Hello,

To have a successful blog, I’ve been told that a person needs to be passionate about their topic, and also enjoy writing.  Happily, I can say that I do both, so thus this begins a new chapter in a new role, now principal of Purposeful-Aging.org.    The topics I will delve into on a regular basis, are related to (you guessed it) …Retirement and Aging.    I didn’t know until just know that Blog is short for “Web Log” but it is.  Ha!

So how did I get here, from there when the  “there” could be any number of past occupations I’ve experienced over my lifetime—from working in a blue collar manufacturing environment in Northern Wisconsin soon after college graduation (1972); to the stunningly high tech environment of Dell Technologies in 1989 when the company was still in start-up mode; or more recently when I joined the University of Denver Daniels College of Business as Associate Dean of the Executive MBA Program (2002). As different as these situations were, one thing remained constant—I was intrigued by people at work and the subject became my life’s study as well as my passion. 

It stands to reason then that now at age 74, I have turned that obsession into researching individuals as they transition from the world of work, to the uncharted territory of aging and retirement.  

How do people cope with the change with the loss of identity?  Why do the death rates for men especially increase after ending their careers?  How do people maintain good health and a good attitude once they’ve left their jobs?  How does retirement affect one’s relationships?  What happens to our physical bodies as we age?  How can we prolong good health – especially now that people are living 20+ years longer than they did when Stud’s Turkel first wrote his book, “Working” in 1974 (one of my all-time favorites and still on my shelf). 

These are questions I have spent countless hours pondering.  Eventually they drew me into a new field research, resulting in a 10-month fellowship at the University of Chicago as a member of the initial Leadership and Society Initiative (LSI) where my subject was Aging.  Additionally, for the past two years, I have been an affiliated faculty member of the Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging, Ritchie School of Engineering, University of Denver.  My husband, Scott McLagan, whom many of you, has been involved in both of these endeavors, and he too is a principal of Purposeful-Aging.org.  

We will be teaching a series of courses and workshops under the title of Reimagining Retirement through the University of Denver beginning in January. 

Retirement Reimagined is billed as a “groundbreaking program created to help you approach or optimize your retirement with confidence and excitement. Launching in 2025 through the Enrichment Program in partnership with the Knoebel Institute for Healthy Aging, it begins with an in-depth overview course, followed by a series of focused workshops on key topics. Led by program creators and DU Professors Emeritus, Barb Kreisman and Scott McLagan, along with guest lecturers, this program will guide you through this important life transition and help you embrace new opportunities. For more information, visit the Enrichment Program website or complete this brief form, and we’ll follow-up with you directly. Registration for this and other 2025 Enrichment Program classes opens Dec. 9.”

Join us please…

Very respectfully,

Barb