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EPISODE DESCRIPTION Are you losing your memory, or are you simply not paying attention? Have you ever walked into a room and forgotten why you went there? Or found yourself juggling so many responsibilities that your mind feels completely overwhelmed? As we get older, it's natural to wonder whether those little memory lapses are simply part of aging or a sign of something more serious. In this episode of *Women Seeking Blissful Retirement*, I talk with Debbie DeMoss Compton about the connection between stress, memory, and caring for the people we love. Debbie shares a moving story about her parents getting lost on a trip to the store, bringing a very personal perspective to the difficult questions families face when they begin to notice changes in a loved one's memory. If you've ever cared for an aging parent, you know how easy it is to worry, second-guess yourself, and feel responsible for making everything perfect. Debbie offers a powerful reminder: **Sometimes, the best you can do is good enough.** Letting go of perfection can ease the pressure and allow you to focus on what truly matters. We also explore simple, practical ways to reduce stress in as little as five minutes, from breathing deeply to letting go of the need to be right. And Debbie shares ways how changes in routines can help us pay closer attention to everyday activities instead of moving through life on autopilot. Whether you're supporting aging parents, noticing changes in your own memory, or simply wanting to protect your well-being as you grow older, this conversation offers valuable insights and small steps you can put into practice right away. **Because caring for others shouldn't mean forgetting to care for yourself.** Tune in for an honest, heartfelt conversation about managing stress, understanding memory changes, and giving yourself permission to be human—not perfect—as you navigate life's next chapter.   AFFIRMATION of the MONTH: I am capable of adapting to changes with grace and resilience.     GUEST BIO  Debbie DeMoss Compton is an international bestselling author, speaker, advocate, and founder of The Purple Vine, dedicated to helping women navigate life's demanding seasons with greater clarity, resilience, and confidence. As the author of three international bestsellers and creator of The Caregivers Advocate series, she brings a compassionate and practical perspective to challenges that affect so many women—particularly the stress, mental overload, and memory concerns that can accompany caregiving, major life transitions, and the retirement years. Through The Purple Vine, Compton provides education, encouragement, and resources designed to help caregivers and women caring for others remember something equally important: caring for themselves. Her work explores practical ways to reduce stress, support memory, create healthier daily habits, and move from simply coping with life to experiencing it more fully. Her message is especially relevant for women entering retirement who want this next chapter to be about more than slowing down. It can be a time to reconnect with themselves, protect their well-being, strengthen relationships, and make space for new experiences and meaningful adventures. That spirit of connection and renewal is also behind an exciting upcoming opportunity: a caregiversupported cruise to Alaska planned for Sept. 2027, offering caregivers and their loved ones the chance to experience travel with greater support, community, and peace of mind. In today's conversation, Debbie will share approachable insights into reducing stress, supporting better memory, and creating a healthier, more intentional next chapter—because retirement can be a beginning, not an ending. Here is how to get in touch with guest speaker Debbie DeMoss Compton: Website: https://thepurplevine.com Also, you can join her on social media: https://linkedin.com/in/debbiedcompton https://instagram.com/Debbie_Compton1 https://facebook.com/rec654 http://www.pinterest.com/compton1788 You'll find the books she wrote for caregivers on the following website: https://thecaregiversadvocate.com Debbie offers a free gift: 20 Ways to Improve Your Memory: https://thepurplevine.eo.page/Memory   CONNECT with MARIA Want to meet like-minded women that are just like you discovering their next chapter in life? Join the Facebook group Women Seeking Blissful Retirement HERE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenSeekingBlissfulRetirement     Love to hear from you! Get in touch with Maria for questions or topic suggestions:  [email protected] or use the contact page.     ACTION STEP If you are retiring soon or made this step recently, and you are worried about being bored, not longer valuable for what you do and wonder what is next, knowing that there's more that you want from life, I get it. As someone who's been single all her life and had to adapt to feel at home, build new connections and find a new identity, I know that it takes effort, time and curiosity to create a happy fulfilling life. I work with women who are anxious and worried about the transition into their retirement so they can see the opportunities this next chapter offers. How can you create more fun and enjoyment outside your career and family? Are you looking for quiet time and less distractions so you can finally focus on what you want in retirement? How many dreams have you placed on hold while waiting for "someday"? Do you want to meet and share your thoughts, ideas and plans with other women who are in the same situation in a safe place knowing you will be heard? There is something that happens when women come together in person—especially at this stage of life. You realize you're not alone. You hear your own thoughts spoken out loud by someone else. You tell the truth—sometimes for the first time in years. This kind of shift doesn't happen in isolation. It happens in relationship, reflection, and real conversation.  