The Preferment™ approach from Rarified Life

Retirement coaching for the chapter after your career

Retirement coaching helps you decide who you want to be and how you want to spend your days once work stops defining you. Rarified Life teaches it through Preferment™, a research-informed framework for an active, purpose-driven next chapter.

See how the approach works

Last updated: November 2026 · Published by Rarified Life

What is retirement coaching, and do I need it?

Retirement coaching is guidance for the parts of retiring that a spreadsheet does not cover: identity, purpose, routine, and relationships. Rarified Life's Preferment™ framework treats retirement as a beginning rather than an ending, helping you align your plans with your personal values and cultivate meaningful pursuits over a structured 8-week course.

You may benefit if your sense of self has been tied to your work, if you are counting down to a last day with no clear picture of what comes next, or if you have already retired and your weeks feel like errands and appointments. You probably do not need it if you already have a clear, energizing plan for your time.

How Rarified Life approaches retirement coaching

Definition

Preferment™, in one paragraph

Preferment™ is Rarified Life's research-informed framework and life platform for rethinking retirement. Its premise is captured in one line from the Rarified Life website: "Ditch retirement... try Preferment™ instead." Instead of asking how to wind down, it asks how to build an active, purpose-driven next chapter that fits who you are now.

The framework is taught in a live 8-week course led by founder Anne van Leynseele and built on her book, Preferment. Each week works through a chapter, with homework built into the book, so reading turns into decisions. The course moves through six modules, from understanding where you are today to naming a mission for the years ahead.

By the numbers

The Preferment course at a glance

weeks, one live session each week: 8
modules, from Introduction to Launch: 6
book included as text and workbook: 1
career reinventions behind the founder: 4

Facts as listed on rarifiedlife.com, as of November 2026. The course page shows both $6000.00 and $3,000; see the retirement coaching cost page for details.

The six steps of the Preferment course

The course follows a fixed sequence. Each step builds on the one before it, which is why Rarified Life describes it as a structured path rather than a self-help pep talk.

Introduction
Where you are right now, and why the old model of retirement was never built for someone like you.
Identity
Separating who you are from what you did for a living.
Motivation
Finding what actually moves you, now that a paycheck is not the reason.
Alignment
Matching your values and strengths to how you will actually spend your days.
Accountability
Building the structure that turns intention into a lived routine.
Launch
Naming your mission for this next chapter, and stepping into it.

Read the module-by-module course guide

Retirement transition coaching: before and after the last day

Retirement transition coaching focuses on the move itself, when routine, identity, and social ties all change at once. Rarified Life's free presentation says you can start without slowing down, without waiting for retirement day, and even if your last day at work is still years away.

That matters because the hard part often arrives later than expected. The presentation describes smart, capable women who get 8 months into retirement and stop answering the phone. Starting the work early gives you time to try new pursuits while you still have the structure of a job.

Retirement transition coaching guideWhen to start, what changes, and how Preferment handles the shift.Finding purpose in life after 50A practical sequence drawn from the Preferment modules.

What a retirement coach does for you

A retirement coach helps you turn a vague sense of "what now?" into a plan you act on. In practice that means questions most people never had time to ask during a career: Who am I without my job title? What do I want my weeks to feel like? Which relationships and pursuits deserve my energy?

Rarified Life's founder, Anne van Leynseele, brings four reinventions to that work. She built and sold a production company in Los Angeles film and television, advised Fortune 100 companies on digital strategy across three continents, served as an Attorney Advisor in the Obama Administration, and helped write the legal framework for recreational cannabis in Washington State. Today she co-owns an award-winning chocolate farm on the Big Island of Hawaii.

What does a retirement coach do?The role, who benefits, and how to compare retirement coaches.Retirement life coach vs. life coachHow life coaching for retirement differs from general coaching.

