We’re used to hearing about retirement as a finish line – a moment to step back, slow down, and fade quietly into leisure. But for a growing number of people, the prescribed retirement age isn’t a deadline, it’s a doorway. In this continuing series, we meet the people who are rewriting the script on aging – and ultimately proving that, sometimes, the most meaningful work begins when everyone else thinks it’s time to stop.
Meet Susie Sheffman, who juggles a trio of careers, a full-calendar of hobbies and hands-on family time. No day is typical: she can be found working with clients on their wardrobe while fielding calls regarding a house sale before heading out to a pickleball match. “I have this fabulous retired lifestyle, but I work full time.” Here’s how she does it all.
HOME BASE: Toronto
HER MANTRA: “I work my retirement into my every day.”
x
View this post on Instagram
HER PASSIONS: “I have wildly high energy. My activities are a crucial part of my day. Monday tennis, Wednesday dance, weight training three times a week, bike rides, pickleball, canasta, mahjong, singing, my grandkids, my 95 year-old mother. I developed these hobbies later in adulthood. Work and play can co-exist.”
THE PIVOT: She still takes on fashion clients, but real estate has become her main gig now six years into her career transition. “For 40 years, I had the job a million girls would kill for: fashion editor, stylist, creative consultant, going to the shows and shooting in fab locations. But I saw the writing on the wall as budgets diminished and the landscape was changing. The glam was gone, and with everything appearing instantly, the kind of timeless image creation I loved was disappearing. But not working was not in the cards for me. So I went from the fashion business where everyone sucked up to me to real estate, which is a totally different world: “No” becomes a starting point.”
MILESTONE MOMENT: “Going back to school at 60. It was brutal, and it was a really forced discipline. The math was out of control! I was so terrified – trauma from being told as a kid I was no good at it – but in the end, I was so empowered because I forced myself to understand it. People in my class were calling me to explain it!”
IDENTITY SHIFT: “At first, I wanted to stay close to my old life, my old identity. But now I see the connections and I don’t think about that at all.” Today Sheffman is an agent and part of the S Team, with her childhood best friend, Terri Sapera, part of the Johnston & Daniel real estate brokerage. “It is not only about making homes look pretty. It is trying to matchmake people and homes, being resourceful and tenacious. I love the thrill of the hunt, particularly for off-market homes.”
View this post on Instagram
SEWING THE THREADS TOGETHER: At the end of the day, Sheffman realized that all of her career shifts have involved sourcing. She still does closet reorganization with private clients, under the name Closet Confidential (@ssheffman). “Within two seconds, they are in their underwear in front of you, it is extremely vulnerable.” So too it is with real estate: “You go into someone’s home, their inner sanctums, their bedrooms and bathrooms, it is a very intimate experience.” Working on photo sets for so long, she realized her role was to create an environment where people feel comfortable. And more: “my skill set has been to inspire desire, whether that is storytelling through fashion and photography or matchmaking people to beautiful homes.”
BIGGEST PRIDE AND JOY: “My three grandchildren. I work hard to stay in shape so I can really be hands on, get down on the floor and play. I spend every minute with them whenever I can. That part of my schedule is non-negotiable.”
HOW SHE DOES IT: Starting early in the morning helps. “Thankfully, a lot of my clients and colleagues get up early too. 6:30 to 7:30 a.m is the superhighway of my day. That way I can pick up my grandkids from daycare. Also, when I am working, I am super focused. I truly don’t believe my work suffers. And I will not go to bed if my work is not done.”
