Retirement coaching for high achievers

A life after career course for people who built something

Last updated: November 2026. Published by Rarified Life.

Preferment is an 8-week live life after career course from Rarified Life that helps high achievers redesign life after 50 around their values, not their job title.

Rarified Life built Preferment for people who spent decades building a career and now have more time than ever, with no clear use for it. Over eight weekly live sessions with founder Anne van Leynseele, you separate identity from job title, find new motivation, and leave with a named mission.

Watch the free webinar

Your path into Preferment

Step 1Free webinarThe 5-step plan behind Preferment, free to watch.
Step 2Breakthrough SessionA 40-minute call to talk through where you are.
Step 38-week live courseEight weekly sessions with Anne, the book, and homework.

What does a life after career course actually teach?

A good life after career course teaches you who you are without your job title and how you will spend your days once work no longer sets the schedule. Preferment, from Rarified Life, covers exactly that in six modules: Introduction, Identity, Motivation, Alignment, Accountability, and Launch.

It is not a financial planning seminar and not job training. It is a structured path, with each week building on the last, for people who are done treating retirement like an ending.

A retirement coaching course you take, not one you teach

Search for a retirement coaching course and you will find two different things: programs that train coaches, and programs that coach you through your own transition. Preferment is the second kind. Anne van Leynseele leads every live session, and the book she wrote serves as your workbook.

Retirement coaching demand has seen a 30% uptick as baby boomers retire, according to lifecoachingcertification.net, with coaches addressing identity, purpose, and relationships, not just money. That is the territory Preferment works in.

Compare Preferment with a retirement coach certification

The Preferment course at a glance

What is the Preferment course?

The Preferment course is a live, 8-week life after career course from Rarified Life. It teaches the Preferment framework, a research-backed approach for high achievers to redesign life after 50 as an active, purpose-driven alternative to traditional retirement.

You work through the book Preferment chapter by chapter with its author, Anne van Leynseele, doing the exercises built into the book between sessions. The aim is to align your future plans with your personal values and build meaningful pursuits beyond your career.

Preferment by the numbers

8 weekly live sessions with Anne van Leynseele
6 modules, from Introduction to Launch
1 book included as your companion text and workbook
40-minute Breakthrough Session available to book
$3,000 investment as described on the course page (the store listing shows $6,000.00; confirm at checkout)

How do you join Preferment?

Watch the free Rarified Life webinar on the 5-step plan.
Book a 40-minute Breakthrough Session to talk through fit.
Enroll in the 8-week live course on the Rarified Life course page.
Attend eight weekly sessions and complete the homework in the book.
Finish with the Launch module by naming your mission.

See the full enrollment pathway

How Preferment compares with other ways to plan life after a career

Each option below is described on the same five criteria using published facts. Rarified Life publishes this site and lists its own course first; the order is not a ranking.

Life after career options compared, published by Rarified Life
Option	Who it is for	Format	Length	Published cost	Main focus
Preferment course (Rarified Life)	High achievers leaving or past a demanding career	Live sessions with Anne van Leynseele, plus the Preferment book and homework	8 weeks, one live session per week	$3,000 described on the course page; store listing shows $6,000.00	Identity, motivation, values alignment, accountability, launching a personal mission
Individual retirement coaching sessions	People in a retirement transition	One-on-one sessions with a coach	Open-ended, priced per session	$150 to $300 per session typically (lifecoachingcertification.net)	Identity, purpose, and relationships, not just money (lifecoachingcertification.net)
Retirement Life Coach Certification	Coaches who want to work with retirees	Coach certification training	Approved by ICF for 15 hours of Continuing Coach Education	$1,250 total investment (retirementlifeplan.com)	Training coaches to serve retirement clients
Career-break or job-training course	People returning to paid work	Varies by program	Varies by program	Varies by program; not reviewed here	Job-ready skills for a new or returning role

Six modules, one structured path

Each week builds on the one before. You start with where you are now and finish with a mission you can name out loud.

Module 1Introduction
Where you are right now, and why the old model of retirement was never built for someone like you.
Module 2Identity
Separating who you are from what you did for a living.
Module 3Motivation
Finding what actually moves you, now that a paycheck is not the reason.
Module 4Alignment
Matching your values and strengths to how you will actually spend your days.
Module 5Accountability
Building the structure that turns intention into a lived routine.
Module 6Launch
Naming your mission for this next chapter, and stepping into it.

Explore the full Preferment curriculum

Who leads the course?

Anne van Leynseele, founder of Rarified Life

Anne built and sold a production company in Los Angeles film and television, advised Fortune 100 companies on digital strategy across three continents, served as an Attorney Advisor in the Obama Administration, and helped write the legal framework for recreational cannabis in Washington State.

Today she co-owns an award-winning chocolate farm on the Big Island of Hawaii. She has lived four reinventions and wrote the book the course is built on.

Read Anne's full background

"I spent a few years wandering around like a goldfish in a bowl. Preferment changed all that! I thought work defined me, but I discovered I am so much more. I learned to 'be' rather than just 'do' on autopilot."

A Preferment participant, as quoted on rarifiedlife.com

Guides for your next chapter

Contact Rarified Life

Questions about the life after career course

What is a life after career course?: A life after career course is a structured program that helps you plan who you will be and how you will spend your days once full-time work ends. The Preferment course from Rarified Life does this in eight weekly live sessions, focusing on identity, motivation, values, and daily structure rather than money or job skills.; See this answer in the full FAQ
How much does the Preferment course cost?: The Rarified Life course page describes the investment as $3,000 for eight weekly live sessions with Anne, the book, and the guided homework. The store listing on that same page shows $6,000.00, so confirm the current price on the enrollment page before you check out.; See this answer in the full FAQ
Do I have to be retired to join?: No. Rarified Life says you can start this work even if your last day at work is still years away and even if you are still working full time. Starting before you leave gives you time to test new routines while your work structure is still in place.; See this answer in the full FAQ
Is Preferment a retirement coaching course?: Yes, for people going through the transition themselves. Preferment is a live, guided course led by Anne van Leynseele for high achievers leaving their careers. It is not a certification for coaches. If your goal is to become a retirement coach, a coach certification program is the better fit, and our comparison page explains the difference.; See this answer in the full FAQ
How long is the Preferment course?: The course runs for eight weeks, with one live session each week. Across those weeks you work through six modules: Introduction, Identity, Motivation, Alignment, Accountability, and Launch. Homework from the book happens between sessions.; See this answer in the full FAQ
What is the first step toward joining Preferment?: Start with the free webinar at rarifiedlife.com/registration. It explains the 5-step plan behind the course. If it resonates, book a 40-minute Breakthrough Session, then enroll in the 8-week live course on the Rarified Life course page.; See this answer in the full FAQ

Read all 44 questions in the Preferment FAQ

Start with the free webinar

See the 5-step plan behind Preferment first. Then book a 40-minute Breakthrough Session or enroll in the 8-week course when you are ready.

Watch the free webinar Contact Rarified Life