"Perhaps our perspective is the true fountain of youth, all we need to stay young, vibrant and alive" Joanne Waldman
Testimonials
" Such a thoughtful experience with Joanne! She went beyond the concept of making sure one saves enough for retirement. She pushed us into thinking through the philosophical parts of retirement; having ourselves ask questions such as how we want to spend our time in retirement? What do we bring value to others in retirement? I left there considering that one thing that propels people to live a long time is not only feeling like they are loved but that they are needed. I loved the exercise of each spouse filling out separately a sort of a “time pie:” what are the nitty gritty day-to-day experiences each person wants to have? If our future vision of RETIREMENT doesn’t align, my spouse and I will need to have some soul-searching conversations together. I would love to see this workshop once a year, as a reminder and refresher about how to be thinking about a time in my life which could last for 20+ years!"
-Wendy, CFA, CFP®, CAIA
"Joanne assists clients to think through and plan for some of the most important aspects of retirement:
“What am I going to do with my time?”
“What is my purpose?”
“What are my real concerns?”
Answers to these and other questions help her clients move into that stage of life with success and vigor."
-Susan, RLP Director of Wealth Management
“Your encouragement, enthusiasm and calm, professional approach to problem solving has been very useful to me. Thank you, again.”
-K.M.
As a tax CPA and Investment / Financial / Wealth Advisor, I felt pretty comfortable that my wife and I were financially ready for retirement. Through my Wealth Advisor role and based on serving retired clients for many years, I also felt that we were ready to be done with working and emotionally ready for retirement. I believe that I have walked clients through the process of working into retirement many times. However, it wasn’t until my wife and I had a conversation with Joanne that I realized, hmmm, I hope I’m right. I quickly realized that my thinking we were ready was based on anecdotal evidence as opposed to facts, research, and scientific evidence. Which was somewhat ironic since I based my tax, investment, financial, and wealth management advice on facts, research, and scientific data, as we were "evidence-based advisors”! Our experience with Joanne was amazing. From our first conversation to our last detailed discussion, Joanne had a conversation to get to know us a little and to explain her process to us. From there, she mapped out a plan and sent us separate questionnaires to complete. The questionnaires were well organized and detailed, but they were also easy to get through. From the questionnaires, Joanne evaluated whether each of us (my wife and I) was "ready-wise or not” for retirement based on quite a few different sets of criteria. We found her analysis of us and our personal characteristics to be right on target. She provided us with some nice insight on areas we needed to work on (which was news to us!), confirmed our thoughts on other areas, and gave us things to think about in areas that we had not even considered. In the end, our experience with Joanne was outstanding, and we found it to be very helpful. Somewhat confirming, but also helpful in pointing out things we need to keep aware of. As a couple in the process of retiring, my wife and I highly recommend working with Joanne. As a former investment / financial / wealth advisor, I wish I would have had her available for my clients. I would highly recommend including Joanne as someone advisors work with to help serve their clients.
-Jim
“We want you to know how very much we appreciated all the time you spent helping us adjust to the idea of retirement and then introducing us to an entirely new perspective in planning and preparing for our life in retirement. You have enabled us to set goals and objectives, establish priorities, and actually accomplish many things already. We both feel that your knowledge, professionalism and direction made it possible. We feel better informed, confident, and prepared to make the most of retirement. We both feel that you are an outstanding coach and we gained immeasurably from our time spent with you.”
-John and Joan D
“The most important part of the process is that Joanne never told me what to do but asked powerful questions and offered alternative views to situations. She helps clients sort through their emotional security which in the end helps retirees identify retirement goals and steps to achieve them. I think it gave me direction and a way to problem solve, which made financial planning decisions easier and better. Finally, she helped me find the freedom to just be my authentic self.”
-Cynthia H.
"You killed it - way to bring the house down for the finale! You need to speak more. A lot more! You are a talented coach with an expertise that goes beyond retirement."
-Robert Laura, president of the Retirement Coaches Association and Financial Planner
“I am grateful to you for keeping things on track when they weren’t going well. Your positive attitude was very encouraging. You always kept me upbeat and encouraged me to try new approaches. Thank you again for everything.”
