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When you’re retiring, you think of what you’re leaving. Your work. Your paycheck. Your office. Your colleagues. But what’s next? There are many benefits to taking on something new. Something that’s challenging, and maybe even out of the box. Stephen Riggio shares his experience.

Stephen Riggio joins us from New York.

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Stephen Riggio is a visionary leader and former CEO of Barnes & Noble, where he played a crucial role in its transformation into the largest bookselling chain in the United States. His extensive career in the book industry, spanning over four decades, includes pioneering work in e-commerce and publishing. Beyond corporate endeavors, Riggio is deeply engaged in philanthropy, working with organizations like the National Book Foundation and the National Down Syndrome Society. In recent years, Riggio has turned his focus to translating and promoting classic Sicilian literature, especially the “Sicilian Avengers” series.

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For More on Stephen Riggio

Sicilian Avengers: Book One

Sicilian Avengers: Book Two

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Retiring: Creating a Life That Works for You – Teresa Amabile

Passion and Purpose – Jim Ansara

The Art of the Interesting – Lorraine Besser, PhD

Unretired – Mark S. Walton

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Wise Quotes

On Turning the Page and Taking On Something New

“I think what you can let go of is, fortunately, you let go of the stress. And you get all of the adrenaline of something that is new. When I refer to stress, I don’t mean the type of stress that is debilitating. People would often ask me when I was in business, it’s an age-old question, Steve, what keeps you up at night? And I would say a good book because business was an all consuming thing, but there’s a point where you do have to let it go to take care of your personal life and your family, your wife and kids. But I think it is true that once you do turn that page, you can let go of that stress. And it’s a type of freedom that is very uplifting. And then if you happen to be fortunate enough to find something that you can latch onto and dig into, then that adrenaline is something that is different than you experienced in work.”

On Taking On Something New Together

“A tragic event was the cause of me learning and getting back into the language. All happy families who are alike, all grieving families, breathe in their own way. What I was looking for was a way for my wife, Laura and I to move forward. It was a year or two after that that I came up with the idea of both of us studying the Italian language together. It would be something to do together, to jump into, and we did it.”

On Opening New Doors

“It does open up a new door to your life. In some respects, when you have a career, you’re pointing in a direction. Usually people like to climb the career ladder. They want more responsibility and greater financial rewards. In this particular case, it was a door that I opened that I didn’t know where it would lead. So with the idea of something that is a little bit uncertain and unexpected there’s a serendipitous aspect of it that I think is very appealing. When I started taking lessons with my wife, we did it together, we didn’t know that we would discover my ancestry going back 400 years, that we would meet distant relatives, they’d become very close to us that I would discover things about my family I never knew, and then that I would translate a book. So it’s a door that was open and I don’t know where it would lead.”

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About Retirement Wisdom

I help people who are retiring, but aren’t quite done yet, discover what’s next and build their custom version of their next life. A meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.

Schedule a call today to discuss how The Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one – on your own terms.

About Your Podcast Host 

Joe Casey is an executive coach who also helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a twenty-six-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Today, in addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, which thanks to his guests and loyal listeners, ranks in the top 1 % globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 1.5 million downloads. Business Insider has recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He’s the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.