The Shift Playbook

By Sylvia Toense

It's time to retire the word "retirement." Most of us spend decades planning for the financial part of our life post-career, but not our next chapter. We map out our corporate moves, our kids' futures, our home renovations, our next vacation. But almost nothing prepares us for the moment when work stops being the dominant force in our lives.

Meanwhile, society still treats retirement as a finish line, a single event that redefines everything from our finances to our identity. But many people keep working for decades after they leave their full-time career, in part-time jobs, side hustles, volunteer positions or as caregivers.

This book suggests that we need a new way to understand this phase of life. I call it "the Shift." Shift is a verb, a mindset, a lifestyle. It's an intentional redesign of what comes next, built on your terms.

I wrote the book I wish someone had handed me in 2024, the year I chose to step away from corporate life and start my own Shift-years earlier than anticipated. At a routine checkup, my doctor told me that my heart age was ten years older than my biological age. I knew then it was time for real changes in my life.

Inside the book, I share what my transition actually looked like, the hard questions I asked myself, the people I invited to join me in the planning process, the assumptions I had to let go of, and the framework I used to shape my future.

This book is for anyone standing at the edge of your own Shift, still working for another ten years, or already dropped in and finding your footing. It's especially relevant if your sense of self has been wrapped up in your work for a long time, and the Identity Vacuum feels both freeing and frightening.

The Shift Playbook walks you through the process step by step, giving you practical exercises like drawing your Life Pie, identifying your Push/Pull, creating a group of Shift Buddies, and preparing for inevitable Shift Shocks. Honest stories from other Shifters at different points in their own transitions offer insights to help you find your way.

Whatever comes next, you're worth the investment.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1970366249
• ISBN13: 9781970366242
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Story Cure Press
• Length: 144 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"