-Richard H
"Your approach established such a relaxed and collaborative environment, it not only creates a positive engagement, it is, by itself, a motivator. It is no wonder your business has been successful. You are a video natural."
-Peggy, author and corporate trainer
“Thanks to our coaching:
1) I received three job offers
2) My income has increased 50%
3) I’m working as a consultant, so I’m not involved in the corporate politics and all of the responsibility doesn’t reside on my shoulders.
Best of all, I get to go home (most) every night when the whistle blows at 5 P.M. It was a pleasure working with you.”
- Laura J.
"I sought outside counsel to coach me through transitioning to a new career. Over the coaching period, I was able to identify transferable leadership skills. I gained added confidence about myself… My coach is candid and supportive. I have always received from her straightforward and constructive feedback. "Even though I didn’t change from the company where I worked, I did earn a promotion to the position of President"
-Mark M.
“As always, your calm, consistent and reliable coaching was a huge help. It never ceases to amaze me how you guide through the ‘noise and clatter’ to gently, but effectively, focus on the keys to success.”
-Richard R.
"I gained a tremendous amount of insight reviewing my RSP assessment results with Joanne in late 2019. The results revealed that while I was financially ready to retire in 2020, I was not really ready to move forward with my plans on an emotional, spiritual and sociological level, as my personal identity was still very much wrapped up in my high profile professional career. Joanne very sensitively and non-judgmentally helped me understand my assessment results, which indicated that I needed to spend a lot more time thinking through the many other important dimensions of retirement. To that end, I have spent the past several months doing this harder yet critical "personal" work and am happy to report that I'm now truly ready to retire, which will occur in September 2020. I am now looking forward to having more free time to spend with family and friends, as well as to exploring various artistic, academic, and community endeavors that I simply did not have enough time for in the past. Thank you, Joanne, for all your help in catalyzing me to take the leap into the next phase of my life!"
-Laura
“I am really grateful for the opportunity to have worked with you during my time of retirement transition.
I want to thank you for your patience, guidance, and compassion. You encouraged me when I needed to
be encouraged, listened when I needed to talk, guided me when I needed guidance, and above all helped me sort through the ‘garbage’. As a result of our working together, I am now more confident…”
-Velma S.
"I recently retired, and I feel fortunate to have teamed up with Joanne to address issues and plans in this critical life stage. Joanne is a consummate professional. Because she works online, she is readily available and easy to connect with. Her experience and training are superb; in fact, she is a coach's coach! Moreover, she has earned prestigious awards for her work. Joanne has been a steadfast supporter and a true partner in the pursuit of my goals. She listens carefully and empathetically to what is said and draws out relationships and possibilities for her clients to consider. I enthusiastically recommend Joanne to those who are planning for or are making the retirement transition." It's always great to hear from you. There is something about your steadfast belief in me that warms my heart. You are the gardener of my soul!
-George, retired professor
As a single 62-year-old woman, I believed it was time for me to relocate full time to my little beach cottage – my “happy place”. I had been semi-retired for several years and was looking for a change. My first thought was that I could do without a coach – I have solid friends and a supportive family. But this was a very big step and I was looking for a source of confidence, reassurance and a “partner in crime” to work through the many logistical steps. The idea of a “retirement coach” seemed like just the ticket.
I had been contemplating this move for many months. And discussing it with just about anyone who would listen. I was READY. In completing my first coach prep paperwork, I drafted out a 90 day plan which included looking into renting my “permanent home”, beginning the process of getting rid of my “stuff” and contacting movers.
Between drafting this plan and my first coach call, I celebrated the Christmas holidays with my family. This got my head spinning so when I came to first call with Joanne, I was no longer convinced the move away from my family was the best next step for me. My head was spinning and I was feeling overwhelmed and confused. Joanne helped me sort through all the pros and cons of my myriad of options. She asked thought provoking questions to dig deep into what is “home” to me. On our calls, she gave me time to process and think things through without judgement or bias.
I remember very well the big “aha” I had with JoAnne and from that moment, the path forward was clear. I had a sense of peace knowing how fortunate I was to be blessed with choices and to make the one that brought me joy. Thank you, Joanne, for helping me gain the clarity I needed. I look forward to our continued work together to find my meaning and purpose in retirement!
