New Beginnings: A Season of Significance

• Week 1: Redefining retirement 
  We’ll set the tone by powerfully reframing what retirement can truly mean. Rather than viewing it as an end, we’ll come to see this life stage as a new beginning—rich with potential, purpose and personal evolution. We’ll explore how our past identities—as professional, spouse, parent or caregiver—have shaped who we are today. Through guided reflection and writing, we’ll identify what to honour and what to release, creating space for a reimagined future.
• Week 2: Flourishing—body, mind and spirit
  We’ll reconnect to our mind, body and spirit. We’ll approach life with a beginner’s mindset—curious, open and grounded in presence—learning ways to get “unstuck” and reconnect with our energy and purpose. Understanding how to embrace challenges can lead to profound wisdom and resilience. We’ll discuss how movement can be medicine, and how nature can be a gateway to emotional healing and physical resilience, transforming fear into curiosity and clarity.
• Week 3: Inner compass—cultivating resilience and authenticity 
  How can we trust our instincts and jump for the unknown, when the risks are so much higher in our later years? Resilience and authenticity are essential tools in navigating change. This week helps build inner strength by reframing challenges as stepping stones to deeper purpose. Through reflective writing we’ll explore what’s on our joy list: do we need permission to follow that?
• Week 4: A roadmap to reinvention
  This is the week of turning insight into action! We’ll start designing a map for our new-beginnings journey, much like an explorer. By identifying our strengths, interests, goals, life-learned skills, what matters most now and a dash of possibilities, we’ll begin creating a personalized roadmap rooted in authenticity and aligned with who we have become. Through thoughtful narratives we’ll explore changing roles: Who I Was, Who I Am and Who I’m Becoming.
• Week 5: Master the pivot—embracing change and impact
  Change as we age can be exciting—and scary. However, change isn’t just something to endure—it’s something to master. We’ll celebrate the art of reinvention, encouraging ourselves to see change as a source of awe and empowerment. We’ll envision our unique legacy and contributions moving forward. What seeds of change will we plant? We’ll complete a legacy interview in small groups and write reflectively on that experience.
• Week 6: Regeneration—designing an intention journey 
  To bring everything together, we’ll pause, reflect and celebrate how far we’ve come—and look ahead with renewed purpose. It’s a time to honour our journey, embrace our legacy and set intentions for the life we want to lead from here. Legacy isn’t only about what we leave behind—it’s about how we show up today. We’ll learn tools to keep our wisdom seeds germinated, growing and thriving in this new season of significance. 

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Develop reflective narratives on different Seeds of Significance themes
• Design a future roadmap for intentional living and legacy project ideas
• Discover concrete strategies, including daily practices for vitality, confidence and creative writing, to help answer “What’s my next bold (or quiet) step?”

• Lectures
• Creative writing exercises using guided autobiography prompts
• Small-group work and sharing personal narratives
• Giving and receiving feedback on personal writing
• Supplementary resources accessed through Canvas
  
• Reflective essay (applicable only to certificate students)

No textbook is required. We will provide all course materials online.