Professional women who have built highly successful careers often find themselves approaching "retirement" age and wondering what's next. The approach that created success up to this point might feel limiting and clarity about what comes next can feel elusive. During our upcoming event, Don't Retire — ReWire — a panel of women who have chosen nontraditional paths will offer permission, perspective and practical tools to rewire — integrating the accomplished professional with the fuller version of who you've always been. Tickets are available here.
Jamie Peha was ready to move on but didn’t want to rush things.
Before she left her job as executive director at Auction of Washington Wines — one she’d held for six-and-a-half years with great success, including raising a record $4.6 million in 2019 — she gave eight months’ notice.
After a decades-long career in the wine industry, Peha was ready for new adventures. She was past traditional retirement age but had no desire to call it quits. She did want to pursue her passions, however, and deliberately went about creating her second act.
Her passion for travel and wine led her to launch Peha Ventures – Travel | Wine| Life, a company that creates curated experiences, travel opportunities and what she calls “transformational” gatherings.
Along the way, she also struck upon another idea to help women through the same process she went through: The Rewirement Path, a system to “intentionally design what comes next.” The Rewirement Path Challenges features a week-by-week roadmap for meaningful progress and is based around five core concepts: “Release, Reflect, Renew, Reconnect, Reclaim, Rewire.”
“I had to release a lot of thinking Peha recalls. “There’s some loss involved because it’s a new stage and you’re leaving something that was really meaningful and purposeful.”
Here are seven questions with Jamie Peha. Edited for length and clarity:
How did the Rewirement framework come about? First there was the life piece, just travel and wine. Then I thought I needed something that has more meaning and more purpose that isn’t necessarily just about me. What can I do to give back? How can I help other women that might be going through this transition?
How do you describe the Rewirement process? I don't think it necessarily has to be about retirement and retirement age. I think it's about you're at a place where what you're doing, there's parts of it that are no longer working. The question keeps coming up: What is next? Is there a next? Can I create a next? What elements of my life do I want to fill up? What's my joy bucket?
Was there ever a time where you personally thought, what have I done? Why did I leave? Yes, absolutely. There were a few tears along the way. I knew the value of what I was giving up. I didn't want to look at it as an ending. The ending doesn't feel good, so I was trying to turn it into, a new beginning. I shifted my thinking. It was hard.
How do you advise people to manage their emotions through this? That comes through (the Rewirement) process. You have to address and feel of what you’re letting go of and why.
What’s been your biggest surprise through your transition? Some of my old, younger self is coming back. I am happier and more relaxed. I feel more present with people. My relationships are better because I’m there. My sense of humor is better. I feel like I appreciate things more. It’s just a definitely a better place for me.
Any regrets? There are still some little twangs every now and then with my heart about what I left behind, but my life is full. I've designed it the way I want it to be, and that's, and that's really good.
Final thoughts? There does have to be some humility. Also, you don’t have to know everything at one time. There is an evolution that happens personally and professionally, and you have to experience it and understand. You have to give yourself permission to take the journey.
Peha is one of three panelists at Formidable Media’s June 9 “Don’t Retire — Rewire” event. The others are:
• Karen Rae, creator of the Being Brave Tour magazine and podcast powered by Fave Lifestyles. Rae focuses on creating meaningful experiences that inspire connection, visibility and courageous conversations for women, one brave step at a time.
• Michèle Heffron, who guides women through transformation and divorce with clarity and intention through her coaching work and Getting to the Heart of It podcast.