-Cathy L.
What differentiates a coach from a supercoach, which is how I would describe Joanne Waldman, is the knowledge, skills, and most of all the passion to serve she brings to each client, each session. Joanne is an exceptional listener, meaning she is present and listening intently with her ears, picking up not only on what is being said, but how it is being said, down to the words the client uses. She listens with her eyes, even in virtual sessions, picking up on visual cues. Most importantly she listens with her heart, recognizing the intensity of emotions, sometimes expressed, more often lying under the surface. Further Joanne has in her arsenal a toolbox of powerful retirement assessments that she matches to the client’s interests and needs. The magic in these tools is Joanne’s ability to analyze and do a deep dive with clients on key learnings from the assessments. Oh, and did I mention that Joanne is a pleasure to work with!
- Ellen Q.
There's magic in your voice thats inspirational
- Gary J
"I was at an impasse in life…I had to trust my coach. I had to realize that we were a team and I needed to learn from her…my coach, Joanne, showed me how to prioritize my life…I had less anxiety and was not afraid to try new things…As a result, my income has tripled. "Everyone should have a coach. Joanne is a personal cheerleader, a motivator and a confidant."
-Nancy S.
."Joanne is an excellent listener and yet, she will not let you feel sorry for yourself or let you make excuses. Good coaches are able to get you to do the things you need to do without brow beating you. Joanne is credible, honest, humorous and realistic. Joanne was very good in helping me identify ideas and creative approaches. A great listener, she challenged me to think about non-traditional approaches that I could use with my law degree. Without dictating to me, she helped me get ‘unstuck’. That is why she is a good coach. Joanne can persuade lawyers to change their minds! I have recommended other people use her as a coach because she is effective."
-Jim M.
“You present me with the ultimate writer’s dilemma: What to say when words just don’t seem to be adequate to convey the gratitude and appreciation I have for all you did for me. But let me try anyway. You provided just the right amounts of sincere understanding and motivational urging at just the right times in my job search. You helped in so many ways- not the least of which was helping me decide ‘what I want to do when I grow up,’ and helping me see there were lots of options. As I look back on the experience, I realize now just how valuable and confidence-building the whole process was, although, as you know, it wasn’t always easy. But then, few things of lasting worth are easy. Thank you.”
-G.S.
"It is my pleasure to write this recommendation for Joanne Waldman. I first became acquainted with Joanne when she was my coaching instructor at the International Coach Academy. After I graduated from ICA, I decided to create my own training and asked Joanne to coach me as I met the challenges of this endeavor. Once my coach training school was up and running online, I invited Joanne to teach teleclasses via webinars. This three-way connection to Joanne, as her student, her client, and then her boss/colleague has given me a full understanding of what a rare jewel she is. As my instructor, Joanne kept a pace that was brisk enough to move things along, but with plenty of opportunity to review a concept until she was sure we students had mastered it. She was a wonderful mentor, helping us to settle our nerves as we underwent supervised coaching sessions, and providing excellent feedback. I consider myself so very fortunate to have had Joanne on hand to collaborate with as she helped build up the reputation of the Academy of Coaching Cognition as a first-class online coach training program. She easily managed a classroom of five to twenty-five students, was organized and reliable, and her students were thrilled with her. In addition to the webinars, she also maintained private groups on Facebook where students could interact with her and one another, with lively discussions about term projects the students were engaged in. Joanne consistently demonstrated the ethical compass so vital to healthy instructor/student relationships as well as creating a safe environment for coach/client relationships. As a client, I have had sessions with Joanne around many topics including goal setting, priority setting, and problem solving in both business and personal arenas. In her kind and compassionate way, Joanne helped me stay organized, and to discover what I really wanted out of a given situation. My time with her was always fruitful. I highly recommend her for her knowledge, skills, ability to connect with others, to carry out her work in a timely manner, and always, always bring her very best to the table. Thank you for the opportunity to share what I know about my favorite coach!"
-Barbara Silva, former Founder and President Academy of Coaching Cognition