicki is a writer, a Purpose Prize winner, a two-time cancer survivor, and the Chief Purpose Officer of My Future Purpose, where she helps people rediscover meaning, reinvention, and community in the second half of life.

Her book is a humorous, heartfelt look at what aging feels like for the generation that changed everything, from VW vans to Medicare plans, from protest to purpose, and from free love to free shipping.

There’s still time to register and join us live for what promises to be a terrific conversation about the experiences of the Boomer generation and the wisdom we’ve gathered along the way.

https://revolutionizeretirement.com/events/interviews-with-experts-series-vicki-thomas/

20/10/2026

As I think about the conversations that have stayed with me over the years, my interview with Dr. Robert Waldinger is one I come back to often. As the fourth Director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development, the world’s longest-running scientific study of happiness, he has spent his career looking at what really helps us live well as we age, and what stands out is how much it comes down to the people in our lives.

It’s a message I find both reassuring and motivating, because it reminds me that the quality of our relationships matters for our physical and mental health, and that we can do something about it at any stage. Bob calls this “social fitness,” and what I appreciate is that it’s not about grand gestures but about simple, concrete practices, whether we’re nurturing the relationships we already have or opening ourselves to new ones. It has made me more intentional about who I reach out to and how I stay connected.

If you’d like a gentle way to keep these ideas in front of you, I’d encourage you to look at his free weekly newsletter, Hidden in Plain Sight, which invites you to begin each week with a short practice and a reflection. I’ve been enjoying it as a quiet pause at the start of my week.

I’m also looking forward to his new book, Nothing to Fix: The Life-Changing Science of Shifting Your Perspective, which comes out in January, and I’ve already pre-ordered my copy.
Who in your life you’ve been thinking about reaching out to lately?

13/10/2026

I’m delighted to share my newest interview with David Dean Holland, a CPA, the CEO of Holland Financial, and the author of Smart Over Heart. David is the producer of 12 seasons of Plan Stronger TV on public television, and it was wonderful to have him back with us.

One of the topics we explored is something so many of us face in retirement, which is being asked for money by a family member, a friend, or a charity, and how hard it can be to say no when love is involved.

David has seen what can happen when people say yes without a plan, and rather than feeling frustrated or protective, he’s developed an approach that starts with being prepared before the request ever comes. His message is that you need to look at your own situation first. Ask yourself whether you can truly afford to give and still be okay, whether giving will actually help the person, and whether you want to help at all.

If you know a strong emotional plea is coming, he suggests bringing in a family member, a trusted friend, or a professional to support you in that conversation.
I think you’ll find his advice both practical and compassionate, and I hope you’ll listen to the full episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1881506/episodes/19950461

01/10/2026

Important update about our in-person Retirement Workshop for Couples.

Michael F. Kay and I have rescheduled the workshop that was planned for October 24th to Saturday, April 10th, 2027.

It will still be held in person in Brookline, MA, and we'll be sharing more of the sign-up details soon. We're sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, and we hope the spring date works well for those of you who were interested.

22/09/2026

Today's the day! I'm so glad to be welcoming David Dean Holland to Revolutionize Your Retirement.
David is a CPA, Personal Financial Specialist, Chartered Life Underwriter, and Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor, and he's spent his career as founder and CEO of Holland Financial. His new book, Smart Over Heart, is the first in his Plan Stronger series, and it takes on something most financial advice skips right over: the emotional side of money, how we make decisions with it, what it takes to build a genuinely healthy relationship with it, and how to stay grounded through something like an unexpected windfall.
Join us today at 12 PM Est, for an insightful conversation: https://revolutionizeretirement.com/events/september-2026-david-dean-holland/

15/09/2026

I think most of us like to believe we make our financial decisions with a clear head. But if I'm honest, some of the money choices in my own life were shaped as much by emotion as by logic, and I suspect that's true for a lot of you too.

That's really what drew me to this upcoming conversation with David Dean Holland, CPA/PFS, CLU, and CEO of Holland Financial. His new book, Smart Over Heart: People, Relationships, and Your Money, is the first in his Plan Stronger Books series, and it takes an honest look at the emotional side of personal finance. He focuses on issues such as the fear or guilt that can creep into money decisions, what it actually takes to build a healthier relationship with our finances, and even the surprisingly complicated feelings that can come with something like an unexpected windfall. I'm looking forward to sitting down with him and talking about these important issues.

Bring your questions and curiosity about how you can change your relationship with money.
Sign up here:

Interview With Experts Series: David Dean Holland When September 22, 2026     12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Download ICS Google Calendar iCalendar Office 365 Outlook Live Where Register Here David Dean Holland, CPA/PFS, CLU, and Chief Executive Officer of Holland Financial in Ormond Beach, Florida. He will...

