Last year I made one of the hardest decisions of my career. After 35 years in corporate life - most recently leading HubSpot across Asia Pacific - I decided to “retire.”

Except, that one word "retirement" never sat right with me.

It feels so final. It feels like stopping.

Because this never about stopping. It was about reframing - how I work, what I work on, and most importantly, why I work at all.

Why I made the decision

On paper, everything was going great. I truly loved my time at HubSpot - the culture, the people, the executive leadership, our customers. Together with my leadership team, we built something truly special together and drove considerable growth across JAPAC.

But as fulfilling as that was, I started to feel a pull —-to regain more control over how I spent my time, to work with deeper purpose, and to show up more fully for my family, friends, and community.

I didn’t want to fill every day with more meetings. I wanted to fill it with more purpose.

After 35 years of chasing the next corporate goal, the next month, the next target, I wanted to chase something new - meaning.

The reactions

When I announced my decision, a lot of people were very surprised. I heard things like: “You’re way too young to retire” or "Are you crazy? Your career is at it's prime - keep going".

Or from one CEO I caught up with:

“Do you play golf?” -no.

“Lawn bowls?” - no. “

Bridge?” - still no.

“So what on earth are you planning to do with your time?”

Surely there is more to life than work, golf, lawn bowls and bridge!

But the truth is - I wasn’t stepping away from something. I was stepping toward something different altogether.

The reframe

Since “retiring,” I’ve been reframing my life and what work looks like for me. In the last four months, I’ve:

• Hiked up some incredible mountains in the Rockies in Canada

• Walked the Larapinta Trail in the Northern Territory

• Consulted pro bono with a number of NFPs on their CRM and technology strategy

• Started my own Sales Leadership Coaching and Fractional CRO business - Growth Getters

• Been so much more present with my family and friends

• Read and challenged myself so much more than I have in years

• Rested - truly rested

• And found a greater sense of balance than I’ve felt in decades

What I’ve learned so far

1. You don’t have to wait until 65 to reframe your life.

2. Stepping away doesn’t mean stepping down. It can mean stepping into a new season of contribution in a more meaningful way.

3. Purpose doesn’t retire. It simply evolves.

For me, “retirement” isn’t the end of work - it’s the beginning of working on my own terms.

Maybe it’s time we retire the word retirement altogether.