Retirement coaching options compared

Rarified Life's Preferment course compared with other common ways to prepare for life after work, on the same criteria. Published by Rarified Life. Outside prices are sourced from AARP and lifecoachingcertification.net.
Criterion	Preferment course (Rarified Life)	Hourly 1:1 retirement coach	Financial planner	Self-guided reading
Main focus	Identity, motivation, values, structure, and a named mission	Varies by coach; often purpose, identity, and relationships	Savings, income, investments, and taxes	Whatever topics the reader chooses
Format	Eight weekly live sessions plus book homework	Individual sessions, scheduled as needed	Meetings focused on financial plans	On your own, at your own pace
Published price	$6000.00 listed; $3,000 stated in the course description	$150 to $300 per session typically (lifecoachingcertification.net); $125 to $1,000 an hour by location (AARP)	Not covered by the sources used here	The cost of a book
Structure and accountability	Fixed six-module sequence with weekly live check-ins	Tailored to you; structure depends on the coach	Structured around financial goals	None beyond your own discipline
Best fit	People whose identity is tied to work and who want a set path	People who want fully individual attention	Anyone with money decisions to make	Self-starters comfortable working alone

These options are not mutually exclusive. Many people pair a financial planner with a coach, since one addresses money and the other addresses how you live.

Who Rarified Life's retirement coaching is for

Rarified Life speaks most directly to accomplished women in their 50s and 60s who are nearing or in retirement, particularly those whose entire identity has been wrapped up in their work. The course itself is described as being for driven people who are done treating retirement as an ending.

Published research shows why this window deserves attention. The 2026 article on retirement coaching at lifecoachingcertification.net summarizes a meta-analysis finding that 28% of retirees experience depression, with a 40% spike in self-reported depression during the first years after retiring. Coaching is not a treatment for depression, but it does address the loss of purpose and structure that often comes with leaving work.

See more retirement statistics with sources

Retirement coaching questions people ask

What is retirement coaching?

Retirement coaching is structured guidance for the non-financial side of leaving work: identity, purpose, routine, relationships, and how you spend your time. Rarified Life approaches it through Preferment™, a research-informed framework that aligns your next chapter with your personal values and meaningful pursuits rather than treating retirement as an ending.

What does a retirement coach do?

A retirement coach helps you work out what you want your days to look like after your career, then builds a plan to get there. Typical work covers separating identity from job title, clarifying motivation, matching values and strengths to daily life, and building accountability. In Rarified Life’s Preferment course, those topics are the core modules.

How much does a retirement coach cost?

Published figures vary widely. AARP quotes one coach estimating $125 to $150 an hour in some areas, up to $800 to $1,000 per hour in major cities like Boston, Miami or San Francisco. A 2026 article on lifecoachingcertification.net says retirement coaches typically charge $150 to $300 per session. Location, format, and experience drive the difference.

How long does retirement coaching take?

Program lengths vary by coach. Rarified Life’s Preferment™ course runs eight weeks, with one live session each week. Its free presentation describes making your post-work years the best years of your life in just 8 weeks. Other coaches use different formats; AARP’s article mentions one coach’s six-month flat-fee program.

Can I start retirement coaching while I am still working?

Yes. Rarified Life’s free presentation says you can begin without slowing down, without waiting for retirement day, and even if your last day at work is still years away. Starting early gives you time to test new pursuits and routines before your schedule opens up completely.

Should I see a retirement coach or a financial planner?

Many people benefit from both because they solve different problems. A financial planner addresses savings, income, and investments, while a retirement coach addresses identity, purpose, and daily life. Rarified Life’s free presentation argues that a financial planner alone is not enough to prepare for the rest of your life, but coaching does not replace financial advice.

See all 44 retirement coaching questions

Next step: watch the free presentation

Rarified Life offers a free presentation for accomplished women in their 50s and 60s who are nearing or in retirement. It walks through the 5-step plan behind Preferment™, so you can see whether the approach fits before committing to anything.

See the free presentation