Being, not only doing
A quote on the Rarified Life website describes learning to "be" rather than just "do" on autopilot. The course makes room for that shift instead of filling every hour.
Retirement life coach
Retirement life coach: life coaching for retirement
A retirement life coach specializes in the shift out of a career, while a general life coach works on any goal. Rarified Life's Preferment™ approach is life coaching for retirement, built around identity, motivation, and how you spend your days.
Last updated: November 2026 · Published by Rarified Life
Do I need a life coach for retirement or a regular life coach?
If your main challenge is leaving work, a life coach for retirement is the more focused choice. Retirement raises specific questions: who you are without a title, what motivates you without a paycheck, and how to structure suddenly open time. A specialist works from a method built around those questions.
A general life coach may suit you better if retirement is only one of several unrelated goals you want to work on, such as a career change, a health goal, or a relationship question.
Retirement life coaching compared with general life coaching
| Criterion | Retirement life coaching (Preferment) | General life coaching |
|---|---|---|
| Starting question | What is my next chapter for, now that work is ending? | What goal do I want to reach? |
| Core topics | Identity, motivation, alignment, accountability, launch | Any topic the client brings |
| Timing | Before or after the last day of work | Any stage of life |
| Structure | Fixed 8-week sequence with a book and homework | Varies by coach |
What retirement life coaching covers in Preferment
Energy and relationships
The free presentation describes moving from errands and appointments to a life people ask you about, while energy, health, and close relationships get stronger.
A mission you can name
The Launch module ends the course by naming your mission for the next chapter, giving you a clear direction rather than a loose list of ideas.
How the founder approaches retirement life coaching
Anne van Leynseele teaches from experience rather than theory. Rarified Life describes her as having lived four reinventions: building and selling a Los Angeles film and television production company, advising Fortune 100 companies on digital strategy across three continents, serving as an Attorney Advisor in the Obama Administration, and helping write the legal framework for recreational cannabis in Washington State. She now co-owns an award-winning chocolate farm on the Big Island of Hawaii.
In her own words from the Rarified Life website: "Growth is a journey inward as much as forward, where every step reveals a part of you that was always meant to shine."
Common questions
Is a retirement life coach different from a regular life coach?
Yes. A retirement life coach specializes in the transition out of a career, while a general life coach may work on any goal. Sessions center on questions like who you are without your job title, what motivates you without a paycheck, and how to structure open time. Preferment™ is designed specifically for life after career.
What is Preferment?
Preferment™ is Rarified Life’s framework and life platform for rethinking retirement, summed up in its line “Ditch retirement... try Preferment™ instead.” It is taught through a live 8-week course built on founder Anne van Leynseele’s book Preferment, moving through six modules: Introduction, Identity, Motivation, Alignment, Accountability, and Launch.
What if my whole identity is my career?
That is the situation Preferment™ is built around. The free presentation is aimed at women whose entire identity has been wrapped up in their work, and the course’s Identity module focuses on separating who you are from what you did for a living, before moving on to motivation and alignment.
Is Preferment only for women?
The free presentation is specifically for accomplished women in their 50s and 60s. The Preferment course page describes its audience more broadly, as driven people ready to treat retirement as a new chapter rather than an ending. Read the course page or watch the presentation to decide whether it fits you.
Is a structured course or 1:1 coaching better?
Each suits different people. A structured course moves you through a set curriculum on a fixed schedule, while 1:1 coaching tailors every session to you. Rarified Life currently offers the live 8-week Preferment course, and its website lists 1:1 coaching as coming soon.
What if I have no idea what I want?
That is a normal starting point. Rarified Life says you do not need a five-year plan, and its free presentation covers how to pinpoint what your future self really wants from you, even if that seems like a total mystery right now. The Motivation module of the course is built around this question.
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.