In this episode, Lee Gale reflects on the emotional impact of being unexpectedly “cut” from an opportunity that once felt certain — sharing a personal story of being excluded from a high-profile television appearance after extensive preparation. Through this experience, she explores how setbacks, embarrassment, and disappointment can still happen in the second half of life, even after retirement. Rather than remaining stuck in frustration, the conversation shifts toward perspective: recognizing the hidden gains, learning from the experience, and choosing to move forward with resilience.
Lee Gale Gruen is a regular Podcast contributor for The Transitions Network. She is an actress, author, speaker, and blogger. She focuses on how retirees can customize their retirement to fit their own personalities, interests, and comfort level.
WEBSITE: https://leegalegruen.com
EMAIL: gowergulch@yahoo.com
BLOG: “Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement Years”:https://leegalegruen.wordpress.com
BOOKS ON AMAZON.COM:
“Reinventing Yourself in Your Retirement Years: Find Joy, Excitement, and Purpose After You Retire” https://tinyurl.com/33x9vmcx
“Adventures with Dad: A Father and Daughter’s Journey Through a Senior Acting Class” https://tinyurl.com/5d3yycjw
Click to see Full Transcript
Lee Gale Gruen (00:01.08)
Hello, welcome, or welcome back to my podcast Retirement Made to Order. Have you ever been cut out of something you were sure was a shoe in for you? Like a job promotion, a relationship, or even an appearance on a TV program, as happened to me a dozen years ago? I was one of sixty women profiled in a book by a well known actress.
About reinventing ourselves. After its publication, the writer did a book promotional tour. I was notified that I would be one of the subjects chosen to be in a video clip on a major television show in conjunction with her appearance to discuss her book. I jumped through all the hoops they asked for with a very short deadline. I taught myself how to make a brief.
Selfie video on my iPhone. I taught myself how to upload it to a file sharing website as it was too big to email. I searched for some requested photos buried in my desk drawers of myself at my office when I was a probation officer, which I then learned how to scan an email. my stress level was way up there, as you might imagine.
On the day of the show, I watched only to discover that I had been cut out. I was very upset as well as very embarrassed because I had told everyone I knew that I was going to be on television, posted it on some online group discussion sites, and heralded it in my blog. Well, this kind of scenario happens to everyone.
Just because we are now retirees doesn’t mean it can’t happen to us. We trust in someone else’s promise, spread the word, and then try to backpedal when it goes awry. As a result, we spend some sleepless nights beating ourselves up. After indulging in poor me for a while, I was able to put my experience in perspective and turn it around. What had I gained?
Lee Gale Gruen (02:28.973)
Well, there was my photo and a lovely story about me tracing my journey from probation officer to actress in the aforementioned book. I learned how to take a selfie video for when I might need to do so another time. I learned about file sharing websites. I honed my skills at scanning photos, and I got a blog subject out of it.
When something like this happens, we all wallow in self pity. That’s human nature. But wallowing for too long is unproductive and destructive. You do have choices. You can choose to move on and get over yourself. How long it takes is up to you. I’m Legale Gruin, I hope you’ll visit me again here on my podcast Retirement Made to Order.
Hosted by the Transitions Network. I will be posting new podcasts every week. Feel free to contact me if you want to comment on any of my podcasts. You’ll find my email address in the information that follows or in the description at the beginning of this podcast, along with links to my website, my blog, and my two books on Amazon.com. Goodbye for now.