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.
As Jamie Peha got older, she found herself deeply agitated by a single, recurring question: “When are you going to retire?”
Peha had spent decades commanding rooms and building networks through her work as executive director of the Auction of Washington Wines, the founder of the Seattle Wine and Food Experience, the Washington Wine Commission and as a radio talk show host. The traditional definition of retirement felt less like a reward and more like an ending.
“Just the word made me shudder,” Peha says. “I’m not ready to do that. What does that even mean?”
So, Peha chose to “rewire” instead of retire. She developed the Rewirement Path Framework, a philosophy aimed at helping professional women navigate the complex emotional and practical transition into their next act.
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.
Peha notes that leaving the traditional workforce prompts a deep psychological shift, particularly for women whose identities are tightly intertwined with their careers. Above all else, she challenges women to abandon the metrics-driven mindset that made them so successful.
For Peha, that meant launching Peha Ventures Travel | Wine | Life, a company that creates curated experiences, travel opportunities and what she calls “transformational” gatherings.
Peha encourages women to adopt the rewirement mindset at any career stage. With modern professionals changing careers and jobs more frequently than ever before — one study notes that the average American worker will change jobs a dozen times — knowing how to intentionally close one chapter and begin the next is a critical skill.
“There is an evolution that happens personally and professionally,” she says. “You have to give yourself permission to take the journey, and you may not know where it’s taking you at the very beginning.”
Tomorrow: We’ll delve more deeply into Jamie Peha’s Rewirement program.
