Curated Couples Retirement Coaching - Free Discovery Call
C. Kelly Ottman, PhD
Curated Couples Retirement Coaching
Retirement is one of life’s most significant transitions—and for couples, it is rarely an individual experience. It is a shared passage into a new rhythm of life, work, identity, purpose, and partnership. Drawing on my background as an executive coach, developer of leaders across the “leadership development lifespan”, former healthcare executive, and researcher on executive retirement transitions, I help couples approach retirement as a threshold moment: a portal into the next chapter of who they are becoming, both INDIVIDUALLY and TOGETHER.
Too often, couples prepare carefully for the financial side of retirement while leaving the relational side to chance. Yet retirement changes daily routines, household roles, priorities, social circles, and the meaning of contribution. One partner may be ready to slow down while the other is still energized by work. One may imagine travel and freedom while the other is seeking stability, home, or renewed purpose. Retirement coaching creates a structured space for couples to talk honestly, listen deeply, and design a life that honors both individual fulfillment and the shared relationship.
The need for this work is supported by current research on later-life divorce. Bowling Green State University’s National Center for Family & Marriage Research reports that nearly 40% of U.S. divorces now involve adults age 50 and older, compared with just 8% in 1990. Among adults age 50 and older who experienced a first divorce in 2022, the median marriage had lasted 29 years, and one-quarter had been married 37 years or more. These findings are a powerful reminder that even long-standing relationships can become vulnerable during major life transitions when expectations remain unspoken and change is not intentionally navigated.
In retirement coaching for couples, we explore the conversations that matter most:
-What do we each want this next chapter to look like?
-How will we make decisions about money, home, travel, family, health, and purpose?
-How will we use our time individually and together?
-How will we stay connected while also supporting each other’s independence?
The goal is not to prescribe one version of retirement, but to help couples create a shared vision with clarity, candor, and care.
My work with leaders has taught me that transitions are not simply endings; they are invitations to redesign identity, purpose, and contribution. Retirement can be one of the most meaningful chapters in a couple’s life together—but it benefits from intentional preparation. Retirement coaching helps couples move into this next season with greater alignment, stronger communication, and a renewed sense of possibility.
Retirement is one of life’s most significant transitions—and for couples, it is rarely an individual experience. It is a shared passage into a new rhythm of life, work, identity, purpose, and partnership. Drawing on my background as an executive coach, developer of leaders across the “leadership development lifespan”, former healthcare executive, and researcher on executive retirement transitions, I help couples approach retirement as a threshold moment: a portal into the next chapter of who they are becoming, both INDIVIDUALLY and TOGETHER.
Too often, couples prepare carefully for the financial side of retirement while leaving the relational side to chance. Yet retirement changes daily routines, household roles, priorities, social circles, and the meaning of contribution. One partner may be ready to slow down while the other is still energized by work. One may imagine travel and freedom while the other is seeking stability, home, or renewed purpose. Retirement coaching creates a structured space for couples to talk honestly, listen deeply, and design a life that honors both individual fulfillment and the shared relationship.
The need for this work is supported by current research on later-life divorce. Bowling Green State University’s National Center for Family & Marriage Research reports that nearly 40% of U.S. divorces now involve adults age 50 and older, compared with just 8% in 1990. Among adults age 50 and older who experienced a first divorce in 2022, the median marriage had lasted 29 years, and one-quarter had been married 37 years or more. These findings are a powerful reminder that even long-standing relationships can become vulnerable during major life transitions when expectations remain unspoken and change is not intentionally navigated.
In retirement coaching for couples, we explore the conversations that matter most:
-What do we each want this next chapter to look like?
-How will we make decisions about money, home, travel, family, health, and purpose?
-How will we use our time individually and together?
-How will we stay connected while also supporting each other’s independence?
The goal is not to prescribe one version of retirement, but to help couples create a shared vision with clarity, candor, and care.
My work with leaders has taught me that transitions are not simply endings; they are invitations to redesign identity, purpose, and contribution. Retirement can be one of the most meaningful chapters in a couple’s life together—but it benefits from intentional preparation. Retirement coaching helps couples move into this next season with greater alignment, stronger communication, and a renewed sense of possibility.
Contact me for a complimentary consultation and to explore at KellyOttman@LeadershipPortals.com or click Contact Me above.
Remember, there's no obligation to continue beyond this consultation—this is simply an opportunity to explore your options and see if we're a good fit to work together.
Research cited: Westrick-Payne, K. K., & Brown, S. L. (2024). Marriage duration at time of gray divorce. Family Profiles, FP-24-12. Bowling Green, OH: National Center for Family & Marriage Research. https://doi.org/10.25035/ncfmr/fp-24-12
Frequently Asked Questions
What if we are not retiring at the same time?
Staged retirement for couples often involves more than one lifestyle adjustment. The first stage begins when one partner retires while the other continues to work. The second begins when both partners are retired. Each stage can bring different expectations about time together, household responsibilities, independence, shared activities, finances, and future plans. Coaching can be valuable in both stages because it helps couples name these expectations, navigate change with greater clarity, and create a retirement rhythm that works for both people.
Is there an opportunity for us to work as a couple and independently?
Yes, this can be especially valuable given your context. Each person has an individual process of adjusting to retirement, including changes in identity, purpose, time, and daily rhythm. At the same time, couples have a shared process of redefining how they live together in this new season. Individual coaching can help each partner clarify personal hopes, concerns, and needs, while couples coaching creates space to align expectations, strengthen communication, and design a new rhythm of life together.
Is this best pre or post retirement?
It is ideal to discuss pre retirement. That said, anytime is the right time to build your retirement relationship.
Click the "Contact Me" - see above
This package includes
- 1 x 30 min exploration session