10/09/2026

Somewhere in the middle of my conversation with Rick Moody, he said something that stopped me: "We live in a society where people worship active aging... and I'm one of them too, by the way. I'm one of the people who's constantly busy, constantly." He asked, “why do we do this?” And then he answered his own question, “because feeling busy feels like feeling alive.”

I sat with that for a while after the interview. So much of how we talk about aging well is wrapped up in doing, staying active, staying productive, staying scheduled. But Rick made the case for something quieter: that real aliveness comes from within, not from how full our calendars look to everyone else.

He brought up the story of Mary and Martha from the Gospels, Martha rushing around being useful, Mary simply sitting and paying attention. And then he quoted Eleanor Roosevelt, who he heard speak, not long before she died: "This is the oldest day you've ever been, and this is the youngest you'll ever be for the rest of your life." And he stressed that paying attention to our dreams can help us more fully understand our inner life: some of our inner fears and wishes. However you want to spend this second half of life, I hope there's room in it for both the doing and the noticing, and paying attention to your inner life. Watch the full episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1881506/episodes/17812864
Youtube: https://youtu.be/j_q4VshIiVI
Or on most podcast platforms.

03/09/2026

I've watched a lot of couples go through retirement over the years, and here's what I keep noticing: the ones who do it well aren't the ones who had it all figured out in advance. They're the ones who actually talked about it, out loud, more than once, even when it was uncomfortable. Things change, plans change, people change.

And the ones who struggle? Usually it's not because they didn't love each other. It's because they were on autopilot. Nobody sat down and asked, out loud, "what do we actually want this to look like?" Retirement has a way of surfacing everything you didn't quite deal with in your relationship, and it does it all at once.

That's why I'm doing this workshop with Michael F. Kay. One full day, just for the two of you, away from the day-to-day, to actually work through it, your roles, your sense of purpose, what closeness looks like now, what independence looks like now. Not in the abstract. In your actual life.

If you and your partner are anywhere near this transition, thinking about it, deep in planning it, or already living it, we’d love to have you there.

📅 Saturday, October 24, 2026 | Brookline, MA | $750 per couple

Space is limited on purpose, so the room stays small enough for real conversation.
More details and registration here:

Navigating The Next Chapter – An in person workshop When October 24, 2026     9:00 am - 5:00 pm Download ICS Google Calendar iCalendar Office 365 Outlook Live Where Click Here to Register An In-Person Workshop for Couples Navigating the Retirement Transition Retirement isn’t just leaving a j...

25/08/2026

I want to tell you why today's conversation matters so much to me.

Rick Moody has spent decades in the field of aging, and his new book, The Power of Dreams in Later Life, draws on all of that wisdom to illuminate something we don't talk about nearly enough, the profound role our dreams play as we navigate life's later chapters.

Rick shows how dreams can act as an inner roadmap for navigating aging, identity, and mortality. He explores how they show up around midlife transitions, illness and caregiving, the inner work of grief, forgiveness, and life review. He offers gentle, practical tools for recalling and reflecting on our dreams, encouraging us to approach them with attention, which feels like such a fitting way to move through this stage of life.

Having been part of Rick's dream workshops, I know how powerful this work is. This book is truly a labor of love, and I believe it's an important contribution for anyone seeking greater self-understanding, growth, and purpose as they age.
I hope you'll join us today for this interesting conversation.

Register here:
https://revolutionizeretirement.com/events/interview-with-experts-series-harry-rick-moody-ph-d/

20/08/2026

I've worked with so many couples over the years who came to me somewhere in the retirement transition feeling surprised. Surprised that they weren't as aligned as they thought, surprised that this new chapter felt harder than they expected, surprised that "just being together more" brought up things they hadn't planned for.

Here's what I've learned: retirement isn't only about leaving work. It's about renegotiating identity, purpose, and connection; both on your own and as a couple. And the couples who navigate it best are usually the ones who take the time to talk together about the transition.

That's exactly why Michael F. Kay and I are coming together for a day designed just for this. On Saturday, October 24, 2026, we'll be at The Village Works in Brookline, MA from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for an interactive day of conversation, reflection, and exercises, including separate breakout time for men and women, to help you and your partner explore what's next, both individually and together.

If you're contemplating retirement, preparing for it, or already easing into it, I hope you'll consider joining us.

$750 per couple includes materials, lunch, and snacks. This workshop is limited to 8 couples.

Registration information is coming soon, I'll share it here, and on my website, as soon as it's ready. If you have any other questions in the meantime, please email me at [email protected]