Stacy and Wayne talk about why the real struggle often isn’t confidence, it’s self-trust built or broken by follow-through. We share simple ways to collect “receipts” through small wins so midlife goals stop feeling heavy and start feeling doable.

You’ll hear practical strategies you can use immediately: tiny promises that are specific and realistic, accountability that helps you break comfortable patterns, gratitude and journaling that takes minutes not pages, habit stacking like pairing water with coffee, and time blocking so what matters actually gets scheduled. We end with a simple takeaway: imperfect action still counts, and action itself is a win that rebuilds self-trust one day at a time.

If you’re in a season where you need support, rebuilding clarity, confidence, momentum, coaching can really help you close that gap.

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That “not enough” voice can sound like the truth when it’s really just a story you learned and kept repeating. We’re Coach Stacy M. Lewis and Coach Wayne, and we go straight at the false narratives that get wired into our beliefs through childhood wounds, rejection, workplace disappointment, church hurt, and the pressure that comes with race and gender expectations.

We talk about how these narratives show up in real life, especially in midlife. For the men Coach Wayne serves, the “not good enough” story can be reinforced by systems and history, and it can quietly shape how you see your value. For many women, the “strong Black woman” expectation can turn normal limits into shame. We connect those dots to the masks we wear, the roles we perform, and the ways we cope through overworking, overgiving, people pleasing, or staying invisible.

Then we get practical. We share coaching questions to challenge the evidence behind the story, because automatic thinking can turn one moment into a global verdict about your worth. Midlife gives you receipts: experience, wisdom, leadership, survival, and lessons that prove you are more than capable. From there, we walk through rewriting the meaning of what happened so it doesn’t get to define who you are, and we offer a simple homework prompt you can use immediately: “That may have happened, but it does not mean ____.”

If this conversation hits home, subscribe, share the episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What old story are you ready to retire?

Episodes Referenced:
e. 51: Still Becoming: Expanding the Vision for Your Future Self

e. 81: Midlife Communication, Love Under Pressure

e. 92: Retirement Isn't An Ending, It's A Redesign

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🎩Wayne Dawson
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What if retirement isn’t the end of your story, but the start of your most intentional chapter? We sit down with Dr. Gregg Lunceford—wealth advisor, researcher of modern retirement, and author of Exit from Work—to rethink what leaving full‑time work really means in a world where lifespans stretch toward 90. Together we pull apart the old script and rebuild it around identity, purpose, and agency.

We look beyond the numbers to the hidden income of work: psychological success, social connection, and daily structure. Gregg explains why so many struggle in year one and how to prevent the slump by designing a third age that keeps those pillars in place—on your terms. From identity rooted in profession, employer, or role, to the question “Who am I when the badge comes off?”, we offer practical ways to carry your skills and status forward through mentoring, consulting, volunteering, or a smaller, more flexible role that fits your season of life.

We also tackle the historic shift from pensions and gold watches to 401(k)s and self-directed paths, and how that change impacts expectations across cultures and generations. You’ll hear actionable strategies to negotiate phased exits, train successors, and blend paid work, service, and leisure so you can test-drive your next act before you fully step out. Along the way, we explore protean careers, legacy, and the simple truth that a modern retirement needs more than a spreadsheet—it needs a vision for meaning, community, and health.

If this conversation sparks a new way of thinking about your future, help us spread the word. Subscribe, share with a friend who’s planning their next act, and leave a review with the one change you’ll make this year.

Gregg Lunceford, PhD, CFP®, is a Managing Director and Wealth Advisor at Mesirow, where he works with people age 50 and above as they prepare for and move into retirement. Alongside his advisory work, he researches modern retirement transition, focusing on how longer lives, changing work identities, and social shifts affect the emotional side of leaving full time work. He is the author of Exit from Work and speaks widely about designing the “third age,” a stage of life shaped by purpose, reinvention, and quality of life.

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Subscribe @CoachStacyMLewis and @CoachWayneVIP

💃🏽Stacy M. Lewis
🌍 thestacymlewis.com
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LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

🎩Wayne Dawson
🌍 viptransformativeliving.com
Book a Discovery Call
LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

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