Published: January 22, 2021
You’ve probably spent some time thinking about what you will do in retirement. How will you fill your days? What will you do, and with whom will you spend time?
In retirement, you will likely have more options for how to spend your time than ever before. You certainly don’t have to settle on only one goal or passion, and you can even make an income while you explore your interests!
More and more people are deciding to pursue new careers after retirement. National Public Radio (NPR) reported about 1 in 4 adults age 65 and older are now in the workforce. That number is expected to increase, making it the fastest-growing group of workers in the country. So why are retirees shifting away from what we think of as traditional retirement?
A study released in December 2019 conducted by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies polled a sample of the workforce to understand why they planned to work in retirement:
- 53% of those polled who expect to work in retirement said it’s because they want the additional income.
- 47% said health advantages and wanting to stay active.
- 39% wanted to keep their brains sharp.
- 35% reported needing to work because they couldn’t otherwise afford retirement.
- 34% said they actually enjoy working and see their jobs as giving them a sense of purpose.
- 21% said working gives them a way of maintaining social connections.
Planning Your Second Career
Many people who embark on a second career do so not just for the money, but for the opportunity to stay productive while doing something they are passionate about. Identifying your skills is often easier than narrowing down your true interests and passions—but why not start a new career after 60 AND make money after retirement? You can have all of that by becoming a health coach!
Becoming a health coach can bring you additional income, education on how to better your own health while keeping your mind sharp, a renewed sense of purpose, opportunities for remote work, and a way to maintain social connections all around the world!
“A steady surge in the number of workers 55 and older accounts for all of the net increase in employment — about 17 million jobs — since 2000… with more people eager to work well into their golden years, companies are taking action to lure mature job seekers with a variety of innovative programs.” – The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
There Is An Industry Demand For Health Coaches
With the rise of chronic diseases, long-term pain, and more chronic health problems, the need for alternative healthcare practitioners and health coaches is growing now more than ever. Even more so, studies are now showing the challenging aftermath for long-haul COVID-19 patients. Alongside the pandemic’s significant impact on mental health, health coaches trained in positive psychology and Functional Medicine are needed now more than ever to help bridge the gap in traditional healthcare.
Health coaches can help save the limited time that doctors have available, freeing them up to focus on higher-level issues. The doctor can provide crucial medical insight, clarity, and treatment plans, and the coach can give hands-on support to help the individual implement changes into their everyday life. And now that telemedicine is on the rise, health coaches are proving to be an affordable and sustainable health care model.
Why Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (FMCA) Is The Place For You
The Functional Medicine Coaching Academy (FMCA) was founded in 2014 by Sandra Schienbaum, PhD (who actually started this business at the age of 65) and Elyse Wagner, MS, CN, LMHCA. Their personal experiences with the conventional healthcare system, both as providers and as patients, drove them to find a better way to be well; a way that listened to and treated the whole self, not just the parts that could be medicated. Together, they collaborated with The Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM), which sets the standard for science-based, root-cause curriculum in areas of Functional Medicine and Functional Nutrition to build our health coaching program. IFM’s renowned experts are involved in building and teaching the FMCA curriculum, which has been modified specifically for health coaching.
Since its founding, FMCA has successfully graduated over 3,000 certified health coaches – 15% of whom are over the age of 65! This is proof that it is never too late for you to learn how to optimize your health and wellbeing, or to build a new path for yourself. By learning positive psychology and coaching techniques, Functional Medicine principals, and business-building skills, all of which are taught in our program, you can build a promising post-retirement career for yourself as a health coach.