I think there is a moment that we realize that something we keep delaying needs our attention. If this resonates with you I developed a small intimate program for women who want to dream and explore possibilities to create a blissful next chapter with vitality, joyful experiences and empowering connections. The Design Your Blissful Next Chapter Retreat take place from November 13-15, 2026 in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida. This Retreat is a 3-day, in-person experience for women who are done circling the same questions and are ready to step forward with clarity and confidence. Through guided reflection, honest conversation, and shared experience, you'll release outdated expectations, reconnect with what truly matters to you, and practice showing up as the woman you are becoming. This is not about reinvention or starting over—it's about claiming your next chapter with intention, courage, and support. You don't need to know exactly what's next. You just need to know you don't want to stay where you are. Choosing yourself now doesn't just change your life. It changes how you show up in every relationship you care about. This is not a leap. It's a step—into the life you've been preparing for. If you're ready to explore who you are becoming, I would be honored to walk with you. Registration is now open. https://marialucassen.kartra.com/page/yourblissfulnextchapter Spots are limited by design, because the experience is personal. If you would like to talk about whether the retreat is right for you, call me. I'd be happy to have a conversation. https://MariaLucassenHQ.as.me/NextChapter or email me at [email protected]

EPISODE DESCRIPTION  What happens when you retire and finally have time to explore an idea that has been quietly sitting in your mind? For Paula Panariello, it became the beginning of an entirely new passion. After 30 years as a registered nurse, Paula retired with an idea for a story she couldn't stop thinking about. She had always loved reading romance novels, but she had never considered herself a writer—or even thought she was particularly good at writing. Still, she decided to put her ideas on paper. The encouragement and positive feedback she received gave her the confidence to keep going. What started as an experiment eventually became a new creative passion and led Paula to writing and publishing Regency historical romance novels. In this episode, Paula shares her journey from nurse to novelist and what she discovered along the way. We talk about how she got started, what she does when she gets stuck, the new skills she had to learn, and how she navigated the process of publishing her books. Paula also explains how her years as a nurse helped shape the complex, deeply human characters in her stories. Her understanding of love, loss, anger, frustration, and the many ways people respond to life gives her novels a unique perspective. Most importantly, Paula's story shows what can happen when you give yourself the opportunity to try something you've never done before. **You may be surprised by the passion you discover in retirement.** Tune in and be inspired by Paula's remarkable journey from caring for patients to creating stories that bring her own imagination to life.   AFFIRMATION of the MONTH:  I write for my own joy, free from the pressure of perfection.     GUEST BIO  Paula Panariello is from a small town in Western Pennsylvania. In her previous career, Paula was a registered nurse for thirty years. She has been an avid reader of romance novels and had the idea for a good story running through her head. After retirement, she decided it was time to put her ideas on paper. Paula views human emotions as intricate and unique as snowflakes. Love, loss, anger, and frustration elicit vastly different responses, a truth often glossed over in predictable plots of typical romance novels. Drawing on her experiences with patients and families, Paula infuses her characters with depth and complexity, breathing fresh life into the genre. Paula is currently working on the Necklace series and hopes you enjoy the world of the Stanhope family. Here is how to get in touch with guest speaker Paula Panariello: Website: Paulapan.com    CONNECT with MARIA Want to meet like-minded women that are just like you discovering their next chapter in life? Join the Facebook group Women Seeking Blissful Retirement HERE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenSeekingBlissfulRetirement     Love to hear from you!  Get in touch with Maria for questions or topic suggestions:  [email protected] or use the contact page.     ACTION STEP It's my gift to you because every woman deserves a retirement that excites her! Do you want to master your time by allocating time for structured appointments, weekly activities, and also leave time for spontaneous adventures? I have created the Vibrant Retirement Planner to help you stay more focused and embrace new opportunities. This is a digital monthly planner designed to make your retirement more intentional and fulfilling: • Daily activity planning to keep your days engaging and meaningful • Habit tracking to help you build and maintain routines that support your wellbeing • Affirmations to keep you motivated and focused on a positive mindset • Reflection questions to guide your personal growth and ensure you're living rour retirement with intention. Get the planner and try it out! Let me know what you think about and how it helps you.

