Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
As a retirement coach, I’ve found most people think retirement planning is about one thing: money.
And yes—financial security matters. But if you stop there, you risk building a retirement that looks good on paper and feels empty in real life.
After years of coaching individuals approaching retirement, one truth keeps showing up:
The real challenge of retirement isn’t financial—it’s existential.
- Who am I now?
- What gives my life meaning?
- How do I stay engaged, connected, and energized?
This is where the science of well-being becomes incredibly useful—not as theory, but as a practical design tool for creating a retirement by design.
A Better Framework: PERMA
Developed by Martin Seligman, the PERMA model identifies five essential elements of a flourishing life:
- P – Positive Emotions (joy, gratitude, vitality)
- E – Engagement (being absorbed, growing, contributing)
- R – Relationships (connection and belonging)
- M – Meaning (purpose beyond yourself)
- A – Achievement (progress, goals, accomplishment)
Retirement doesn’t remove these needs—it amplifies them.
The question becomes:
Will you drift into retirement… or consciously design it?
Mapping Retirement Domains to PERMA
To make this real, we can map the key domains of retirement to each PERMA element—and ask better questions.
Because better questions lead to better lives.
Positive Emotions
Domains: Attitude About Aging, Leisure, Fun & Travel, Well-Being & Longevity
What this is about:
Your day-to-day emotional experience. Retirement should increase your sense of joy, ease, and vitality—not diminish it.
Reflection Questions:
- What activities consistently bring me joy, energy, or a sense of lightness?
- How am I intentionally supporting my physical and emotional well-being?
- What would a “great day” look like—and how often am I experiencing that now?
Engagement
Domains: Learning & Development, Work Redefined
What this is about: Growth doesn’t stop in retirement. Without engagement, people don’t relax—they stagnate.
Reflection Questions:
- What activities fully absorb me—where I lose track of time?
- How do I want to continue learning, stretching, or challenging myself?
- What role (paid or unpaid) would give me a sense of contribution?
Relationships
Domains: Community & Support, Family & Relationships
What this is about: One of the biggest risks in retirement isn’t boredom—it’s isolation.
Reflection Questions:
- Who are the people I want more of in my life—and how will I make that happen?
- What communities, groups, or environments could support connection?
- Where do I need to reinvest, repair, or redefine important relationships?
Meaning
Domains: Identity & Purpose, Spiritual & Faith, Legacy & Life Story
What this is about: When your career fades, your identity often goes with it. Meaning becomes your anchor.
Reflection Questions:
- Who am I now, beyond my career—and who do I want to become?
- What impact or legacy matters most to me in this next chapter?
- What values or beliefs guide how I want to live?
Achievement
Domains: Financial Security, Home & Location
What this is about: Achievement doesn’t disappear in retirement—it evolves. It becomes about intentional choices, stability, and building a life that works.
Reflection Questions:
- Do I feel confident in my financial foundation—and what still needs attention?
- Does my current living environment support the lifestyle I want?
- What goals or milestones would give me a sense of progress?
The Bottom Line
Retirement isn’t a single event—it’s a transition into a completely new life structure.
And without intention, it’s easy to default into patterns that don’t fully serve you.
PERMA gives you a way to design—not drift.
- More energy, not less
- More connection, not isolation
- More purpose, not ambiguity
- More fulfillment, not just free time
From Insight to Action
Reading this is a start.
But real change comes from structured reflection, conversation, and intentional design.
That’s exactly why I created my workshop:
Flourishing in Retirement: Designing Your Third Act
In this experience, we go beyond concepts and:
- Assess where you are across key life domains
- Clarify what truly matters in this next chapter
- Identify gaps that could quietly undermine your fulfillment
- Design practical, personalized actions to create a retirement that works for you
Because retirement isn’t about stepping away from life…
It’s about stepping into it—by design.
Click here to learn more about the workshop.
A Final Prompt
If you were to rate yourself (1–10) across PERMA today:
- Where are you strongest?
- Where are you underinvested?
That gap?
That’s your roadmap for your third act.
# # #
Dr. Kevin Nourse is a certified retirement coach helping people flourish in retirement. He founded Nourse Leadership Strategies, a coaching firm based in Southern California including Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Palm Springs. Kevin also works with clients across the USA via Zoom. Contact him at 760.237.0045 or kevin@nourseleadership.com
(C) Kevin Nourse, 2026
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Key Takeaways
- Retirement planning goes beyond financial security; it focuses on existential questions like identity and meaning.
- The PERMA model outlines five essential elements for a fulfilling life: Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement.
- Mapping retirement domains to the PERMA framework helps individuals ask reflective questions to enhance their retirement experience.
- Structured reflection and intentional design are crucial for creating a meaningful retirement, as proposed in the workshop ‘Flourishing in Retirement: Designing Your Third Act.’
- A retirement coach aids individuals in navigating this transition by emphasizing intentional living and fulfillment.
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This blog is part of a broader body of work on leadership transitions, executive development, and Retirement by Design.