• Surviving a catastrophic spinal cord injury
• Depression, hope, and rebuilding identity
• Returning to Cornell in a wheelchair before accessibility laws existed
• Becoming a lawyer and helping others with disabilities
• Marriage, fatherhood, and raising triplets
• Why purpose matters at every stage of life
• The mindset that kept him moving forward for over 50 years

Contact us: againstthenorm.net

What happens when you reach retirement age… and realize you’re not ready to simply “settle down”?

In this fascinating and deeply personal conversation, journalist and author, Audrey Edwards, shares the emotional story behind her decision to leave America after the 2016 election and begin a completely different life in Paris at nearly 70 years old.

But this episode is about far more than politics.

Audrey opens up about fear, reinvention, aging, risk-taking, identity, race, retirement, loneliness, freedom, and what it really means to create a life that still feels alive and meaningful later in life.

We talk about:

• Why so many people stay trapped in lives that no longer inspire them
• The emotional side of starting over in your 60s and 70s
• Learning to live in a foreign culture without speaking the language
• Why Paris changed the way she experiences life
• The difference between comfort and fulfillment
• Retirement, purpose, and the question: “Retire to what?”
• Why risk-taking becomes even more important as we age
• The surprising cultural differences between America and France
• What truly makes a place feel like “home”

Audrey’s stories are funny, thoughtful, moving, and incredibly honest — from freezing winters in tiny Paris apartments to discovering a completely different rhythm of life abroad.

This is a conversation about courage, reinvention, and refusing to coast through the later chapters of life.

Audrey’s memoir:
American Runaway: Black and Free in Paris in the Trump Years

https://www.facebook.com/audrey.edwards.260471

If you enjoy stories about reinvention, purpose, travel, and living boldly later in life, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.

Contact us: againstthenorm.net

What would you do if your entire life collapsed all at once?

When Ray Martin’s marriage ended, his business unraveled, and his father died within the same period of time, he found himself emotionally shattered and completely lost. What was supposed to be a six-month sabbatical turned into a 14-year journey across Asia, Europe, and deep into himself.

In this fascinating conversation, Ray shares how a successful CEO with all the “right” badges of success slowly realized he was living a life built around other people’s expectations—not his own.

Along the way, he:

• Ran marathons for charity
• Worked with elephant sanctuaries and orphanages
• Learned meditation in a silent Buddhist retreat
• Became a leadership coach in Asia
• Randomly auditioned for — and landed — the lead role in a stage play with no acting experience
• And ultimately rebuilt his life around meaning, freedom, intuition, and service

This episode is about far more than travel or reinvention.

It’s about what happens when you finally stop asking:
“What am I supposed to do with my life?”

…and start asking:
“What actually feels true to me?”

If you’ve ever felt stuck, restless, burned out, or quietly disconnected from the life you built, this conversation may hit very close to home.

To learn more about Ray Martin, his book, coaching, and his journey of reinvention, visit:

Website:
https://lifewithoutatie.com/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachraymartin/

Contact us: againstthenorm.net