What happens when the retirement you dreamed about doesn't turn out the way you expected? Mary Zahorsky thought she knew what her retirement would look like. She had a vision for her life in Florida and took the leap—only to discover that something important was missing. Eventually, she made another bold decision: she returned to Minnesota. Was that a failure? Or was it actually the beginning of understanding what she truly wanted from her next chapter? In this honest and inspiring conversation, Mary and I explore what was behind her decision to move to Florida, what she discovered once she got there, and what she realized she needed that ultimately brought her back home. And along the way, we uncover a powerful question that every woman approaching or living in retirement may want to ask herself: What if changing your plans isn't failing? What if it's how you find your way to the life that really fits you? Retirement today is no longer simply about stopping work and filling your days with travel, gardening, or time with the grandchildren. It can be a third act filled with purpose, passion, connection, possibility—and perhaps even income. Mary and I also talk about some of the practical pieces that can help create a more successful retirement, from building your social connections before you retire to being thoughtful about debt and making strategic Social Security decisions. But this conversation goes much deeper than financial or lifestyle planning. Because sometimes the things we label as "failures" are actually turning points. They give us the courage to look again, listen to ourselves, and make a different choice. If your retirement plans have changed—or if you're wondering whether the life you imagine after work will truly make you happy—this episode is for you. You don't have to get retirement "right" the first time. You have permission to explore, adjust, begin again, and create a next chapter that feels authentically yours.   AFFIRMATION of the MONTH: This chapter is a fresh canvas for my passions and creativity.     GUEST BIO  Mary Zahorsky is a Spiritual Life Coach who works with people through the later seasons of life to escape the relentless hustle of corporate life to design a life aligned with what they truly desire. Through ZVision, Mary guides her clients to experience authentic transformation through reconnecting, clarifying, and committing to building a life that feels genuinely theirs. Working with curiosity and powerful questions, Mary believes that lasting change happens when people are able to uncover their own wisdom. Her approach honors both the practical and the profound, grounding clients in real action while inviting them to connect with something larger than themselves. Mary's signature offering, Drift Less, Manifest More is a weekend retreat designed to help people move from the scattered energy of drifting through life into a state of aligned flow connecting with their deeper desires. Through her coaching packages and retreat experiences, she supports clients across the full spectrum of their transformation journey, from initial clarity and vision work through sustained commitment and action. Mary draws inspiration from nature, travel, and the profound practice of stillness. Here is how to get in touch with guest speaker Mary Zahorsky: [email protected] Website: www.zvisioncoaching.com Y ou can get the free self-assessment resource Mary mentioned in the podcast here: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/WY5Z4bp/ZVision The Future is calling you. This assessment is designed to help you recognize the subtle patterns shaping your life and reconnect with the possibilities calling for your attention. Through a self-assessment, reflection, and Mary Zahorsky's 5D Framework, you'll discover how to move from reacting to circumstances toward consciously creating what comes next. What You'll Discover:  Why some people seem to create their future while others wait for it  The hidden impact of drift and doubt on your decisions  How daydreams often reveal clues about your deepest desires  Practical ways to create greater direction and momentum  Which element of the 5D Formula deserves your attention right now  A simple next step toward a more intentional future Mary also has a retreat planned for September 18-21, 2026. Drift Less, Manifest More; Flow into the future A transformational retreat at the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. Consciously shifting the direction of your life and leadership You can get all the details for this special event here: https://www.wetravel.com/trips/drift-less-manifest-morezvision-3300943351#about-this-trip Other ways to learn from Mary or connect with her: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryzahorsky   CONNECT with MARIA Want to meet like-minded women that are just like you discovering their next chapter in life? Join the Facebook group Women Seeking Blissful Retirement HERE: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenSeekingBlissfulRetirement     Love to hear from you!  Get in touch with Maria for questions or topic suggestions:  [email protected] or use the contact page.     ACTION STEP If you are retiring soon or made this step recently, and you are worried about being bored, not longer valuable for what you do and wonder what is next, knowing that there's more that you want from life, I get it. As someone who's been single all her life and had to adapt to feel at home, build new connections and find a new identity, I know that it takes effort, time and curiosity to create a happy fulfilling life. I work with women who are anxious and worried about the transition into their retirement so they can see the opportunities this next chapter offers. How can you create more fun and enjoyment outside your career and family? Are you looking for quiet time and less distractions so you can finally focus on what you want in retirement? How many dreams have you placed on hold while waiting for "someday"? Do you want to meet and share your thoughts, ideas and plans with other women who are in the same situation in a safe place knowing you will be heard? There is something that happens when women come together in person—especially at this stage of life. You realize you're not alone. You hear your own thoughts spoken out loud by someone else. You tell the truth—sometimes for the first time in years. This kind of shift doesn't happen in isolation. It happens in relationship, reflection, and real conversation. I think there is a moment that we realize that something we keep delaying needs our attention. If this resonates with you I developed a small intimate program for women who want to dream and explore possibilities to create a blissful next chapter with vitality, joyful experiences and empowering connections. The Your Blissful Next Chapter Retreat take place from September 18-20, 2026 in beautiful St. Petersburg, Florida. This Retreat is a 3-day, in-person experience for women who are done circling the same questions and are ready to step forward with clarity and confidence. Through guided reflection, honest conversation, and shared experience, you'll release outdated expectations, reconnect with what truly matters to you, and practice showing up as the woman you are becoming. This is not about reinvention or starting over—it's about claiming your next chapter with intention, courage, and support. You don't need to know exactly what's next. You just need to know you don't want to stay where you are. Choosing yourself now doesn't just change your life. It changes how you show up in every relationship you care about. This is not a leap. It's a step—into the life you've been preparing for. If you're ready to explore who you are becoming, I would be honored to walk with you. Registration is now open. https://marialucassen.kartra.com/page/yourblissfulnextchapter Spots are limited by design, because the experience is personal. If you would like to talk about whether the retreat is right for you, call me. I'd be happy to have a conversation. https://MariaLucassenHQ.as.me/NextChapter or email me at [email protected]